+
E ECK STEM + + ID ED SY T + MS S FLITCHART N TES AVCOM O IN EN AD AS IN N PES OF iP AVG LOTJEP TEST EADED 540 S ULL NL IFD + F + U YNE'S VID +A
P1 OCTOBER 2011 £4.50
NEWS · EVENTS · FLIGHT TESTS · PEOPLE · AIRCRAFT DETAILS · COMMENT
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GULFSTREAM G650
MACH 0.925! + 7000NM RANGE + 18 SEATS + SOPHISTICATED AVIONICS + SAFETY SYSTEMS NBAA 2011 LAUNCH FOR WHAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST BUSINESS JET THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN
CESSNA SURPRISE!
EVE-OF-NBAA LAUNCH FOR NEW CITATION M2 WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO SEE OFF THE CHALLENGE FROM EMBRAER AND HONDA?
TOP STORIES FROM THE BUSINESS AVIATION WORLD
NEW APPS FOR THE IPAD · OLYMPIC AIRSPACE · DUBLIN AIRPORT · NEW TURBOPROPS · FLY VICTOR · LOTUS EVORA S
Chart Š 2011 reproduced with permission of Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc.
Š 2011 Rockwell Collins, Inc. All rights reserved.
FLY WITH FUSION. Every day, business aircraft manufacturers and their customers depend on Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion® avionics for the enhanced situational awareness pilots need to fly anywhere, anytime, safely. From the industry’s first synthetic vision system fully integrated between the head up display and high-resolution 15-inch LCD displays, to our award-winning MultiScan™ weather radar and synchronized flight information solutions, Pro Line Fusion represents the very latest in avionics innovation. Learn more at rockwellcollins.com/prolinefusion.
THE NEXT HONDA IN YOUR LIFE.
R oam , roa m o n o u r r a n ge . W i th a 420 knot top speed, hi ghest fuel economy, and a wea t h e r t o p p i n g 4 3 , 0 0 0 ft. maxi mum al ti tude, the HondaJet’s versa tility is unm atc h e d i n i t s c l a s s . O u r sprawl i ng manufacturi ng headquarters esta b lished in Greensb o ro , N o r t h C a ro l i n a , i s produci ng an i nnovati on machi ne that ca ta p ults y our bus i n e s s p ro d u c t i v i t y, w hi l e yi el di ng more me ti me. Savor your sky time ab oard th e n e w H o n d a J e t . A t 420 knots, you’l l be home al most too soon.
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18 Cover Story
Everything you should know about the new Gulfstream G650
CONTENTS October 2011
6 News Cessna's new M2 Citation 15 What's on Dubai Airshow and other events 18 Cover Story Gulfstream G650 and its rivals 28 Feature Victor – a new way to book? 30 Airport Focus Dublin, Ireland
34 Product Special Jeppesen FliteDeck reviewed 40 Products Avidyne's new 'drop-in' navcomms and more 42 Mini Test Cirrus SR22T burning 94 octane unleaded 49 Ultra Lotus Evora S 55 Listings New aircraft details
28 30 +
+ JE + AV + FULL PP IDYN UNLETEST ESEN E'S AD OF iP FL IFD5 ED AD IT 40 AVGA CHAR EDEC SLOT S ON T K -IN TE SYST NA ST EM VCOM + + MS +
E
ID
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IN
P1 OCTOBER 2011 £4.50
NEWS · EVENTS · FLIGHT TESTS · PEOPLE · AIRCRAFT DETAILS · COMMENT
F R E S H A I R F O R B U S I N E S S AV I AT I O N
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
GULFSTREAM G650
MACH 0.925! + 7000NM RANGE + 18 SEATS + SOPHISTICATED AVIONICS + SAFETY SYSTEMS NBAA 2011 LAUNCH FOR WHAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST BUSINESS JET THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN
CESSNA SURPRISE!
EVE-OF-NBAA LAUNCH FOR NEW CITATION M2 WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO SEE OFF THE CHALLENGE FROM EMBRAER AND HONDA?
TOP STORIES FROM THE BUSINESS AVIATION WORLD
NEW APPS FOR THE IPAD · OLYMPIC AIRSPACE · DUBLIN AIRPORT · NEW TURBOPROPS · FLY VICTOR · LOTUS EVORA S
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NEWSROOM »NEW AIRCRAFT
Cessnas new jet, the M2 Surprise launch of light jet to take on HondaJet and Phenom 100
I
N A surprise move in late September on the eve of the annual NBAA show, Cessna announced a new light business jet, the Citation M2, to take on the challenge from the new and imminent HondaJet, and also the existing Embraer’s Phenom 100. A mock-up of the M2 will be on Cessna’s stand during the NBAA show. The Cessna M2, expected to cost $4.195m, will fill a gap between the $3.1m Mustang and the $7.0m Citation CJ2+. That's Cessna’s next model up now that the CJ1 is no longer in production. Embraer’s Phenom 100 is still listed at $3.6m but that’s a 2009 price, while the HondaJet is $4.5m. Cessna’s recently appointed new boss, Scott Ernest, said, “Operator feedback and owner insight have indicated a market for a Citation with the size, speed
and range of the Citation M2. We expect to see customers new to the Citation family, Mustang owners looking for a logical next step or CJ1+ operators who want a new, more advanced Citation.” Touch-control Garmin G3000 avionics are the centrepoint of the cockpit and include as standard weather radar, TCAS 1, terrain awareness (TAWS) and ADS-B out. Airframe is steadfastly Cessna with aluminium construction, a T-tail and straight wing. Performance is designed to edge the Phenom 100 but is some way off the hightech HondaJet. Cessna says the M2 can seat two crew and up to six passengers, has a maximum cruise speed of 400 knots and a range of 1300nm. The aircraft can operate at airports with runways as short as 3250ft and will climb to its ceiling of 41,000 feet in 24 minutes, according to Cessna figures.
6 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
Artist's impression of the new Cessna Citation M2, as issued by Cessna.
To get that performance, and also more efficient fuel burn, the M2 has the latest, uprated FADEC-controlled Williams FJ441AP-21 turbofan engines, each producing 1965lb of thrust. Cessna says the FJ44-1AP-21 produces 10-15 percent more altitude thrust (depending on conditions) and consumes less fuel at long range cruise than the previous version, enabling the M2 to climb quickly and cruise fast and far. The Williams engines also provide significantly improved performance in hot and high conditions, and there's an increase in the Time Between Overhaul (TBO) from 3500 to 4000 hours. First flight of the new Citation M2 will be in the first half of 2012, says Cessna, with US FAA type certification expected in the first half of 2013, followed by deliveries in the second half of 2013. www.cessna.com
P1 BUSINESS AVIATION NEWS BY P1 NEWS TEAM
THE COCKPIT The M2’s cockpit stars Garmin’s G3000 avionics suite with three 14.1in LCD primary and multifunction displays and two touchscreen (infrared) control panels. The controllers allow multi-function display page navigation as well as audio and FMS control. The MFD and PFD provide split-screen capability so that two separate vertical pages may be viewed sideby-side. Pilots may simultaneously view maps, charts, TAWS, flight planning or weather.
THE CABIN From the cockpit divider aft through to the rear lavatory, the main passenger cabin of the Citation M2 is 3.3 metres long and 1.47 metres wide. Cabin height is 1.45 metres taking into account a 13cm-deep dropped centre aisle. It has eight large windows, roomy pedestal seats and the cabin materials and colours can be hand-selected by customers. The M2 also has Cessna’s own cabin management system that includes the latest interface options for in-flight connectivity.
Compare the competing light jets CITATION M2 Price $4.195m Seats 2 pilots + 6 pax MTOW 4853kg Useful load na Max cruise 400kt Range 1300nm Ceiling 41,000ft Climb rate na Engines 2 x Williams FJ44, producing 1965lb thrust each
CITATION MUSTANG Price $3.1m Seats 2 pilots + 4 pax MTOW 3921kg Useful load 1533kg Max cruise 340kt Range 1150nm Ceiling 41,000ft Max climb rate 3010ft/min Engines 2 x Pratt & Whitney PW615F producing 1460lb thrust each
EMBRAER PHENOM 100 Price $3.6m (2009 price) Seats 2 crew + 5 pax MTOW 4750kg Useful load 1535kg Max cruise 390kt Range 1178nm Ceiling 41,000ft Climb rate na Engines 2 x Pratt & Whitney PW617F-E producing 1695lb thrust
HONDAJET Price $4.5m Seats 2 pilots + 5 pax MTOW 4173kg Useful load na Max cruise 420kt Range 1180nm Ceiling 43,000ft Climb rate 3990ft/min Engines 2 x GE-Honda HF120 producing 188olb of thrust each
CITATION CJ2+ Price $7.0m Seats 2 pilots + 7 pax MTOW 5670kg Useful load 2093kg Max cruise 418kt Range 1613nm Ceiling 45,000ft Climb rate 4120ft/min Engines 2 x Williams FJ44-3A-24 producing 2490lb of thrust each
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 7
NEWSROOM The EV-55 has over a dozen flights under its wings already.
»NEW AIRCRAFT
Evektor targets Caravan Turboprop twin takes on well-proven turboprop single
C
ZECH company Evektor, better known for its successful range of light aircraft, released price and performance details of its EV-55 Outback turboprop twin at the EAA AirVenture event held at Oshkosh, USA in July. The EV-55 seats 14, has huge payload of 1800kg and is able to operate from grass and other unpaved airstrips. The $2 million aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turboprops and is claimed to cruise at 220kt. Evektor boss Jaroslav Ruzicka said the
EV-55 is being targeted at the Cessna Caravan but that having two engines gives it a huge advantage. “Many operators will not look at an aircraft unless it has two engines,” he said. “The Cessna Caravan is a superb machine, but having two engines can give us a great advantage in many areas [of the world].” The other obvious rival is the Beechcraft King Air but the EV-55 undercuts it massively on price. Evektor also claims low operating costs for the EV-55 with an engine TBO of 3600 hours.
FAST FACTS Evektor EV-55 Outback Price $2m Seats 9-14 Max cruise 220kt Range 1210nm MTOW 4600kg Payload 1824kg Wingspan 16.1m Length 4.48m Width 1.61m Volume 9.47cu m Engines 2 x PT6A-21 producing 536shp each
Left: Evektor's EV-55 undergoing single-engine winter testing. 8 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
Three versions are planned: passenger, cargo and a combination of the two with convertible seats. The time needed for conversion of the cabin interior between individual versions should not exceed 20 minutes, according to the company. Evektor says the aircraft is designed especially for operators from the countries of South America, Africa and Asia where there is an underdeveloped transport infrastructure. Among other very promising customers are companies from the United States, Brazil, Russia, India, China and Australia. There is also a military version planned, the EV-55M. As well as targetting the Caravan and King Air, Evektor also thinks there is a strong market for the EV-55 in replacing piston twins where the price and availability of avgas has effectively rendered them obsolete in many parts of the world. The EV-55 made its first flight in late June, and is of a mixed composite and metal construction. At this stage Evektor is flight testing, but says it will need an outside investor to drive it toward production – the first time Evektor has needed external investment in its 20year history. www.evektor.cz
P1 BUSINESS AVIATION NEWS BY P1 NEWS TEAM
Mahindra making moves INDIAN manufacturer Mahindra has just made the maiden flight of its first Indian-designed aircraft, the 5-seat single engine piston C-NM5. It has an all-metal airframe and is powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine. And in a clear indicator of the company’s ambitious plans for more aircraft designs, it has also just signed a deal with Rolls-Royce for the latest version of the Model 250 turboprop engine to go into the new 10-seat GippsAero GA10 due for entry in service in 2013. Mahindra owns GippsAero, based in Australia, and builder of the GA8 Airvan. GippsAero also built the C-NM5 at its base near Melbourne, where flight-testing is taking place. There’s more. Mahindra has also acquired the type certificate for the Australian GAF Nomad N24, a twinengine turboprop produced by the Australian government from 1975 to 1985. More than 170 of the Nomad were built, mainly for use by the Australian Flying Doctor and military. The largest current operator is Air Safaris of New Zealand which has five for tourist flights.
news BITES HAWKER 800XPR OK USA The upgraded Hawker 800XPR has received type certification. Improved performance and longer maintenance intervals are due to engine changes, and avionics and interior have also been modernised.
First customer 800XPR.
CJ4 FOR BRAZIL Mahindra plans to re-engineer the Nomad with new engines – the RR Model 250-B17F/1 – and equip them with Hartzell props, install glass cockpit avionics and make weight-saving measures. It will seat up to 16, plus two pilots, and will be available with standard landing gear or with floats.
Above: Mahindra's five-seat C-NM5, the first Indiandesigned and built aircraft, makes its first
DREAMLINER OK USA BOEING has received type certification for the all-new 787 Dreamliner from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
www.mahindra.com
Kestrel will have parachute PARACHUTES on small propeller aircraft have become a common feature since Cirrus started fitting them as standard over a decade ago but on a turboprop? That’s what Kestrel has in mind for its first design. The company, now headed by ex-Cirrus boss Alan Klapmeier, is working with chute firm BRS to develop an airframe parachute for the eight-seater – the biggest aircraft so far to get one. The parachute system proved a major sales draw for Cirrus and would give the Kestrel a fantastic USP to business users. The Kestrel single-engine turboprop, originally called the Farnborough F1, will have a bigger fuselage with a larger, wider cabin and bigger windows when it goes into production. A new mock-up was on display at July’s EAA AirVenture, where Kestrel also announced that it has settled on a Honeywell TPE33114GR powerplant in preference to the ubiquitous PWC PT-6. Kestrel says it went through a vigorous process to determine which engine would be best suited. The mission is to combine high cruise speed and long range, while carrying large payloads in and out of short runways, with particular attention to ease and cost of operation. "The power and efficiency of the
BRAZIL Cessna’s newest aircraft, the Citation CJ4, has received type certification from the Brazilian authority ANAC. The $9m CJ4 is already approved in the USA and Europe, with Canada and South Africa set to follow soon.
-14GR is ideally suited to this mission," said the company, now based in New Brunswick, Maine. The TPE331-14GR produces 1759shp but will be flat-rated to 1000shp for better high altitude, high temperature performance. www.kestrel.aero
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner certified.
HOLY APPROVAL CZECH REPUBLIC The Dalai Lama was flown by Prague-based Grossman Jet Service on a European tour of speaking engagements this summer. His Holiness flew in Grossman’s Embraer Legacy 600.
PERTH FBO AUSTRALIA Universal Aviation has opened has opened a second location in Australia at Perth Airport where it provides full ground support and FBO services for business and VIP aviation.
INTERNATIONAL APP
The chute would give Kestrel a fantastic USP for business users
UK Charter operator Air Partner has unveiled the first multi-lingual real-time iPhone app for private jet availability globally.
G550 RECORD BRAZIL Gulfstream’s G550 has set a city-pair record between Savannah, USA and Campinas, Brazil. The 3894nm flight took 8 hours 28 minutes at an average speed of 519mph. Eleven pax and one flight attendant were flown by Captains Eric Parker and Anthony Briotta.
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 9
NEWSROOM Gulfstream's new G280 is nearing type certification with deliveries due this year.
»NEW AIRCRAFT
G280 nearing completion Certification ‘imminent’ for Gulfstream’s new super mid-size jet
G
ULFSTREAM is in the final stages of gaining type certification for its new super mid-size jet, the G280. It may even be announced at NBAA in October. The US company says the first production G280 has arrived at the Gulfstream Mid-Cabin Completions Center in Dallas, Texas where it is being outfitted and painted for delivery later this year. It was flown from Tel Aviv, Israel where the airframe is manufactured. “This is a significant transition in the G280 program, as we near the
completion of flight test and launch final phase manufacturing,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “In anticipation of the G280’s arrival in Dallas, we built and fit-tested the cabin components, such as the upper and lower galley, divan, vanity and end cabinets, in our test rig, the Iron Bird. At the same time, we’re testing the final phase systems in the integration test facility. All of this will help ensure a smoother entry into service for the aircraft later this year.”
FAST FACTS gulfstream g280 Price $24m Seats 8-10 Max cruise 482ktas MMO 0.85 Ceiling 45,000ft Range 3400nm MTOW 17,962kg Payload 1837kg Wingspan 19.20m Length 20.37m Cabin width 2.18m Engines 2 x Honeywell HTF7250G producing 7445lb thrust each
G280 is the largest of Gulfstream's mid-size range. 10 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
There are three aircraft in the G280 flight test program. They have accumulated more than 1500 hours over more than 550 flights Towards certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Function and reliability testing is well under way at IAI as well. This simulates typical, in-service flight operations, such as takeoffs, landings, instrument landing system approaches and hot/cold/humid air operations, to ensure the aircraft, its components and its equipment are reliable and function properly. Gulfstream announced the G280 program in October 2008 and says the aircraft offers the largest cabin and the longest range at the fastest speed in its class. The G280 introduces the PlaneView280 cockpit and option include a heads-up guidance systems and Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS II). The G280 also has auto-braking which Gulfstream claims is an industry first in this market. Gulfstream’s website is now available in five languages: English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese, recognising the growing importance of the international market. www.gulfstream.com
P1 BUSINESS AVIATION NEWS BY P1 NEWS TEAM
Piper pushes ahead with Altaire jet CONSTRUCTION of the first conforming flight test prototype of Piper’s new single-engine jet, the Altaire, began in August with its first flight planned for 2012. Certification and deliveries are due in 2014. “The Altaire is pioneering the single-engine business jet, just like the Piper Meridian and other singleengine turboprops have proven in
rigorous worldwide use that the fundamental efficiencies and safety of centerline thrust aircraft deliver the greatest value to owners and operators,” said Piper President and CEO Geoffrey Berger. “The advantage Piper has over other manufacturers with an interest in a single-engine jet is a solid underlying commitment by
Piper has 200 engineers working on its single engine jet
Piper Altaire is pushing ahead for deliveries in 2014.
