BUSINESS Ciency and Higher Speed Than Competing Models
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Honda HA-420 HondaJet Honda expects to receive certification of its $4.5 million light twin late this year. The HA-420 will have a range of 1,180 nm, a maximum speed of 420 knots, an initial climb rate of 4,000 fpm and a max- imum altitude of 43,000 feet. Honda claims the aircraft has greater fuel effi- BUSINESS ciency and higher speed than competing models. The four- to six-passenger jet will be certified for single-pilot operation. The HondaJet uses a carbon-fiber composite fuselage mated to metal wings. That, cou- pled with the unique positioning of the engines on over-the-wing pylons, reduces drag and creates a larger cabin volume JETS with generous passenger legroom and less by Mark Huber vibration. Honda expects most custom- ers to opt for a cabin configuration that Honda HA-420 HondaJet features a single-place, side-facing divan opposite the entry door followed by club- Cessna Citation M2 four seating and an aft-cabin lavatory The emerging ‘middle class’ with privacy door. Embraer Phenom 100E Key suppliers include GE Honda Aero Think less James Bond, more Cap- and inch dispatch rates even closer to Engines for the HF120 engines (2,050 tain Value. 100 percent. Development and certi- pounds of thrust each); Garmin for the New business jets under develop- fication schedules on select new pro- G3000 touchscreen avionics; and Emteq ment have one thing in common: with grams continue to fall behind because for its SkyPro HD IFE and cabin-man- a laser-like focus on value, almost to of specific financial challenges at agement system, which features audio/ the model they have achieved a near- select companies, technical difficul- Flaris LAR 01 video on demand, interactive 3-D moving MARK WAGNER perfect balance of versatility, perfor- ties integrating new technologies into map, exterior camera and wireless cabin mance, comfort and costs. airframe, avionics and flight controls, control of lighting and monochromatic Concern about costs per seat mile and certification slowdowns attribut- window shades at each seat via passen- used to be the preserve of the airlines. able to budget and other constraints Singles gers’ personal electronic devices. No longer: it has helped define even at both the FAA and the European Avi- More than 800 employees are work- SyberJet SJ30 the Mach 0.935 Cessna Citation X+. ation Safety Agency (EASA). Flaris LAR 01 ing at Honda’s massive 83-acre Greens- Granted, new technology helps the Most of the new jet design activity The Poland-based aviation newcomer boro, N.C. campus, which has 500,000 sq equation, from better man-machine (either clean sheet or block change) is unveiled its $1.5 million five-seat, sin- 494 gallons. Range is 1,300 nm and pay- ft under roof and should be able to turn interface in the cockpit to faster Wi-Fi in the crowded middle market (mid- gle-engine light jet at the 2013 Paris Air load with full fuel and one pilot is 500 out 70 to 100 aircraft per year when pro- in the cabin. But while there is no size and super-midsize jets), reflecting Show. Certification has slipped into mid- turbofan is expected to power the aircraft pounds. The useful load is 3,809 pounds. duction is fully ramped up. The first two shortage of onboard whiz-bang, from the continuing softness in the entry- 2016 as the company grapples with the to 25,000 feet. The five-plus-two occu- The 46-cu-ft baggage hold can swallow 725 years of production are already sold out. the smallest to the largest airframes, level sector and the rarefication of need for an engine more powerful than pant layout is retained but options such pounds. Like all CJs and the Mustang, the the big differentiator going forward will the large and jetliner offerings. Bom- the originally envisioned 1,460-pound- as weather radar, a “relief station” and M2 is certified for single-pilot operations. SyberJet SJ30i and SJ30x be customer service and support. It’s bardier, Cessna and Embraer all have thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F. upgraded leathers have been added. The MSC Aerospace, the new owner of the not enough to be the fastest and the new models under development in The LAR 01 is fitted with dual Garmin SF50 will feature an emergency whole- Embraer Phenom 100E SJ30 program, recently broke ground on hippest in the air; you need to stand what can be called the greater middle G600 avionics. Other features include aircraft parachute that will deploy from Embraer began delivering the 100E a new completion and design center for behind the airplanes with the same market, the most attractive for frac- rear-hinged main cabin doors reminiscent the nose. CirrusVision SF50 Eclipse 550 earlier this year. The $4.161 million (base