CAV - AC10-100 Viasa (1980)
The CAV AC10 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport aircraft, and it was the first wide-body produced in Venezuela. Manufactured by Construcciones Aeronauticas Venezolanas unit, the original version of the AC10 had twice the capacity of CAV's AC7, one of the common large commercial aircraft of the 1960s. The AC10 was conceived while air travel was increasing in the 1960s. The era of commercial jet transportation, led by the enormous popularity of the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8, had revolutionized long-distance travel. In 1965 Venezolana Internacional de Aviación (Viasa), one of their most important airline customers, asked CAV to build a passenger aircraft more than twice the size of the AC7. During this time, airport congestion, worsened by increasing numbers of passengers carried on relatively small aircraft, became a problem that was thought could be addressed by a large new aircraft.
At the time, it was widely thought that the AC10 would eventually be superseded by the AC11 supersonic transport aircraft. CAV responded by designing the AC10 so that it could be adapted easily to carry freight and remain in production even if sales of the passenger version declined.As CAV did not have a plant large enough to assemble the giant airliner, they chose to build a new plant. The company considered locations in about 40 cities, and eventually decided to build the new plant near Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport of Ciudad Guayana on the Bolívar State. It bought the site in June 1966
One of the principal technologies that enabled an aircraft as large as the AC10 to be conceived was the high-bypass turbofan engine. The engine technology was thought to be capable of delivering double the power of the earlier turbojets while consuming a third less fuel. Aerotécnica had the task of designing and building the engines that would power the aircraft. Development of what became known as the TR-11A turbofan started in 1965 with the first engine tested in 1969. Additionally, some of the most advanced high-lift devices used in the industry were included in the new design, to allow it to operate from existing airports.
On October 12, 1969, the first AC10 was rolled out of the Ciudad Guayana assembly building before the world's press and representatives of the airlines that had ordered the airliner. Over the following months, preparations were made for the first flight, which took place on January 10, 1970. The flight confirmed that the AC10 handled extremely well. The AC10 was found to be largely immune to "Dutch roll", a phenomenon that had been a major hazard to the early swept-wing jets. The AC10-100 entered service on September 22, 1970, on Viasa's Caracas–London route. The AC10-100 enjoyed a fairly smooth introduction into service, overcoming concerns that some airports would not be able to accommodate an aircraft that large. Although technical problems occurred, they were relatively minor and quickly solved.
General characteristics
Crew: 3 + 6 flight attendants
Capacity: 252-522 passengers
Length: 70 m (229,66 ft)
Wingspan: 63.45 metres (208 ft 2 in)
Height: 17.95 m (42,16 ft)
Wing area: 439.4 square metres (4,730 sq ft)
Empty weight: 146.160 kg (322.227,41 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 300.051 kg (661.498,74 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Aerotécnica TR-11A-50 turbofan, 50.000 lbf dry thrust each
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 0.89 (594 mph, 955 km/h, 516 kn)
Range: 10,200 km (6909,65 mi)
Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,105 m)