Beechcraft upgrades
Stratos jet performs well STILL seeking an investor, Stratos Aircraft is pursuing its single engine jet design, the Stratos 714. Recently it had five days of tests in the University of Washington Kirsten Wind Tunnel. A one-fifth scale composite model was subjected to more than 90 runs with focus on airflow over the fuselage, wings, and vertical tail. Initial results show the tests verified the novel areas of the design such as the scalloped forward fuselage. The 714 model also proved effective in
handling airflow in all flight attitudes, including takeoff, landing and strong crosswind components. Even at high yaw angles the flow into the downwind inlet remained remarkably clean. A video on the wind tunnel testing is available at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4gV7exZmql4 Stratos defines the 714 as a Very Light Personal Jet capable of carrying four/ five people to FL 410, at cruise speeds over 400 knots, with a range of 1500nm. www.stratosaircraft.com
Imprimis, the owner of the company, to appropriately fund the program and see it through to successful completion.” That comment is clearly aimed at Cirrus and Diamond who have both had to halt development of their respective single engine jets through lack of cash - though both say they are now able to continue. Piper says it has nearly 200 engineers and production staff working on the Altaire, and that four conforming flight test aircraft are due to be built as part of the certification program during 2012. Piper will also construct a bird strike canopy and a fuel cell/vibration test wing. In fact, Piper needs more aircraft engineers and has started advertising in Wichita, Kansas, home of longstanding rival Cessna and several other aircraft companies. Piper says the Altaire will have a range of 1300nm, a maximum cruise speed of 360kt, and will cost $2.6m for a typically equipped aircraft – and cost an average 25 percent less to operate than comparable Very Light Jets. www.piper.com
The Stratos VLPJ recently underwent extensive wind tunnel tests at the University of Washington.
NEW interiors have been fitted into Beechcraft’s piston engine single and twin, the Bonanza and Baron. The upgrade also includes an automatic climate control system and an LED external lighting package. “This program upgrades the comfort, styling and functionality of the current Baron and Bonanza aircraft to a level similar to that found in top-of-the-line vehicles,” said Jim Holcombe, vice president, Beechcraft Marketing. “We are accomplishing this by adding contemporary design elements, cleaner lines and improved ergonomics to the interior for a more blended, form-fitting look, coupled with a fully automatic climate control system that allows passengers to set their own temperature.” www.hawkerbeechcraft.com
New interior for Beechcraft duo. October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 11
NEWSROOM
P1 NEWS by P1 NEWS tEaM
»LONDON 2012
UK prepares for Olympics Airspace, security, and slot booking mean big changes
A
IRCRAFT will be intercepted and possibly forced down if pilots do not comply with the security, flightplanning, and airspace restrictions being imposed during the 2012 London Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games which follow. The team coordinating the use of airspace around the UK during the Olympics period has been at two recent business aviation events in the UK to talk about the issues. The restrictions will affect both IFR and VFR traffic around London and the south-east of the UK, and also at other Olympic sites around the UK such as the sailing events in Weymouth, Dorset on the south coast. The restrictions have three aims: 1 Provide security against potential terrorist attacks. This is the job of the police in the main, working with other security and Government agencies. 2 Maximise the available capacities of airspace and airports in the south-east of the UK. 3 Maintain ‘business as usual’ as far as possible for major airports and businesses operating in them, such as scheduled airlines. The UK’s National Air Traffic Service
(NATS) has submitted a detailed plan to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for changes to the airspace including new routings, new holds and new rules which is under scrutiny now. A decision on this plan is expected in November. VFR tRaFFic VFR traffic will not be allowed to fly into the Prohibited Zone at all. It can fly in the Restricted Zone, subject to ATC capacity, by following certain rules which can be found here: http://olympics. airspacesafety.com/how-to-use-therestricted-zone iFR tRaFFic Scheduled airlines should continue as ‘business as usual’. However, the Department of Transport estimates there will be an extra 3000 business/ corporate/VIP IFR flights into the London area during the Games, in addition to the total of around 7000 movements that are normal for that period. This total is certain to be exceeded, according to the boss of charter and FBO operator ExecuJet which handled most of the private jet traffic going into and out of the Football World Cup in South Africa last year.
No slot, no ID and the flightplan will not be accepted
the overall zone size extends well beyond london.
Cedric Migeon, MD of ExecuJet Europe, said: “We had 2200 movements in three weeks at just two airports, with a peak at the end. We were amazed by the excess of volume over what we expected. I fully expect the 3000 total [suggested by the UK's Department for Transport] to be exceeded.” slot booking Every flight into the Prohibited Zone must have a landing and take-off slot booked with the relevant airport. The available slots will be shown on the website of Airport Coordination Ltd (ACL), the company already responsible for slot allocation for London Heathrow. ACL will show available slots for all of the 40 airports within the Restricted and Prohibited zones, but they must be booked directly, or possibly through a relevant FBO, with the airport concerned. The slot will have to be paid for at the time of booking, based on the airport’s usual handling fee plus whatever it chooses to charge on top, and be entered against a particular flight and aircraft tail number. The slot payment will not be refunded if it is not used - this is an attempt to prevent block slot booking. When the slot is booked, an ID is generated which must be entered into the flightplan. No slot = no ID, and the flightplan will not be accepted by Eurocontrol. No aircraft can enter the Prohibited Zone without an IFR flightplan, or the Restricted Zone without an IFR or VFR flightplan, having been accepted. Any aircraft which attempts to do so will be subject to security precautions which could include a Typhoon fighter intercepting the flight and, if necessary, shooting it down. PRE-FligHt sEcURitY Among the details which were confirmed during the recent meetings were that flights into the Prohibited Zone must have originated with full pre-flight security checks having taken place, i.e. passenger and baggage searches. “The idea is to create a ‘known’ traffic environment across London and the south-east,” explained Wing Commander Mike Tetlaw who has been seconded from the RAF to the London Metropolitan Police for the build-up to the Olympics. “In this way, we can provide sufficient warning to respond to any potential threat.” A Guide to the London 2012 Airspace and other useful documents for pilots and operators planning to fly during the Olympic Games period can be downloaded from here: http://olympics.airspacesafety. com/downloads
12 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
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NEWSROOM
UP AND COMING
What’s on, where Major events coming up for you and your clients OCTOBER
JANUARY
10-12 NBAA 2011, Las Vegas. The Business Aviation Show. www.nbaa.org 14-16 Korean F1 Grand Prix, Yeongam, South Korea. www.f1.com 27-28 World Air Forum, Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, Amsterdam, Netherlands. www.waf2011.com 28-30 Airtel F1 Grand Prix of India, New Delhi. www.f1.com
15-18 Annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, San Diego, California, USA. www.nbaa.org/events/sdc/2012/ 26-29 Polo World Cup on Snow, Lake Moritz, Switzerland. www.polostmoritz.com
NOVEMBER 3-4 G20 Summit, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France. The world's (claimed) top economists gather. www.g20.org 8-10 MRO Asia, National Convention Centre, Beijing, China. 11-13 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, Yas Marina, UAE. www.f1.com 13-17 Dubai Airshow, Airport Expo, UAE. www.dubaiairshow.aero 21-27 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (tennis), O2, London, UK. www. barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com 25-27 Petrobas F1 Grand Prix of Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Final race of the 2011 season.
DECEMBER 8-11 Dubai Golf World Championship, Jumeirah Golf Estates, UAE. www. dubaiworldchampionship.com
FEBRUARY 1-2 MRO Middle East, Airport Expo, Dubai. 3 Chinese New Year Worldwide celebrations among Chinese communities continuing for up to 15 days 11-14 Heli-Expo, Dallas, Texas. World’s largest helicopter event. www.rotor.com 11-21 Venice Carnival, Venice, Italy. www.carnevale.venezia.it 14-19 Singapore Airshow. Largest aerospace show in Asia. www.singaporeairshow.com.sg 18-21 Rio Carnival, Rio de Janiero, Brazil. www.rio-carnival.net 21 Mardi Gras, New Orleans, USA. www.mardigrasneworleans.com 22-23 Indian Business Aviation Expo, Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, India. www.miuevents.com/ibae2012
MARCH 8-11 Crufts Dog Show, NEC, Birmingham, UK. World’s top dog show. www.crufts.org.uk 15-18 Australian F1 Grand Prix, Melbourne. First race of the 2012 season. www.f1.com
17 St Patrick’s Day. Celebrated everywhere but particularly Dublin and New York 23-25 Malaysia F1 Grand Prix, Kuala Lumpur 26 Dubai World Cup horse race, UAE. www.dubaiworldcup.com 27-29 ABACE, Shanghai, China. Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre. Linked to NBAA. Catalyst to the expansion of Asia’s business aviation? www.abace.aero/2012/ 27-29 Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg, Germany. www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com 27-1 April Sun ’n Fun, Lakeland, Florida, USA. Season opening GA event. Sunny (usually!). www.sun-n-fun.org
APRIL 3-5 MRO Americas, Convention Centre, Dallas, USA. 13-15 Chinese F1 Grand Prix, Shanghai 18-21 AERO 2012, Friedrichshafen, Germany. Europe’s top light aviation event with some bizav interest. www.aero-expo.com 20-22 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix
MAY 11-13 Spanish F1 Grand Prix, Catalunya 14-16 EBACE, Geneva, Switzerland. Europe’s annual business aviation show. www.ebace.aero 11-13 Monaco F1 Grand Prix, Monte Carlo PHOTO www.airteamimages.com
13-17 NOVEMBER DUBAI AIR SHOW Running from 13 to 17 November 2011 at the city’s Airport Expo, the Dubai Airshow will be the biggest yet, with up to 1000 exhibitors from 50 countries, an increase of 12 percent over the 2009 event, and more than 55,000 trade visitors expected, a six percent increase from 2009. New companies account for some 20 percent of the growth. To cater to the increased business, the Airport Expo’s Reception Building is being extended and the outdoor chalet and
static aircraft display area has been re-designed to accommodate more outdoor exhibits. Alison Weller, Managing Director of F&E Aerospace, said: “Space is being made available this year by the increasing trend by exhibitors to move their presence outside, creating pavilions along the static park line.” To date, 11 company pavilions are being erected outside, alongside the 103 double- and single-storey hospitality chalets that line the static aircraft display. www.dubaiairshow.aero
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 15
COVER STORY GULFSTREAM G650
GULFSTREAM G650
Creating the platinium standard The biggest and best jet from the legendary Gulfstream is upon us‌ so what do you need to know about the jet setting new standards for performance and luxury? Richard Fairbairn checks the stats
COVER STORY GULFSTREAM G650
HEN it comes to business jets, Gulfstream has a mystique that others still dream of. In the little over 50 years the Savannah, Georgia firm has existed it has built less than 2000 aircraft, being seen as the ultimate choice for those who place reputation, excellence, and opulence at the top of their decision-making tree. Gulfstream became the jets for badgeaware moguls and corporations (and many US government departments), and continually set new standards in cabin and technical standards that other firms are duly happy to respond to – driving up base costs in the process. Gulfstream jets aren’t cheap, but during the recent economic maelstrom it’s been the supersized and super-expensive longjets that have done best: give a jet a large cabin and a long range, and it becomes immeasurably more useful than one restricted to a single continent. Gulfstream saw potential in bigger-is-better before the downturn, and in 2005 kicked off its biggest investment programme ever in a new design, the G650, committing $1bn in R&D and associated costs to its first all-new cleansheet design for decades. It promised a jet to outshine all others in the class, and it wasn’t kidding: the most cabin space, the longest range, the most luxury, and – the headliner – the most speed. After a long wait, it’s just days away from certification... so here’s what you need to know.
20 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
The G650 is the fastest civilian jet yet, with a maximum speed of Mach 0.925 – that's 610mph at 40,000ft
Speed and range If you don’t know this by now, where have you been? The G650 is the fastest civilian jet yet. Its maximum speed, reached during certification flight testing, is Mach 0.925, aka 530kt/610mph at 40,000ft. This is its major headline, which puts it a tantalising Mach 0.005 ahead of Cessna’s Citation X, the former fastest in class. OK, so that’s the headline out of the way, what does that mean in use? The G650’s range at Long Range Cruise (Mach 0.85, 487kt, 561mph) is an impressive 8050 miles, which from the Middle East puts New York, Beijing, or Sydney within single-leg range. That’s with eight passengers and four crew aboard. It’s a huge 1150 miles more than the G550 at the same Mach 0.85 long range cruise speed. But, beware. As with all jets displaying these kind of speeds, using that last burst of speed comes at quite a cost. Upping the pace from LRC to the 'normal' maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.9 – a mere 29kt/34mph quicker – cuts the
The G650's advanced low drag wing can clearly be seen from this view.
maximum range by a whopping 2300 statute miles. Simple table napkin arithmetic shows a 5750-mile journey will be around 30 minutes quicker at ‘normal’ cruise versus making the same journey at long-range cruise. That’s a nice time saving, but it’s at a
premium of 12,500lb of fuel. Phew! The pax in the back had really better mean it if they say don’t spare the horses. Bu the way, don’t forget that the forthcoming Cessna Citation Ten, a development of the X, is very likely to have a MMO of Mach 0.93.
HOW THE RIVALS COMPARE G650 tops the speed and range tables
MMO
Cruise
Max range
GULFSTREAM 650
0.925
516kt
8055 miles
Gulfstream G550
0.885
487kt
7767 miles
Cessna Citation X
0.92
527kt
3734 miles
Dassault Falcon 7X
0.90
515kt
6847 miles
Bombardier Global 7000
TBA
515kt
8400 miles
Bombardier Global 8000
TBA
515kt
9090 miles
Embraer Lineage 1000
0.82
469kt
4833 miles
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 21
COVER STORY GULFSTREAM G650
Size and comfort THE G650 might have a headline top speed, but what Gulfstream jets have always really been about is the cabin. The G650’s will easily be the best yet. On the ramp, at the mere microns under 100ft long and 100ft wide the G650 usurps the existing G550 as Gulfstream’s biggest jet; the G550 is 96ft 5in long, and 93ft 6in wide. Fortunately for passengers, most of those extra feet make their way inside. The G650’s interior dimensions show a cabin volume nearly 47ft long and 8ft 6in wide, with the expected Gulfstream hallmark of (most) occupants being able to stand upright. Cabin height is 6ft 3in. Combined, the cabin volume is 2138cu ft. To compare, it’s over a foot wider than the G550 (1669cu ft), while the airliner-based Embraer Lineage 1000 is 4085cu ft. The cabin spec is cutting edge and luxurious, available in a dozen standard configurations or with a cleansheet option. Most noticeable on entry will be the 16 passenger windows – each a gigantic
28in wide oval. Cabin altitude is a very low 4850ft, even at the G650’s 51,000ft ceiling, and all interior air 100% fresh with no re-circ. For passengers, aside from more legroom, wider seats and aisles, de rigeur flatscreens and touchscreens, better lighting, and clearer music, the major
engineering focus has been on spectacular reliability and redundancy in cabin systems, which the Gulfstream engineering boss says should achieve 1-in-10m reliability. Meanwhile, Gulfstream says intensive research has gone into cutting cabin noise at every turn.
HOW THE RIVALS COMPARE How much space inside? cabin volume
Max seats
GULFSTREAM 650
2138cu ft
18
Gulfstream G550
1669cu ft
18
Cessna Citation X
594cu ft
12
Dassault Falcon 7X
1552cu ft
19
Bombardier Global 7000
2637cu ft
19
Bombardier Global 8000
2236cu ft
19
Embraer Lineage 1000
4085cu ft
19
22 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
AWESOME interior: first photos released by Gulfstream for the interior show a conservative but stylish finish. Note the huge 28in wide oval passenger windows.
Technology Any technology is seen from two distinct standpoints: that of the buyer/ operator, and that of the pilot. The G650 is Gulfstream’s first cleansheet new design for decades, and it shows. In construction, the fuselage is metal, while the wings – by far the lowest drag that Gulfstream has made – are more swept and of 8% greater area than the G550’s for lower drag and better lift. The fuselage has a unique oval-ish shape that aims to minimise drag caused by the wasted space ‘under’ the cabin floor. Composites are used for the empennage – a welded thermoplastic mix of carbonfibre and a special polymer, which is claimed to be a first for aircraft – winglets, pressure bulkhead, engine cowlings, cabin floor, and fairings. The Gulfstream’s two engines are new Rolls-Royce BR725s of 17,000lb thrust each, continuing a long relationship between the two manufacturers. It’s a derivative of the well-known BR700 design used on Bombardier’s Global 5000 and Express XRS, and Boeing 717s, with improvements in economy and noise for the G650. Moving to areas of interest to pilots, the G650 pushes the Dassault Falcon 7X off the pot as the only full fly-by-wire bizjet and debuts a triple redundant FBW setup (two hydraulic control systems, and a further electric back-up). Gulfstream flightdecks are already places of envy for those who see but don’t get to use them. The updated PlaneView II system has four enormous 14in LCD displays (not touchscreen, though), synthetic and infrared enhanced vision, and HUD screens. You’ll not get better outside a military jet.
LATEST technology used in cockpit, top, with PlaneView II based on Honeywell's Primus Epic suite, and cabin. Connectivity is a given and the cabin systems controls are all touchscreen. October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 23
COVER STORY GULFSTREAM G650
Cost
ALLOWING for the waft of currency fluctuations over the years, the base price when the G650 reaches the market will be approximately $65m. Gulfstream jets are class acts and have never been cheap, and it shows the multi-faceted challenge of combining headlining speed, range, and size, in one aircraft. The G550 base is around $50m, as is the Bombardier Global 6000 (nee Express XRS), and both can far exceed that. But of greater threat to the G650 for Biggest and Best Crown are the next Globals, the 7000 and 8000. They will weigh in at around the same $65m (in 2010 money) mark – albeit they are four or five years off yet so will assumedly translate after market entry to above $70m. That's before any deals are done, of course, so who really knows what price is actually paid. On the G650 common parts are used where possible, the major inspection
COMPARE PRICE Big ticket items!
BASE PRICE
GULFSTREAM 650
$65m
Gulfstream G550
$49m
Cessna Citation X
$22m
Dassault Falcon 7X
$45m
Bombardier Global 7000 $65m Bombardier Global 8000 $65m Embraer Lineage 1000
$50.5m
interval is 600hr, engine TBO is 10,000hr, and like every major builder Gulfstream designers are extracting more efficiency from airfoil shapes, and pressing the engine manufacturers to make jets cleaner and more efficient.
24 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
G650 THE FULL SPECS Maximum range Normal cruise speed High speed cruise Max Operating Mach Takeoff Landing Initial cruise altitude Maximum cruise altitude
7000nm/12,964km Mach 0.85/488ktas/904kmh Mach 0.90/516ktas/956kmh Mach 0.925 6000ft/1829m 3000ft/914m 41,000ft/12,497m 51,000 ft/15,545m
WEIGHTS MTOW Max landing weight Max zero fuel weight Basic operating weight Maximum payload Payload (max fuel) Max fuel weight
99,600lb/45,178kg 83,500lb/37,875kg 60,500lb/27,442kg 54,000lb/24,494kg 6500lb/2948kg 1800lb/816kg 44,200lb/20,049kg
FITMENTS Avionics Engines
Gulfstream PlaneView II 2 x Rolls-Royce BR725 A1-12, producing 16,100lb of thrust each
INTERIOR Passengers Total interior length Cabin length Cabin height Cabin width Cabin volume Baggage compartment
Typical: 11–18 53ft 7in/16.33m 46ft 10in/14.27m 6ft 5in/1.95m 8ft 6in/2.59m 2138cu ft/60.54cu m 195cu ft/5.52cu m
TIME TO RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS INTRODUCING THE NEW 3,350 NM FALCON 2000S Finally, a large-cabin aircraft with the airfield agility and efficiency of a smaller jet at a midsize price. This is the one you’ve been waiting for. The new Falcon 2000S has it all. Unparalleled comfort. Unrivalled performance. And unbeatable value.
Raise your expectations. Visit falconjet.com/2000S.
FLIGHT TEST GULFSTREAM G650
The rivals Dassault Falcon 7X Introduced: 2007 THE paint is barely dry on the 7X – it first appeared in mid-2007 with a grand hurrah as the first bizjet with fly-by-wire controls, and also the first entirely designed virtually on CAD. Already, well over 100 have been delivered to the market. Aside from being cutting edge tech-wise, the 7X trumpets efficiency as a major strength, with innovations such as being the first production jet to have winglets helping lower fuel costs. The 7X (and the sister Falcon 900) features three engines, a major plus to some operators and significantly boosting its engine-out performance compared to twin jets.
Embraer Lineage 1000
Gulfstream G550
Introduced: 1996
Introduced: 2010
Introduced: 2003
WOW! Is it fast! Holder of the fastest civilian aircraft honour for 15 years and beloved by its pilots for fast climb and record-setting pace. The X sprouted winglets in 2008, which gave it a noticeable boost in climb performance too – to 43,000ft in 22 minutes – and are able to be retrofitted. In comparison, without the speed it’s not a fair match for the G650 as the X is fundamentally a far smaller aircraft, with reduced range and much smaller cabin – it can seat 12, but eight is the typical maximum and it doesn’t have the multizone cabin capability of the bigger jets. The X's reign as the fastest might be coming to an end (though the upgraded Citation Ten will get it back) but its speed, power, and compactness still make it more like a fighter than any other. If you don't need the range and space but love the raw speed and reputation, it's a player.
IF 19 seats isn’t enough – the limit before you move up a grade to eye-watering levels of certification costs and additional expenditure required for airliner-type aircraft – then is 106 enough? Having been initially designed and certified as a regional airliner, the E-190, the Lineage 1000 is Embraer’s move into the superluxury long-range business jet market, with an enormous five-zone interior space. It’s not as quick or rangey as the Gulfstream or Bombardiers, and peaks at 41,000ft – airliner airway territory – so is really pitched at the supersized corporate Boeings and Airbus aircraft against which it offers significantly lower fuel costs and greater usability at smaller fields. With more than 5m hours flown in airline guise, although it is brand new to business aviation it is already exceptionally well known – a bonus when analysing costs.
ON its launch in 2003, the G550 set new standards for range, speed, and luxury, and showed the advanced PlaneView flightdeck to its full strength, based on the Honeywell Primus suite and with many additions. PlaneView gave pilots four large screens and point-and-click control, and came with Enhanced Vision using an infra-red camera to peer through the murk for an improved situational awareness on a HUD system. Interior comfort was a major focus too, with cabin pressure able to emulate 6000ft altitudes even at its 51,000ft ceiling (high enough to be well above airliners and their airways).
Cessna Citation X
26 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
The 7X features three engines, significantly boosting its engine-out performance
Bombardier Global 7000/8000 IntroducTION: 2016 (8000: 2017) NOT content with announcing one supersized new jet to the world, Bombardier doubled up and revealed two at NBAA 2010, the 7000 and 8000. Both share mighty capability (and $65m price tags), but have differing strengths: the 7000 will have a cavernous four-zone cabin some 20% bigger inside than the current Global 6000, while the 8000 will have the longest legs with a maximum range of over 9000 miles (eg. Hong Kong or Mumbai to New York, non-stop). Both will feature a raft of new design elements and fitments, including new lowemission/high-efficiency 16.500lb General Electric TechX engines. They are expected to enter service in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
COMPETITION: above, Dassault's high-tech Falcon 7X. Right, from the top: Cessna Citation X, Embraer Lineage 1000, Bombardier's new Global 7000/8000, and Gulfstream's own existing G550.
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 27
FEATURE FLYVICTOR
Can jet share work?
Fly Victor is attempting to revolutionise the private jet business. Can it succeed where some have failed before? Jonathan Sumner, MD of Victor, explains how it works Read on...
Book a seat on a private jet at a fixed price through Victor. Will it catch on?
HE private jet business has been through a torrid time over the past couple of years and although bookings are starting to pick up, the fragility of the world economic recovery means it could well slip back again. With this background we realised a re-think was needed for the private jet model. We know consumers want an alternative to airlines but one that’s cost-effective. Selling private jet travel by the seat makes sense but it needs a web-based platform and a new pricing model to make it simple and cost-effective. And to launch it into a competitive marketplace, we know we have to create a powerful consumer brand and one that introduces private jet travel to a whole new audience. It took us 12 months to bring Victor, the private jetshare community, to a reality and we launched it earlier this year. We think it’s perfectly timed to offer consumers what they’re really looking for when the economic conditions are challenging – more of the same but for less cost. Victor works on the premise that consumers are willing to make rational compromises to keep the core benefits. For private jet travel, these include
avoiding crowded airports, freedom from airline schedules, the convenience of private jet terminals and the comfort of private aircraft cabins. On an average private jet flight, there are two passengers with most jets seating up to eight. So the rational compromise must be to sell the surplus seats to other flyers going the same way in return for a lower seat cost. This is the core principle on which Victor was founded. All of our research, both before and since Victor’s launch, has re-confirmed that this principle is correct. There is clearly a strong consumer desire to avoid the constraints of airline schedules and the discomfort of crowded airports and aircraft.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE Victor offers a ‘quote, compare, book and buy’ platform for private jets where like-minded people can share the benefits and reduce the costs. Their collaboration enables them to aggregate their demand and leverage that to get lower prices On a philosophical level Victor is ‘democratising’ private jet travel. Its model empowers consumers and gives them a greater degree of openness, transparency and protection. Terms and conditions are standardised terms, and payments held securely in a client trust account for onward payment to the operator prior to departure. By making private jet travel available by the seat, Victor creates a much bigger audience thereby extending the benefits much more widely. Many more people can now participate, and whilst the high net worth individual segment is the natural starting point, it will go much wider than that with corporate travel marketing offering enormous potential. The simple principle
is that the more people fly, the lower the cost for all and by aligning the customer’s and operators’ interests, the industry as a whole benefits. With the Victor model, for the first time everybody wins. Victor only makes money if it facilitates a successful transaction for all three participants in its marketplace: the jet charterer, seat buyer and jet operator. Victor has the most comprehensive and consistent set of terms and conditions where responsibilities and liabilities for both consumers and operators are clearly and fairly defined. The aircraft operator sells its surplus capacity through Victor’s digital channel with a better chance of a match. The jet charterer initiates charter through Victor’s online marketing channel in which Victor protects the operator’s margin and only adds a 5% transaction fee. The charterer sells seats and receives a substantial rebate, whilst the seat buyer can purchase travel by the seat at a fraction of the cost of a whole jet charter. By balancing the needs of consumers with those of jet operators. Victor brings operators incremental business, better fleet utilisation and access to an expanded marketplace. Victor’s success comes when its members operate as a collaborative community, so there are less wasted quote requests, and its pricing model drives down prices through better capacity utilisation, not by squeezing an operator’s margin.
DEBUNKING MYTHS Having been in successful operation for over six months, Victor has debunked a series of myths about private jets. The first is that booking private jets online won’t work as it’s seen to be complicated with too many variables, and transactions values are too high for an online transaction. Our experience proves that online transactions do work if all information is available and the booking process is logical and simple. Victor will also shortly be introducing
CLIVE'S BRAINCHILD VICTOR is the brainchild of Clive Jackson, a successful entrepreneur with a second home in Mallorca. He was frustrated by declining airline schedules and restrictive timetables. Clive canvassed support amongst high net worth individuals on the island and, on the back of enthusiastic response, began research into private jets. With a background in digital
apps for iPad tablets and mobile phones to make this an even more convenient reality. And, in the future, real-time pricing may also be possible. The second myth is that high net worth people won’t share a private jet. Our membership of high net worth individuals are proving the opposite, with a significant number enthusiastic sharers and surplus seats sold on over 30% of flights with seats available. The third is that jet operators won’t give up positioning flights. The Victor platform gives operators greater certainty over their schedules, as Victor members are committed to the flights and times they book. With a growing market of seat buyers, and Victor’s unique ability to
Making a splash with a private jet. Victor finds users enthusiastic about sharing aircraft.
The more people fly, the lower the cost
marketing and technology, Clive developed the idea of a trading platform that would enable people to book private jets online with existing operators, and sell surplus seats. With these founding principles Victor was born, offering a new philosophy in private jet travel – an online community who share a desire to use private jets but want to reduce costs.
sell spare capacity by the seat, operators can now benefit from a powerful new marketing channel with the opportunity for a better match rate for their empty legs delivering incremental revenue. And the fourth myth is that the per-seat model won’t succeed as it has failed in the past. Victor’s FareShare system enables seats to be sold at a fraction of the price of a whole jet charter – and we’re already seeing many of our jet charters successfully selling on surplus seats, proving that per seat sales do work.
GROWING FAST Growth is ahead of expectation, and feedback from members and operators alike enthusiastic. New operators are
joining all the time, and membership is growing fast. Victor has now been in operation since February 2011. In that time, we’ve built a membership of over 400 high net worth individuals and now offer a contracted fleet of over 170 aircraft – Europe’s largest – through 36 of Europe’s leading private jet operators. Over 50% of Victor’s operators have already received bookings, and over 30% of flights with available seats have sold. There is still much to do, though, as Victor seeks to grow its European operation and then expand into other global markets. But on the basis of the first few months of operation, they have every reason to be positive. www.flyvictor.com
AIRPORT FOCUS DUBLIN COUNTRY: IRELAND | LOCATION: DUBLIN |
Dublin: Emerald Isle gateway Business aviation has take a hit in Ireland since the economic crisis but the appeal of the country is strong and traffic will bounce back says Joe McDermott IRELAND may have taken a battering during the turmoil of bank failures and world finances over the past three years but the country still has its appeal and oozes optimism. From the wild, rugged beauty of the west coast to the cosmopolitan - but still very Irish! - capital city of Dublin, there’s plenty for visitors to see and do. Shows, festivals and business events queue for a place in the country’s packed diary and energetic thinking is constantly creating new ideas. We all know St Patrick’s Day on 17 March but now Dublin has created an Arthur’s Day on 22 September to celebrate the founder of its famous drink, Guinness. In 2011, Dublin boasted rock concerts by some of the most famous acts in the world including the Stereophonics and Scissor Sisters. Around the same time is Dublin Contemporary, an international exhibition of art, and the Absolut Fringe, “Dublin’s famously eccentric festival of theatre, comedy and dance" (sponsored by a vodka producer). Americans will of course recall President Obama’s visit to Ireland earlier in 2011 to track down some distant roots, and he also found time to go to the latest tourist draw, the Guinness Storehouse and Gravity Bar in the centre of the city. It was also visited by England’s Queen, HRH Elizabeth II, and the Duke of Edinburgh. Located in the heart of the legendary St James’s Gate brewery, this production site has been home to the ‘Black Stuff’ since 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a lease for 9000 years. The Storehouse, a former fermentation plant, has now been remodelled into a visitor centre dedicated to the history of Guinness. The highlight of any visit here is the Gravity Bar, symbolically the ‘head of the pint’, where one can enjoy a 360-degree view across Dublin while savouring a complimentary pint of Guinness! And it’s not just Dublin. Cork, Waterford,
Galway, Limerick and Northern Ireland too, all have plenty going on. The ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy of the early 2000s may not be roaring as loudly as it was, but the Irish are finding other ways to revive the country’s fortunes. A symbol of the boom years was the development at Dublin International Airport. At the start of 2011, the much needed Terminal 2 building opened along with associated Pier E and apron extension. Just as important, there’s a new approach road network to eliminate road congestion throughout the airport. T2 has proven a hit with passengers and staff alike and the anchor tenant, national flag carrier Aer Lingus, settled
Top: celebrating 75! 1936 Aer Lingus dH Rapide meets 1936 Collinstown Terminal. Scenes from a vibrant city: shopping in the centre, pubs galore, classic architecture and, of course, golf!
30 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
in very quickly during its 75th anniversary year. However, it cannot be denied that the domestic and international financial crisis has had a significant negative impact at Dublin International. Apart from passenger numbers dropping off by several thousand per day, there have been route and airline closures, and aircraft downsizing over the last three years. One of the airport’s biggest employers, SR Technics, withdrew its MRO operation. However, the facility was quickly replaced by another MRO operation, Dublin Aerospace, specialising in Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 airliners, and paint specialists Eirtech Aviation. If anything, the maintenance ramp is busier than ever.
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New & Old: Dublin International's new Terminal 2 photographed by Joe McDermott from the Rapide.
GATEWAY TO IRELAND Dublin International is just over 5 miles (8km) from the city, making it a popular gateway to Ireland for corporate, business and VIP inbounds. Such traffic is linked to the many activities that run throughout the year from golf, hunting, angling and conferences to major international equestrian and sports events and film premieres. There are two General Aviation FBO facilities at Dublin International. Universal Aviation is based at the newly refurbished Universal House in Corballis Park next to the ramp. It features two VIP lounges and a separate crew room with adjacent kitchen offering Irish mineral water and a selection of teas and coffee. All lounges are fitted with wide screen TVs and Wi-Fi. Signature Flight Support is located at the old North Terminal, and offers all the usual facilities including meeting room, crew room and Wi-Fi. Both FBOs offer JET A-1 fuel services though, as with so many large airports across Europe, Dublin no longer stocks Avgas 100LL and never has Mogas available. A major drawback at EIDW is the lack of General Aviation hangarage. Runway Congestion Slots are required for all arrivals and departures. For GA customers these are applied for and issued by the handler and rarely present the aircraft operator with delays. General Aviation parking is normally kept to the Light Aircraft Parking Area Bravo (LAP B), adjacent to the North Apron where parking fees are considerably reduced compared to the commercial stands. However, during busy periods GA aircraft may temporarily be parked in the commercial area until space can be made available in LAP B. Customs and immigrations services are 24H. The airport is located in Class C airspace
Dublin CTA and is Flight Plan Mandatory. Until mid August 2011, the only General Aviation AOC operator based at Dublin International was Star Air with a Challenger 604. Star Air’s Ross Kelly says, “We have a very strong and loyal local customer base and are very active throughout Europe as well as operating frequent charters to North America and Central America.” However, this year UK operator of Embraer Phenom jets, Flair Jet, has decided to base one of its aircraft in Dublin as part of its ongoing expansion. “Dublin has consistently been a popular destination for FlairJet clients travelling on business and for leisure breaks from the UK and mainland Europe,” says the company. AeroMedevac Ireland also moved operations from Dublin’s other airport, Weston Executive, in August 2011. Ireland’s first dedicated medevac/repatriation service is less than a year old and is now moving from a 24hour notice service to a 24-hour emergency response operation. Other operators include Shannon based Private Sky and Westair who are frequent visitors. Private Sky with a Citation XLS and Hawker 900XP while Westair operates a Hawker 800XP & Challenger 605. Various helicopter operators fly into Dublin including Executive Helicopters (Bell 222 & EC120), Kildare Helicopters (EC120) and Metro Helicopters (Agusta 109). UK operator PDG Helicopters calls itself Irish Helicopters and one of its offerings is a scenic tour service for people looking to experience Dublin from the skies. Joe McDermott is General Aviation, Business & Corporate Aviation Editor for Flying in Ireland Magazine. www.FlyingInIreland.com
INFORMATION Dublin International Airport AIRPORT OPERATOR Dublin Airport Authority www.dublinairport.com T: +353 1 814 1111 Lat/Long: N5325282 W00616196 ICAO Code: EIDW IATA Code: DUB Runways: 10/28, 2637 metres long x 45 metres wide, concrete. 16/34, 2072m x 61m asphalt Elevation: 242ft Navaids: ILS Cat III, VOR, DME, PAPI Time: UTC +0 (+1 DST) Hours of Operation: 24/7 Fuel: JET A-1, no Avgas Customs & Immigration: Yes EU Point of Entry: Yes Alternates: Cork (EICK), Shannon (EINN) BUSINESSES ON THE AIRPORT Signature Flight Support FBO www.signatureflight.com Universal Aviation FBO www.dublin.universalaviation.aero Dublin Aerospace (MRO) www.dublinaerospace.com Eirtech Aviation (aircraft refinishing) www.eirtechaviation.ie AeroMedevac Ireland (air ambulance operator) www.aeromedevacireland.com Flair Jet (operator) www.flairjet.com Star Air (operator) www.starair.com Goldstar Chauffeur Drive www.chauffeurdublin.com
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 31
AIRPORT FOCUS DUBLIN
Dublin's other airport: Weston Executive Established in 1931 at Weston Park Estate, the airport is located at Leixlip, County Kildare just a few miles west of Dublin City within a 20-minute drive of the famous Irish racecourses at The Curragh, Naas and Punchestown, and the golf courses, PGA National Ireland Palmerstown House and The K-Club. While mainly a training facility, Weston over the years has been widely used by the film industry, especially during the 1960s-1970s. Darling Lili, The Red Baron, Zeppelin and The Blue Max are just a few of the many period aviation blockbusters filmed on location there. Irish businessman Jim Mansfield bought the airport from Captain Darby Kennedy in 2000 and put in place a major development plan which lead to the construction of a new terminal building, control tower, runway, associated taxiways, aircraft parking area, three large hangars, administration block, fire station, car park and 225,000 litre fuel farm supplying both JET A-1 and Avgas 100LL. The airport is now operated by Premier Aviation, with helicopter charter available. A big hit with local and visiting aircrews alike is the Blue Max restaurant located in the terminal building offering a panoramic view of the runway and ramp combined with excellent food and service. Visiting pilots and their passengers will not be short of hotels or restaurants at the nearby towns of Leixlip, Lucan or Kildare. Leixlip Manor, The Court Yard, Becketts and The Lucan Manor are all just a short drive from Weston Executive. The Mill Restaurant at The Village at Lyons Estate is well worth a visit. Weston is located in Class C airspace, Weston CTR and flight plans are mandatory. Runway congestion slots are not in use. Noise Abatement Procedures are in force. Avoid infringement of R15 and R23 military airspace. www.premieraviation.ie
INFORMATION Weston Executive Airport Airport Operator: Premier Aviation www.premieraviation.ie Lat/Long: N5321141 W00629297 ICAO Code: EIWT Runways: 07/25 924m x 23m asphalt Elevation: 160ft Navaids: VOR Time: UTC +0 (+1 DST) Hours of Operation: 0800 to SS+30min Fuel: JET A-1, Avgas PPR Required: Yes Customs & Immigration: Yes/PPR EU Point of Entry: No
32 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
All types of General Aviation at Weston Executive from a Pilatus PC-12 to Schweizer and Robinson helicopters. Below: as well as the world famous Guiness Brewery, there's also Jameson's whisky.
Ireland's other business airports KNOCK Close to Ireland’s National Marian Shrine and Basilica 3nm SW of Charleston Lat/Long: N5354615 W00849105 IATA Code: NOC ICAO Code: EIKN Runway: 09/27, 2340m x 45m asphalt Elevation: 665ft Navaids: VOR/DME, NDB, PAPI Hours of Operation: 0700-1900 local Fuel: Jet-A1, Avgas 100LL Customs & Immigration: Yes
KNOCK
CORK The citizens of Cork will tell you it’s the real capital of Ireland! A dynamic, vibrant city 3.5nm south of Cork City Lat/Long: N512857 W008292800 IATA Code: ORK ICAO Code: EICK Runway: 35/17, 2133m x 45m concrete. 07/25, 1310m x 45m concrete Elevation: 502ft Navaids: ILS, VOR/DME Hours of Operation: 24H Fuel: JET A-1, Avgas 100LL PPR Required: Flight Plan Mandatory, Handling Mandatory Customs & Immigration: Yes
DUBLIN
GALWAY
GALWAY-CARNMORE
WESTON
SHANNON
Within easy reach of the Burren National Park, Galway Bay and the 214m high Cliffs of Moher – one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions. 4 nm ENE of Galway City Lat/Long: N5317999 W00856581 IATA Code: GWY ICAO Code: EICM Runway: 08/26, 1289m x 30m asphalt Elevation: 81ft Navaids: NDB, DME, PAPI Hours of Operation: call Fuel: JET A-1, Avgas 100LL PPR Required: Flight Plan Mandatory Customs & Immigration: On request
WATERFORD KERRY CORK
Getting around Ireland by road can be pretty slow so air travel is a useful way to save time. Below: Shannon Airport.
KERRY Built to service the ‘Rose of Tralee Festival. Close to the mystical Ring of Kerry. 8nm SE of Tralee town Lat/Long: N52105116 W009312562 IATA Code: KIR ICAO Code: EIKY Runway: 08/26, 2000m x 45m asphalt Elevation: 112ft Navaids: NDB, DME Hours of Operation: 0900-1900 local Fuel: JET A-1, Avgas 100LL PPR Required: Flight Plan Mandatory Customs & Immigration: Yes
SHANNON Limerick offers many sporting and cultural events, and is set amid outstanding countryside 15.5nm WNW of Limerick City Lat/Long: N52420712 W008552934 IATA Code: SNN ICAO Code: EINN Runway: 06/24, 3199m x 45m asphalt. 13/31, 1720m x 45m concrete & asphalt Elevation: 46ft Navaids: ILS, VORTAC
Hours of Operation: 24H Fuel Availability: JET A-1 PPR Required: Flight Plan Mandatory Customs & Immigration: Yes FBOS Universal Aviation: +353 61 712 059 Westair: +353 61 86 608 7892 Signature Flight Support : +353 61 475 444
WATERFORD Ireland’s oldest city, host to many festivals and business events 4nm south of Waterford city Lat/Long: N52111392 W007051307 IATA Code: WAT ICAO Code: EIWT Runways: 03/21, 1430m x 30m asphalt Elevation: 119ft Navaids: NDB, DME Hours of Operation: 0715-2230 local Fuel: JET A-1, Avgas 10LL Month 2008 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 00
products Focus jeppesen on the ipad
at a GLancE » JEPPESEN MOBILE FLITEDECK
• First interactive mobile en-route flight application. • Direct access to Jeppesen enroute chart data. •Own-ship position overlay.
00 || P1 34 P1 BUSINESS BUSINESS AVIATION AVIATIONMAGAZINE MAGAZINE || October Month 2008 2011
• Data driven up-to-date IFR and VFR terminal charts regardless of connectivity. • Download from App Store. • Free but needs existing JeppView subscription. www.jeppdirect.com
The iPad revolution comes to the cockpit The nightmare of carrying heavy printed manuals and sets of paper charts is coming to an end. Business Aviation pilot Steve Copeland tries Jeppesen’s new Mobile FliteDeck for the Apple iPad FOR the best part of half a century, the main stay of IFR navigation and approach information has been paper based. Costly and inefficient in terms of updates due to printing and distribution costs, not to mention the amount of wood pulp used to produce them, and also time consuming to keep updated. Also, not the most convenient to use in a cramped cockpit especially when you need to look up a new route or approach at the last minute following a runway change or diversion. Jeppesen, the stalwart of flight data providers, were the first to introduce PC-based planning and approach plate tools that would run on a laptop computer – but these laptops were impractical for cockpit use as they were bulky, often unreliable, and had power management issues. This invariably meant that you still had to print out your planned approaches and any possible variations or diversions. The advent of the Apple iPad has seen what could probably be considered one of the biggest leaps in cockpit data since the introduction of moving map GPS. A device that is incredibly lightweight, portable, has outstanding battery life and is easily readable in most lighting conditions. Developers have flocked towards it with a plethora of aviation related applications (‘apps’) now available for the unit. Last year Jeppesen produced Mobile TC, a terminal chart reading application that allowed users of the JeppView desktop application to download and display terminal charts on the iPad. This has been hugely popular but lacked the partner to the JeppView subscription which gave access to airways charts. Jeppesen took heed and has now released Jeppesen FliteDeck which incorporates the functionality of the terminal chart application with access to the airways charts and GPS derived positioning information on both the airways charts and the aerodrome ground charts but not the procedural charts at this time. As a commercial pilot operating in
Installation is as simple as downloading the app from the iTunes App Store
FAR LEFT: Remember the days of crashy laptops with constant battery warnings? Forget about them... ABOVE RIGHT: Graphics are crisp and clear.
single crew turboprops, I frequently find myself off the beaten track and have historically needed to carry several volumes of printed approach plates on a ‘just in case’ basis. The iPad and Jeppesen FD have transformed this, allowing me full access to all of the plates needed for anywhere we may find ourselves and, coupled with the Goodreader application, I also have all of the European AIPs at my fingertips. And of course, this is in a package that also gives me email and web access, online flightplan filing, and even music and movie entertainment in the hotel. Installation is as simple as downloading the application from the Apple App Store, but then you
need a desktop installation serial number and site key. We are finally unchained from the desktop in terms of being able to access the data but still need to have a desktop installation of the software in order to use it! The desktop application is PC only which is a little frustrating for us Mac users. The functionality of the application is still quite basic at this stage; it does not have an automatic routing function relying on you to enter your route on the drop down routing tab. You basically create a route the same as you would with the paper chart by looking at where you want to go, choosing from the high or low airways and transposing the waypoints into the route list.
Month October 2008 2011|| P1 P1 BUSINESS BUSINESSAVIATION AVIATIONMAGAZINE MAGAZINE|| 00 35
products FOCUS jeppesen on the ipad Once you have put in your origin and destination and hit ‘update’, the application then draws your route onto the depiction of the airways chart. You are also able to display on the chart the airways, navaids, airspace and terrain. These are switchable individually to de-clutter the screen. The quality of the image is crisp and clear even when zoomed right into ATZ level. It is a simple touch of a tab to switch between north up and track up, although I tend to prefer the north up orientation. You can then choose from the settings to show your current position and the application will show where you are relative to the planned track. This is a nice to have but not something that I tend to use for navigation purposes as we are already operating using BRNAV equipment. It is quite handy for looking for shorter routings though. The application switches easily between High and Low en-route themes turning the airspace on and off accordingly. There is also a 'Notes' tab that gives you data on the underlying airspace. However, I'd like to have seen this smartselectable from the map, as in the app it requires you to work out which bit of airspace it is, then scroll down through the notes list to read the text. Not very easy to do while hand flying in busy airspace.
When creating your route in FD the application takes your origin, destination and alternates from the planning tab and feeds these into the terminal plates section so when hitting the button to view the plates they are already lined up and waiting. You can also create favourites and view the plates by group such as reference, STAR, SID etc. The depiction of these charts is exactly the same as the TC application, which is clear and easy to read. It also has the added advantage of having geo-referenced ground plates. Very handy when landing at Nice after a diversion from Cannes and being given complex taxi instructions! One major niggle is if you want to view the Airway Manual you must launch an external application such as iBooks or Goodreader. It would not have been difficult to incorporate a .pdf reader into the application. I have found on a number of occasions when switching out to an external viewer that FD stops tracking its position. In use in the cockpit I have found the display to be clear and easy to read. The application also allows you to control the screen brightness from within the application which is very useful when flying at night. Our aircraft are high-wing and have fairly dim cockpits so daylight readability is not an issue but I should imagine
En-route details can quickly be brought up for fields worldwide. 36 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
The depiction of these charts is exactly the same as the TC application, which is clear and easy to read
someone flying a low-wing single with a bubble type cockpit may find the display more difficult to read. An anti-glare screen protector addresses this to a certain degree but a TFT is never going to be as sunlight readable as a liquid paper type display but I feel the trade off in a richer display is worth it. At the moment the application is simple and pretty intuitive to use, but it really cries out for an automatic routing and CFMU validation function. It would also be helpful if it was available as a standalone subscription with ‘on the fly’ in-application purchasing of trip kit type coverage rather than being tied to a desktop JeppView account. However these are early days and the application shows great potential. WHAT IS IT? The key attribute of Jeppesen’s Mobile FliteDeck app is its datadriven and interactive digital enroute navigation information, backed up by worldwide geo-referenced terminal charts. Jeppesen says it is designed for use on the ground and in the cockpit, and optimised for paper chart replacement in all phases of flight. Mobile FliteDeck includes own-ship position and route overlay as well as the ability to view a complete library of terminal charts, airport diagrams and Jeppesen Airway
JeppView is excellently transferred to the iPad so easy to master.
more products ››› Manual text information. For the first time, Jeppesen’s Airway Manual Service is available in fully electronic format. The app is available for download at no additional charge for Jeppesen digital data subscribers through the Apple App Store. To use the app, customers need a JeppView or Express JeppView subscription. As an example of charges, JeppView for, say, the UK alone is €402.22. Add France for €468.86, Germany for €449.82, or go for a big set such as the Middle East & South Asia, which stretches from Turkey to Thailand, for €1093.61. And you can get China too, for €465.29. AIRLINES SEE POTENTIAL Airlines obviously see the potential in the iPad too, with many of the majors running trials and one, United Continental, already deciding to deploy 11,000 iPads to its pilots for use as Electronic Flight Bags (EFB), loaded with Jeppesen’s Mobile FliteDeck app. “The paperless flight deck represents the next generation of flying,” said Captain Fred Abbott, United’s senior vice president of flight operations. “The introduction of iPads ensures our pilots have essential
and real-time information at their fingertips at all times throughout the flight.” United says that each iPad, weighing less than 0.68kg (1.5lb), will replace approximately 17kg (38lb) of paper operating manuals, navigation charts, reference handbooks, flight checklists, logbooks and weather information in a pilot’s flight bag. The airline projects EFBs will save nearly 16 million sheets of paper a year which is equivalent to more than 1900 trees. The weight saving over a year will save 326,000 gallons of jet fuel a year – and 3208 metric tons of CO2. Other airlines running trials include British Airways, which is also using them for passenger manifests – less paperwork – American Airlines and Delta. One of the pioneers in using the iPad was Executive Jet Management, a NetJets company, which gained FAA approval to use the iPad as the sole reference for electronic charts during taxi, takeoff and landing, using Jeppesen’s predecessor to FliteDeck – the Mobile TC app. This followed three months of testing which included a successful rapid decompression test to 51,000ft.
hurry up ipad
»
THE arrival of the iPad and its approval for some uses as an Electronic Flight Bag in the US is being closely monitored by operators all over the world. In the UK, leading air ambulance operator AirMed, based at London Oxford Airport, developed its own Tablet PC-based Class 1 Electronic Flight Book for use in its Learjet 35A fleet. It took over a year to satisfy the UK CAA that AirMed had covered all the bases and it received operational approval earlier this year. “The tablet PC EFB is possibly an interim process until something better comes along but we couldn’t wait,” says Jane Topliss, business development manager at AirMed, and also one of the company’s pilots. “We have such a wide range of missions that we could be going to almost any airfield in pretty much any country. But we also have limited cockpit space and it’s very difficult to carry all the Jeppesen manuals to cover all eventualities. That’s how we reached the solution we have now but that may change in the future – tablet PCs are nearly £2000 each whereas the iPad is considerably less than that. “That said, we are extremely pleased to be able to work so closely with Jeppesen and come up with a solution that not only benefits ourselves, but will also benefit all of our colleagues within the industry,” continued Jane. “The time we save by not having to file revisions and being able to throw away out-of-date booklets and replace them with the new ones will be extremely valuable to small operators like us.” Currently, AirMed carries one EFB unit on board their aircraft and back-up supplementary information needs to be carried, per regulations. A new supplementary information booklet solution from Jeppesen eliminates the need for pilots to file paper-based revisions, saving time and operational cost for the operator. www.airmed.co.uk
The paper saving made clear.
