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g500 Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.’s G500 flight-test program continues to make significant progress toward the aircraft’s anticipated 2017 certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The five G500 test aircraft, including a fully outfitted production aircraft, have surpassed 2,600 flying hours and accumulated more than 600 flights. “Development testing is complete; company testing is well under way, and FAA certification has started, putting us right on track for certification and customer deliveries later this year,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. Gulfstream designed the G500 interior after extensive customer feedback, and that collaboration continues. Recently, members of Gulfstream’s Advanced Technology Customer Advisory Team (ATCAT) spent an hour flying in the fully outfitted production aircraft, which serves as the test bed for the cabin. “The feedback during and after these flights was extremely positive,” Burns said. “Our customers tell us that the added flexibility of the cabin, the comfort of our newly designed seats and the enhanced satellite communications will ensure that the G500 customer experience is second to none.” The flight was an unforgettable one for ATCAT member Peter Zeeb, the director of maintenance for Oregon-based Ochoco Administrative Services, which operates three Gulfstream aircraft. “Thank you for letting me have the opportunity to be part of the ATCAT program for the last six years,” Zeeb said. “I truly believe the G500 will be a game-changer for business aviation. The flight was a ‘career’ moment for me. I will never forget it!” Source: ULTIMATEJET  

  The G500 recently marked its longest flight on a mission from Savannah, Ga., out past San Francisco over the Pacific Ocean and back to Savannah. (Photo: Gulfstream Aerospace) Gulfstream continues to check off milestones for its G500 and G600 programs with a G500 recently logging its longest test flight and a third G600 set to fly today for the first time. The G500 has remained on track for service entry this year, with five flight-test aircraft amassing 2,750 hours and more the 640 flights by mid-April. The program earlier this month logged its longest endurance flight when a G500 flew 10 hours, six minutes across the U.S. The flight, which was used to test the onboard satellite communications system, took off from Savannah, Georgia, flew 300 miles west of San Francisco over the Pacific Ocean and headed back to Savannah. The route covered 4,808 nm. Gulfstream flew the fifth of five test G500s—a production aircraft being used for cabin evaluation—on the mission. Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, told analysts during the company’s first-quarter earnings call today that Gulfstream expects to wrap up certification flight tests for the G500 in October, with certification and initial deliveries still anticipated by year-end. The G500 is designed to fly 5,000 nm at Mach 0.85 or 3,800 nm at Mach 0.90. Once the aircraft is certified, Novakovic expects the ramp-up of the G500 to happen more quickly than that of the G650, saying the aircraft will be more mature by the time it reaches market. As for the longer-range G600, Novakovic said the third aircraft is expected to join the flight-test program today. The certification timeline for the G600 is expected to follow about

The visit of the Gulfstream flagship G650ER to Dubai World Central allowed Scott Neal, Gulfstream's senior vice-president of worldwide sales, the chance to show Dave Calderwood around the aircraft and explain why it is so vital to the Middle East. Gulfstream Walk up the airstairs to the entrance of Gulfstream’s flagship G650ER and you enter a world of calm, comfort and amazing space. There are four living areas, galley, bathroom, baggage area and, of course, the high-tech cockpit up front. And, remember, this $70 million aircraft is also the fastest, longest-range, biggest-cabin business jet available. “The G650 has been extremely well received,” said Scott Neal, Gulfstream’s senior vice-president of worldwide sales. “There are more than 200 G650s and ERs in service, and 25 of those are based here in the Middle East. It is a very popular aircraft in the region. “The G650 has helped grow Gulfstream. It’s one of the most successful programmes we’ve ever had. The next available aircraft we can deliver to a customer is in the middle of 2018, so we have a strong backlog and a strong customer commitment. “The Middle East is an extremely important market for Gulfstream and has been for 40 years. We have 120 aircraft based in the region.” Gulfstream and parent company, General Dynamics, have invested in Jet Aviation’s (also a GD company) maintenance facility at Dubai International Airport and also $22 million in a parts centre at Dubai South. “We want to make sure that we position support where our customers are based,” said Neal. “We want to be available and capable of supporting aircraft at their home base.” Two all-new aircraft are on the way from Gulfstream, the G500 and G600.

Embraer Brazilian airframer Embraer delivered 33 aircraft in the first quarter of 2017—18 commercial airliners and 15 executive jets. The figures announced on April 13 represented a 25 percent drop compared with the 44 aircraft delivered in the same period of 2016 (21 commercial jets and 23 executive jets). The 18 commercial airliners consisted of 16 E175 jets and 2 E195 jets that were delivered to operators in Europe, China and the U.S. Meanwhile, the 15 executive jets consisted of 11 light jets and 4 large jets. Embraer’s firm order backlog, as of March 31, was valued $19.2 billion, 12 percent down on the $21.9 billion figure for the first quarter of 2016. In the business aviation sector, Embraer's main achievement was the recognition by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association of its Phenom 300 as the best selling executive jet in the world for the fourth succesive year. While the Phenom 300 has amassed 266 deliveries since 2013, the first of the new Phenom 100EV model was delivered to an undisclosed U.S. customer during this quarter. During the first quarter of this year, Embraer achieved the rollout and first flight of the E195-E2 ahead of schedule. Azul Brazilian Airlines will be the launch operator of the E195-E2, followed by Scandinavian carrier Widerøe, in next year's first half. Source: Ainonline  

