Altitudes Europe #50

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By Ivan Veretennikov Photos courtesy of the Boeing Company, Andrew Winch Designs

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The Final Word in Luxury

Pleasure and Business The Boeing Business Jet set new standards in private and corporate aviation when it appeared on the market. It’s spacious, comfortable, and doesn’t seem like an airplane at all. Is it a luxury or a tool? Well, it certainly gets the job done. In a very enjoyable way.

Most of us (hopefully) love what we do for a living, but it’s easy to draw the line between business and pleasure when you’re standing in the middle of Siberia inspecting a new extraction site. The freezing wind and sharp snowflakes simplify the process. For that matter, it can be the scorching heat of the desert, or nothing to do with weather at all. There are lots of things in the life of a businessperson that can make you say: “Oh, just give me a break, will you?”

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It’s just that the style and... well, luxury of the plane doesn’t give passengers much excuse for complaining.

It’s harder to get as irritated aboard a business aircraft – comparing to airlines, in any case. Even then, however, such aircraft come in different shapes and sizes, and it’s only natural if you’re unhappy after spilling something particularly colourful over yourself, riding turbulence in a tightly-packed light jet. When you enter the BBJ, however, it doesn’t matter how busy your schedule is or how important the reasons for your travel – you’re in pleasure territory.

I’m not saying that a BBJ is an outright luxury that ought to be condemned, as has unhappily been the case for business aviation as a whole in certain circles. It is a great tool and lets the owner go places very efficiently. It’s just that the style and... well, luxury of the plane don’t give passengers much excuse for complaining.

HOW IT STARTED The BBJ was born in 1996, although VIP conversions of various Boeing airplanes had existed way before that. President Eisenhower flew a specially-configured 707 as early as 1958.

Making a standard model for the corporate market, however, was a different task. The smallest Boeing aircraft at the time was the 737, and even that was much bigger than traditional business jets. It had the cavernous cabin, modern equipment, and great reliability of the airliner, but lacked, above all, in flight range. This is where most of the effort was concentrated. After some structural changes, which were necessary to add fuel tanks, the original BBJ was rolled out. First delivery was in September 1999, with just one touch lacking: the first production BBJs didn’t have winglets, which were approved one year later and used thereafter on all models – and even migrated to commercial 737 aircraft. Unlike some goodies, they were made available for retrofitting, to the joy of launch customers. It may be worth mentioning that besides the fancy look, winglets actually help increase the flight range by a mighty 5-7%, smoothing the airflow around wingtips and improving the lift-to-drag ratio of the wing. Nowadays, finding a new aircraft without them is a challenge.

President Eisenhower flew a specially configured 707 as early as 1958 although the BBJ brand didn’t come into existence until 1996

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VNE The first BBJ was based on the 737-700 model, and in time the BBJ2 and BBJ3 followed, built on the 737-800 and 737900 platforms respectively, each longer than the previous and with a higher maximum takeoff weight – and a larger baggage capacity – but with slightly shorter range. The original aircraft has remained the “gold standard” representing about 75% of all BBJ sales, thanks to a combination of the lowest price (around $70 million, so it’s still far from cheap) and longest range of them all – up to 11547 km.

BBJ TODAY So what is the world’s most popular business liner like? From the outside, just like a standard Boeing 737 with winglets, unless you give it a fancy paint job. Most owners at this level, however, prefer discretion. And the BBJ has a certain advantage here: hiding a G550, for example, is a lot trickier due to some very obvious giveaways.

In the cockpit, it’s a bit more advanced than the typical airliner. Apart from the glass cockpit with 5 LCD displays, it can feature a head-up guidance system and an enhanced vision system. On the other hand, the basics are exactly the same as on other 737 aircraft, which means that there are tens of thousands of pilots around the world who can fly it – and out of these, many can fly it very well.

Early BBJs didn’t come with winglets which were approved a year later, but were retrofitted for those who missed out. Range is increased by five to seven per cent.