Medevac ops go everywhere.
poh on ipad too
» WITH the obvious savings of zero paper and being able
to add much more to a publication, unsurprisingly it's not just charts and approach plates being used on the iPad. Pilatus now delivers every new PC-12 NG with an iPad containing interactive content customised to each owner's individual aircraft, as well as delivery documents, owner's manuals and a variety of useful aviation apps. "Not only does the new program simplify the delivery process for our owners, it also reflects their affinity for leading-edge technology,"says Thomas Bosshard, President and CEO, Pilatus Business Aircraft. "This is just the first step. Pilatus will continue to develop the program to make delivery, service and flight planning even easier for our customers." www.pilatus-aircraft.com
It's a simple task to create a flightplan, and clarity is excellent.
Details specific to your PC-12.
"Oh that... it's for my plane."
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 37
products FOCUS new & upcoming
Avidyne adds 'multi-touch' to IFD540 navcomm Not content with old hat 'tap to select' touchscreen tech on its newest unit, Avidyne say it will get pinch-to-zoom and more AVIDYNE is adding a ‘multi touch’ capability to its recently announced touchscreen IFD540 navcomms unit, unveiled in summer but not due for release until next year, allowing users to ‘pinch’, ‘zoom’ and ‘scroll’. The IFD540 is Avidyne's rival to the recently launched Garmin GTN series, and slots straight into the panel space and sockets of the widely used Garmin GNS 430/530 navcomms. “The IFD540 is the result of significant investments in technology and years of innovation at Avidyne, and customers will really appreciate its ease of use and pilot-centric operation,” said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne’s President and CEO. It also sounds like there will be further new features added to the
IFD, and he said: "Multi-Touch is just one example of the many cool features that set the IFD540 apart from what is currently available in the market. Stay tuned for more.” In "it's probably in no way related" news... Apple recently lost a patent application appeal to trademark the term ‘Multi Touch’. (Wonder what the alternative names were, just in case.) Avidyne says the IFD's touchscreen controls are available in addition to the familiar knob and button controls, providing pilots the choice when interacting with such functions as FMS, Map and frequency management. The IFD540 has the Page & Tab user interface of the Entegra Release 9 big brother, with plainly-labelled tabs, bi-directional keys, on-screen touch-sensitive
38 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
Multi-Touch is just one of many cool features... stay tuned for more
BELOW: Touch, drag, pinch, zoom... how did we manage before all this?
labels, and a flat menu structure said to make it easier to access info. The IFD540 is the centrepiece of Avidyne’s newly-announced plugand-play avionics stack, aimed at replacing older GNS530 navcomms, and which also includes the AMX240 Audio Panel and AXP340 ADS-B Extended Squitter Mode S Transponder. The IFD540 with GPS/NAV/COM/ FMS and 10-Watt VHF transmit power has a retail price of $16,995 including tray and installation kit, and is expected to be available in the second half of 2012. The 16 Watt transmit power upgrade is $4,995. The integrated TAWS-B option is an additional $7 995. www.ifd540.com www.avidyne.com
more products ›››
3D for the new Garmin portable GPS GARMIN has launched two new portable GPS with 3D vision and touchscreen controls, the aera 795 and 796, potentially qualifying as Class 1 or 2 Electronic Flight Bags. The 795 has the features of the GPSMAP 695, adding touchscreen user interface, pilot-selectable screen orientation and 3D Vision. The 795 also takes pilot a step closer to a paperless cockpit with a digital document viewer,
scratch pad and pre-loaded georeferenced AeroNav IFR and VFR enroute charts. “Pilots continue to embrace touchscreen in the cockpit because they see how much faster and easier it is to access information while in flight,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s VP of marketing. “Not only does the aera 795 have the increasingly popular touchscreen interface, but it is so robust with features and capabilities that only a dedicated aviation device can offer. With everything from 3D Vision to electronic charts and weather data, it’s almost like having a glass cockpit that you can fit in your flight bag.” The 795 has a high-resolution, 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display that can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode. The box is optimised to fit on
It is so robust with features and capabilities that only a dedicated aviation device can offer...
LEFT: The aera 795 is optimised for yoke fitment, or can be used knee-mounted.
the yoke or be knee-mounted. The US version has georeferenced IFR enroute and VFR Sectional charts pre-loaded, and the 795 also includes US georeferenced Garmin FliteCharts, with departure procedures, terminal arrival routes, approach charts and airport diagrams. Jepp charts and diagrams can be used. The 796 includes a GXM 40 receiver for XM WX Satellite Weather and SiriusXM Radio. XM WX Satellite Weather gives next generation radar (NEXRAD), aviation routine weather reports (METARs), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), lightning, winds aloft, turbulence forecasts, PIREPs, icing forecast and several other important weather products. The aera 795 will also display traffic from a compatible traffic source like the GTX 330, showing TIS (traffic information service). The aera 796 and 795 are available immediately for an expected price of $2499 and $2199, respectively. www.garmin.com
Winglets for Dassault Falcon 900 approved
‘One stop shop’ for flexible fuel tank fixes
WITH over 20 pre-orders, Aviation Partners Inc.’s latest winglet for the Dassault Falcon 900 series is probably its most successful to date – so it’s a good job the FAA has just granted STC approval. EASA approval is expected to follow very shortly. API certified winglets for Dassault’s Falcon 2000 series in April 2009, and certification of the 900 winglets comes after a similarly exhaustive two-year development and flight testing programme. Gary Dunn, API Vice President, said: “We have four installations scheduled to commence within the first few weeks after STC – a 900B, two
GKN Aerospace has launched a ‘one stop’ repair service for flexible fuel tanks for fixedwings and helicopters, aiming to cut by half typical repair times experienced by operators across the UK and Europe. The new service offers fast EASA Design Organisation Part 21 approved repair of all types of flexible fuel tank, including self-sealing, crashworthy and explosion-suppressing products and systems. It is based at the same Portsmouth, UK, facility at which GKN manufactures fuel storage systems. Phil Swash of GKN Aerospace said: “Our new facility has been set up in response to growing
Winglets tick the box for lower fuel costs and greater range.
900EXs, and a 900EX EASy – and expect to have 10 or more retrofitted and flying by the end of the year.” The winglets for the Falcon 900 are “High Mach” blended winglets and thus optimised for cruise speeds of Mach .80 and higher. The winglets provide a drag reduction, and corresponding range increase, of 5% at Mach .80 and more than 7% at the 900’s 474kt Long Range Cruise (LRC). In addition, retrofit winglets reduce operating costs and lower increasingly monitored carbon dioxide emissions. As a bonus... they look pretty darn cool too. Installation is available through API’s network of authorised installers including Dassault Aircraft Services, Duncan Aviation, Jet Aviation (Midcoast), StandardAero and West Star Aviation in the United States, as well as TAG Aviation in Switzerland and Hawker Pacific in Singapore. www.aviationpartners.com
The new repair facility is based at the GKN manufacturing shop.
demand from civil and paramilitary, as well as military, markets for a single point of repair for all types of fuel tank. “We have been the leading supplier of flexible fuel tanks and fuel systems for many years and have always provided full maintenance support for our own products and customers. We are now offering this specialist expertise to the broader market.” GKN Aerospace is a world leader in fuel storage and protection with its flexible fuel tanks and systems, providing a wide range of fuel bladders, tanks and cells to suit different requirements, incorporating self-sealing, crash resistant or explosion suppression tech. It also designs and builds partial and complete fuel systems from the fuel inlet through to the engine, providing conditioned fuel for many platform types, including helicopters, armoured vehicles, Special Forces’ patrol vehicles, small aircraft and UAVs. www.gknaerospace.com
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 39
PRODUCTS FOCUS MORE FOR IPAD
Bizjets on the iPad Compare and contrast a wide range of current and in-service business jets with a new iPad app RUSSIAN aviation media company Upcast has launched its JetBook business jet directory as an Apple iPad app. JetBook contains details on 53 modern business jets with specifications, photographs and advanced multimedia such as 360-degree views. Range figures are displayed on a map while cabin cross-sections can be put side by side for comparison. It is designed for professionals who have to make market or performance analysis of different jets, focusing on their attributes, numbers, performance, and cost. “We are confident that the Upcast JetBook will really change the experience of browsing business jet data and multimedia. The app will appeal to professionals, flyers, owners, and enthusiasts alike,” said Ivan Veretennikov, one of the two authors of the app. Features include: • 53 modern business jets • Easy to handle aircraft list that can be sorted by alphabet, manufacturer, or class for your convenience • Favourites option for most your
referred-to aircraft • Quick and simple comparison for up to six aircraft at a time • Two measurement systems – metric and imperial • Range maps, cross sections and cabin layouts for each aircraft • Range & cross section comparison
ADS-B data now on iPad TRAFFIC information using the ADS-B system can now be displayed on the iPad (and Android tablets) using SkyVision Xtreme. It can display on multiple iPads, Android or Windows devices via Wi-Fi. SkyVision Xtreme co-founder Harry Sanders said: “The combination of Xtreme Vision and iPad shows our commitment to moving the technology forward. Our company is dedicated to providing low-cost solutions that enhance a pilot’s situational awareness and, therefore, safety. Unlocking the advantages of NextGen will continue to be the mission of SkyVision Xtreme.” www.skyvisionxtreme.com
ABOVE: Have up to six different rivals on screen at once.
Keep track of time KEEP track of flying time easier with MyDutyDay from First Normal, for iPad, iPhone/ iPod that calculating air crew Flight Time Limitations. By entering onduty time and the number of sectors operated, MyDutyDay calculates maximum allowable flight duty times under CAPS371 or EU-OPS (or customisable settings), and displays the latest ‘On Chocks’ time allowable, and times when crew members must be landed and off-duty. Entering an Actual On Chocks time post-flight calculates the hours worked and earliest report time for next flight. Two versions: MyDutyDay(A) for pilots, £1.99 and MyDutyDay for cabin crew, price £1.49, on the iTunes app store. www.firstnormal.co.uk
Bring next-gen avoidance tech to the cockpit. 40 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
• Hi-res photos of exterior, interior, and cockpit • 360-degree views and videos Upcast JetBook costs £17.49/$24.99 with free updates. A JetBook Lite version is available free for evaluation. www.jetbook.upcast-media.com
Hold on to your iPad WITH so many aviation apps now available for the Apple iPad, it is fast becoming a cockpit ‘must-have’. But where do you put it? One solution is the MyClip kneeboard, available from pilot supplies shop Wicks. MyClip turns the iPad into a kneeboard, allowing hands-free operation while airborne while making it easier to type or change screens. It also secures the iPad when working on tables or other slippery surfaces – so less sliding and scratches! The unit is also designed to work with the HP Slate, the Galaxy Tab, the XOOM and the Acer Tablet. Price is £39.95. www.wicksaircraft.com
Keep the data you need to... err... knee.
Think smarter... think Oxford The fast track, lower cost, smarter London alternative • Easy access, quiet, unconstrained & convenient – anonymity assured • 1592m runway with ILS, new business terminal & hangars • 1 hour to west end of London – 22 minutes by helicopter • 06:30 – 22:30 – 7 days a week, 06:00 – 23:59 PNR • Cat 6 RFF capable, Cat 4 RFF all day, 7 days • Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Piper, Falcon, Global, Challenger, Lear & Embraer support
• Outside the congested London TMA • Approved for UK pet importation • Lower ‘regional’ airport costs
www.oxfordairport.co.uk
info@oxfordairport.co.uk
+44(0)1865 290 600
MINI TEST CIRRUS SR22T
No lead but still avgas What are manufacturers going to do when leaded avgas disappears? Cirrus has shown one possibility with its SR22T, flown for P1 by Dave Calderwood Cirrus SR22T burns 94 octane unleaded avgas thanks to a Continental engine made just for the aircraft. HAT to do about the avgas issue? It’s a worry for the whole general aviation industry because the standard 100LL fuel - 100-octane Low Lead avgas - will have the lead removed by around the year 2020, possibly earlier. That means we need an unleaded fuel alternative and it may not be possible to reach the 100-octane mark that many aircraft engines need to thrive on. Nothing is certain as yet, other than the fact that things will change. It’s a really big issue and all of the aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel companies and others in the industry are involved in discussions to decide a way forward. Among the possibilities is the Swift Biofuel – it has no lead content and recent tests in the US showed it to have an octane rating of around 104. But there are big questions to be answered starting with: can enough be made and distributed around the world at a reasonable cost? Do we want one company having a monopoly on aviation fuel? The practical solution would be to have a fuel similar to everyday automotive unleaded petrol, but with the necessary additives modern high-performance aircraft engines require (to prevent vapour lock, for instance). Something like 94-octane unleaded avgas... Cirrus Aircraft and Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) think 94UL fuel is a possibility – a ‘worst case’ possibility, admittedly – and they have worked together to produce the SR22T which
is designed and certified to run on such a fuel. In fact, in 2009 TCM flew an experimental turbocharged Cirrus SR22 to the annual EAA AirVenture event at Oshkosh, burning 94UL, just to prove it could be done. That engine has now been certified as the TCM TSIO-550-K and is fitted to the SR22T... ‘T’ for ‘Turbo’. Hang on, doesn’t Cirrus already have a SR22 Turbo model? Yes, but the turbocharger on that engine is not a TCM factory item – it’s made by specialist company Tornado Alley Turbos and fitted under a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) but it does not have the mods to run 94UL. The SR22 Turbo aircraft remains in the Cirrus line-up but requires 100LL fuel. Warranty for the two models is a little different too, as TCM offers an enhanced 5-year parts and labour, 2-year accessories (or 2000hrs TBO, whichever comes first) on all installations. Keeping up? Good and we’ll get to the flying bit in just a minute. But first, let’s just run over the changes required to make the SR22T run on the lower octane unleaded fuel. The major change is to decrease the engine compression ratio from 8.5:1 down to 7.5:1. That makes the engine less prone to ‘detonation’ (also known as ‘knocking’ or ‘pinking’) which can be extremely damaging to an engine over the medium to long term, and the reason that lead, in the form of Tetra-Ethyl Lead (TEL), is added in the first place. The SR22T’s engine is also limited to 2500rpm and 32in of Manifold Air Pressure, but still manages to develop a full 315hp. To do this requires additional cooling for the engine and turbo components so
42 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
extra air intake ducts have been added to the cowling, and also a ‘louvred’ air vent underneath the cowling near the nosegear. The engine mounts have been tweaked as part of Cirrus’s ongoing development of the aircraft and an oleo suspension unit added to the top of the nosewheel leg. You can see the nosewheel leg is angled slightly differently if you look at an older SR22. Although we’re going to fly the 94UL burning SR22T, the ‘fly in the ointment’ is that 94UL avgas is not freely available anywhere yet so we are going to be using 100LL. Cirrus says the engine’s flight performance isn’t suppose to dip for 94UL, but it admits it is still theory as testing is ongoing. “We do know it will run on 94UL without any engine modifications,” says Cirrus, “the impact on performance is still to be ultimately identified but is expected to be minimal if there is any.”
INTO THE MELEE Our chance to fly the SR22T came at the EAA AirVenture event, held at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA every year. For that week, Wittman Field, the airport at Oshkosh, is the busiest airport in the world and as we taxied out from the northside FBO of Orion Aviation, we could see queues of aircraft waiting to take-off. Normally two runways are in operation here but for some reason, today it’s just one and ground control is working overtime to clear the backlog. Just as well the SR22T has full air conditioning – part of an upgraded cabin ‘environmental control system’.
94UL avgas is a ‘worst case’ possibility
THE SEARCH FOR A 100LL AVGAS REPLACEMENT THE industry agrees every effort should be made to find replacement 100 octane fuel. Keeping 100 octane rating isn’t hard with additives such as MTBE, Ethanol, Manganese, Xylene but the tricky part is simulatenously addressing issues such as: » Operation at temperature extremes » Fuel stability over time » Health and safety aspects of the fuel and its combustion products (the current problem with 100LL) » Material compatibility » Ability to produce the fuel » Acceptable cost. There are three possible scenarios:
1 Find a drop-in replacement equivalent to 100LL. None has been identified yet but the search is vigorous 2 Find a replacement closest to 100 octane that addresses the issues above 3 94 octane unleaded fuel (94UL). While the lowest octane rating, it does comply with all the issues labove. To date, no fuel has established itself as a clear front-runner for a 100- or near 100-octane solution, but there are hopefuls such as Swift Biofuel and GAMI’s G100UL. The worst case scenario is the 94UL fuel solution. Effectively it is 100LL minus the lead, solving the issues listed above, but the
drop in octane will mean changes to higher performance engines. With a vast fleet of aircraft out there, that will be expensive and difficult – every engine will need recertifying for the lower octane fuel. There are also some promising new technologies such as FADEC, anti-knock sensors and GAMI’s Prism system that could ease a fuel transition by the use of electronics. The expected timeline is that by 2015 all new General Aviation (GA) aircraft will be certified to operate on a new (but unidentified) unleaded avgas. By 2020, all GA aircraft will complete the transition.
MINI TEST CIRRUS SR22T
Gull wing doors on both sides make getting in and out of the Cirrus easy.
Is this the fuel cap of the past? Will future aircraft say 'MIN GRADE 94UL' instead? So many questions!
