Aviation
November 2017
PUBLICATIONS Vol. 49 No.11 $9.00
International News
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2017
2017
Bombardier Global 7000 makes debut on world stage 2017
by James Wynbrandt With the unveiling of FTV4 (flight-test vehicle 4) at last month’s NBAA Convention, Bombardier introduced the Global 7000, claimed to be the world’s largest purpose-built business jet. The clean-sheet, $72.8 million
ultra-long-range jet features a four-zone cabin with galley and crew rest suite; 7,400-nm range; and what the company says is the smoothest ride in class thanks to the “optimized” aerodynamic characteristics of the wing.
Michel Ouellette, senior v-p of the Global 7000/8000 program, said that the jet “will meet all its performance targets” and will enter service in next year’s second half. Eight customer aircraft are currently on the production line at Bombardier’s Toronto facility. Among the Global 7000’s performance benchmarks: short-field and high/hot capability, opening London City, Aspen and other challenging airports to the Global; and a typical cruise speed of Mach 0.85 (Mmo is Mach 0.925 and high-speed cruise is Mach 0.90), shortening travel time between city pairs such as New York-Dubai,
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Special Report Flight departments vs management There are more options than ever for companies that opt to outsource management of their fleets. However, flight departments offer their own benefits. page 20
Safety Turbine accidents 2000-2016 Business aircraft accounted for more than half of all U.S turbine accidents during the study period, but the record is more encouraging when mission and crew are taken into consideration. page 8
Aircraft Another delay for Falcon 5X In the weeks before last month’s NBAA Convention, engine manufacturer Safran discovered a compressor issue that is likely to delay the Falcon 5X. page 10
Flight ops Addiction in the cockpit The airlines long ago developed resources for pilots struggling with addiction. In many cases, the same options are not available to business aviation pilots. page 16
Airports SMO runway shortening planned
DAVID McINTOSH
A California court lifted a temporary restraining order, paving the way for the city to shorten the main runway to 3,500 feet, making it inaccessible for many jets. page 6
Making its public debut at the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas last month, the ultra-long-range Global 7000 dominated Bombardier’s static aircraft display at Henderson Executive Airport.
Bizjet-A380 wake encounter spotlights vortex concerns by Sean Broderick A European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) safety information bulletin (SIB) on avoiding en route wake turbulence suggests that concern about the issue was rising even before an encounter between an Airbus A380 and a Bombardier Challenger 604 in January this year left the business jet a total loss. The June SIB “enhances the awareness of pilots and air traffic controllers
of the risks associated with wake turbulence encounters in the en route phase of flight and provides recommendations and advisories with the purpose of mitigating the associated risks,” the EASA explained in the document. The SIB does not reference the A380-Challenger accident. But the agency took the unusual step of following up the bulletin, issued just weeks after
release of the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) preliminary report on the accident, with a press release. The release notes that waketurbulence encounter likelihood “is very low, but cannot be excluded.” It also calls out “heavy” and “super-heavy” aircraft, naming the A380 among others, as “more prone to generate stronger vortices.” The bulletin “was not directly a consequence of the A380 event,” an EASA spokesman said, but rather “more general information on the wake vortex issues.” The SIB is a “mitigating measure” as part of the regulator’s sharpened focused on wake
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