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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 9/97 GOOD BUSINESS FOR BUSINESS AVIATION MANUFACTURERS by Norbert Burgner The business aviation is in an upwind. "We are very pleased, especially due to the contract signed today by NetJets", said Cessna CEO Russ Meyer at the Paris Airshow. NetJets, the Montvale, New Jersey based fractional ownership experts, had just ordered 50 Citation Excels, a contract worth $400 million. The new medium-light jet combines the wing of the Citation V Ultra with the shortened cabin of the Citation X. Cessna expects the certification to be complete in the beginning of 1998. The first deliveries of the new Learjet 45 are still delayed due to development problems in the first design phase. A total of 32 customers were supposed to receive their new aircraft this year. According to Bombardier, the 45 will supposedly be certified in the fall of this year, followed by the first deliveries. The Canadian manufacturer is sure that the certification and first deliveries of the new flagship Global Express will take place in May of 1998, such ending the reprieve of competitor Gulfstream. Until then, Bombardier points out, Gulfstream owner Ted Forstmann does have enough time to sell his company with profit. This might be even true, since Wall Street broker Forstmann has a history of buying ailing companies, revitalizing them, and selling them with a good profit. Forstmann had taken over Gulfstream in 1993 when the company was basically bankrupt. In 1996, Gulfstream showed a record profit of $47 million. The order backlog of 72 GV's and 21 IV-SPs is currently amounting to $3,3 billion. Raytheon was already under discussion in 1996 as being a potential buyer for the company. The US defence giant has been really active in General Aviation lately. With its new Premier I business jet, Raytheon plans to revolutionize the lower market segment. The new wide-body Hawker Horizon is to follow in the spring of 2001. In buying Gulfstream, Raytheon could catch up to Bombardier's product scale in one go. There was no comment from Gulfstream on that issue at the Paris Airshow. Still, there was much said concerning the comparison with competitor Bombardier's super long-range product. Gulfstream's chief engineer Ed Flinn pointed out his opinion on the real weight of the Bombardier Global Express. According to his calculations, the GEX will weigh at least 1000 lbs more than the weight given by Bombardier, significantly reducing the aircraft's range. Flinn also criticizes the position of the extra tank (to compensate for the range reduction) between the two engines. These considerations correspond with the fact that Bombardier, in March, has applied in Canada for the certification of a prototype (serial No. 9001, C-FBGX) with a maximum take-off mass of 43522 lbs, which is a good two tons above the current specifications. The new Galaxy is to create an entirely new business jet category, the so called super mid-size class. The first flight of the aircraft is scheduled for the fall of this year and the certification is projected for the fourth quarter of 1998. The aircraft is a joint project of Israel Aircraft Industry (IAI) and the Galaxy Aerospace Corporation. The cabin is to offer its normally up to eight passengers the comfortable room of the wide-body business jet category. The first customers are supposed to get their aircraft in the beginning of 1999. The price for a triple-engine Falcon 50EX is approximately $1,6 million higher. While avoiding the ETOPS discussion (because of the three engines), the French jet offers less cabin space than the Galaxy. Still, it has a higher cruise speed and range than the product of the Israelian-American cooperation. A revised version of the Swearingen SJ30, that has never gone in production, was announced with more powerful engines. According to the latest news from Paris, the light jet will supposedly enter the market in the fourth quarter of 1998, now designated as SJ30-2. While the speeds basically remain the same, the range was increased from 3204 to 5124 kilometers. The price was also raised from $3 million to 3,5 million. A new Sino Swearingen Germany representation was founded at the Mönchengladbach airport in Germany to market the small twin-jet in Germany and the Netherlands. The former German representative Atlas Air Service GmbH at the airport Ganderkesee had canceled its contracts in May of last year due to the long program delays. From page 32 of FLUG REVUE 9/97 Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 9/97 Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated August 5, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany