FLUG REVUE November 2002: Many announcements ant NBAA

NEW MODELS AT THE NBAA CONVENTION

By Volker K. Thomalla

Expectations of the NBAA 55th Annual Meeting & Convention had not been particularly high in the run-up to the event. The convention opened on 10 September and ended on 12 September, so that the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the USA fell in the middle. Yet, instead of sadness, the prevailing mood was one of defiance. Despite a few problems, Business Aviation appears to be the aerospace sector that was least affected by the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

2001 was even a record year. During that year, 769 new business jets worth a record $11.7 billion were delivered. 2002 has seen a dent in growth, and it is expected that the number of new aircraft delivered will be down by 13% to around 700. However, medium- and long-term trends are looking good once more, provided that the American economy picks up. Every year the aerospace conglomerate Honeywell announces its Business Aviation market forecast at NBAA. For 2003 it is predicting a further decline in deliveries of business jets, but it expects the trend to start slowly reversing in 2004. Between 2003 and 2012 Honeywell foresees a requirement for over 7,600 business jets, worth $121 billion. And this forecast does not even include the bizliners, i.e. business jets that are derivatives of commercial aircraft, such as the Airbus ACJ and the Boeing Business Jet, nor does it include ultralight jets like the Eclipse and Cessna Mustang.

Rolls-Royce also issues an annual market forecast, which differs from Honeywell's in covering 20 years instead of only ten. Within this time-frame, Rolls-Royce expects 14,670 business jets to be sold. Over the next 10 years, the two sets of forecasts differ by only 300 aircraft.

Gulfstream surprised visitors to the convention not only with two new business jet projects but also with new names for some existing types. The Gulfstream family will in future consist of seven members, the Gulfstream 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 550. With this family of aircraft, the company, which is based in Savannah on the Atlantic coast, will cover the full spectrum from light jets through to ultra-long range jets. The G150 is a joint Gulfstream and IAI development and will offer six to eight passenger seats. Its range, according to Gulfstream, will be 5,000km (2700nm). This means it will be able to fly non-stop from New York to Los Angeles. It is to be powered by two Honeywell TFE731 engines. According to the development plan, the first G150 is expected to enter service in 2005.

Also under development is the G300. Depending on configuration, this will provide between eleven and fourteen passenger seats and is expected to enter service as soon as 2003. Its range will be over 6,600km (3600nm), enabling it to cover routes like Chicago-London non-stop. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay engines, it will have a cruise speed of Mach 0.80. As it is a derivative of the GIV, its development can be completed relatively quickly. Gulfstream President Bill Boisture said, "The new fleet will offer our customers the flexibility of selecting from different equipment packages in the cabin and cockpit. The new designations don't affect existing planes. They make it easy to differentiate between the individual aircraft as regards cabin size, performance and value.”

Bombardier Aerospace also had a few surprises in store in Orlando with regard to rebranding and new aircraft. The Canadian company now has only three aircraft families, the Learjet, Challenger and Global Express. The Global Express and the Global 5000 are keeping their existing names, but the Challenger family is gaining two new members. The Canadair SE, an Executive version of the Canadair RegionalJet, has been renamed the Challenger 800. The Continental has been transformed into the Challenger 300. Four Challenger 300's are currently undergoing flight testing and have accumulated 760 flying hours on 406 flights. The super midsize jet accommodates between eight and 15 passengers.

The Learjet family has also been expanded, with the Learjet 31, 45 and 60 to be joined in the future by the Learjet 40 and the Learjet 45XR. The Learjet 40 prototype, which has been quietly built behind the scenes, had its maiden flight shortly before the NBAA convention and surprised trade visitors by paying them a visit. It is a derivative of the Learjet 45, but with truncated fuselage. According to the product strategy, the Learjet 40 is to replace the Learjet 31 as a Bombardier product line entry model.

The Learjet 45XR on the other hand is positioned above the Learjet 45. It offers the same fuselage as the Learjet 45, but greater range and payload combined with a distinctly better rate of climb. According to Bombardier, it will still be able to transport the full payload even with full tanks. To power the Learjet 45XR, Bombardier has chosen the Honeywell TFE731-20-BR, which produces a take-off thrust of 15.56kN (3,500lbs).