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With a cross-section of 3.51 by 2.13 metres, and a cabin length of 24.18 metres, the BBJ can be configured into just about anything.

The real magic starts in the cabin, and the owner can truly let his fantasies run free. With a cross-section of 3.51 by 2.13 metres, and a cabin length of 24.18 metres, the BBJ can be configured into just about anything. As of today, there are several hi-end design teams with good experience on this particular aircraft, so you only have to communicate your wishes and sign the checks. The results will be stunning.

Usually the cabin is divided into zones, separated by bulkheads and doors to keep the sound out. A little reception area in front followed by a galley, a dining room or office, a living room, and master bedroom with its own bathroom and stand-up shower is the layout one can expect in a BBJ. The forms which such layouts take can be most surprising – from wild west to art deco, limited by the owner’s imagination only.

The things they share are cabin pressure (the equivalent of 1980 metres above sea level, or not too bad at all), better sound insulation, and plenty of relatively small, but unobstructed windows that let in natural light.

Another surprise is flight performance. Despite its spacious interior, on the outside the BBJ is not much bigger than longrange bizjets and can in some circumstances take off after an even shorter run, but ultimately carries over four times the payload. It climbs swiftly for an aircraft that offers such interior space and can circumnavigate the world in just two stops. Without refuelling, it can reach Los Angeles from Moscow, Dubai from New York, or Tokyo from London.

The only drawbacks that come with the comfort and performance are higher operating costs and some operating limitations. For example, a BBJ cannot land in New York Teterboro or London City airports. Besides, competitors would argue, the aircraft is based on a “60s design” and in some ways – for example, the use of fly-by-wire – has been surpassed by modern business aircraft.

On the other hand, the commonality with the Boeing 737 means access to a huge support network and spare parts supply, lots of experienced pilots and engineers, plus safe and reliable operations in any corner of the world.

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Usually the cabin is divided into zones, separated by bulkheads and doors.

A reception area followed by a galley, dining room or office, a living room and master bedroom

MAXIMISED OUTPUT Although it’s hard to question the success of the BBJ with over 140 delivered since 1999 – a stunning result for this market segment – things change even in aviation. Not nearly as fast as in the automotive industry, where owners are forced to buy a new model more often than car shows take place around the world. But they change. To stay on top of things, Boeing Business Jets announced the BBJ MAX, based on the 737 MAX version. The BBJ MAX 8 is expected to become the first new model, with the same cabin size as that of today’s BBJ2, but a significant increase in performance and comfort.

The aircraft will benefit from new CFM LEAP engines, as well as quaint Advanced Technology winglets, and limited use of fly-by-wire. Preliminary targets say it will get a 13 percent fuel-use improvement and a total range of 11700 km. Thus, starting from 2018 and first deliveries, happy customers will get an aircraft with more range than the BBJ, a longer cabin, and a bigger baggage hold.

Whatever BBJ you own or fly, however, I would argue that the line between business and pleasure is quite easy to draw.

It runs along the bulkhead that separates the conference room and the master bedroom. Unless you choose to leave ■ business at the front door.

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INTERVIEW

Captain Stephen Taylor President, Boeing Business Jets Mr. Taylor speaks to Altitudes about the state of various markets, the advantages of using a BBJ, and his flying experiences, while admitting that one airplane is just not enough.

Please tell us about the market Well, obviously the economy is not quite what it used to be, but for us it has been pretty stable. Actually, last year we delivered eight 747-8 aircraft destined for VIP outfitting, more than 737-based BBJs! And our widebodies have been doing extremely well in the past years.

What is the trend in the Middle East?

Yes, it’s a strong market, particularly for the big airplanes. For BBJs the Middle East accounts for about 25% of our business, but for the bigger liners, more like 75% of demand comes from that part of the world. Obviously, the market for the big airplanes, the 747, 767, 777 and 787, is a bit different – primarily head-of-state customers – while more than 50% of the BBJ customers worldwide are private individuals.

