February 1, 2002
Cover
Story: Schweizer 333: Affordable Power
Schweizer’s latest helicopter, the model 333
turbine, is a versatile aircraft with the potential to transform the low-priced
turbine market.
by Ron Bower, Reporting from
"What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar."
The above quote by Thomas Riley Marshall (who served two terms as vice
president under Woodrow Wilson) can be adapted today to the
Probably, the closest you can come to that is the Schweizer
333, with a 2002 sticker price of $618,900.
The Model 333 reflects Schweizer Aircraft Corp.’s
practical aviation ingenuity and 62 years of aircraft manufacturing experience.
The 333 is a safe, responsive, two-, three- or four-place turbine helicopter,
powered by a Rolls-Royce engine that delivers remarkably good performance.
Schweizer is a first-class operation that far
exceeded my expectations. An immediate and notably positive difference at Schweizer is the personal feel of a smaller, family owned
business. The three top executives and owners are all named Schweizer—brothers
Paul and Stuart, and their cousin, Les. These second-generation Schweizers grew up in the family business and exude an encouraging, guileless warmth.
This "human touch" is often hard to find in the boardrooms of
large companies that are continually pressed by their distant holding
companies, stockholders and directors for larger profits. At Schweizer, operating the company is a family affair; both
employees and customers respond very positively to that atmosphere.
Schweizer is located in the picturesque
south-central part of
The non-flashy, practical Schweizer family approach
is obvious. There are neither oversized conference rooms nor lavish executive
offices. Instead, you quickly feel, see and hear the buzz of activities that
are in process. As you walk through the manufacturing area, you also realize
that the Schweizers have a knowledgeable,
interactive, hands-on management style and an open communications approach to
finding solutions to problems.
Schweizer Aircraft is the only family owned
aircraft manufacturer in
It started with gliders
My first flight in a Schweizer-designed product
was in 1973, when I flew their famous Model 2-33 glider for my commercial
glider and glider instructor ratings. My limited exposure to glider flying in
this relatively simple aircraft contributed to my tendency to underestimate the
technical competence and far broader aviation skills that are in-house at
today’s Schweizer.
Since its inception, Schweizer has been the
industry standard in sailplanes. The company provided the U.S. Navy and Army
Air Force with training gliders during World War II, and was a subcontractor
for many military aircraft manufacturers during the war effort.
Today, subcontracting work accounts for nearly a third of Schweizer’s $45 million in annual revenues. For example, Schweizer fabricated much of the
While Schweizer had considerable experience
manufacturing helicopter components as a subcontractor for
Late that year, Schweizer reached an agreement
with Hughes Helicopter, Inc. to become the licensed manufacturer and product
support source for the Hughes 269/300C helicopter, which had been in production
since 1957. The Army purchased more than 800 TH-55s as their primary training
helicopter for the
With more than 2,700 total Hughes 269/300s in the fleet, the spare parts
business to support these aircraft became a major revenue stream for Schweizer. The company rapidly transferred and mastered the
product and the requisite knowledge for manufacturing the helicopter. The last
items to transition from Hughes were the main rotor and tail rotor
manufacturing, which was accomplished in 1987.
In 1986, Schweizer began successful negotiations
to purchase the Hughes 269/300C product line from Hughes’ new owner, McDonnell
Douglas Helicopter Corp. (MDHC). The piston-powered 269 series didn’t fit in MDHC’s product mix of turbine helicopters.
Fifteen years later, Schweizer has enhanced the
269/300C base product into a family of several follow-on products—all
manufactured in-house. Schweizer has successfully
sustained support of a worldwide fleet of 3,000+ helicopters during that time. Schweizer’s proven expertise on the 269/300C has led to
enhancements like the 300CB variant, designed for the flight training market.
Like most manufacturers, Schweizer has built a
family of derivative helicopters using a common FAA Type Certificate. The
piston-powered 269, 300C, 300CB, the turbine powered 330, and the 333 all share
the same FAA Type Certificate #4H12. This approach gives a turbine-powered
upgrade solution to entry-level owners and students who begin in the
piston-powered versions. Also, this stair-step certification strategy greatly
reduces the high development and certification costs for start-from-scratch new
models. Higher development and certification costs always result in higher
sticker prices for buyers.
Turbine powered, with a purpose
In 1992, Schweizer certified the model 330 turbine
helicopter. It was an enhanced and re-engined version
of the piston-powered Schweizer 300, complete with a
larger cabin, and an enclosed fuselage and tailboom.
The 330 was specifically tailored to meet a U.S. Army bid for the New
Training Helicopter (NTH). The Army had retired the piston-powered TH-55 in
1988 and was using the Bell UH-1 Huey as their primary training helicopter. The
Huey, however, was too expensive to operate as a basic trainer.
Bid specs from the Army required that the winning helicopter be turbine
powered, FAA certified, and have a seating arrangement for an instructor and
two students. One student would be at the controls with the instructor, and the
second student would be observing and listening to the training process. An
important prerequisite was that the observing student have a clear view of the
instrument panel.
