FLUG REVUE October 2004: Large Business Jets

MARKET VIEW: LONG RANGE BUSINESS JETS

By Volker K. Thomalla

Time is a decisive factor in business. To make the best use of it, companies are turning to business jets. These ensure that passengers and goods arrive where they need to be on time – without having to rely on scheduled flights. Driven by increasing globalisation and specialisation in industry, business aviation boomed from the early nineties to the beginning of 2002. What prospective customers were demanding from manufacturers was aircraft with increasingly long ranges. The technology for long-range jets was available, and business jets were thus developed offering performance that was inconceivable for a pure business jet only 15 years ago. The super-large business jet category was born, thus pushing back the frontiers of business aviation a little further.

The engines of the business jets with the longest ranges are made in Dahlewitz near Berlin by Rolls-Royce Deutschland. The Gulfstream G500 and G550 and the Bombardier Global Express and Global 5000 all have BR710 turbofan engines. Today's top models can fly distances of over 10,000 km without refuelling. The overview of the market shown below lists all the business jets with a range of over 7,000 km (3,800 nm) that have not been derived from commercial airliners.

Bombardier Challenger 604
The Challenger 604 of the Canadian conglomerate Bombardier is the aircraft with the longest history in this segment. The first Challenger took to the air in 1978. Apart from its shape, however, the 604 has little in common with the original Challenger 600. The 604 programme was launched in 1993, and the aircraft completed its maiden flight around two years later. The first customer took delivery of a 604 in January 1996. This twin-engine jet came onto the market at just the right time to benefit from the boom in business aviation and gained a substantial share of the market. The 604 is powered by two General Electric CF34 turbofans and has a maximum take-off weight of almost 22 tonnes. The spacious cabin can provide seating for up to 19 passengers, but typically there are eight to twelve seats. According to the manufacturer, the 604 has a range of around 7,500 km. In 2001 Bombardier delivered the 200th Challenger 604 to a customer, and the 300th will be delivered this year. In the first six months of 2004 alone, 13 Challengers were delivered to their new owners. This makes the 604 the most successful member of the Challenger family.

Bombardier Global 5000
The Global 5000, the Global Express's little brother, received its certification from the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) on 18 July 2004 following its certification by the Canadian authorities in March 2004. With a length of 29.49 m, the Global 5000 is only 81 cm shorter than the Global Express but has identical wings and identical BR710 engines. Bombardier thought long and hard before launching the programme. The company carried out a study of the market lasting almost two years to prevent the Global 5000 from having a negative effect on sales of the Global Express. The Global 5000 is just as fast as the Global Express but has a shorter range, although “short” is a somewhat inappropriate term to apply here because it can still fly from London to Dallas non-stop at a speed of Mach 0.85 (904 km/h).

The Global 5000 was designed as a business plane right from the start. The brandnew cabin is configured for office equipment with a LAN computer network, satellite telephone system, printer and fax.

Another feature of the Global 5000 is that it requires a runway of only 1,524 m for take-off and 812 m for landing at its maximum take-off and landing weights.

Bombardier Global Express
The Global Express is Bombardier's top-of-the-range business jet. It was developed in collaboration with respected suppliers from the USA, Germany, France and Japan. The cabin of this long-range jet is 14.73 m in length with a maximum width of 2.49 m. It is thus spacious enough to ensure passenger comfort even on very long journeys. It has a range of over 11,000 km, and after covering this distance, there is still enough fuel in the tank to satisfy the NBAA IFR fuel reserve requirements, which represent the industry standard. It can fly non-stop from Seoul to New York, New York to Berlin or Chicago to Tokyo.

In December 1993 Bombardier launched the Global Express programme. The first plane took off on 13 October 1996, and three years later, in July 1999, a Global Express went into business service for the first time. By the beginning of August 2004 Bombardier had delivered 140 Global Express planes. When the programme was launched, it was cautiously assumed that there was a market for a total of 250 aircraft in this category around the world.

The next generation of the Global Express is already in the starting blocks. During the NBAA 2003 in Orlando, Florida, Bombardier announced the next stage in the evolution of the Global Express (see FLUG REVUE 12/2003), namely the Global Express XRS. The new model will have an even longer range – thanks to a new tank located at the wing fairing that can hold 674 kg of kerosene. This increases the range to 11,400 km (6150 nm) at a speed of Mach 0.85 (904 km/h). Improvements to the cabin, such as lower cabin pressure at cruising altitude and two additional windows, are designed to provide increased comfort, while the installation of the Bombardier Enhanced Vision Systems (BEVS) will improve visibility at night and in poor conditions and thus increase safety. The XRS will go into service at the beginning of 2006. Bombardier says the price of an XRS with a typical configuration will be 45.5 million US dollars.

Dassault Falcon 900EX
The forerunner of the Falcon 900EX, the Falcon 900, was announced at the Aérosalon in Paris in 1983. With a range of 7,400 km the aircraft was powered by three Garrett TFE731-A engines. The jet's maiden flight was on September 21, 1984, and it was certified in March 1986. Subsequently, the Falcon 900B, Falcon 900C and finally the Falcon 900EX appeared. In order to cope with long distances, it has tanks with a capacity of 9,525 kg, which is enough to fly eight passengers plus crew over a distances of up to 8,300, thus making it suitable for trips such as New York to Moscow or London to Miami. The Falcon 900EX had its maiden flight on 1 June 1995, with the first customer taking delivery a year later. Since 2003 the 900EX has been delivered exclusively with the EASy cockpit, in which all flight-relevant information is displayed digitally on four large screens. The instruments are operated by means of menus and icons like on a PC.