We pass a taxiway sign saying ‘Monitor 121.75 NOW’ but we’re already on frequency. Pilots say very little in Oshkosh’s fast-moving procedures. ATC for departures is a guy standing on a rostrum by the runway and he’s giving precise instructions: “Yellow RV on south side, line up on left side of runway and wait.” “Silver Cirrus on north side [us], line-up on right and wait.” Two aircraft similarly lined up before us have departed one after the other and we’re just waiting for the second one to rotate. As soon as there’s light twixt runway and tyres, we hear “Silver Cirrus cleared for takeoff” and we start to roll. The SR22T needs a firm right foot to keep straight but with adrenalin levels heightened by the busy environment, we’re on it and with
44 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
just two of us onboard, it doesn’t take long for the Cirrus to reach takeoff speed. Now, we just have to climb to 1300ft and maintain runway heading for four miles until we’re clear of the controlled madness – aircraft are arriving at 1600ft and although they should be on the other side of the airport, it pays to maintain separation. Once clear, it’s time to enjoy hand-flying the SR22T for a while. If you’ve never had the chance to fly a Cirrus, try to do so. The side control stick takes a few minutes to get used to, but not long, and then you can revel in the aircraft’s precise handling, especially on the later models. Although the Cirrus is a touring aircraft rather than sports, it has none of the wooliness and imprecision of many other workaday aircraft. It banks accurately, it steers as though on rails, it’s Steady Eddie and yet Nimble Norman at the same time. There’s tons of power on tap, and the big throttle lever in the centre is perfectly shaped and positioned. The rudder pedals provide instant response without being twitchy and after a few minutes of over-controlling and ‘chasing the ball’, I’m relaxed with the aircraft, maintaining speed and attitude accurately. It really is a joy to fly. So far I’ve not noticed any difference with the SR22T over a standard SR22, which is just how it should be. The fact that the engine has been detuned a bit hasn’t affected performance so you’d notice. But it’s time to climb and Matt Bergwall, the Cirrus factory pilot sitting next to me in the right seat, tells me how to engage the autopilot so it flies a flightplan he’s
already input. It’s simple enough: on the Flight Management System control panel at the top of the centre console, press NAV, then AP and IAS and it’s engaged. Up pop pink ‘Highway in the Sky’ boxes on the Primary Flight Display and the aircraft automatically turns to fly through them, climbing at 1050ft/min and 130kt. We level out at 9500ft, pull back the power to 80%, shown on the top of the engine instrument gauges up the left hand side of the Multi-Function Display and start to lean the mixture. This SR22T has the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics and also has the latest software upgrade which includes a neat indicator on the Fuel Flow gauge to show the most efficient ‘Lean of Peak’ mixture setting. It starts off as a range to show what’s acceptable, then as you lean a bright blue line appears to indicate where the best setting is. Pulling the mixture lever (next to the throttle) back, the Fuel Flow indicator lines up with the blue mark and shows that 17.3 US gallons/hour (65.5 litres/hr) is being burnt. True Air Speed is 183kt – that works out at around 12 statute miles per US gallon, or about 14.6 statute miles per UK gallon, not that far off a GT car with a decent engine and of course, you’re travelling in a straight line. Well, we all make these oddball comparisons in an attempt to convince ourselves it makes sense!
CLIMB BABY, CLIMB! We continue the climb, aiming for 17,500ft which is the sort of altitude Cirrus believes most owners will opt to cruise at, rather
than the 25,000ft the aircraft is certified to fly to. As we pass through 12,000ft, we put on the oxygen cannulars that are standard on the aircraft – oxygen ports are in the roof and the panel has a clear gauge to show how much oxygen is left. A caution alert comes up on the PFD – the Outside Air Temperature has dropped below 5ºC so it wants us to switch on pitot heat. The beauty of the turbocharger is now apparent as the rate of climb continues at 1000ft/min – the turbo offsets the effect on the engine of the thinning air – and True Air Speed is 166kt. Fuel Flow (mixture back to rich for the climb) is 39.3 USG/hr which is a heck of a lot of fuel but we’ll get the benefits once up to 17,500ft. Gauges show No.3 cylinder has a slightly higher Cylinder Head Temperature than the other five, but at 390ºC it’s well within limits. The climb continues. There’s no real weather around but it is hazy with the occasional cloud, so as we pass through the freezing level around 15,000ft, Matt demonstrates the windscreen de-ice system with a quick squirt of fluid – just like a car windscreen washer without the wiper. Airflow disperses the fluid evenly. This SR22T is a fully loaded model and has Cirrus’s Flight Into Known Ice (FIKI) system fitted. This is the TKS ‘weeping wing’ which has laser-drilled holes on the leading edges of the wings, horizontal and vertical tail surfaces and the elevator horns. When switched on, de-ice fluid oozes through the holes. A ‘slinger ring’ provides ice protection for the three-blade Hartzell prop (itself a work of art with its composite scimitar blades). At night, you can visually check for ice thanks to high-intensity LED ice lights on both sides of the aircraft illuminating the wing’s leading edges and tail surfaces. It’s fully integrated with the avionics and a display shows precisely the rate of flow and how much fluid is left in the system – at full flow, there’s sufficient for two hours flight or about 400nm. Performance of the SR22T hasn’t taken a hit at all. Passing through 16,500ft, we’re still climbing at 750ft/min, with a True Air Speed of 177kt (indicated 132kt). As we approach 17,500ft the aircraft starts to level off. We let the speed build up for a few seconds, then bring the power back to a high speed cruise. We set 80% again, with a fuel flow of 17.4 USG/hr and the air speed settles at 200-202kt True. A bit further on, we try a more economical cruise with 65% power – fuel flow reduces to 14.2 USG/hr and speed is 180kt True. The fuel gauges are showing 33 USG left, giving a range of 420nm, a consumption of 12.5nm/USG. Outside air temperature is -6ºC and we are rocketing along, hands-off letting the autopilot do the work. The flight takes us from Oshkosh via the overhead of a couple of small airports away from the show melee, before routing
New vents in the engine cowling help increase airflow to revised engine (and aid Cirrus spotters).
We are rocketing along, hands-off
us back on the arrivals side of AirVenture. Power is set to 63%, rate of descent is 1050ft/min and we keep the speed up to 203kt True – this setting keeps the CHTs nicely in the green and avoids any chance of shock cooling the engine. Passing through 12,500ft we take off the oxygen cannulars. As part of an upgrade due after this test flight, the oxygen system now has an automatic safety system which prompts an alert every now and again. If the pilot fails to acknowledge the alert, the aircraft will automatically descend to 14,000ft. Then, if still no pilot reaction, to 12,000ft where hopefully a pilot suffering hypoxia will wake up. It’s all part of Garmin’s ESP system which seeks to step in to help the pilot avoid extreme loss of control situations.
As we approach overhead Fond du Lac Airport (one of the reliever airports for Oshkosh and pretty darn busy itself), we enter what’s known as the Turbine/ Warbird arrival route and restricted to high performance aircraft – slower aircraft have a different route in. We remain clear above FDL's airspace, and then lose altitude pretty quickly approaching the Visual Reporting Point of Warbird Island. Ears popping, we make a simple call to ATC announcing our position, “Cirrus Demo, overhead Warbird”, and make a single orbit over the Island until we’re cleared onwards at 2000ft and with the speed below 150kt. The altitude is important: two military jets in formation streak overhead going the other way – and the Avidyne Traffic Collision Awareness System built-in to
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 45
MINI TEST CIRRUS SR22T
the avionics is going mad with the sheer number of aircraft in the vicinity. Earlier, an aircraft passing from left to right about 500ft below us, had made its presence known as an insistent yellow blob marching across the PFD display. Closer, with risk of collision, and it would have been red. Further away, it would have been a small white diamond. This close to the ground, the Synthetic Vision System fitted to the Cirrus Perspective comes into its own, providing incredible situational awareness. Of course, we’re eyes out of the cockpit most of the time – with so many aircraft around, that’s essential – but a quick glance at the instruments is rewarding. An Enhanced Vision System is also fitted to this aircraft – told you it was fully loaded! – which provides an infra-red image on the MFD. That’s useful for two things: spotting an isolated cloud at night which you might want to avoid flying through and also for night landings and taxiing. The combination of SVT and EVS makes night flying, takeoffs and landings just so much easier, said Matt. As a Cirrus pilot, he traverses the USA in all weathers and times of day. ATC issues a general warning, “Everyone inbound expect a short approach”. It’s still operating just the single runway and is maximising its use. Although it sounds a nightmare, in fact the operations here run remarkably smoothly, efficiently and have an impressive safety record. Of course, the fact that you’re concentrating like mad also
helps... just got to relax the death grip on the side-stick! Call-signs aren’t used. Instead, we hear “Black and white Cessna follow the red and white Cherokee to the downwind”. Then, “Cirrus Demo, report 4nm north-east and keep an eye out for a Challenger on 5-mile final”. We see him way off to the right and we’re going to be following him in. As we turn on final, the coloured ‘dot’ system on the runway becomes obvious – huge red, orange and green dots mark intersections and we’re cleared to land “on the orange dot”, which we do at a touchdown speed of 75kt, then turn off “at the green dot”... it’s all part of the system to make most use of the real estate. Taxiing back to the FBO, I can’t really notice the new oleo shock absorber in the nosewheel but apparently it should help give the noseleg an easier life. As we shut down the aircraft, taking one last look around the SR22T’s huge cabin and its luxurious fittings, well thought-out features and remembering the flight, I can’t help but think Cirrus is right there at the top of the pack. The SR22 is one brilliant aircraft, incredibly competent, with industryleading safety features that enhance the whole flying experience. Now, with the 94UL fuel option, the company is looking ahead again, in its by-now recognised style of ‘thinking ahead of the box’, if that’s not too mangled a phrase. The ‘Avgas question’ is one that will dominate aviation as time goes on, but if
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Above: Has Cirrus shown a way forward to cope with the demise of lead in avgas?
FACT FILE Cirrus SR22T Base price $475,000 As tested $625,000
POWER Engine TCM TSIO-540-K, twin turbo, 6 cyl, producing 315hp Prop Hartzell 3-blade constant-speed
PERFORMANCE Max cruise 214ktas (@85% power, 25,000ft) Eco cruise 180ktas (@65% power, 17,500ft) Climb rate 1300ft/min Stall speed 60kt (with flap) Max range 1046nm (@55% power) Takeoff roll 251m Takeoff to clear 50ft 386m Landing roll 348m
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
Cirrus is right there at the top of the pack
Wingspan 11.68m Length 7.92m Height 2.71m Cabin length 330cm Cabin width 124cm Cabin height 127cm Max weight 1542kg Empty weight 1065kg Useful load 477kg Fuel capacity 92 USG/348 litres/251kg
MANUFACTURER Cirrus Aircraft 4515 Taylor Circle Duluth, MN 55811, USA www.cirrusaircraft.com
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TIC A 0911
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BRITAIN'S BEST SPORTS CAR?
Is the Lotus Evora S the best sports car designed and made in Britain? P1 drives the 2+2 sports coupe competing with Porsche's 911 icon
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PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID SPURDENS
A different sort of sports car Dave Calderwood finds the Lotus Evora S delivers astonishing handling
H
AVE you ever had that feeling that what you're doing is just too good to be true? That what's happening isn't really possible? That's exactly how it felt piloting Lotus's Evora S, its newest Porsche 911 rival, around the company's twisty test track at its UK base in Hethel, Norfolk. First, it was absolutely tipping it down with rain. No light shower this; the track was awash in parts and soaking wet everywhere – conditions in which you'd normally be tip-toeing around in a powerful rear-wheel drive sports car. There was one stretch, going in a fairly straightline from one corner apex to another, where a small river crossed the track and gave the Lotus a nudge every time the car touched it. Just a nudge, enough to make your stomach leap into
your mouth the first few times, but then as you realise the car stays straight, you start to ignore it. But the real fairytale was further round the track, where a hard left was followed immediately by a right, left and then hard braking for a hairpin. The middle right bend was the testing moment – as this track was designed to do – as the weight shifted from one side of the car's tyres to the other. This was where the incredulity began, as the speed picked up and each lap was quicker than the one before. Making the turn-in to the first left was uneventful, with the Evora S finding plenty of frontend grip and steering accurately. But sprinting through the following right-left switch was just amazing. Holding a steady throttle to balance
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It was tipping down with rain, the track soaking wet and awash
the car, the S made the potentially destabilising shift of direction, weight and grip faster and faster on each lap. Each time, the car didn't so much as step out of line, even though it felt like it ought to. It's no lightweight, the Evora S, at almost 1500kg, and that's a lot of mass changing direction and screaming for grip. In the soaking wet. Eventually, of course, the limit came and the back end went out just a little too quickly to be caught and the Evora ended up sideways on the track... No sweat, just dip the clutch as the spin starts, select a low gear and start rolling again, thankful that it was nothing more eventful. Mind you, powering the Evora S out of the track's tight hairpin with the traction control turned off was highly amusing if you like opposite lock.
LOTUS EVORA S
PORSCHE 911 RIVAL We started this session in the dry, as Lotus kindly made the test track available to P1 for an exclusive three hour session. In the dry, the Evora S proved every bit as potent as driving on the road had suggested, although the gearbox on the test car was a bit clunky, due to low-mileage or previous abuse. But then again, there are many performance cars in this price bracket which are darn fast and confidenceinspiring in the dry. Porsche's 911 is the obvious rival, being a similarly powered rear-wheel drive 2+2, and BMW's M3 sports coupe, although a full four-seater, would be extremely close too. So in a way, it was the teeming rain which really showed up the Evora's incredible chassis. Just how Lotus
Left: The Norfolk test track got much wetter than these pictures suggest (the camera car was the weak link!). Every added mm of rain highlighted the Evora's ability. manage to engineer in so much grip in such horrendous conditions is quite frankly almost miraculous. Just as miraculous in fact as the Evora's ability to soak up bumps on the road. British country roads are a great test of a car's suspension, because they are almost universally uneven, with changes
of camber, dips and even potholes left over from winter. Road surfaces too, are often a mix, with holes dug and patched by utility services often quite different to the surrounding tarmac. In the area around the Lotus factory, the roads are particularly bumpy, twisty and roughly surfaced. In short, murder for a suspension engineer to get right. Many sports cars just adopt the 'Developed at the Nurburgring' syndrome, i.e. firm, short travel suspension on ultra low-profile tyres with a mere few millimetres of give. They work on a mirror-smooth race track or the rare immaculate pieces of tarmac – usually in Germany – but jar every bone in your body over anything rough. Not so the Lotus Evora S. Again, the Lotus engineers have worked
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 51
PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID SPURDENS
a minor miracle with the suspension absorbing the bumps as though it was an über-luxurious limousine and yet keeping body roll to a minimum and the all-important handling crisp. You have to try it to believe just how good it is. In the specs, Lotus goes on about the torsional stiffness from the bonded aluminium chassis but the numbers they quote would only mean something to a chassis engineer. Suspension is fully independent with forged aluminium double wishbones all round, anti-roll bar, Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers. The body is made from lightweight composite panels.
S FOR SUPERCHARGER So what exactly is the Evora S? In short, it's a higher power version of the 'ordinary' Evora which is a hardtop 2+2 – there are back seats which small people can fit into but I suspect they'll mainly get used as extra luggage space. The power increase is substantial – 345hp in the S up from 276hp as standard with a chunky rise in torque too. Lotus has achieved the hike by fitting a Harrop HTV 1320 supercharger to the base Toyota 3.5-litre V6 engine. Being mechanically driven, a supercharger doesn't suffer from the
'time lag' of a turbocharger which has to spin up to speed before it has any effect. It makes the car very driveable, especially through tight twisty bends. Gearbox is stick 6-speed – no paddles. As with most modern sports cars, there's an array of 'Dynamic Performance Management' driver aids including electronic stability and traction control, understeer recognition and an electronic differential lock. These are all 'on' as standard but you can press a button to take the car into Sports Mode which increases the traction slip threshold and removes the understeer recognition, or press again for another step up which removes traction control altogether. Naturally we started off with full 'on', progressed to 'part on' then the real fun came on the wet track with everything off (apart from the anti-lock braking system which cannot be switched off). The Sports button also raises the engine revs limiter from 6800rpm to 7200rpm. The increase in performance in pure numbers seems marginal over the standard Evora: 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds – just 0.3s better. Max speed is 172mph as opposed to 162mph. But I suspect the figures which matter are the 'real world' acceleration times, from 50 to 80mph,
LOTUS EVORA S PERFORMANCE Top speed 172mph 0-60mph 4.6s Fuel burn 28.7mpg (combined)
for instance, which a typical overtaking manouevre might entail. The Evora S has an additional 43lb-ft of torque (17%), which back-to-back comparisons shows makes itself felt clearly.
BULLETPROOF TECH Engine 3.5 litre, V6cyl, supercharged, petrol Max power 345hp@7000rpm Max torque 295lb ft@4500rpm Transmission 6-speed manual
The real question for most people though is how it's made. With a 2012 base price tag of £62,290, Lotus is entering the territory of some seriously well-made cars – a Porsche 911 isn't that much more and that is bulletproof. Our test car was relatively low mileage so you'd expect it to be spotless, and it was. However, a second example we drove had been round the block – a lot, and at high speeds – and it too was spotless, and felt tight and sound. The DIMENSIONS bodywork is immaculately finished and Unladen weight so is the interior, though some of the 1437kg dashboard buttons and graphics were a Seats 2+2 bit mickey mouse. Boot capacity The test car was fitted with a £2550 160 litres Tech Pac which includes a screen in the centre of the dash works as a satnav RUNNING COSTS and comms centre, but the only time CO2 229g/km it made sense was when reversing, as Insurance group 50 it automatically shows the view from a rear-facing camera. Since the rear view PRICE from the seat is through a tiny slot of a As tested £57,550 window, the camera proved a lifesaver. MANUFACTURER Lotus Cars Hethel Norfolk UK www.lotuscars.com
NOT ONE, BUT TWO NEW CARS SOMETIMES it's easy to be confused with the Lotus range – all these cars starting with a 'E' – but the Esprit stands out. It was Britain's supercar back in the 1980s when Aston Martin was floundering and although fragile in certain areas, it's been much missed in the Lotus range. But at the 2011 Frankfurt Show Lotus announced a new Esprit, a new top of the range supercar. Lotus boss
Dany Bahar said: “One has to be very careful when taking on the challenge of reinventing such an iconic classic as the Esprit – everyone has an opinion. “There's a fine balance between acknowledging the greatness of the past whilst at the same time leaping forward to the future and ensuring that this car not only does the name Esprit justice but also the Lotus brand. I think we've managed to find the balance and
New Esprit due in Spring 2013.