Schweizer ingenuity allowed for a three-seat
configuration with two up front, and the observing student ideally located in
the center, just aft of the forward seats. The idea of the observing student
being on-board was to increase learning speed and thus reduce the cost of
military flight training.
The Schweizer 333 has even been certified for
three sets of operating flight controls, and for the pilot-in-command (PIC) to
be situated in either the left or right seats to further enhance training
scenarios. Certification of the 330 was just in the nick of time—the same day
Army flight trials began.
Even though Schweizer lost the Army NTH bid, the
good news was that they had broadened their technology base and product
offerings with the development of the turbine 330. The 330 was powered by the
reliable and proven Rolls-Royce Model 250-C20W, a close cousin to the popular
C20B series used in the JetRanger and MD 500. The
Rolls-Royce 250 series turboshaft engines have now
accumulated well over 85 million flight hours.
With the Schweizer 330’s maximum gross takeoff
weight of 2,230 pounds (almost 1,000 pounds less than a JetRanger)
the 250-C20W turbine engine provided an adequate power-to-weight ratio (see
Sidebar 2, below).
The cabin seating arrangement was enhanced to allow for a fourth seat in the
back, using a bench seat with two sets of seat belts. Compared with most other
turbine helicopters, the Schweizer 330 series made
for low acquisition and operating costs for police surveillance, turbine
transition training, electronic newsgathering (ENG), and corporate/VIP flying,
where large cabins were not a prerequisite.
Marrying the 250-C20 engine with the well-proven (more than 20 million
flight hours) design of the 269/300 airframe and dynamic drive system produced a
reliable performer. The drive train uses a non-problematic belt system to
connect the engine output to the transmission.
The belt system offers some surprisingly unique benefits over the metal
drive shaft on most turbine helicopters. Not only are there fewer moving parts
for maintenance and cost, but the eight joined belts dampen the interconnection
with sliding or flexing coupling designs better than shafts and reduce
drive-train vibration.
As a result of the proven designs used on the Schweizer
330 and 333, the Airworthiness Directives (ADs) and
Service Bulletins (SBs) for these models have been
remarkably low. There have been only three mandatory ADs
since FAA certification in 1992, and two of those were common with all Schweizer helicopter models.
Latest enhancements
Schweizer recognized and responded to the need for
better performance in the 330. Like most helicopters, the
"wish-I-had-more" list always includes faster cruise speed, better
hot-and-high performance, and more useful load. The solution to obtain all of
these was primarily in improving the rotor system.
Schweizer engineers, led by Les Schweizer, began evaluation and experiments with cambered
airfoils on the three main rotor blades. This change increased the chord and
shape of the blades, and provided significantly more lift. To support these new
blades and increase rotor disc efficiency, the main rotor head diameter was
increased, lengthening the diameter to 27.5 feet, about 8 inches longer than
the earlier model 330.
I watched the blade-cambering modification process being applied by skilled
craftsmen in Schweizer’s blade shop. It’s amazing
what a relatively small change can do for performance, without ballooning
prices.
The results were significant. The useful load increased by 30% over a 330SP.
Typical cruise speed increased to 105 knots, and
hot-and-high performance also made significant jumps. In the noise war, Schweizer now claims the lowest noise signature of any
conventional tail rotor turbine helicopter.
In a typical example of Schweizer cleverness, the
older 330 is easily upgradable to the 333 by swapping
the rotor head and blades. Instead of requiring operators to wait until their
blades reach retirement life, the older blades on a 330 can be traded-in to Schweizer for re-use on the piston-powered Model 300. This
also gives 300CB operators and flight schools a lower out-of-pocket solution to
blade replacement.
Schweizer 330 customers won’t feel gouged, they
won’t be left with "dead-end" products, and nothing will go into the
dumpster. Because of the obvious performance benefits, most of the 330 fleet
have been upgraded to the 333 and are enjoying the performance boost.
The Schweizer 333 incorporates several ideas to
enhance safety in addition to well-engineered components. In the 333, there is
29 inches of crushable energy-absorbing structure below the pilots, and the 333
has a crash-resistant fuel bladder. The airframe has anti-plowing beams in the
nose that are designed to minimize sudden horizontal decelerations and flipovers. The first two production 333s went to the
Houston Police Department’s Helicopter Patrol Division, making up one-third of
their six-helicopter fleet. Lt. John King says the department has put about 700
hours on each aircraft since taking delivery less than a year ago.
These helicopters are equipped with FLIR and a color video camera, a
searchlight, moving maps, and police radio suite. Every takeoff is at max gross
weight. Normally, the Houston Police operate the 333s with two-person crews.
Lt. King has been impressed by the reliability of the 333s and appreciative of Schweizer Aircraft’s proactive product support.
At another
A worthy contender
After a thorough preflight and walk-around discussion with flight instructor
Bill Staubach, we climbed in the 333. Inside, the
wide cabin makes for a non-cramped cockpit. Long adjustable pedal travel and a
high roof easily accommodated my 6’4" frame. The ergonomically designed
seats were comfortable.