Dassault Falcon 900DX
The Falcon 900DX is the latest member of the Falcon family. This year at the EBACE in Geneva, Dassault announced plans to put the 900DX into service following its certification in December 2005. It will supersede the Falcon 900C, although it is much more than just another version of this familiar three-engine jet. The 900DX will get the front section of the Falcon 2000, for example, in order to reduce manufacturing costs. It will be powered by three Honeywell TFE731-60 turbofans, each with 22.23 kN (5,000 lbs) of take-off thrust, which will give the aircraft good short take-off characteristics. Its range of 7,593 km (4,100 nm) will allow the 900DX to fly non-stop between cities such as Paris and Washington or Paris and Chicago.

Pilots will be delighted with the 900DX's new EASy cockpit, in which all flight-relevant data is displayed on large screens.

Dassault Falcon 2000EX
The two-engine Falcon 2000EX business jet is something of an exception in Dassault's range, which otherwise consists only of three-engine jets. The prototype of the Falcon 2000 was introduced in 1989 as the Falcon X. Dassault used the wings and front section of the Falcon 900 to bring an aircraft onto the market with a range long enough for a flight from New York to Los Angeles. On March 4, 1993 the Falcon 2000 flew for the first time and was immediately a great success. Although Dassault did not receive orders from fractional ownership vendors until relatively late in the day, the Falcon 2000 demonstrated its strength in this market. However, some customers still wanted a longer range, and this is just what Dassault gave them with the Falcon 2000EX. Announced at the NBAA in the year 2000, the plane has a range of 7,037 km (3,800 nm) – almost 25 percent longer than its predecessor. Its maiden flight took place in October 2001. The current model, the Falcon 200EX EASy, is equipped with the cockpit developed in-house by Dassault. In mid-June 2004 Dassault received the registration certificates for the Falcon 2000EX EASy from both the FAA and the EASA within a week of each other. At this time the company had 15 Falcon 2000EX EASy jets in different stages of production.

Dassault Falcon 7X
The Dassault Falcon 7X will be the largest member of the business jet family of the only remaining European business jet manufacturer. The plane is in the final stage of its rollout. On 16 July the first fuselage was manufactured at the factory in Biarritz and transported by truck to the new Charles Lindbergh Hall in Bordeaux for final assembly. The maiden flight of the Falcon 7X is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2005. With a longer range than any other Falcon – 10,556 km (5,700 nm), according to Dassault – this 15-tonne aircraft is powered by three PW307A engines from Canadian company Pratt & Whitney. The Falcon 7X was developed entirely on the computer, resulting in high accuracy of fit between the parts. Dassault regards the 7X as the prototype for its future aircraft production. After final assembly in the south of France, the Falcon 7X planes are flown to Little Rock, Arkansas, where they receive the interior stipulated by the customer. Dassault is aiming to have this new business jet certified some time in 2006.

Gulfstream G350
Gulfstream offers a total of four aircraft with a range of over 7,000 km. The G350 has a range of 7,037 km (3,800 nm), and while its dimensions are identical to those of the G450, its maximum take-off weight of 32,160 kg is around 1,090 kg under the G450's. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft was developed for customers requiring the cabin size but not the range of the G450. Gulfstream aims to have the plane certified before the end of the year.

Gulfstream G450
Gulfstream developed the G450 in parallel to the Gulfstream G550 but in secret. It came as a big surprise when it was introduced just before the NBAA in Florida in 2003. Because not only did Gulfstream present its plans for the aircraft; the company also presented the first plane! With a range of 8,056 km (4,350 nm) it is positioned between the G350 and the G500. It supersedes the GIV-SP with a range that is longer by 460 km (250 nm). The GIV was one of Gulfstream's most successful aircraft ever: 500 of them were manufactured. The G450 is a little smaller than the G500 and G550 and is powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C engines with FADEC. The maiden flight of the G450 took place in private in Savannah, Georgia, six months before its presentation, and it received its FAA certificate ahead of schedule in August 2004. The G450's cockpit is equipped with a PlaneView system. The first customer will take delivery of a G450 in spring 2005.

Gulfstream G500
As far as outward appearance is concerned, the Gulfstream G500 and its big sister, the G550, are identical. But they do differ in terms of performance, although both are powered by BR710 engines from Rolls-Royce Deutschland. The G500 is around 2,800 kg lighter than its big sister with a maximum take-off weight of 38,601 kg. While its range is almost 1,800 km shorter, at 10,742 km it is still impressive. According to Gulfstream, the G500 requires a runway length of 1,570 m for take-off. The FAA granted the G500 type certification in December 2003, and the first customer took delivery of a plane at the end of May 2004.

Gulfstream G550
Gulfstream was the first manufacturer to venture to develop an ultra long-range business jet. The Gulfstream GV, the first aircraft designed for this niche, remained in production until December 2002. After 193 of these aircraft had been manufactured, it was superseded by the G500 and G550. The two-engine G550 is Gulfstream's top-of-the-range model, with a range of 12,501 km (6,750 nm) and a maximum cruising altitude of 51,000 ft (15,544 m). Its external dimensions are identical to those of the G500. The cabin can accommodate 14 to 18 passengers, depending on the layout, while the cockpit is one of the most up-to-date in the industry. The Gulfstream G550 received its certification from the FAA on 14 August 2003 and the EASA on 9 March 2004. Thanks to the great similarity between all four Gulfstream long-range jets – the G350, G450, G500 and G550 – a pilot can fly them all with the same type rating.

From page 36 of FLUG REVUE 10/2004

Last updated 13 September 2004

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