Posts Tagged ‘series’
Embraer’s Lineage 1000: Review from the Cabin
On a recent Lineage 1000 demonstration flight tour in the United States, Embraer Executive Jets Regional Sales Manager Cameron Gowans invited me to experience this aircraft firsthand by riding along on a repositioning flight from Dallas to Chicago. In spite of the fact that I grew up in business aviation, I have never before had the opportunity to ride on an aircraft of this caliber. And, I can tell you that it took some time for me to get over the “Wow!” factor.
Approaching the aircraft, you believe are about to board an airliner which, in fact, you are. Built on the E190 series airliner, but with additional fuel for long-range flights, the Lineage 1000 is Embraer’s top of the line executive jet. The size of the aircraft is really closer to an Airbus 318 than any corporate jet made and, in airline configuration, it carries 94-112 passengers. For the Lineage 1000, Embraer advertises over 25 different cabin modules that allow you to customize the aircraft to fit your mission requirements. The aircraft I flew in is configured with a beautiful executive interior that seats up to 19 passengers.
On our short, two-hour flight, I got the full tour of the five distinct cabin zones, including the aft-most zone containing a bedroom with private bathroom and stand-up shower. The 19 passenger configuration could easily accommodate all of those passengers with no one feeling at all crowded. There is also plenty of baggage space for a full load of passengers and the baggage area is accessible from the cabin.
The design of the cabin makes for a more pleasurable passenger experience by controlling both noise and pressurization. In both take-off and cruise, the cabin was quiet enough to carry on a normal conversation with fellow travelers. And, at a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet, the cabin altitude is 7000 feet which reduces travel fatigue over aircraft with lower pressurization differentials.
As far as cabin size, this aircraft falls between the Boeing BBJ / Airbus 318 and the Gulfstream G550/ Global Express. While the Lineage 1000 is comparable to the G550 in purchase price, in terms of cubic volume in the cabin, the Lineage 1000 has more than twice that of the G550. However, with a non-stop range of 4200 nautical miles, the Lineage 1000 does not match the 6750 nautical mile range of the Gulfstream G550. So, while you can go non-stop from Chicago to London, London to Dubai or Dubai to Beijing on the Lineage, a trip from Chicago to Tokyo would require a refueling stop. The question then becomes: are you willing to trade cabin size and comfort for increased range? Since the typical missions for many companies never need the full range of the aircraft, the question may not need to be asked. And, given my experience in the cabin, even if you do have to make a fuel stop in the Lineage, you would not feel the need to depart the aircraft. Sitting in the cabin feels much more like being in a high end condominium than in an aircraft.
The aircraft is state of the art design with fly by wire controls and the latest in avionics technology. It is built on an airframe designed for the rigors, reliability and economic requirements of airline service; so, maintenance reliability should be excellent and should continue to improve as the E190 series accumulate fleet time in airline service.
Entering the cabin, you get the feel of being in an aircraft that could easily be the transportation for a head of state or an executive for a large multi-national company. For governments, companies and high net worth individuals with international travel requirements who are looking for mission capable executive transport, this aircraft will fit a niche in the market.
Hats off to Embraer for continuing to innovate and bring new solutions for executive transport to the market.
Hawker Beech Factory Tour: Made in America
This past week I had the privilege of taking a tour of the Hawker Beechcraft factory and corporate headquarters in Wichita Kansas.
The tour started at our home base in Tennessee with a flight to Wichita on a new Hawker 4000. The aircraft is impressive and I will post soon with video and more information on this new generation, state of the art, mid size business jet.
Our company has operated Beechcraft King Airs for over 25 years, and much of my flying time is logged in various Barons and Bonanzas, so I have been a fan of Beechcraft for a long time.
The King Air series aircraft are without argument the most successful turboprop ever built with a production run spanning 5 decades.
The King Air C90GTX / B200GT / 350I series aircraft are still in production for civilian and military applications. All are evolved from the original King Air that first rolled of the line in 1965.
Hawker Beech’s jet aircraft in production include the Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP, Hawker 750, Hawker 400XP and the Premier 1A/II. The Hawker 750 and 900 series aircraft are evolutions of the original Hawker jets manufactured in the UK and are the best selling series of business jets in the world.
Hawker Beech also manufacturers variations of the military T-6 trainer, which is the primary trainer for both the navy and air force pilot programs.
The Beech Baron G58 twin engine and Bonanza G36 single engine piston aircraft round out the line of aircraft in production.
Arriving to the factory at Hawker Beech’s airport in Wichita, our first stop was the delivery hangar, where new aircraft were in the final stage of delivery to the new owners. There is a large American flag on one wall, prominently displayed as reminder that these aircraft going all over the world are made in America.
Wichita is the number one city for growing exports and Hawker Beech plays a big part. The percentage of aircraft exported now exceeds the percentage staying in the US and this will continue to increase as the demand for business aircraft worldwide grows faster than in the US.
One of the things that interests me most is innovation in our business and Hawker Beechcraft has done that with their new Hawker 4000. The Hawker 4000 has a composite fuselage and uses composites in combination with traditional metal structures in other areas of the airframe. Composites are lighter but stronger than metal structure allowing savings in weight and increases in fuel efficiency and performance, as well as reduced maintenance costs.
Use of composites in aircraft sturctures is here to stay as evidenced by the Boeing 787 having a composite fuselage.
What impressed me most from the whole tour is the sense of pride emanating from the employees, from the senior management to the people on the floor. These people are proud of what they make and should rightly be proud of the 75 plus year legacy of excellence in aircraft manufacturing.
