“拷問”羅賓遜

羅賓遜直升機接連幾起的航空事故，讓人們?nèi)滩蛔∫蓡枺骸傲_賓遜的直升機到底安全不安全？”本刊帶著這個疑問，訪問了美國羅賓遜直升機公司、直升機銷售代理商、通航運營商、航校及民航局相關人員，聽他們?yōu)槲覀冏鲆粋€分析。

Since March 2013， a series of R22 and R44 accidents in and out of China has attracted attention of the general aviation industry to the American manufacturer-Robinson Helicopter Company.

一架R44在悉尼以南大約60公里的Bulli Tops地區(qū)的草地墜毀，造成4人死亡。

On March 21st， a R44 crashed at a grassed area at Bulli Tops 60 km south of Sydney， killing four on board.

西安市公安局特警支隊一架警航直升機R44在執(zhí)行飛行訓練任務時，在藍田玉山鎮(zhèn)上空失事，1人逃生2人犧牲。

On June 3rd， a R44 police helicopter of the Xi'an Public Security Bureau Special Police Unit crashed at Lantian County， Yushan Town during routine training flight， causing two dead and one injured.

廣州穗聯(lián)直升機通用航空公司的一架R22輕型直升機在廣州市南沙區(qū)大崗鎮(zhèn)墜毀，機上一名男機師和一名女飛行學員死亡。

On July 29th， a R22 of Guangzhou Suilian Helicopter General Aviation Corporation crashed at Dagang Town， Nansha District of Guangzhou， killing the male instructor and female cadet on board.

俄羅斯伊爾庫斯克傳來一架R44直升機墜毀的消息，事故造成2人死亡。

On August 6th， 2013， a R44 crashed at Irkutsk， Russia， killing two.

今年3月以來，美國羅賓遜公司R22、R44系列直升機在國內(nèi)外發(fā)生數(shù)起事故，引起了國內(nèi)外通航業(yè)界人士的廣泛關注。

Since March 2013， a series of R22 and R44 accidents in and out of China has attracted attention of the general aviation industry to the American manufacturer – Robinson Helicopter Company.

本刊獲悉，此次發(fā)生事故的廣州穗聯(lián)直升機通用航空公司，早在2011年～2012年，還曾先后兩次發(fā)生R22直升機安全事件，導致緊急迫降，幸未有人員傷亡。民航管理部門透露，目前廣州穗聯(lián)直升機通用航空公司已經(jīng)暫停營業(yè)，民航管理部門正在進行事故的責任認定。

由于調(diào)查認定除了針對事發(fā)公司，還會涉及到飛機的生產(chǎn)廠家等，將會是一個較長的過程。因此，目前尚未有上述事故的權威原因認定。然而，近期羅賓遜直升機事故頻發(fā)，還是在國內(nèi)外航空業(yè)界引起了不小的反響，特別是在中國通用航空產(chǎn)業(yè)蓬勃發(fā)展的當下，導致事故的究竟是飛機自身設計缺陷，還是飛行員經(jīng)驗、維護管理，甚至天氣等客觀原因，亟需厘清。

Before the recent crash， Guangzhou Suilian Helicopter General Aviation Corporation had two other R22 safety incidents in 2011 and 2012 leading to emergency landings. According to the civil aviation regulator， operation of the company has been suspended for accident investigation.

The investigation may take a while as both the operator and manufacturer are suspected for the cause of the accident. By far， no authoritative conclusion has been reached， but the surge of accidents has taken its toll， especially on the rapid growing general aviation industry in China， which is waiting to see whether the crashes were caused by design deficiency， maintenance slip， pilot error， or weather.