The French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has not experienced any decline in business despite the present global downturn. "Business Aviation represents the future of our company,” says Charles Edelstenne, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. "We have already made the decision not to reduce our production rates in 2003 and 2004. And we are probably the only manufacturer that has not lowered its production rate in 2002. John Rosanvallon, President of Dassault Falcon Jet, the US sales and service subsidiary of the French manufacturer, said at the NBAA convention, "Altogether, we received 73 firm orders in 2001 and delivered 73 aircraft in 2002. This year we have already received over 70 orders and I believe that by the end of the year we will have achieved a very nice number!” With regard to numbers, since delivery of the very first Falcon business jet in 1963, Dassault has built over 1,500 business jets. This year the total flying hours accumulated on its planes passed the ten million mark.

The latest product from the Dassault stable is the Falcon 7X, a completely new, three-engined aircraft that is intended to form the basis of an entirely new family of jets. Development of the jet is running according to schedule. The general design has been frozen and tested in various wind tunnels, including one in Cologne. The new wing is around 30% more aerodynamically efficient than the present Falcon aerofoil. The main system suppliers have also been announced. Pratt & Whitney Canada is to supply the three PW307A turbofans, each of which will provide 27.13kN (6,100lb) of take-off thrust.

The 7X will have fly-by-wire controls. Here, Dassault is departing from the control columns on previous Falcons and is introducing sidesticks for the first time. The first test flights with the control software are to be conducted in the simulator at the end of September 2002. First flight of the Falcon 7X is scheduled for the beginning of 2005, with the first customer delivery the following year. The new Falcon will have a range of 10,550km (5,700nm). The rationale for this figure is explained by Rosanvallon as follows, "We looked around to see where most international companies are based and examined the cities they fly to most frequently. The decision was then quite simple. With this range, for example, one can reach all the major cities on the West Coast of the USA from Paris if one is flying towards the west and Tokyo, if one is flying eastwards.” The waiting list for the new Falcon is long, and the first two years' production is already sold out.

Embraer's Legacy business jet was accompanied to Orlando by a special document: shortly before the convention, on 23 August, the Brazilian manufacturer had received FAA certification for the twin-engined business jet. This means it is now certificated in Brazil, Europe and the USA. Powered by two Rolls-Royce AE3007 turbofans, this derivative of the ERJ 145 regional jet has a range of 5,740km (3,100nm) with ten passengers on board and has a cruise speed of Mach 0.8. It carries a price tag of $20.4 million, including cabin furnishings. The order backlog for the Legacy currently stands at 71 firm orders and 93 options.

Cessna Citation Mustang

The Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Juan Jose Bermudez of Puerto Rico signed a purchase contract for a Citation CJ3 at the NBAA convention, making him the 1,000,001th Cessna customer. The CJ3 is a brand new business jet based on the successful CJ2 . It is bigger than the CJ2 and is powered by two Williams FJ44-3 engines, each producing 12.36kN (2,780lb) of thrust. According to Cessna, the cruise speed is 417kt (772km/h) at an altitude of 10,058m (33,000ft). Its operating ceiling is 13,710m (45,000ft), to which the aircraft can ascend in 35 minutes without interruption at maximum take-off weight. As in the CJ2, the CJ3 cockpit is fitted with the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite. However, the CJ3 pilot has more functionality at his disposal. Thus, for example, the CJ3 is the first aircraft in the world to have an on-board server as standard equipment It is priced at $5,795,000, and the maiden flight is planned for the second quarter of 2003, with CAA certification in the second quarter of 2004. Anyone wishing to buy a CJ3 will have to hurry in order to reserve one of the first planes, as Cessna's order backlog was boosted at the NBAA by 170 CJ3 fresh orders. These include 25 orders from the fractional ownership company, CitationShares, which signed up for 25 Citation Excels on top of the 25 CJ3's. Also included in the 170 CJ3 orders are 50 orders from the biggest factional ownership company in the world, NetJets, which committed to another twelve Citation X's.

Raytheon Aircraft also had some surprises for NBAA convention visitors up its sleeve. The Wichita-based company is re-naming its planes. Thus, the long-established Beechcraft and Hawker are receiving a boost. The piston-engined Bonanza and Baron models, the turboprops in the King Air family and the Premier I entry jet are joining the Beechcraft family, while the Beechjet 400A, the Hawker 800XP and the Hawker Horizon, a prototype of which could be admired in the static display at Orlando Executive Airport, will now constitute the Hawker family. A fleet of three Horizons has been earmarked for flight testing, the third prototype having been added on 31 July. Between them, the three aircraft have so far notched up 200 flying hours in the air. Another Hawker type, the Hawker 450, is to be given a second lease of life. Interest in the plane is so great, according to Raytheon, that the project, which was terminated for the time being last year, may well be revived.

From page 32 of FLUG REVUE 11/2002

Last updated 1 October 2002

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