By Ivan Veretennikov - Photo Boeing Company

How about Western Europe?

Traditionally, Europe in total has accounted for about 20% of the BBJ market – mostly private with a few corporations mixed in. We have not sold any of the Jumbos into this market, but we always have hope.

And the BRIC countries?

As with any of the other high-end OEM’s, China has been a very active market over the past few years, with Asia Pacific now accounting for more than 20% of the BBJ’s sold. We’ve had good success with charter operators in China and continue to see opportunities there. We’ve sold several BBJ’s in India and a couple in Brazil.

When business was hot back in ’07-’08, the Russian market was on fire. It took a significant downturn when the eco-

nomy went soft. There’s still a steady but smaller demand in Russian and I believe that when the economy goes back up this will be one of the first markets to recover.

Could you tell our readers about the significant upcoming upgrade, the 737 MAX BBJ The first 737 MAX BBJ will be the BBJ MAX 8 based on the 737-8 MAX and we’re anticipating green delivery in 2018. This airplane will be the same size as today’s BBJ2. The BBJ MAX 9 will follow about a year later and will have the same cabin size as the BBJ3. Both airplanes will take advantage of the new Leap engine and the new Boeing Advanced Technology Winglet to give 1300—1500 km more range over today’s airplanes.

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What are the advantages over competitor aircraft?

Our biggest advantage is that we created a unique dedicated airplane for this market. It has a higher gross weight takeoff capability than any standard 737.

Thanks to several structural changes it can carry additional fuel. It’s worth saying that when empty, the BBJ is lighter than the Airbus ACJ, but it has a higher maximum takeoff weight. Because of this, it has a higher payload capability which translates into more interior weight capability, more passengers, more fuel. Considering all the various factors that affect flight range, we give the owner a 900-1300 km advantage, which is really a lot.

You are an enthusiastic pilot. Have you ever flown an ACJ yourself?

No, I haven’t personally, but several of our pilots got their type ratings to better understand the way Airbus aircraft fly. When Boeing designed the 777, we put a team to research fly-by-wire controls and flew all types of planes.

That’s how we ended up with traditional yokes and many other features of our philosophy for flight controls. We believe that airplanes should fly like airplanes and not like computers. Whatever happens, you really want the pilots to understand what the plane is doing and what inputs the other pilot or the autoflight systems are giving. For example, if autothrottles are used, the actual handles need to move because the crew has to know where they are going. We believe it's important that the controls are interconnected, backdriven and also have large displacement, so to go full nose up the pilots actually have to make a physical effort.

You can’t foresee all the unknowns that can happen and you want the pilot to have ultimate control over the system.

Do you fly the Boeings then?

Oh yes, I’m type-rated on all of them and I try to make an excuse to fly one

whenever I can. For instance, I was actually on the delivery flight of the first 747-8. That one will become a VIP plane.

What were the most unusual requests you’ve heard?

We’ve had so many floor plans out there that you think you've seen them all, but the designers keep coming up with something new. The only thing we haven't solved that it keeps coming up is a bathtub. Conceivably it's possible to put one on the plane, but it's always a question of how do you prevent it from spilling in turbulence. That's the big challenge. Of the more creative and fun ideas, I've seen putting greens installed on our aircraft. It's worth mentioning that the 747 can have a very high ceiling, up to 3,5 metres in the centre of the plane. We don’t have one built yet, but we did a concept rendering that shows the incredible amount of space it's possible to get on that airplane.

What about the A380 though?

As far as I'm aware it's impossible to do that with the double deck arrangement of the A380. And another thing I can say is that we've delivered plenty of VIP 747 aircraft with all sorts of floor plans and features, while at the moment Airbus have not progressed with the only VIP A380 that they announced back in 2007. In the jumbo segment we're the only manufacturer out there actually making VIP planes.

I heard some fantastic stories about anti-missile systems on the 747, to the point that it can fire its own missiles?