羅賓遜直升機公司是美國一家著名的研制生產(chǎn)輕小型2～4座直升機的企業(yè)，旗下設計、生產(chǎn)R22、R44和R66等直升機。該公司官方表示，R22直升機已交付于世界各地的60多個國家，“它保持了在相同重量等級內(nèi)的包括速度、高度和距離的每一項性能紀錄。”1992年，羅賓遜直升機公司基于R22的技術經(jīng)驗，再次研制推出了R44“雷鳥”系列4座輕型直升機，并于1993年交付了首架R44。The Robinson Helicopter Company is a famous American manufacturer of 2 to 4 seat light helicopters， its products include R22， R44， and R66. According to the company， R22 has been delivered to over 60 countries. The aircraft holds every world record in its weight class， including speed， altitude and distance. Based on R22 technology， the four-seat model R44 Raven was launched in 1992 and first delivered in 1993.

全球保有量巨大

R22直升機和R44直升機是美國羅賓遜直升機公司生產(chǎn)的兩款主力機型，也是在世界通航市場上占有率極大的兩款機型。據(jù)本刊粗略統(tǒng)計，R22和R44在我國的總保有量約為30架左右，主要用于私人飛行員的培訓，是在我國銷量最好的輕型直升機之一。羅賓遜直升機公司的飛機一直以生產(chǎn)低價位、高標準、高性能的輕型直升機而著稱，但接連幾起航空事故，還是讓人們不禁對羅賓遜直升機的安全性產(chǎn)生了擔憂。

美國羅賓遜直升機董事長Kurt Robinson在接受本刊采訪時表示，就廣州穗聯(lián)直升機通用航空公司的直升機墜毀事件，他們還未得到來自該公司官方就本次事件的任何信息，但在他看來，這起事故由飛行員駕駛失誤導致的可能性很大，“R22和R44的機械性能非常好，兩款直升機因機械性能而引起事故的記錄少之又少。”

他向本刊出具的美國羅賓遜直升機公司官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示，該公司已在全球范圍內(nèi)交付R22直升機4500架，但具體有多少架R22和R44直升機交付到中國市場，他們并未透露。

羅賓遜直升機公司設在中國的銷售代理公司—卓誠動力有限公司銷售總監(jiān)易海則告訴本刊：“羅賓遜的直升機產(chǎn)品都很成熟，以10年為設計壽命，而且其設計理念簡單，無論駕駛還是維護，相對都很容易。”但是就近期羅賓遜直升機事故原因，他并未給出一個評斷。

Large Number in Operation

As key products of the Robinson Helicopter Company， R22 and R44 account for a very large share on the global general aviation market. There are about 30 R22 and R44 helicopters operating in China， most of which are used as trainers， making it the best-selling light helicopter in the country. The company is known for its low-price， high-standard， high-performance light helicopters， but the recent accidents have put its safety record under challenge.

Kurt Robinson， Chairman of the Robinson Helicopter Company， told U-Jet that they have not received any official update on the Guangzhou crash probe， but in his view， the possibility of pilot error is very high. “R22 and R44 have excellent technical performance. Very few of its recorded accidents were caused by mechanical problems.”

According to him， the company has delivered 4，500 R22 helicopters across the world， though he did not disclose how many R22 and R44 have been delivered to China.

Yi Hai， Sales Director of PTE Systems， the distributor of Robinson helicopters in China told U-jet， \"Robinson helicopters are mature models with a designed life-cycle of 10 years. They are comparatively easy to pilot and maintain.\" He offered no comment on the recent accidents.

近年來頻繁發(fā)生的直升機事故不僅限于羅賓遜，2012年7月，云南通用航空有限公司的一架貝爾206L-4型直升機在楚雄市青山嘴水庫墜毀，1人遇難，2人受傷。2013年6月，西林鳳騰通用航空公司的一架小型直升飛機斯瓦澤300，在廣漢市境內(nèi)青白江附近墜落，致1名機組人員死亡，1名機組人員受傷。Robinson is not the only accident-troubled helicopter in recent years. In July 2012， a Bell 206L-4 helicopter of Yunnan General Aviation Corporation crashed at Qingshan reservoir in the city of Chuxiong， killing 1 and injured 2. In June 2013， a Schwarzer 300 XiLin FengTeng General Aviation crashed in Guanghan， causing 1 dead and 1 injured.

