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HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM   137

We can, by squeezing a little bit more--which is probably feasible, considering the short haul distance that this airplane will be operated at--in commercial use, we can go over that. However, by putting in a none-foot plug, we can raise that seating capacity on an equivalent basis from 40 to 52.

Senator HART. I will read the record. I might be asking the same questions.

Senator MONRONEY. It has so much range that for a short-range aircraft, you can add a great deal more carrying capacity for a suburban-type run. That is why I think it is of such great interest to us as we study the problems of commuter flight and particularly the stages around towns like Lansing and Detroit, which are not far apart.

Senator HART. Sixty-seven miles.

Senator MONRONEY. That would be a good flight for those distances. Grand Rapids is what? A hundred?

Senator HART. It is about 130.

Senator MONRONEY. There is quite a complex around these cities where this would offer revolutionary feeder-line capability, I would think.

Do you have anything further that you would like to add?

Your testimony deserves the complete attendance of the full committee. It is only because of our bad luck in getting stuck behind two bills that they were unable to be here.

I hope sometime, as the committee looks at SST's or something, that they can stop at Grand Prairie and see this plane actually work.

Mr. THAYER. We would be delighted to have them.

Senator MONRONEY. It is hard to realize how big it is. I saw it last week.

Mr. THAYER. The stability control is rather understanding. We predicted it would be. We still had to convince ourselves by flying it.

For example, we had one pilot recently who had just checked out of the airplane and had landing gear problems going back in. Previously he had only had 20 seconds hovertime as a copilot. Rather than damage the airplane, he landed it with the gear up in the hover mode with only 20 seconds of previous experience. Of course, he had a hundred hours in helicopters to back him up, as far as having experience in hovering.

He landed the airplane with almost a zero sink with essentially no damage. We had the airplane flying again in 4 days.

Senator MONRONEY. It is not as difficult to take it up vertically and tilt the wing forward as it is to pick up speed to 300 miles an hour within a short distance?

Mr. THAYER. No, sir. It has a great amount of acceleration.

Senator MONRONEY. What would you say the distance would be to accelerate from vertical hover to 300 miles an hour?

Mr. THAYER. I am guessing, Senator, But I would say about a mile and a half.

Senator MONRONEY. A mile and a half to go from zero to 300 miles an hour. That is pretty rapid.

Is there anything else that you would like to add? We have a number of other witnesses who are here, and I know we want to dispose of as many of them as we can tonight. Many of them have operations to conduct in the helicopter operation service.

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