Eterne sports GT with four doors.
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in doing so created a new icon, a car people will find hard to resist. “The design is aggressive – you have to see it to appreciate how low and wide the proportions are – but it still retains a level of dignity, of class and most of all exclusivity.” The new Esprit will go on sale from Spring 2013. It will be powered by a 5.0 litre V8 producing 612hp, and have a 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 205mph, with a projected price tag of £110,000. The same engine will power the Eterne, a sports GT that's almost Maserati-like with four doors and four proper seats. This is due in Spring 2015 at a price of £120,000. www.lotuscars.com
LOTUS EVORA S We drove the 2011 Model Year Evora S and, of course, a few days later the 2012 Model Year version was launched at the biannual Frankfurt Motor Show. There are changes but perhaps the most important one is that Lotus boss Dany Bahar now sees an important future for the Evora – apparently he has been 'lukewarm' about the car until now. He now views the Evora as a stepping stone in the Lotus range from its much cheaper and hard-edged sports cars like the Elise to the recently announced supercars like the new 612bhp Esprit and its grand touring stablemate, the Eterne. As a result, there have been upgrades to the car to keep it competitive: new body colours, new materials inside, improvements to body-panel fit, a new steering wheel and gearlever knob, new pedals and better sports seats (though I couldn't find fault with the old ones). It's not just cosmetics. Apparently, Lotus has been working on that gearchange with better low-friction cables and a lighter engine flywheel to make high rev gearchanges smoother, aided by new engine mounts. The company has also been working on the exhaust to make it sound sportier without actually being any louder. Nice trick if you can pull it off.
2012 model has new interior; supercharger can be seen through rear panel window; 18- and 19inch alloys as standard.
October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 53
DOSSIER nEw aIRcRaft lIStIngS
nEw aIRcRaft lIStIngS All you need to know about the world's business aircraft in one place! Facts and figures of current new business aircraft, including jets, turboprops and high end piston aircraft at your fingertips
LEARJET 60XR Find all the info you need on page 64
PlanE fOcUS BOEING 747-8 VIP Base price $300m Cruise 492kt Range 9,400nm
AVRO JETSTREAM 41 Base price $1.5m Cruise 295kt Range 1592nm WHAT IS IT? The BBJs are based on Boeing range of airliners so proven, with great worldwide support.
WHAT IS IT? The Jetstream 41 is a stretched version of the twin turboprop Handley Page regional airliner.
WHAT DO YOU GET? Whatever you want, pretty much. Extraordinary amounts of space to create such fantastic effects as this concept interior, left, plus a king-size bed! There's a total of 445sq m of space - more than the average house. Plus enough range to go almost anywhere you want non-stop.
WHAT DO YOU GET? A roomy cabin due to the fact the wing is mounted below the fuselage. The all-new fuselage adds 16ft over the original design, demanding a greater wingspan, which include larger root fairings leading to increased baggage capacity. The flightdeck is fitted with a modern EFIS.
AIRCRAFT ESSENTIALS PERFORMANCE AIRBUS 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blaganc, Cedex, France. T: +33 5 61 93 32 59 W: www.airbus.com ACJ 318 CA $65m 2005 447 3,980 41,000 4,429 4,396 ACJ 319 CA $80m 1999 486 6,100 41,000 616 ACJ 320 CA $85m 1987 486 4,950 41,000 ACJ 380 CA $346m 2007 510 8,900 41,000 -
DIMENSIONS
CABIN
145,504 168,650 169,785 1,235,000
608,400
6,909 8,710 20,117 79,244
6,375 9,107 7,835 81,890
111.83 111.83 11.83 261.66
70.1 78 90.2 163.66
87.6 87.6 87.6 -
16,204 24,000 84,000
-
2,557 3,477 -
-
17.66 60.45 -
24.2 31.33 50.5
BRITTEN-NORMAN Bembridge Airport, Isle of Wight, PO35 5PR. T: +44 870 881 5060 W: www.britten-norman.com Islander BN 2T TPT $1.65m 1967 170 590 1,050 25,000 1,250 1,110 7,000 -
1,520
-
49
BOEING PO Box 3707, Seattle, Washington 98124-2207, USA. T: +1 312 544 2000 W: www.boeing.com BBJ CA $48m 1998 469 5,380 3,300 41,000 728 6,085 2,335 BBJ2 CA $58m 1998 469 4,750 3,100 41,000 763 7,000 2,490 BBJ3 CA $64m 2007 470 5,435 3,100 41,000 8,560 2,490 BBJ 747-8 VIP CA $300m 492 9,400 43,000 -
11,907 14,200 -
10,707 10,445 10,966 -
117.45 117.45 117.45 224.58
AVRO-BAE 1 Bishop Square, HatďŹ eld, AL10 9NE, UK. T: +44 1707 271777 W: www.regional-services.com Jetstream 32 TPT $0.6m 260 1,107 2,240 25,000 91 3,937 3,937 Jetstream 41 TPT $1.5m 1992 295 1,592 2,200 25,000 138 4,997 4,199 ABJ RJ70 CA $5m 350 1,620 31,000 856 -
171,000 174,200 187,700 975,000
95,960 103,220 110,350 -
Pow er ( lb t hru st)
Em pty (Ib ) Pay loa d ff Fue (Ib) l ca p( USG Wi ) ng spa n( ft) Len gth (ft) He igh t( Wi in) dth (in Sea ) ts ( m Eng ax) ine s
Cat ego ry Pri ce (ba se) TC (ye ar) Cru ise (k Ran tas) ge (nm Clim ) b( nm ) Cei ling (ft) Fue l bu Tak rn (Ib e-o /ft) ff d Lan ist (ft ) din gd ist ( f t) MT OW (Ib )
PlanE factS
POWER 146.5 146.5 146.5 259
VERDICT 2 x 23,800 2 x 26,500 2 x 26,500 4 x 70,000
Baby of Airbus corporate range Range now all ACJs Bigger ACJ Palace with wings
120 156 179 555
2 x CFM56-5B9/P 2 x CFM56B-5B7P 2 x CFM56-B4/P 4 x R-R Trent 900
71 73 70 73 69.5 129
19 30 -
2x Honeywell TPE331-12 2 x 940shp Dates back to 1965 Handley Page design 2 x Honeywell TPE331-14 2 x 1,650 Stretched version of the 32 4 x Honeywell LF507 4 x 7000 Corporate version of the BAe146
15.12
50
42
8
2 x Rolls-Royce 250-B17C
2 x 320shp
Land Rover of the skies
79.12 98.33 107.12 207.45
85 85 85 94
139 139 139 242
149 189 215 467
2 x CFM56-7B27/B3 2 x CFM56-7B27/B3 2 x CFM56-7B27/B3 4 x Genx-2B67
2 x 27,300 2 x 27,000 2 x 27,000 4 x 66,500
Smallest of the BBJ range Middle BBJ Bigger BBJ Another palace with wings
tURn fOR MORE MInI REVIEwS anD aIRcRaft factS October 2011 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | 55
DOSSIER new aircraft listings PLANE FOCUS CESSNA CITATION CJ4 Base price $8.76m Cruise 435kt Range 1825nm
DASSAULT FALCON 900LX Base price $41m Cruise 474kt Range 4750nm WHAT IS IT? Cessna's latest Citation jet, certified earlier this year, and the result of lots of feedback from owners and operators.
WHAT IS IT? The 900 is Dassault's middle of the range Falcon and the LX is the long range version. WHAT DO YOU GET? A luxurious interior that's the same width and height as the top of the range 7X, with full office and multimedia capabilities. Interior layout to your requirements. It has the same tri-engine layout as the 7X with three Honeywells producing 5000lb thrust each. Travel from Dubai to Tokyo non-stop with 6 pax.
WHAT DO YOU GET? Big 51ft wingspan from the Sovereign and powerful Williams engines give the CJ4 plenty of performance. Features inside too with the Rockwell Collins Venue Cabin Management System which combines in-flight infotainment and air-conditioning. Cockpit is absolute state of the art.
AIRCRAFT ESSENTIALS
PERFORMANCE
CESSNA One Cessna Boulevard, Wichita, KS 67215, USA. T: +1 316 517 6000 W: www.cessna.com Skylane 182 SEP $0.4m 1956 176 915 1,039 20,000 - 1,385 SEP $0.62m 2004 235 1,250 1,400 25,000 - 1,900 Corvalis TTx Stationair 206H SEP $0.55m 1962 178 630 1,051 27,000 - 1,743 Grand Caravan SETP $1.93m 1985 184 917 975 25,000 58 2,420 Citation Mustang VLJ $2.76m 2006 340 1,150 3,010 41,000 100 3,110 Citation CJ2+ LJ $6.67m 2005 418 1,613 4,120 45,000 137 3,360 Citation CJ3 LJ $7.49m 2004 417 1,875 4,478 45,000 156 3,180 Citation Bravo LJ $6.2m 1997 402 1,744 3,190 45,000 148 3,600 Citation Encore+ LJ $8.7m 2006 428 1,780 4,620 45,000 180 3,520 Citation CJ4 LJ $8.76m 2010 435 1,825 - 45,000 - 3,300 Citation XLS/XLS+ SLJ $11.86m 2008 441 1,858 3,500 45,000 211 3,560 Citation Sovereign MSJ $17.06m 2004 458 2,847 4,016 47,000 269 3,640 Citation X SMJ $20.67m 1996 525 3,070 3,650 51,000 298 5,140
DIMENSIONS
CABIN
Pow er ( lb t hru st)
Em pty (Ib ) Pay loa d ff Fue (Ib) l ca p( USG Wi ) ng spa n( ft) Len gth (ft) He igh t( Wi in) dth (in Sea ) ts ( m Eng ax) ine s
Cat ego ry Pri ce (ba se) TC (ye ar) Cru ise (k Ran tas) ge (nm Clim ) b( nm ) Cei ling (ft) Fue l bu Tak rn (Ib e-o /ft) ff d Lan ist (ft ) din gd ist (ft) MT OW (Ib )
PLANE FACTS
POWER
VERDICT
87 102 87 370 247 377 452 - 517 - 646 1,076 1,240
36 35.66 36 52.09 43.16 49.83 53.33 52.16 54.92 50.83 56.33 63.41 63.92
- - - - 9.75 13.58 15.67 - 17.33 17.33 17.16 25.25 23.92
- - - - 54 57 57 56 57 57 68 70 68
42 49 44 64 55 58 58 57 58 58 66 67 66
4 4 6 10 5 8 8 7 11 9 9 9 8
Lycoming TIO-540-AK1A Continental IO-550-C Lycoming TIO-540-AJ1A Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114 2 x PWC PW615F 2 x Williams FJ44-3A-24 2 x Williams FJ44-3A 2 x PWC PW530A 2 x PWC PW535B 2 x Williams FJ44-4A 2 x PWC PW545C 2 x PWC PW306C 2 x Rolls-Royce AE3007 C1
230hp 230hp 310hp 1262shp 2 x 1,460 2 x 2,490 2 x 2,820 2 x 2,877 2 x 3,400 2 x 3,400 2 x 4.119 2 x 5,770 2 x 6,764
Workhorse single-engine piston Facelift and extra features for 2011 Another load-lugger, often jumpers At the heart of the SE-IMC battle Entry-level jet arrived at the right time As CJ1+ but stretched Stretched version of the CJ2 Final new aircraft built in 2006 Used to be known as the 560 Top of the CJ range of Citation jets World's best-selling business jet Stretched version of the XL Citation Ten on the way
CHALLENGER Bombardier Aerospace, 800 Rene-Levesque, Montreal, Quebec H3B 1Y8. T: +1 514 861 9481 W: www.bombardier.com 300 SMJ $20.97m 2003 470 3,100 4,250 45,000 266 4,810 2,600 38,850 23,500 1,350 1,357 605 LBJ $28.08m 2006 470 4,045 4,300 41,000 258 5,184 2,777 48,200 26,985 1,315 1,917 850 SLJ $31.62m 1992 459 2,770 - 41,000 343 6,305 2,910 53,000 34,790 186 1,752
63.84 64.33 69.58
28.6 73 28.42 73 48.42 73
86 98 98
9 12 50
2 x HTF7000 2 x GE CF34-3B 2 x GE CF34-3B1
2 x 6,826 2 x 8,729 2 x 8,729
Clean sheet design, a best-seller Popular corporate choice, EVS available Flagship Challenger, based on CRJ200
CIRRUS 4515 Taylor Circle, Duluth, Minnesota 55811-1548, USA. T: +1 218 788 3876 W: www.cirrusdesign.com SR22 GT3 Turbo SEP $0.66m 2000 219 1000 1,400 25,000 - 1,594 2,344 3,400 Vision SJ50 PJ $1.3m - 300 1000 - 25,000 - - - -
1,350 2,600 1,395 1,795 2,380 2,980 2,770 3,180 2,770 2,665 3,180 2,650 3,400
3,100 3,600 3,600 8,750 8,645 12,500 13,870 14,800 16,830 - 20,200 30,000 36,100
2,082 2,575 2,349 5,013 5,550 7,950 8.700 - 10,500 - 12,800 18,120 22,100
2,320 -
508 413 746 1,548 600 745 660 736 1,130 - 860 1,214 1,369
High performance four-seater Single-engine personal jet, in development
558 -
92 -
38.33 -
- -
50 -
49 -
- -
1 x Continental IO-540-N 1 x 310hp 1 x Williams FJ33-4A-19 -
COMPAIR 900 Airport Road, Suite 3, Merrit Island, Florida, 32952 USA. T: +1 321 452 7168 W: www.compairaviation.com 12 SETP - 2010 310 2,535 2,800 - - - - 10,800 -
1,400
-
-
-
70
68
8
1 x Honeywell TPE331-14GR 1 x 1, 650shp Aiming for Type Certification
DASSAULT FALCON 78 Quai Marseille, 92552 St-Cloud, Cedex 300, France. T: +33 1 61 62 61 62 W: www.dassaultfalcon.com 20 MSJ - 1965 466 1,780 - 42,000 254 5,075 3,320 28,660 - 50EX SMJ - 1996 492 3,075 2,053 49,000 278 4,890 2,920 39,700 - 2000DX LBJ - 2007 476 3,250 2,412 47,000 244 4,800 - 41,000 23,190 2000EX LBJ $29.2m 2003 480 3,800 1,952 47,000 254 5.374 5,839 42,220 - 2000LX LBJ $29.77m - 493 4,000 - 47,000 - 5,878 2,630 42,200 23,465 900EX SLJ - 1995 474 4,500 3,880 51,000 267 5,215 3,522 48,300 24,700 900DX SLJ $35.55m 2005 474 4,100 2,055 51,000 265 4,890 3,530 46,700 24,470 900LX SLJ $41m 2010 474 4,750 1,950 51,000 - 5,050 2,400 48,300 25,080 7X LRBJ $45m 2007 515 5,950 - 51,000 - 5,505 2,262 69,000 34,272
- 2,380 3,410 1,450 2,275 2,800 3,600 2,420 2,988
- - 2,179 - 2,487 3,129 2,810 3,129 4,767
53.58 61.83 63.41 63.41 70.16 63.41 63.41 70.16 86
24.42 23.50 26.16 26.16 26.16 33.16 33.16 33.16 39.09
68 71 74 74 74 74 74 74 74
73 73 92 92 92 92 92 92 92
14 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19
2 x GE CF700-2D2 3 x Honeywell TFE731-40 2 x PWC PW308C 2 x PWC PW308C 2 x PWC PW308C 3 x Honeywell TFE730-60 3 x Honeywell TFE730-60 3 x Honeywell TFE730-60 3 x PWC PW307A
2 x 4,500 2 x 3,700 2 x 7000 2 x 7000 2 x 7000 3 x 5000 3 x 5000 3 x 5000 3 x 6400
The original business jet from Dassault Popular long-range corporate jet Smallest of the current Falcon range Longer range version Longest range Three engine, 8 pax Three engine, 8 pax Longest range version Top model, fly by wire controls
DIAMOND N A Otto-Strasse 5, A-2700 Wiener-Neustadt, Austria. T: +43 2622 26700 W: www.diamond-air.at DA42 TwinStar MEP $0.85m 2004 163 852 1,052 18,000 11 1,130 1,069 3,927 D-Jet PJ - 2009 315 - 1,666 25,000 - 2,034 - 5,071
2,804 2,831
837 500
52 167
44 35.09
- -
39 56
46 55
4 5
2 x Austro AE300 1 x Williams FJ33-4A-9
2 x 170hp 1 x 1,900
New engines for economical twin Personal jet nearing delivery
DORNIER 328 Support Services GmbH, PO BOx 1252, DO82231 Wessling, Germany. T: + 49 8153 881110 W: www.328support.de 328 LBJ - 1999 400 1,300 3,690 35,000 226 4,485 4,285 34,524 21,900
4,613
1,200
68.83
33.85
72
85.5 -
2 x PWC PW306B
-
Commuter airliner
ECLIPSE 2503 Clark Carr Loop SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106-5611, USA. T: +1 505 245 7555 W: www.eclipseaerospace.net TE-500 VLJ $2.15m 2006 380 1,300 3,424 41,000 78 2,342 2,250 6,000 3,634 EMBRAER Av Brigadero Faria Lima 2107, Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP 12227-901, Brazil. T: +55 123 927 1000 W: www.embraer.com Phenom 100 VLJ $3.995m 2008 390 1,178 - 41,000 125 3,400 - 10,472 - Phenom 300 LJ $8.880m 2009 450 1,800 2,916 45,000 - 3,700 2,950 - - Legacy 450 SLJ $15.25m - 470 2,300 - 45,000 - 4,000 2,300 - - Legacy 500 MSJ $18.4m - 470 3,000 - 45,000 - 4,600 - - - Legacy 600 LBJ $30.24m 2001 460 3,250 3,052 41,000 299 5,453 2,685 49,750 31,148 Lineage 1000 SLJ $50.48m - 469 4,200 - 41,000 626 6,900 - 120,150 -
702
251
37.0
12.33
50
56
6
2 x PWC PW610F
2 x 900
Back in business
1,312 - 1,600 1,600 1,440 -
- - - - 2,712 -
40.33 11 53.16 16 - - - - 68.91 49.67 94.16 85
59 59 72 72 72 79
61 61 82 82 83 106
6 8 8 8 19 106
2 x PWC PW617F-E 2 x PWC PW535E 2 x Honeywell HTF7500E 2 x Honeywell HTF7500E 2 x Rolls-Royce AE3007 2 x GE CF34-10E7
2 x 1,695 2 x 1,615 - 2 x 6,540 2 x 8,100 2 x 18,500
Very Light Jet, just certified Bigger brother, still flight testing Filling out Embraer's mid-size range As above Useful size corporate jet Top of the range
EPIC 22590 Nelson Road, Bend, Oregon 97701, USA. T: +1 541 318 8849 W: www.epicaircraft.com Dynasty SETP - - 340 1,874 2,777 31,000 - 1,600 Victory PJ $1.3m - 320 1,200 2,800 28,000 - - Elite jet VLJ - 2009 412 1,400 2,412 41,000 - -
1,200shp - 2 x 1,550
Future uncertain after going into administration as above as above
1,840 - -
7,300 5,500 7,700
4,000 2,700 4,000
1,350 - 900 - 1,330 -
43 36.3 44
15 14.5 17
59 53 60
55 6 56 5 57.6 8
1 x PWC PT6-67A 1 x PWC PW600 2 x Williams FJ33-4A
EXTRA 214 Overlook Circle, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027, USA. T: +1 615 564 1210 W: www.extraaircraft.com EA500 SETP $1.4m 2004 230 1,673 1,335 25,000 - 2,050 1,991
4,696
3,186
290
37.83
13.5
49
55
1 x Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 450shp
124
6
Unusual high-wing design
TURN FOR MORE MINI REVIEWS AND AIRCRAFT FACTS 56 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
P1
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To g e t t h e A P P v i s i t t h e A p p l e A p p s t o re a n d s e a rc h f o r LO O P D I G I TA L
w w w . l o o p . a e r o
DOSSIER new aircraft listings PLANE FOCUS HONDAJET Base price $4.5m Cruise 420kt Range 1180nm
TECNAM P2006T Base price 295,000 euro Cruise 145kt Range 710nm WHAT IS IT? The HondaJet will be Honda's first jet aircraft and a technological tour de force. First delivery due Q3 2012.