Helicopter Performance under Debate

Kingwing Aviation， a subsidiary of Zenisun Investment Group， used to be the biggest customer of Robinson Helicopter Company. But about 2 years ago， Kingwing sold out all its Robinson helicopters. Xia Mingxiao， Vice President of helicopter distributor Sino-US Intercontinental， another subsidiary of Zenisun， told U-jet， \"Robinson helicopters are too agile to maneuver for new cadets. Flight instructors have to always remain highly alert. Its safety and technical performance are not as reliable as other trainers.\" He added that because CAAC regulates that a general aviation operator has to own at least two aircraft in order to obtain the operating license， it is often start-ups that purchase R22 and R44 for their low acquisition and maintenance cost.

Whether Robinson helicopters are swift and agile may vary in different eyes， Yi said， but its advantages in price， operation， maintenance， and maneuver makes it the most popular light helicopter. As the number of aircraft goes up， so does flight hours and accidents. \"If you do not fly， of course there won't be any accident.\" We cannot judge safety performance of an aircraft based simply on the number of accidents. The Robinson helicopters are in fact mature and safe helicopter models.

But according to insiders， technical fault could not be ruled out as a cause of the accidents. \"There could be many causes to an accident--technical fault， pilot error， or bad fuel. Jet fuel in China is sourced from various channels and its quality may vary. Inferior fuel might as well cause R22 in-flight engine shutdown.\" Jiang Wen， President of China at General Dynamic Aero Industry explained that \"in terms of performance， pistol engine helicopters， in particular light helicopters like R22 are in general not as safe as turboprop helicopters.\"

涉事直升機性能特點引爭議

據(jù)悉，上海金匯通用航空有限公司曾經(jīng)是羅賓遜直升機公司在中國大陸的第一大客戶，但早在兩年前，金匯通航卻將旗下的羅賓遜飛機全部進行了轉(zhuǎn)手處理。與金匯通航同屬上海正陽投資集團、負責直升機銷售業(yè)務的中美洲際直升機投資上海有限公司副總夏明曉告訴本刊：“羅賓遜飛機過于靈活，不利于新學員找到駕駛手感，并且需要飛行教員保持極度警惕。而且與其他教練機相比，它的安全系數(shù)和機械性能也比較差。”他同時表示，按照民航局規(guī)定，籌建的通航公司獲得批準的條件之一就是必須自有至少兩架飛機，因為R22和R44的購置和維護價格比較便宜，故國內(nèi)購買R22和R44的大多是籌建中的通航公司。

但就“靈活機動、反應敏捷”的特點，易海認為，這是一個見仁見智的問題。他表示，由于在價格、運行成本、維護、操縱性方面的優(yōu)勢，羅賓遜直升機成為了最受歡迎的輕型直升機，數(shù)量多了，飛行時間就多，發(fā)生的事故當然會相應地多。“如果不飛，肯定不會有事故。”所以，不能看到發(fā)生這么多事故，就認為羅賓遜直升機的安全性差，它們實際都已經(jīng)成為一個成熟的、安全的機型。

另有業(yè)內(nèi)人士表示，羅賓遜飛機事故頻發(fā)，不排除有機械故障的原因。“就一個事件本身來講，導致事故的原因有很多，機械的故障、人員的操控、使用的航油都有可能導致事故。以航油為例，目前國內(nèi)的航空汽油的來源渠道多樣，質(zhì)量也不穩(wěn)定，劣質(zhì)的航空汽油也可能導致R22飛機發(fā)動機空中停止工作。但從性能上來講，活塞式直升機，尤其是R22這類輕型活塞直升機的安全系數(shù)確實要比渦軸直升機低一些。”捷德航空工業(yè)有限公司中國區(qū)總裁江文全向本刊這樣解釋。

活塞發(fā)動機是利用一個或多個活塞將壓力轉(zhuǎn)換成旋轉(zhuǎn)動能的發(fā)動機，渦軸發(fā)動機是通過一個壓力室，壓縮空氣，再將其壓入燃燒室，形成高溫高壓的燃氣帶動渦輪。渦軸發(fā)動機比活塞發(fā)動機的重量輕，其次渦軸發(fā)動機振動小，噪音小。但在單位燃油消耗率方面，渦軸發(fā)動機遜于活塞發(fā)動機。A piston engine converts air pressure to kinetic energy with one or more pistons. A turbo engine forces air through a compressor， into a combustion chamber， and drives turbine with high-temperature， high-pressure exhaust. A turbo engine is lighter， quieter， and less vibrant than a piston engine. But a piston engine burns less fuel than a turboprop.

