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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 11/96 BOMBARDIER GLOBAL EXPRESS TAKES OFF by Norbert Burgner At the end of August, Bombardier celebrated the roll-out of the Global Express, the biggest business jet ever built. "The new Global Express is the symbol for a new performance which enables this world's decision-makers to meet the demands implemented by the increasing globalisation of the economy", said Bombardier's head Laurent Beaudoin on August 26 in Toronto. Five years after the program was announced on the occasion of 1991's NBAA in Houston, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer's vision of an ultimate synthesis of speed, range, and comfort has come true. The Global Express (for full technical data klick here) offers a non-stop range of 6500 NM at speeds of Mach 0.80: This means a flight time of 14 hours 14 minutes from Paris to Buenos Aires or 14 hours 15 minutes from Los Angeles to Shanghai. The new business jet allows direct connections which, so far, were beyond the horizon of Business Aviation. Any point on the earth can be reached with just one intermediate stop. Even with a range of 5000 NM when flying at high cruise-speeds of Mach 0.88 can the super long-ranger connect cities like Los Angeles and London (nine hours 38 minutes). Mainly responsible for this performance are the engines and aerodynamic design of the Global Express. The two BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofans (14690 lbs of thrust each) are the most powerful engines used on a business jet ever. The new engines have accumulated approximately 5000 "working hours" since their development was started in 1992 and surprised its designers with a better performance than specified. The only drop of bitterness were rumors saying that the weight of the new turbofan is alleged to be higher than the specification of approximately 2200 kg. However, this allegation was put in perspective by BRR's chief engineer, Reg Moore, in an interview with FLUG REVUE. The BRR710 was certified by the European authorities on August 14, followed by the FAA certification, the first for a German jet engine, on September 18. Along with the new propulsion system, Bombardier has given the Global Express the appropriate aerodynamic design. The transonic wing has a positive sweep of 35 degrees, a thickness-ratio of eleven percent and an aspect ratio of 8,0. According to the manufacturer, the wing is optimized for high cruise-speeds and a low fuel consumption. The jet's standard cruise-speed is supposedly oriented to Mach 0.85, a speed at which conventional designs already generate significant drag. Furthermore, the supercritical profile of the GEX wing is reducing the boundary layer speed, which in return increases the critical Mach number, allowing for faster subsonic speeds at the same fuel consumption. Further fuel savings were acquired by adding winglets to the wings. The vertical wingtip extension dissolves the so called wingtip vortices, such reducing the induced drag. They are furthermore increasing the wing area which improves the lift/drag ratio. The result is a lower fuel consumption and a higher range. Another three percent reduction in drag, with positive effects on high-speed flying regime and the low-speed characteristics, was supposedly reached through high-lift devices such as slats and an angled wing trailing-edge. In addition the optimized aerodynamical design of the fuselage profile results in lower air-flow speeds in the cockpit area, the aft fuselage-section, the engine nacelle, as well as, the engine pylon. This furthermore reduces the drag values and also results in a lower noise level. However, the noise level is not the main characteristic of the Global Express cabin: Nowhere else can one see the new dimension better than in the super long-ranger's cabin: About 15 meters in length, 2,50 meters wide, and with a standing height of 1,90 meters, the GEX cabin offers "Jumbo"-like space as compared to business jet standards. Along with standard club seating there is enough room for a conference room and a bedroom. With eight passengers on board, each person is supplied with 1,8 cubic meters of cabin air. A share of 1,34 cubic meters (73 percent) of fresh air is a value of which airliner passengers can only dream of. Approximately 60 cubic meters of cabin space generates the appropriate outside appearance of the jet. With its length of 30,3 m, a wing span of 28,5 m, and a maximum take-off mass of 41,3 tons, the Global Express is almost exactly 50 percent larger and approximately twice as heavy as the Challenger, Bombardiers former business flagship. However, these measurements of the Global Express are not a means of self-projection, but are a result of the designed specifications: A range of 6500 NM requires a certain amount of fuel, 23331 liters to be exact, all of which are held in three main wingtanks. The flying time, which results from the extremely long-range capability of the jet, also requires an environment which meets the expectations of the customers. Who purchases an aircraft worth 34 million dollars does not wish to leave the jet after a 14 hour flight like an economy class airline passenger. The Global Express is a working platform and a regeneration location at the same time. It is designed to ensure competitive advantages by enabling the decision-makers to be at the right place at the right time. From page 12 of FLUG REVUE 11/96 Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 11/96 Copyright 1996 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated October 20, 1996