A lot has been said about the competitiveness of the US aircraft manufacturing industry in the global market.
A current issue that Hawker Beech has to deal with is to what degree they move production out of the US to save costs. The unions in Wichita are fighting for the jobs to remain US and the decisions will be difficult. Hawker Beech must remain price competitive and at the same time they cannot afford to lose the skill and aggregated knowledge of the workforce in Wichita.
There is a positive and determined corporate culture that I admire with the leadership and employees at Hawker Beech. That will keep them in the competitive game of aircraft manufacturing well into the future.
The Plane from Brazil
Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes ”a-a-ah!”
She’s not tan and she’s not from Ipanema, but she is lovely and on the evening of October 30, 2009, a group of Corporate Flight Management staffers gathered on our Smyrna (TN) Airport ramp for a first look at this new plane from Brazil, an addition to the company’s charter fleet. And each one of us went, “a-a-ah.” She taxied in, bringing with her an exciting new future for CFM and our entire industry. But, before continuing with this story a brief bit of history is in order.
Over the past decade NASA and corporate aviation trade associations proposed a “clean sheet” design process for business jets. The VLJ (Very Light Jet) would be both fuel efficient and environmentally “green.” The quest to establish market dominance in this new technology led to intense competition among the leading designers and builders of executive aircraft. Additionally, new players like Honda (yes, that Honda) Adam and Eclipse joined the race. Most of the established manufacturers’ VLJ designs were primarily based on smaller and lighter versions of existing products. Two of the new entrants proposed radical departures from conventional airframes.
And then there was the Brazilian entry.
If you have flown on commuter airlines over the past 20 years, chances are that you have logged time aboard an Embraer turboprop or regional jet. When procuring aircraft for their fleets, airlines demand fuel efficiency, dispatch reliability, low maintenance cost and passenger satisfaction. For decades, Brazil-based Embraer produced a series of turboprops and regional jets that exceeded every airline standard. Brazil’s entry into the VLJ competition would be built to the same demanding standards as their airliners. Thus were born the Phenom 100 and 300, which brings us back to CFM’s Smyrna ramp and the exciting future for us and our industry.
You see, the aircraft that taxied up that evening was a Phenom 100, fresh from the factory and ready to begin its life with a corporate operator in the U.S. It is one of hundreds that will be going into service in domestic and global markets. I asked our CEO, Allen Howell, for his impression of the plane from Brazil. And he said:
“The Phenom series of executive jets will be real game changers for charter operators and corporate flight departments. As we grow our charter fleet and aircraft management businesses over the next 5-10 years, Embraer Business jets will be our number one choice.”
With Embraer’s range of business jets in development and production, the story should become very exciting, indeed. Stay tuned.
Embraer Has Done it Again: Phenom 300 is the Real Deal
On December 3rd, Embraer announced the certification of the Phenom 300 by ANAC (Brazil’s version of our FAA). That means only days before our FAA certifies the aircraft as well, since the two agencies work together closely in the process of new aircraft certifications.
Embraer’s website has published the performance numbers for the aircraft and not only are they are impressive, but also have exceeded expectations in all areas.
Here are the basics:
- Maximum cruise speed: 453 knots (521 mph)
- Maximum range with 6 occupants: 1,971 nautical miles (2,265 statute miles)
- Takeoff distance at maximum weight on a standard (59° F) day at sea level: 3,138 feet
- Landing distance at maximum landing weight sea level: 2,621 feet
- Service ceiling: 45,000 feet - and it gets there in 26 minutes!
Over the past three decades as new aircraft have come into the market, those of us in the business have looked at the numbers and compared them against the aircraft we know.
Every aircraft seems to have some compromise in performance. One aircraft will have good speed and range but needs a longer runway. Another aircraft may be able to takeoff and land on shorter runways but will be slower in speed or have less range. Some aircraft have limited range when you fill every seat. You can’t have it all in one package….or can you?
It appears that Embraer has built a no-compromises aircraft that gives great speed and range with the ability to fly out of almost any public airport in the United States, including those challenging high-altitude airports in the Rocky Mountains, like Telluride, Colorado. In fact, you can take off in a Phenom 300 from Telluride airport at 9,078 feet elevation and go non-stop to any other city in the United States.
Our business (CFM) has operated the Lear 35 series aircraft for over 15 years, and they are the workhorses of our fleet. Prior to that, the Lear 24/25 series aircraft was the workhorse. When they were produced throughout the 1970s and into the early 1990s, these aircraft were the no-compromise aircraft of their day. For the most part, you could fill up the tanks with fuel and the cabin with passengers and go. They did like a little more runway than the Cessna Citation series aircraft, but the Lears were faster.
For years, we have wondered when someone was going to make an aircraft that would eventually take the Learjet’s place. I believe Embraer has done it with the Phenom 300. This aircraft provides true jet speed and operating altitudes, excellent range for transcontinental trips, great fuel economy and low maintenance costs of new-generation design all in one package. The aircraft has a 35,000 hour life limit, which is close to an eternity in the corporate and charter use environment where aircraft average 400-500 hours per year. You can tell the Phenom 300 was built by a company that builds durable and reliable regional airliners.
So, congratulations (or felicitações) to Embraer for bringing another great aircraft into the market at a time when a lot of manufacturers are wondering how to survive this economy. I have a feeling we will see Phenom 100s and Phenom 300s in a lot of charter fleets over the next few years.