Well, I am aware of anti-missile systems that activate countermeasures: chaff, flare, laser. I don't know about any that actually launch missiles.

Delivery of the first 787 VIP? Hopefully we will have a green aircraft delivery in December of this year, and quite a few coming down the line for 2014.

And back to flying: I saw a video of the historical barrel roll performed on the 707 during my visit to Boeing's Future of Flight. You're a test pilot, so you would know: can any of your current aircraft do that?

The barrel roll of the Dash 80 over the Seafair Hydroplane races was one of the most famous moments in Boeing history. Done properly, a barrel roll is a “1g” maneuver that doesn’t stress the airplane and Tex Johnston (the pilot) was certainly able to do it right since he had experience flying acrobatic maneuvers in another large Boeing swept wing airplane, the B-47 bomber, which flew an acrobatic maneuver for weapons delivery in that era. A modern Boeing airplane could still theoretically do a barrel roll; however, I can tell you that no Boeing pilot has done a roll in one of our airliners in more than 40 years.

What about yourself.

Do you do any aerobatics?

Well, I used to. Years ago my father and I built a Christen Eagle 2-seat acrobatic airplane with several friends. Since then, we sold our share in that plane, but I still occasionally do some acrobatics and I still fly a variety of little airplanes.

Some friends and I have a Piper Super Cub now.

And a traditional question: if you could buy any flying machine, what would it be and why? It can be anything, and it doesn’t have to be just one either.

I’m glad that you’ll allow me the flexibility to have more than one because I probably couldn’t satisfy all my needs with just one machine. For plain old fun it's impossible to beat a Piper Cub, but if I'm trying to go anywhere on business, I have to say it would be the 787.

It's such an incredible combination of efficiency, technology, capability, plus the low cabin altitude, big windows, very quiet – it really is an aircraft to ■ dream about.

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Destination

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Destination

Seattle

Aviation shipyard of the space age

Almost anyone will probably recognise the Seattle postcard view, with the Space Needle tower in the middle and skyscrapers in the back. It’s a memorable sight, and American mass culture has done a good job promoting it. Not as many people outside the U.S. know that one doesn’t have to be in the computer or aviation industry to have a reason for visiting this city, made famous by its businesses and musicians, featured in movies and books and – it turns out – home to quite a few “world’s firsts”.

The 8+ hour time difference with the Old World won’t be much help, and Seattle takes a while to reach – easily over nine hours flying at a decent speed. Therefore, the first thing a traveller would want is a little rest. The trip from the city’s main airport, Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac, locals say – don’t they just love abbreviating things that side of the ocean?) to

the centre is very brief, about 20 minutes at most. The business aviation airport, King County International/Boeing Field, is even closer. Some nice machines to be seen there, including the outdoor display of the Museum of Flight and magnificient Boeing airliners.

There are plenty of places to stay at in Seattle. In fact, downtown has a total 12750 rooms to offer, and of these a select few are quite spectacular, even for the seasoned business jet traveller.

Classic grandeur and finnesse are arguably most evident in the Fairmont Olympic, within walking distance of just about everything in the city centre. It was built in 1924 on the site of the first campus of the University of Washington, and most recently renovated in 2005, now combining its tangibly European design with all sorts of modern amenities, including a very nice fitness centre and pool, two

business centres, a number of meeting rooms, and an epic ballroom – a popular venue for public events, weddings, and presentations. The trademark Cascade Suite would be the one of choice for a memorable stay. It offers a whole lot of space (321 sq. m.) split into two bedrooms, a parlour with a decorative fireplace, a master and guest bathroom, and a dining room for up to 12 guests. The suite has hosted a multitude of celebrities and dignitaries over the years and is said to be one of choice for Bill Gates, the renowned founder of Microsoft – a Seattle company.

