Flight International - January 13, 2015

BUSINESS AVIATION

flightglobal.com 13-19 January 2015 | Flight International | 19

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NEWS ANALYSIS P

G

ulfstream delivered its first
all-new ultra-long-range
G650ER business jet to a private
owner on 19 December.
Up to this point, Gulfstream
had only completed a $2 million
ER retrofit of a baseline G650.
The G650ER was launched in
May 2014, securing US approval
five months later. The $66.5 mil-
lion aircraft is the longest-legged
production business jet, boasting
a range of 7,500nm (13,900km) at
Mach 0.85 – 500nm more than
the standard G650, which en-
tered service two years ago. This
extra mileage allows the type to

connect to more city pairs than

its stablemate.

The long distances are made

possible by an extra 1,810kg

(4,000lb) of fuel carried in the

G650ER’s wings. Gulfstream has

updated the type’s software for

fuel-quantity measuring to

account for the added fuel and

performance gains.

The G650ER’s closest rivals are

Bombardier’s in-development

Global 7000 and 8000, which are

projected to have a range of

7,300nm and 7,900nm when they

enter service in 2016 and 2017,

respectively.

Meanwhile, an automatic de-

pendent surveillance – broadcast

(ADS-B) solution by Garmin has

been certificated for Gulfstream’s

G150, bringing NextGen air traffic

control compliance to global op-

erators of the midsize business jet.

The upgrade is being offered at the

airframer’s service centre in Dal-

las, Texas. It entails replacing the

G150’s transponders with the lat-

est regulatory compliant units, a

universal access transceiver and

three antennas.

Garmin is planning to intro-

duce an ADS-B solution this year

for the super-midsize G200. ■

Gulfstream ships first all-new G650ER

DELIVERY KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

DEVELOPMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

Passport to success as GE

begins engine flight testing

Powerplant for Global 7000 and 8000 on track for year-end certification, despite delays

P

iaggio Aerospace is readying

the first two Avanti Evos for

delivery to their Indian owners

this month, following certifica-

tion in late December by the

country’s civil aviation authority.

The announcement comes as

joint venture partners AirGo

Flugservice and Fractional Jet Eu-

rope (FJE) prepare to launch their

Avanti-based fractional owner-

ship programme.

“We plan to buy our first air-

craft in the next few weeks and

then launch services in April,”

say FJE founder and chief execu-

tive Chris Moody.

“The first aircraft will be a pre-

owned Avanti II, but we plan to

add the Evo to the fleet as de-

mand grows,” he adds.

Mainz, Germany-based AirGo

already operates four Avantis,

which will be used to provide sup-

plemental lift to FJE jet card cus-

tomers. “We have had really posi-

tive feedback about the Avanti.

Prospective customers are particu-

larly drawn to the aircraft’s spa-

cious [midsize] cabin and low op-

erating costs. The Evo will be even

more appealing,” Moody adds.

The $7.4 million Evo is an

upgrade of the nine-year old

Avanti II, featuring a revamped

and quieter interior, enhanced

safety features and increased

performance – thanks to new

winglets, redesigned engine na-

celles, a reshaped front wing and

five-bladed composite scimitar

propellers.

Piaggio has secured 16 orders

and 28 options for the seven-seat

aircraft to date, and plans to

produce around 12 of the type

this year. ■

The $7.4 million Evo

is an upgrade of the

nine-year old Avanti II,

featuring a revamped

and quieter interior

T

he Passport engine selected to
power Bombardier’s in-devel-
opment Global 7000 and 8000
business jets has entered flight
testing at GE Aviation.
Trials started on 30 December
on a GE flying testbed – a Boeing
747-100 – based in Victorville,
California, GE says.
The 16,500lb-thrust (73kN)
powerplant remains on track to
complete certification by the end
of 2015, despite entering flight
tests about six months late.
The programme was delayed
while GE ran tests of the power-
plant in a windtunnel at low alti-
tudes, according to vice-presi-
dent of business and general
aviation Brad Mottier, who
briefed journalists on the delay
last October.
Bombardier is counting on GE
to certificate the Passport engine
by the end of this year. The pow-
erplant can then join a certifica-
tion programme for the first
Global 7000, which is scheduled
to enter service in 2016.
“Since its first test in 2013, the
Passport engine has met or ex-
ceeded our expectations, giving

us great confidence as we close in

on certification,” Mottier says.

The Passport replaces the

venerable CF34 in GE’s portfolio,

but with several key new tech-

nologies. One is a 1.32m- (52in)-

diameter front fan “blisk”, which

is a single component instead of a

separate rotor and blades.

The advantage of a blisk is that

it minimises the size of the rotor

hub, allowing more air to flow

around and through the core of

the engine to improve fuel effi-

ciency. The risk is that the Pass-

port will feature the largest blisk

designed to date for a commercial

aircraft engine.

GE is also introducing a new

form of ceramic matrix compos-

ites (CMC) in the Passport engine.

The Leap engine series in de-

velopment by GE-Snecma joint

venture CFM International is the

first to use CMCs inside the core

of an engine, with these being

made from a silicon-carbide ma-

terial, while the Passport is de-

signed with CMCs using an ox-

ide-oxide material. They will be

used to make the exhaust mixer,

the centre-body and core cowls.

In ground testing the Passport

engine programme has so far

accumulated 750h and 300

cycles, GE says. ■

Bombardier

The Global 7000 is projected to have a range of 7,300nm

TURBOPROPS

KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Piaggio prepares

first Avanti Evos

for service entry