Coarse G 520

Coarse G 520
	; G 520T in new paintwork during floor tests
Type:	High-altitude research and reconnaissance aircraft
Design country:	Germany
Manufacturer:	Grob Aircraft AG
First flight:	June 24, 1987 (D 450 Egrett I)
Number of pieces:	5 + 1 two-seater

The Grob G 520 is a turboprop high-altitude research and reconnaissance aircraft made by the German manufacturer Grob Aircraft , which was developed in cooperation with an international consortium of companies ( E-Systems and Garret ) and the Federal Ministry of Research . The G 520 is one of the largest manned aircraft made from composite materials. Furthermore, the G 520 was the first composite aircraft designed for stratospheric research flights, setting an altitude record of 53,573.96 feet (16,329.35 meters).

history

G 520 VH-ARA in 1991

The Grob G 520 Egrett - the name stands for the participating companies E-Systems, Grob and Garrett - was developed in the 1980s as a result of a tender for a high-flying surveillance platform under the name LAPAS (airborne, distant primary reconnaissance system). The test vehicle D 450 Egrett I with rigid tricycle landing gear had its maiden flight with Einar Enevoldson on June 24, 1987 . A 552 kW turboprop Honeywell-Garret TPE-331-14F served as the drive . The two pre-production aircraft D 500 Egrett II flew for the first time in 1989 and 1990 respectively and were converted to the D 520 Strato 1 / Egrett by 1991. The EASA / LBA and FAA approval according to Part 23 for IFR and icing conditions for the Strato 1 took place on March 22, 1991 and September 13, 1991, respectively. In 1992 the Air Force ordered 16 machines including a two-seat trainer version G 520T, the to be delivered by 2001, but the order was canceled because of the Amigo affair . The fifth and the only one remaining in Germany with the registration D-FGRO last flew on June 23, 1992 and was then parked at the Grob factory airfield in Mindelheim-Mattsies .

G 520 N520DM in Glasgow , August 2010

After the insolvency of the Grob company, the aircraft was marketed by the new owner as an “ optional piloted vehicle ” under the name DEGOSS. The Grob G 520 can be used to pilot unmanned aircraft. In 2014 Grob Aircraft AG bought back the still airworthy two-seater G 520T from the Australian operator Airborne Research Australia and transferred it to Germany. After being repainted, the G 520T was exhibited at Farnborough Airshow 2014. The G 520T serves as a demonstrator for the planned G 520NG with digital cockpit, which is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67 .

G 520T VH-ARA after landing in Germany on June 12, 2014

construction

The Grob G 520 is a mid-decker made entirely of composite materials , powered by a Honeywell TPE 331-14F turboprop engine with a four-blade Hartzell propeller. The G 520 has a three-legged landing gear, the main landing gear of which is retracted in gondolas under the wings. Up to 850 kg payload can be accommodated in twelve sections. The pressure cabin of the G 520 offers space for a pilot and a sensor operator and, alternatively, for equipment for use in pressure-relevant altitude areas. The cockpit of the G 520T can optionally be equipped with an IDU-680 EFIS glass cockpit from Genesys Aerosystems.

use

The test vehicle D 450 N14ES had flown 200 hours at 140 flights up to September 1989, and Einar Enevoldson set three class world records for climb performance, maximum reached and maintained altitude on a flight in Greenville (Texas) on September 1, 1988, which are still in place (As of October 2018)

Climb to 15,000 m in 40:47 min
Altitude in level flight: 16,239 m
Flight altitude: 16,329 m

After the public presentation of the D 500 by the Air Force on September 7, 1989 at the horse field as the planned stationing location, atmospheric research flights from the air field Nordholz followed as part of the international Cirrus project.

In September 2018, a Grob G 520 was used as a tow plane for the record glider Perlan II in Argentina. A tow coupling was retrofitted for this.