WHAT IS IT? Newly certified piston twin powered by two mogas-burning Rotax engines. Main markets are for training, private flying and surveillance/ aerial inspection.
WHAT DO YOU GET? The fastest, most efficient Very Light Jet. With an all-composite construction, natural laminar flow wings and two HF120 engines mounted on pylons above the wings and G3000 cockpit, nothing about the HondaJet is ordinary.
WHAT DO YOU GET? The most economical twin to buy and operate. High wing gives excellent down and side visibility. Cockpit options include analogue or electronic flight information system. Retractable undercarriage.
AIRCRAFT ESSENTIALS PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS GIPPSLAND Latrobe Regional Airport, PO Box 881, Morwell, Victoria 3840, Australia. T: +61 3 5172 1200 W: www.gippsaero.com GA8 Airvan SEP $0.46m 2000 124 930 787 20,000 - 1,548 1,218 4,000 2,233 1,239
CABIN 40.75
-
GLOBAL Bombardier Aerospace, 800 Rene-Levesque Ouest, 29E Etage, Montreal, QC H3B 1Y8, Canada. T: +1 514 861 9481 W: www.bombardier.com 5000 SLJ $38.7m 2004 513 4,800 4,850 51,000 461 5,000 2,670 92,500 50,840 2,410 5,858 6000 LRBJ $50.1m 2005 513 6,150 3,350 51,000 450 6,190 2,670 98,000 51,200 1,825 6,712
94 94
42.47 75 48.35 75
GULFSTREAM PO Box 2206, Savannah, Georgia 31402-2206, USA. T: +1 912 965 3000 W: www.gulfstream.com MSJ $15.05m 2005 459 2,950 3,340 45,000 197 5,000 2,880 26,100 G150 SMJ $22.78m 1998 459 3,400 3,700 45,000 222 6,083 3,280 35,450 G200 SMJ $24m 2011 470 3,400 - 45,000 - 4,960 3,180 39,600 G280 LBJ $31.96m 2004 459 3,800 3,960 45,000 399 5,050 3,260 70,900 G350 SLJ $35.86m 2004 459 4,350 3,760 45,000 400 5,450 3,260 73,900 G450 G500 SLJ $40.95m 2003 487 5,800 3,950 51,000 343 5,150 2,770 85,100 LRBJ $48.99m 2003 487 6,750 3.650 51,000 360 5,910 2,770 91,000 G550 LRBJ $58.5m 2012 530 7,000 - 51,000 - 6,000 3,000 99,600 G650
15,100 19,950 24,150 42,700 43,000 48,000 48,300 54,000
88
Pow er ( lb t hru st)
Em pty (Ib ) Pay loa d ff Fue (Ib) l ca p( USG Wi ) ng spa n( ft) Len gth (ft) He igh t( Wi in) dth (in Sea ) ts ( m Eng ax) ine s
Cat ego ry Pri ce (ba se) TC (ye ar) Cru ise (k Ran tas) ge (nm Clim ) b( nm ) Cei ling (ft) Fue l bu Tak rn (Ib e-o /ft) ff d Lan ist (ft ) din gd ist (ft) MT OW (Ib )
PLANE FACTS
POWER
VERDICT Turbocharged engine also available
8
1 x Lycoming IO-540-KIAS
98 98
17 19
2 x Rolls-Royce BR710A2 2 x 14,750 Long-range large jet 2 x Rolls-Royce BR710A2 2 x 14,750 Even bigger
44.9 50
300hp
1,537 2,239 - 3,880 4,403 5,254 6,164 6,597
55.58 58.09 63 77.83 77.83 93.5 93.5 99.58
17.66 24.42 25.83 45.09 45.09 50.09 50.09 53.58
69 75 75 74 74 74 74 77
69 86 86 88 88 88 88 102
8 10 - 19 19 19 19 18
2 x Honeywell TFE731-40 2 x PWC PW306A 2 x Honeywell HTFE250G 2 x Rolls-Royce Mk611-8C 2 x Rolls-Royce Mk611-8C 2 x Rolls-Royce BR710 C4 2 x Rolls-Royce BR710 C4 2 x Rolls-Royce BR725 A1
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT 10511 E Central, Wichita, Kansas 67206, USA. T: +1 316 676 6614 W: www.hawkerbeechcraft.com SEP $0.6m 1947 176 1,063 1,230 18,500 16 1,913 950 3,650 2,530 Bonanza Baron MEP $1.1m 1961 202 1,388 1,700 20,688 33 2,300 1,300 5,500 3,880 King Air C90GTi METP $2.95m 2007 270 1,321 1,953 30,000 90 2,392 2,355 10,100 6,950 King Air B200GT METP $5.3m 2007 305 1,800 2,460 35,000 126 2,600 2,845 12,500 8,520 METP $5.97m 1990 312 1,765 2,731 35,000 127 3,300 2,692 15,000 9,326 King Air 350 LJ $6.21m 2005 451 1,360 3,800 41,000 138 3,792 3,170 12,500 8,430 Premier 1a/11 LJ $7.22m - 450 1,482 - 45,000 178 3,906 3,514 16,300 10,550 Hawker 400XP 750 SLJ $12.4m 2008 466 2,200 - 41,000 - 4,696 2,650 27,000 16,200 MSJ $tba 2011 448 2,642 2,990 41,000 277 5,032 2,650 28,000 15,670 850XPR 900XP MSJ $14.29m 2007 466 2,950 3,750 41,000 - 5,032 2,650 28,000 16,420 SMJ $20.89m 2006 482 3,280 2,642 45,000 253 5,200 2,995 39,500 22,800 4000
619 309 - - 1,963 490 638 2,250 1,790 - 1,600
74 194 - - 539 548 733 - 1,492 - 2,180
33.5 37.83 50.25 54.5 57.92 44.5 43.5 51.33 54.33 54.33 61.83
- - 12.58 16.66 19.5 13.5 15.5 21.33 21.33 21.33 25
50 50 54 54 54 65 58 69 69 69 72
42 42 57 57 57 66 59 72 72 72 77.5
6 6 12 15 15 6 9 15 15 15 14
1 x Continental IO-550-B 1 x 300hp 2 x Continental IO-550-C 2 x 300hp 2 x PWC PT6A-135A 2 x 550shp 2 x PWC PT6A-60 2 x 850shp 2 x PWC PT6A-2A 2 x 1050shp 2 x Williams FJ44-2A 2 x 2,300 2 x PWC JT15D-5 2 x 2,965 2 x Honeywell TFE731-5BR 2 x 4,660 2 x Honeywell TFE731-50R 2 x 4,660 2 x Honeywell TFE731-5OR 2 x 4,660 2 x PWC PW308A 2 x 6,900
Iconic piston single Equally iconic piston twin Smallest of the King Air range Workhorse of the range Flagship model, appeals to military Beechcraft's Very Light Jet Originally a Mitsubishi, renamed Derivative of the Hawker 800 Uprated version of the 800XP Long-range version Carbon-composite construction
HONDA 6430 Ballinger Road, Greensboro, North Carolina 27410, USA. T: +1 336 662 0246 W: www.hondajet.com VLJ $4.5m 2012 420 1,180 3,990 43,000 - 3,120 2,500 - HondaJet
644
-
60
5
2 x GE Honda HF120
Technological tour de force
39.87
17.8
59
LEARJET Bombardier Aerospace, 800 Rebe-Levesque Ouest, Montreal QC H3B 1Y8, Canada. T: +1 514 861 9481 W: www.bombardier.com 45XR SLJ $11.8m 2004 465 1,975 2,630 51,000 214 5,040 2,660 21,500 14,094 1,594 905 60XR MSJ $13.7m 2006 466 2,338 4,450 51,000 204 5,450 3,420 23,500 15,081 759 1,181 85 MSJ - 2014 - 3,000 - 51,000 - - - - - - -
47.78 43.79 -
- 17.7 25
59 61.4 9 68.5 71.4 9 71 73 8
2 x Honeywell TFE731-20 2 x 3,500 2 x PWC PW305A 2 x 4,600 2 x PWC PW307B 2 x 6,100
Fabulous hot and high performance Fast and comfortable All-new composite under development
MOONEY 165 Al Mooney Road, Kerrville, Texas 78028, USA. T: +1 830 896 6000 W: www.mooney.com Acclaim Type S SEP - 2006 242 1,852 1,240 25,000 - - -
3,368
-
-
100
36.1
-
-
-
4
1 x Continental IO-540
280hp
Fastest piston-single tourer
PILATUS PO Box 992, 6371 Stans, Switzerland. T: +41 41 619 61 11 W: www.pilatus-aircraft.com SETP $4m 2008 280 1,573 1,920 30,000 58 2,650 PC-12 NG
1,830
10,450
6,557
1,029
402
53.33
16.9
58
60
9
1 x PWC PT6A-67P
1,200shp
Excellent handling workhorse
PIAGGIO Via Cibrario, 4, 16154 Genova, Italy. T: +39 10 648 1885 W: www.piaggioaero.com Avanti II METP $6.5m 2006 402 1,407 2,950 41,000 94 2,850
2,860
12,100
7,800
1,499
418
46.3
14.9
69
73
9
2 x PWC PT6A-66B
2 x 850shp Stylish, with canard wing
PIPER 2926 Piper Drive, Vero Beach, 32960, Florida, USA. T: +1 772 567 4361 W: www.newpiper.com MEP $0.51m 1978 162 770 - 15,000 - 2,200 Seminole Seneca V MEP $0.76m 1971 197 828 - 25,000 - 1,707 SEP $0.76m 2008 215 1,367 - 25,000 - 2,090 Matrix Malibu SEP $1.41m 1988 213 1,345 - 25,000 - 2,090 SETP $1.9m 2000 260 1,000 - 30,000 41 2,438 Meridian SEPJ $2.2m 2011 360 1,300 - 35,000 - - Altaire
1,490 2,180 1,968 1,968 2,110 -
3,800 4,750 4,358 4,358 5,092 -
2,609 3,393 2,937 3,153 3,436 -
483 562 701 485 559 800
108 122 120 120 170 -
38.6 38.9 43 43 43 33.66
- 10.33 12.33 12.33 12.33 -
- 42 47 47 47 -
- 49 49.5 49.5 49.5 -
4 6 6 6 6 7
2 x Lycoming IO-360 2 x Lycoming TSIO-360 1 x Lycoming TIO-540 1 x Lycoming TIO-540 PWC PT6A-42A 1 x Williams FJ44-33AP
2 x 180hp 2 x 220hp 1 x 350hp 1 x 350hp 1 x 500shp 1 x 2,400
Training piston twin Workhorse piston twin Cabin class piston single As above, pressurised As above, turboprop Under development
6,750
3,700
623
320
45
15.5
57
54
10
1 x PWC PT6A-34
1 x 750shp
Rival to the Cessna Caravan
SOCATA Aeroport de Tarbes-Lourdes, 65921 Tarbes, Cedex 9, France. T: +33 5 62 41 73 00 W: www.tbm850.com SETP $3m 2005 320 1,585 - 31,000 70 2,840 2,430 7,394 TBM 850
QUEST 1200 Turbine Drive, Sandpoint, Idaho 83863, USA. T: +1 208 263 111 W: www.questaircraft.com Kodiak SETP $1.2m 2007 179 1,032 1,540 25,000 47 - -
-
2 x 4,420 2 x 6,040 2 x 7,445 2 x 13,850 2 x 13,850 2 x 15,385 2 x 15,385 2 x 16,100
Gulfstream's first proper mid-size bizjet Originally the Astra Galaxy Much anticipated upgrade of the G200 Shorter range version of the G450 Replacement for GIV series Shorter range version of G550 Currently top of the range All-new design, fly by wire
850 650 1,000 2,600 1,800 2,300 1,800 1,800
2 x 1,880
4,589
895
292
47.6
13.25
48
48
6
1 x PWC PT6A-66D
1 x 850shp
Fast, excellent handling
TECNAM Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam srl , via Maiorise 81043 Capua , Italy tel. +39 0823 622297 W: www.tecnam.com MEP $0.36m 2010 155 620 1260 15,000 - 1,476 1,050 2,601 1,675 P2006T
926
-
37.4
11
-
48
3
2 x Rotax 912
2 x 98hp
New light twin
VIKING 9574 Hampton Road, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 5V5, Canada. T: +1 250 656 7227 W: www.vikingair.com Twin Otter METP $3.5m 2008 - 775 1,600 26,000 - 1,200 870 12,500
3,086 378
65
18.42
59
-
20
2 x PWC PTA-34 or -35
2 x 750shp Updated version of the Twin Otter
58 | P1 BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE | October 2011
6,881
VI SI T A A
AT
B
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US
N
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MOBILITY:
FOUND
Your search for the ultimate aircraft will take you many places. But the true visionary is always led back to the PILATUS PC-12 NG. BE-THERE-IN-A-FLASH FREEDOM + SPACIOUS, SO-SEDUCTIVE CABIN TURBINE POWER, HALF-A-JET PRICE + AIRPORT DELAY GONE AWAY EXTENDED-RANGE FUEL SIPPER + SHORT RUNWAYS, LAND CLOSER + UNCOMPROMISED
SWISS CRAFTSMANSHIP
PILATUS. DESTINATION: FOUND WWW.PILATUS-AIRCRAFT.COM + 41.41.619.6296
GO AHEAD, YOU CAN PUT THE KITCHEN SINK IN THERE, RIGHT BEHIND THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. Your average hippo weighs in at around 1,363 kgs, 204 south of the max payload of the Caravan. The planes that are sure footed in the wild can also turn into a flying boardroom with a sumptuous Oasis interior. If you’re taking to the sky the first thing you should ask is, what’s on your list of things to lift?
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORLD’S MOST VERSATILE AIRCRAFT 00-800-6060-0008 | P1.CESSNA.COM
CARAVAN
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