通航安全需要全盤考慮

另外一些業(yè)內(nèi)人士認為，機械故障和飛行員操作失誤只是表面的現(xiàn)象，事故的原因應該從深層次的角度去探尋。青島九天飛行學院市場部部長張鴻飛對本刊說：“羅賓遜直升機在非高原環(huán)境下，其可靠性和經(jīng)濟性還是不錯的。但需要注意的是，國內(nèi)航空的發(fā)展主要集中在121部旅客運輸方面，國內(nèi)對直升機的需求一直不旺盛，故民航局對直升機的培訓以及運營制定的標準相對固定翼低，從而導致了直升機的保有量不多，國內(nèi)真正能飛的直升機也就400架左右。因為飛機少，對飛行員和機務人員的數(shù)量和素質(zhì)要求相對則會降低，培訓和運用過程中把關也會不嚴。”據(jù)悉，國內(nèi)直升機駕駛員培訓一般在3至6個月，某些通航公司的官網(wǎng)資料甚至顯示，學員只需要3星期的密集培訓就有機會考取直升機私用駕駛員執(zhí)照。

羅賓遜直升機的性能到底如何，目前各方還沒有得出權威結論。在諸多因素的干擾之下，縈繞在羅賓遜直升機周圍的安全疑云遠未散去，而業(yè)界亟盼了解的是除了該飛機自身是否存在缺陷外，中國直升機產(chǎn)業(yè)發(fā)展中是否還存在更需引起重視的涉及人才培養(yǎng)、行業(yè)管理、發(fā)展階段和規(guī)律在內(nèi)的一系列深層次問題。

針對近期國內(nèi)不斷頻發(fā)的通航事故，本刊專門詢問了中國民航局相關部門的負責人員，因為廣州穗聯(lián)直升機通用航空公司的事故還在調(diào)查中，該工作人員并未對事故做任何評斷，而且也并未對今后在政策指導和部門監(jiān)管上透露信息。他表示，通航安全需要全盤考慮，任何“夸大其詞”和“因噎廢食”都會對原本基礎就薄弱的通航產(chǎn)生危害。

The Big Picture

Other insiders noted that we should look at underlying causes of the accidents rather than stop at superficial ones like technical fault or pilot error. Zhang Hongfei， Head of Marketing of Qiandao Jiutian International Flight Academy， told U-jet， \"Robinson helicopters are quite reliable and economical under non-plateau environment. But it should be noted that because domestic aviation focus mainly on Part 121 passenger transportation， there is limited demand for helicopter and fewer regulation on its training and operation. There are only 400 helicopters operating in China. Less aircraft means looser training and operation regulation and lower qualification requirement for the small number of pilots and engineers.\"

In China， a helicopter pilot can acquire a certificate with a training of 3 to 6 months， some general aviation operators even claim on their websites that cadets can obtain a pilot certificate with a 3-week intensive training.

Whether aircraft performance underlines the recent crashes are still under investigation. But what the domestic industry expects to know is that apart from possible helicopter deficiencies， are there deeper questions， such as training standard， industry regulation， or development pattern of the industry that has to be addressed.

We also approached a related official in CAAC， but because the Guangzhou accident is still under investigation， He offered on comment on recent general aviation accidents or on future policy guidance and regulating measures. But he did emphasis that we should look at the whole picture when we consider general aviation safety， any \"exaggeration\" or \"stop eating because of a hiccup\" will shake up the already weak basis of the general aviation development in China.