the jet in Cedar City, Utah, and is plan- vigor and commitment that the U.S. tional programs and other fleet cus- of 1960s Lincoln Continentals, detach- Cirrus already is beginning to gear up THURBER MATT price) upgraded Phenom 100 addresses ning two new versions of the aircraft. The Air Force applied to the Strategic Air tomers. These new midsize programs able wings and stabilizers, a fuselage fuel for production by adding factory robotics perceived deficiencies in the original SJ30i will feature an upgraded “Sybervi- Command during the Cold War: any- all share certain characteristics: a tank, electric de-icing, and an in-the-nose and a fuselage lay-up mold for the all-com- cabin features higher-grade, piped leath- In the back, the standard configuration model (300 delivered since 2008) and sion” Honeywell Primus Apex 2.0 system time, anywhere. renewed focus on passenger comfort, whole-aircraft ballistic parachute. The posite aircraft. The company has received ers; finished carpets; more robust table is a facing-club-four arrangement with an provides customers with more interior avionics suite with 12-inch displays and a It is no coincidence that Gulfstream with improved seating, larger windows aircraft’s target performance includes deposits for more than 550 of the jets. As and cup-holder attachments; better hand optional single passenger, side-facing seat choices. The most dramatic change on new interior. The avionics and interior are and Embraer are selling aircraft as fast and flat floor cabins. All categories are maximum cruise speed of 380 knots; stall the SF50 bucks up against the $2 mil- rails; a one-piece headliner that improves opposite the cabin entry door. The aft lav the aircraft is the addition of wing spoil- lighter than their progenitors and take an as they can make them: both scored moving toward touchscreen avionics speed of 62 knots; 1,400 nm of range; a lion price mark, company chairman Dale aesthetics; portable server; iPad and features a flushing toilet with optional ers that facilitate more rapid descents and estimated 200 pounds out of the airplane. market-leading product support num- in the cockpit and more fuel-efficient 45,000-foot ceiling; and the ability to take Klapmeier indicated that Cirrus might Bluetooth connectivity; and an intercom closing door. The M2 borrows the Clair- increase the effectiveness of the lift-dump That aircraft is expected to enter service bers in our latest survey. Embraer’s engines, which translate into bet- off from short grass strips. The company leverage its relationship with its owner, system for pilot-passenger communica- ity cabin-management system developed system during aerodynamic braking on during next year’s second half. case is particularly stunning. Fifteen ter range and times to climb. Winglet said a second airplane is nearly complete the China Aviation Industry General Air- tions. Eclipses are offered with Iridium for the company’s new crop of larger jets the ground. The published stopping dis- A follow-on aircraft, the SJ30x, will years ago it wasn’t even in this busi- design is being revised with more and construction is under way on two craft (CAIGA), to build certain compo- www.ainonline.com satphones capable of transmitting air- for passenger communications and enter- tance on the 100E remains 2,722 feet. feature uprated Williams International www.ainonline.com ness, and today it claims a 17-percent swooping shapes. The large jet mar- more fuselages. nent parts in that country to cut costs. craft engine data for monitoring. The 550 tainment. The seats have been redesigned Maximum range (1,178 nm) and speed FJ44-3AP-25 engines with dual Fadec market share. Honda set up an interna- ket is seeing some action, although Klapmeier said the company plans to has a top speed of 375 knots and a range to be slightly more ergonomic and have (390 knots) also are unchanged. In the controls and is expected to provide higher tional service network and built a large less of it, with new programs officially Cirrus Vision SF50 gradually spool up production of the SF50 of 1,125 nm. Deliveries of the 550 began inboard armrests that retract into the seat 100E’s cabin, Embraer is now offering cruise speed at altitude, quicker climbs, OEM service center at its Greensboro, under way at Bombardier and Dassault Cirrus flew its first conformal flight- to 125 aircraft per year after certification. earlier this year. backs when not in use. The cabin employs premium slide, swivel and recline single more payload and better high and hot N.C. campus before it has delivered a and the rumor mill running full tilt at test aircraft on March 25 and plans to LED lighting throughout and includes executive seats, similar to those aboard performance. It will also feature sin- single aircraft.