WHERE BOAT AND AIRPLANE DESIGN CROSS OVER >>Observation windows
As observation windows are
a trend on yachts, so they are
gaining popularity as a design
feature on planes. Embraer has
come up with windows the size
of standard airplane doors as
an option on its Lineage 1000
business jet, affording views
outwards and even upwards
to the heavens.
embraerexecutivejets.comCarbon-fibre fuselage
First it was powerboats, then F1 cars and AC class catamarans. Now
Cirrus Aircraft has launched a single engine, five seat private jet
constructed entirely from carbon fibre. Its new five seat SF50 Vision Jet
is the smallest private jet on the market; at $2 million it’s also the least
expensive. Yet it has a range of 1,242nm.cirrusaircraft.comExceptional range
As expedition yachts push boundaries in the distances
they can travel, so do private jets. Bombardier’s new
Global 8000 has a range of 7,900nm, flying you
non-stop from New York to Mumbai or Los Angeles to
Sydney.businessaircraft.bombardier.comRolls-Royce engines
Just as many of the world’s fastest superyachts are
powered by engines made by MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce,
so the fastest private jet, Textron Aviation’s Citation X+, has
a pair of mighty Rolls-Royce AE3007C2 engines flanking its
tail fin, hence its maximum cruising speed of 528 knots and
range of 3,460nm.cessna.txtav.comBetter air
For cabin air as clean as you
breathe at sea, the Gulfstream
G650 and G650ER are the best
in class. Their ventilation
systems allow air in the cabin
to be completely replenished
every two minutes and cabin
pressure to be equivalent to
4,000ft altitude, significantly
lower than that on most
commercial aircraft – all of
which should help lessen jet lag
and aid sleep.gulfstream.comNew generation winglets
If the foils on Oracle Team USA’s
catamaran were based on Airbus’s
Sharklet winglet, the split scimitar
winglets on the new Boeing
Business Jets – such as the BBJ
Max 7 – are even more distinctive.
Reducing drag and extending
range, they consist of a rising
scimitar-shaped tip
and downward
pointing strake.
boeing.com(or micro-electromechanical systems), which can
be found on the new A350-1000 and its private jet
sibling, the ACJ350 XWB. Visible as little stripes
at regular intervals set along the line of the leech of
the boat’s wingsail, they act as micro anemometers
to measure the wind and atmospheric pressure,
providing a stream of detailed data on airflow
around the wingsail. “I would not be surprised if
this becomes a standard for the yachting industry
in the future,” says Belleau, explaining that data
capture of this kind should in time enable mapping
of the winds in the Atlantic with a much greater
degree of precision. “When you look at [most]
weather forecasting data, it has no accuracy and
doesn’t take into account all the local effects such
as sea temperature.” Another potential boon for
sailors and pilots.The benefits to Oracle Team USA of this
collaboration are obvious: the America’s Cup
has long been as much about the technological
sophistication of the boats as the skill of their
crews. But given that its business is building
aircraft, what was in it for Airbus?
“What I want to keep at all costs is a spirit of
innovation,” replies Brégier. And this was a chance
to experiment and push boundaries, “to test ideas,
simulations and materials in real conditions. Some
have been incorporated into the boat, others were
rejected. But you can learn a lot from failure”.
As Jimmy Spithill, Oracle Team USA’s skipper, has
identified: “There are a huge amount of similarities
between flying and sailing. It’s all about lift and
drag. A well set up boat is like a well set up plane.”
Spithill has a private pilot’s license, so he should
know. Indeed, there’s synergy when it comes to
piloting them. Working with Oracle Team USA
presented an opportunity “to go to the limit,” he
says. So when Airbus decided to market its ACJs
as “the world’s most modern corporate jet family”,
it wasn’t exaggerating.B“A WELL SET UP
BOAT IS LIKE A
WELL SET UP PLANE”
Jimmy Spithill, Oracle skipper >>boatinternational.com PHOTOGRAPHY: GETYY IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK; MICHAEL MARKIETA/ARUP
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