Another company originated nearby, in the famous Pike Place Market. The first ever Starbucks still gathers crowds, and there is an eternal queue outside of the popular coffee store. There is a lot more to see here, however, including “flying fish” tossed by fish market employees by

By Ivan Veretennikov

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Destination

Home to Boeing, Starbucks and Microsoft, Seattle, with its Space Needle and its Museum of Flight is almost too exciting for the aviation enthusiast

each other. Around here there is a choice of restaurants to suit any taste, with cuisines ranging from local to Italian, Thai, Russian, and what not.

For the aviation enthusiast, Seattle is almost too exciting. The spectacular display at the Museum of Flight is so diverse, unique, instructive, that even a separate article would be too small to fit a meaningful description. A Concorde, a Space Shuttle trainer, the first Air Force One, a very unusual variant of the Blackbird spy plane – and much more, including the original barn where William Boeing built his first airplanes.

And there’s a lot more Boeing in Seattle and the surrounding area. Boeing BBJ offices are at the aptly named Boeing Field, the executive airport mentioned above. Greenpoint Technologies, the expert in VIP interiors for all Boeing models, are in Kirkland – a 25 minute drive.

And the home of all Boeing widebodies, including the jumbo 747 and futuristic 787, is up North in Everett. The place is unbelievable.

Getting around is quite easy, but the traffic does get quite bad in rush hour.

This is a time when walking should be preferred, and it helps to be right in the very centre of the city – which is exactly where the Mayflower Park hotel is located. It is also a classic hotel, built in 1927 and characterised by a style that helps the Old World traveller feel very much at home, but also has a touch of the American spirit in the European mix. The Executive Suite offers plenty of space, while the elegant design combines his-

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toric luxury and modern vision. A private party can be held in the living room or, possibly, in the meeting or banquet rooms downstairs. The fine Fireside and Plymouth rooms are said to be particularly popular for ceremonies and weddings and can host up to 100 people.

Another distinction is the busy and pleasant Oliver’s bar, with its huge windows offering a nice view.

There is a lot of water around Seattle, and it is a major port. There are so many private yachts and small boats of all purposes on the water that it’s hard to believe. The city is located between the saltwater Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east, and there is a system of canals that connect the lake with the ocean, allowing ships access between the two. There was much more land shifting going on when the city was built up, with whole areas flattened to reclaim land on the coast. This, along with many more interesting stories and displays, is shown in an interactive form at the recently opened Museum of History and Industry, or the MOHAI. A good way to describe this brilliant attraction would be to say that it makes history seem like a lot of fun, and some visitors leave the place knowing much more about the history of Seattle (a very interesting one indeed), than that of their own home towns. The museum sits on the shore of Lake Union, a stone’s throw from the dessert in the aviator’s menu: Kenmore Air. The company has been operating seaplanes since 1946 and offers an unforgettable

experience of air (and water) travel. The freedom of getting on a small propeller seaplane – a recently overhauled De Havilland Beaver or Otter – and flying away right from the lake surface, with no formalities and security checks, is hard to beat. And this is not just something for the tourist. Most people use it as a convenient and fast way of reaching the local islands and British Columbia, so much so that at times pilots do three trips a day. With a fleet of 25 seaplanes, that’s a lot of traffic.

Apart from aviation, Seattle has made an impact in different ways. Music, for example. The guitar guru Jimi Hendrix was born in that town, while Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana made it famous as the birthplace of the grunge movement.

The Experience Music Project, designed

by Frank Gehry (a Bombardier brand ambassador), hosts various interesting and creative displays that could fill a day with leather jackets, guitars, video games, and movie props.

And right across is that very landmark from the Seattle postcard: the Space Needle tower built for the 1962 World Fair. The observation deck sits at about 160 metres from the ground, and the revolving restaurant just below it, serving seafood and hotly recommended by locals for the mix of atmosphere and menu, has an altitude of 150 metres. On a clear day the view is truly spectacular.

A great place to relax after a busy day and probably the first must-see attraction in Seattle. Without it, the postcard ■ would look rather empty.