Technical specifications

Front view of the G 520T, 2014

Parameter	G 520
crew	one pilot, one copilot / sensor operator
length	13.82 m
span	33.0 m
height	5.66 m
Wing area	39.67 m²
Wing extension	27.5
Empty mass	3300 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	4700 kg
payload	850 kg
Cruising speed	283 km / h
Top speed	469 km / h
Service ceiling	15,240 m
Range	7.5 hours or 3670 km
Engines	1 × AlliedSignal TPE331-14F; 560 kW

Web links

Commons : Grob G 520 - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ G 520 - Records http://grob-aircraft.com/index.php/records.html
↑ ^a ^b ^c Grob D500 / Egrett - high-altitude research aircraft and special reconnaissance aircraft officially presented . In: aerokurier . No. 9 , 1989, pp. 44-46 .
↑ FliegerRevue June 2010, p. 40, ILA 2010 shines with innovations
↑ TV Documentation - Grob G 520 http://www.br.de/mediathek/video/sendung/abendschau-der-sueden/grob-flugzeug-mindelheim-100.html ( Memento from June 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Grob Egrett returns. In: Flugrevue.de. July 14, 2014, accessed April 26, 2018 .
↑ Grob G 520NG - Official website http://grob-aircraft.com/index.php/basic-information-22.html
↑ G 520NG. In: grob-aircraft.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018 .
↑ FAI Record ID # 1392. In: old.fai.org. FAI, September 1, 1988, accessed on October 1, 2018 (English): "Class C-1e (Landplanes: take off weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg) - Time to climb to a height of 15,000 m ... 40 min 47 sec "
↑ FAI Record ID # 1390. In: old.fai.org. FAI, September 1, 1988, accessed on October 1, 2018 (English): "Class C-1e (Landplanes: take off weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg) - Altitude in horizontal flight ... 16,329 m"
↑ FAI Record ID # 1388. In: old.fai.org. FAI, September 1, 1988, accessed on October 1, 2018 (English): "Class C-1e (Landplanes: take off weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg) - Altitude ... 16,329 m"
↑ Jürgen Schelling: Perlan 2: Sailing into the stratosphere . In: FAZ.NET . ISSN 0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed September 19, 2018]).

[1] G 520 - Records http://grob-aircraft.com/index.php/records.html

[aerokurier1989-9-2] Grob D500 / Egrett - high-altitude research aircraft and special reconnaissance aircraft officially presented . In: aerokurier . No. 9 , 1989, pp. 44-46 .

[3] FliegerRevue June 2010, p. 40, ILA 2010 shines with innovations

[4] TV Documentation - Grob G 520 http://www.br.de/mediathek/video/sendung/abendschau-der-sueden/grob-flugzeug-mindelheim-100.html ( Memento from June 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

[flugrevue2014-07-14-5] Grob Egrett returns. In: Flugrevue.de. July 14, 2014, accessed April 26, 2018 .

[6] Grob G 520NG - Official website http://grob-aircraft.com/index.php/basic-information-22.html

[7] G 520NG. In: grob-aircraft.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018 .

[8] FAI Record ID # 1392. In: old.fai.org. FAI, September 1, 1988, accessed on October 1, 2018 (English): "Class C-1e (Landplanes: take off weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg) - Time to climb to a height of 15,000 m ... 40 min 47 sec "

[9] FAI Record ID # 1390. In: old.fai.org. FAI, September 1, 1988, accessed on October 1, 2018 (English): "Class C-1e (Landplanes: take off weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg) - Altitude in horizontal flight ... 16,329 m"

[10] FAI Record ID # 1388. In: old.fai.org. FAI, September 1, 1988, accessed on October 1, 2018 (English): "Class C-1e (Landplanes: take off weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg) - Altitude ... 16,329 m"

[11] Jürgen Schelling: Perlan 2: Sailing into the stratosphere . In: FAZ.NET . ISSN 0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed September 19, 2018]).


Gliders	Grob G 102 Astir • Grob G 103 Twin Astir • Grob G 104 Speed Astir
Motorized planes	Coarse G 109 • Coarse G 115 • Coarse G 120A • Coarse G 120TP • Coarse G 140 • Coarse G 180 SPn • Coarse GF 200 • Coarse G 520 • Coarse G 850 • LAPAS