Centennial of Flight Is Backdrop to Upbeat NBAA'03
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
20 Aviation International News • www.ainonline.com November 2003 Centennial of flight is backdrop to upbeat NBAA’03 Eager to leave the economic downturn of the past three years in its wake, business aviation looked hopefully toward a brand-new day at last month’s NBAA Convention in Orlando. N I A B R E G O R by Stephen Pope ters expansive enough to handle business avia- took to the air on April 30 this year and has different from the $31 million G400/GIV, but The 2003 NBAA tion’s biggest annual event). Then there is flown more than 100 hours. The three other Gulfstream has made subtle changes. The EBACE at the Geneva Palexpo, Switzerland. airplanes involved in the G450 certification G450’s fuselage is 12 inches longer than the Convention cele- LABACE, the Latin American business avia- program have logged more than 200 hours G400’s. All of its extra length is in the nose. tion show in São Paulo, Brazil, which is young thus far. FAA certification is expected in the Inside, the relocated door and modified brated the centen- with just one event so far, might shape up to be third quarter of next year, followed by JAA avionics cabinets on both sides of the aisle business aviation’s third big annual event. approval in the fourth quarter and entry into have opened access to the G450’s cabin. nial of manned NBAA’s big bash is by far the most heavily service in the second quarter of 2005. In the cockpit, the Gulfstream/Honeywell attended by potential business jet buyers and On the outside the $33 million (typical PlaneView integrated avionics system, devel- powered flight with the media, and it gets nearly all the debuts. completed price) G450 does not appear much oped for the G550 and also standard on the That, coupled with the fact that the U.S. is the Cutting the ribbon to the Wright Flyer exhibit on the opening day were, left to right, Edsel Ford, owner of some powerful and world’s leading producer and consumer of business aviation products and services, Pentastar Aviation; Tom Poberezny, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association; FAA Administrator exotic hardware, in- makes the NBAA Convention by far the most Marion Blakey; Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation; and NBAA president Shelley Longmuir. important on the show calendar. This year’s cluding three new de- conference, with almost 28,000 industry repre- sentatives, business aircraft buyers, pilots and corporate tire kickers in attendance, was clearly rivative airplanes that the most upbeat of conventions held in the last couple of years, with healthy traffic on the ex- would have astonished hibit floor and a steady diet of product an- Orville and Wilbur. nouncements throughout the three-day show. Grabbing attention–and headlines–were Gulfstream Unveils G450 the Rolls-Royce Tay-powered Gulfstream Indeed, if the mood inside the convention 450, the heavy-iron Bombardier Global Ex- center is any indication, then just like the press XRS and the faster and longer-range Wright Brothers in 1903 this industry appears Cessna Citation XLS. The introduction of to have no place to go but up. Gulfstream got three business jets–even if they are derivatives things started with the rollout of the G450 of existing models rather than clean-sheet (S/N 4004) at Kissimmee Airport to a small designs–added to the sense of optimism that group of industry and media representatives seemed everywhere last month among the waiting at the Marathon FBO (see story on million square feet of exhibit space reserved page 1). Developed in relative secrecy over for the NBAA show in the sprawling Orange the past two years in parallel with the G550, County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. the G450 fills out a product line that Gulf- There are basically two major international stream began expanding last year with the in- business aviation shows–“major” meaning the troduction of G-hundred aircraft designations. business aviation OEMs attend them in force Following the creation of a G550 proto- to showcase new products. First is NBAA, type in 2001, Gulfstream immediately began held each fall in Orlando, Las Vegas or New work on the G450, dubbed the GIV-X at the Orleans (the only cities with convention cen- time. The first G450 test airplane (S/N 4001) November 2003 Aviation International News • www.ainonline.com 21 G500, dominates the instrument at FL450 and a 5,700-foot cabin alti- panel with four 13- by 10-inch flat- tude at FL510, a 25-percent im- panel LCDs. provement over the existing Global fl The airplane’s 13,850-pound- cabin. Bombardier claims this will thrust Tay 611-8C turbofan engines