By design, crew visibility is very good in all directions, including above
and below. The Schweizer products all have
conventional cyclic and collective controls, and a
twist grip throttle on the collective.
The pre-start checklist is short, so it isn’t long before we hear the
familiar "whoosh" as the Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine lights off. The
instrument panel and all gauges are easily read from either side—a necessity,
since the PIC location can be on the right or left.
I picked up to a comfortable hover and taxied out from the ramp. We then
performed a variety of hover maneuvers and hovering autorotations.
All were quite easily done with the responsive rotor system.
Next, we left the traffic pattern for typical airwork.
The cruise speed was as advertised—in the 105-knot range—with a very smooth
ride. The 333 still has the residual sports car feel of the earlier Hughes/MD
versions. Only slight control inputs provide immediate responses. Getting
comfortable in the 333 came quickly.
While I didn’t have a personal reference point of experience in the earlier
330 model, Staubach told me that the 333’s
performance enhancements were substantial.
Next, we made several confined area approaches near some woods. The 333 easily
cleared the treetops, coming out with power to spare.
Then it was back to the airport for autorotations.
After straight-in autos, we performed several more at varying speeds and
directions. All were quite normal, and touchdown was smooth and controlled.
There was no feeling of "running out of rotor RPM" at touchdown.
All in all, flying the Schweizer 333 was a
comfortable pleasure. I am convinced the 333 will perform as advertised.
Moreover, I came away convinced of Schweizer’s
built-in quality and workmanship. This is a company that is committed to
providing its owners and operators with responsive product support.
Competitively, the Schweizer 333 is about
one-third less expensive to acquire and operate than the entry-level products
of
Ron Bower has logged more than 8,000 flight hours and holds two
around-the-world speed records for helicopters. Contact him at ron@bowerhelicopter.com.
|
Schweizer 333 Specifications |
|
|
MGTOW: |
2,550 pounds |
|
Engine: |
Rolls-Royce Model
250-C20W |
|
Horsepower: |
420 shp,
derated to 250 shp |
|
Cruise speed: |
105 knots |
|
Fuel capacity: |
73 gallons (Jet A) |
|
Seating: |
2-4 places |
|
Blades: |
3, fully articulated |
|
Main rotor diameter: |
27.51 feet |
Plenty of Power
Engine shaft horsepower to max gross weight comparison, using 420 shp Rolls-Royce Model 250-C20 engines:
|
A/C type |
Engine type |
Max cruise shp |
% of 420 shp |
Max gross weight |
Power-to-weight ratio |
|
|
RR250-C20B/J |
269 shp |
64% |
3,200 lbs. |
11.9 shp/lbs. |
|
MD 500E |
RR250-C20B |
350 shp |
83 |
3,000 lbs. |
8.6 shp/lbs. |
|
Schweizer 330 |
RR250-C20W |
220 shp |
52 |
2,230 lbs. |
10.2 shp/lbs. |
|
Schweizer 333 |
RR250-C20W |
230 shp |
55 |
2,550 lbs. |
11.1 shp/lbs. |
Aircraft performance is a result of many more factors than just weight and
usable horsepower. It’s important to consider the number, size, speed, and
efficiency of main rotor blades. Hot and high altitude performance also can be
limited by the size, number and design of the tail rotor system. Typically, the
limiting factor on usable engine horsepower is the transmission shaft
horsepower limitation, rather than the engine limits. Engines are typically derated to match the aircraft’s transmission limits.
Potential conclusions from the above chart:
The Pilotless Option
In yet another demonstration of Schweizer’s
engineering sophistication, the company modified the Model 333 for pilotless operation as a Vertical Takeoff and Landing
Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV).
Schweizer teamed with prime contractor Northrop
Grumman who recently won a $93 million contract for engineering and
manufacturing development (EMD) for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The VTUAV
design can be deployed and recovered using land or ocean platforms, providing
real-time data for surveillance and reconnaissance missions using
forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and other optical sensors.
This will allow Navy vessels to see effectively over the horizon, greatly
enhancing their early warning of threats.
On the ground, the Marines can launch and recover the VTUAV in unprepared
areas near the forward edge of the battlefront, giving them a quick response to
changing combat situations.
In addition, the VTUAV can track and laser-designate remote targets up to
110 nautical miles from its launch site and stay aloft for up to six hours.
The Navy contract provides for three low-rate initial production (LRIP) VTUAVs. The sophisticated electronic systems payload can
download data to ground stations, and allows ground or automatic control of
navigation using multiple waypoints. The aircraft can perform at altitudes up
to 20,000 feet and land safely in 25-knot winds from any direction.
This initial contract is expected to be completed by April 2002. The
aircraft has the distinctive profile of the Schweizer
333, but the windows, doors, and stylish paint schemes have been replaced with
non-reflective gray cowlings.
By eliminating the creature-comfort space and equipment for human pilots,
the unmanned aircraft gains considerably more payload capacity.
In 1965-66, long before the current generation of UAVs
was available, I flew helicopter gunships into
intended landing zones in
These unmanned technologies already have been used effectively in