be the lowest available cabin altitude are rated at the same takeoff thrust in any business jet. as the G400’s Tay 611-8s, but they The crew rest area will be provide 6 percent more thrust at moved to the right side of the air- 5,000 feet (ISA+15) and 2 percent craft, with the galley on the left to lower fuel burn, giving the airplane provide a more open feel to the 250 nm more range than the G400, front end of the cabin. The crew rest for 4,350 nm at Mach 0.80. On a provision will comply with charter 3,000-nm mission the G450 will regulations for flights of up to 12 burn 1,300 pounds less fuel than the hours–two hours more than the cur- G400, according to Gulfstream per- rent allowable maximum. In the formance figures. middle section of the XRS cabin a new workstation with high-speed Bombardier Ups the Ante data connections is being created with Global Express XRS opposite the conference-configured When it comes to extensive prod- seating. The new model will also uct offerings, Montreal-based Bom- feature up to 15 cubic feet of addi- bardier is no slouch either. Spanning tional baggage space. N I A the Learjet, Challenger and Global The $45.5 million XRS will have B R lines, the company competes head to a forward fuel tank in the wing/body E G O head with Gulfstream with a number fairing that will add 1,486 pounds to R of sleek business twinjets. But max fuel. This will allow the air- A Gulfstream 550, one of two that were on static display at Orlando Executive Airport during the convention, flew 20,120 nm on a nowhere is the rivalry more heated plane to fly 6,500 nm at Mach 0.82, five-day, round-the-world journey from Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah, Ga., to the 56th NBAA Convention. On the way, it than for bragging rights at the top of 6,150 nm at Mach 0.85 or 5,450 nm at established four city-to-city speed records: Savannah to Ankara, Turkey; Ankara to Langkawi, Malaysia; Brunei to Seoul, South Korea; the hill, where the Gulfstream G550 Mach 0.87. Mach 0.85 and 0.87 range and Seoul to Orlando, where it arrived at 5:39 p.m. on Friday, October 3. The final leg of 7,301 nm surpassed the previous distance and Global Express XRS are at the performance will come with a writ- record for a Gulfstream jet of 6,132 nm set by a GV in 1997. Total flight time was 41.2 hours for an average speed of 486 knots (Mach 0.847). Gulfstream chief demonstration pilot Bill Watters captained the first three legs and was on board for the final leg, piloted by tips of the spears as the two compa- ten guarantee, according to its maker. Roc Miles, director of demonstration and corporate flight operations. nies continue to do battle. The Global Express XRS is far Cessna Replaces Excel with XLS more than a performance upgrade. A company that perhaps more lighting, cabinetry has been added, ACJ Prestige. Featuring an opu- evaporated into mere wishful think- Bringing enhancements to the than any other seems to be pursuing and veneer cabinetry is now stan- lently appointed EADS Sogerma ing when Cessna said it investigated Global Express cabin and providing every conceivable product niche dard. Other new standard equipment cabin, the airplane is more reminis- such a modification but concluded greater range at high speed, im- within its turf, Cessna last month in- includes an auxiliary power unit, cent of a multimillion-dollar home that there was not a sufficiently proved takeoff performance, fast troduced the Citation XLS (see page UNS-1ESPFMS, traffic alert and than a multimillion-dollar business strong case for going ahead with the fueling capability and the new Bom- 1), a faster and longer-legged deriv- collision avoidance system (TCAS) jet. Separate areas are devoted to a mod. Winglets could have squeezed bardier enhanced vision system ative of the Citation Excel with an and enhanced ground proximity living room with large-screen televi- yet more speed out of the Mach (BEVS) as standard equipment, the expanded standard equipment list. warning system (EGPWS). sion, dining room, office with high- 0.92 Citation X. They might also airplane holds serve against the re- Cessna anticipates certification of The standard XLS cockpit fea- speed Internet access, bedroom and have created additional range for cently certified G550. the Citation XLS, which will re- tures Honeywell Primus 1000 con- bathroom, including shower. the super-midsize jet, which flies On the minus side, buyers will place the Excel, in next year’s first trol display system avionics with Airbus would not reveal the 3,390 nm at Mach 0.82 carrying full have to wait a couple of years before quarter, with first deliveries in the three 8- by 10-inch LCD screens– price of the Prestige interior, but did fuel at mtow.