BBJ Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) is seeing unprecedented growth in Greater China, where the fleet has tripled over the last five years – with 29 BBJ aircraft in operation. The success of the BBJ fleet in Greater China is driving strong interest in the newest members of the BBJ family, the BBJ MAX 7 and the BBJ 787. “The Greater China BBJ Fleet continues to grow because our customers know Boeing Business Jets offer unbeatable versatility and reliability,” said Greg Laxton, vice president, Boeing Business Jets “We are very confident that strong growth will continue in Greater China. We expect the new BBJMAX family to be very popular in this market with additional cabin space and significant range increase.” The Greater China BBJ fleet will continue to expand this year with two BBJs, one BBJ 2 and one BBJ 787 entering into service in 2017. In 2018, two BBJ MAX 8s will be delivered to customers in the region. Boeing Business Jets recently signed an agreement with Ameco Beijing to serve as an official BBJ warranty service centre. The BBJ and Ameco agreement allows BBJ customers based in Greater China customised and fast support for their aircraft. “Boeing Business Jets is committed to offering world-class customer support. This deal with Ameco is another way that our customers based in Greater China can access support that is fast and customised to their specific needs,” said Laxton.

Bombardier has flown the Global 7000 prototype at speeds up to Mach 0.995 five months after launching the flight test programme, the company says on 29 March. In becoming the largest business jet to come within five-thousandths of a Mach number below supersonic speed, the achievement shows the Global 7000 flight envelope is expanding. The Global 7000, powered by two GE Aviation Passport engines, will enter service in 2018 with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925, but the jet is flown beyond that limit in flight tests.   Global 7000 Since first flight, Bombardier has racked up 200 hours in the flight test campaign with two prototypes —FTV1 and FTV2. “Our flight test vehicles continue to show a high degree of maturity in testing, dispatching twice daily in many cases,” says Michel Ouellette, senior vice-president for the Global 7000 and Global 8000 programmes. The first two prototypes feature the Global 7000’s fly-by-wire system and engine, but rely on a pre-production version of the wings. Bombardier announced in July 2015 a wing redesign that caused the programme to delay entry into service by two years. In February, chief executive Alain Bellemare revealed the redesign reduced the weight of the wing, but the aerodynamics of the airfoils remain unchanged. The first flight of a prototype Global 7000 with the lighter-weight wing installed is expected this summer.   The Global 7000 is designed to fly distances up to 7,400nm, fitting between the range of the Gulfstream G650 and G650ER. By contrast, the Global 7000 is longer than either Gulfstream model, accommodating a fourth cabin zone.   Source: FlightGlobal.  

G500 Gulfstream has completed the development testing for the new G500 and has begun the FAA certification process. During the development testing the five test aircraft flew a combined 2,600 hours over 600 flights. The five test aircraft inclue a fully outfitted G500, complete with a production interior. “Development testing is complete; company testing is well under way, and FAA certification has started, putting us right on track for certification and customer deliveries later this year,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “The maturity, discipline and rigor of our program give us great confidence as we look forward to our first delivery.” Gulfstream designed the interior of the G500 interior with extensive feedback from customers, with members of the Advanced Technology Customer Advisory Team (ATCAT) recently having the chance to fly on the fully outfitted aircraft. “The feedback during and after these flights was extremely positive,” Burns said. “Our customers tell us that the added flexibility of the cabin, the comfort of our newly designed seats and the enhanced satellite communications will ensure that the G500 customer experience is second to none.” Gulfstream are aiming to have the G500 certificated later in 2017, with customer deliveries begining shortly afterwards. Source: CorporateJetInvestor  

Pilatus- PC-12 NG Delivery of 91 PC-12 NG single engine turboprops in 2016 make it officially the top-selling turbine-powered business aircraft in the world. With 91 aircraft delivered to customers around the world in 2016, the PC-12 NG outpaced sales of all other individual models of turbine-powered business aircraft. In mid-2017, Pilatus will deliver the 1,500th PC-12. At this year’s “Annual Industry Review” press conference, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association GAMA released its 2016 Year-End Aircraft Shipment and Billings report to the public. While overall industry shipments of turboprops and business jets declined by 3% relative to 2015, Pilatus increased sales of its popular single-engine PC-12 NG turboprop by 30%. New features in the 2016 PC-12 NG increased cruise speed to 285 KTAS (528 km/h), reduced cabin noise levels, offered updated interior design options, and featured more than a dozen drag reduction changes to the airframe, increasing both range and speed. These enhancements were well received in the market, with demand high across the global Pilatus sales network. In mid-2016, Pilatus was also recognized for its customer service being rated number 1 for the 15th consecutive year by owners and operators in an annual survey conducted by Professional Pilot magazine. Ignaz Gretener, Vice President of Pilatus Aircraft Ltd’s General Aviation business unit commented: “The entire Pilatus team, from engineering to manufacturing to sales and service worked hard this year to achieve these successes in a very challenging market. The PC-12’s comfort, versatility, performance, resale value, and safety all come together to make it the most sought after aircraft in the market. We are honored that our customers continue to put their trust in us, and we will never take that for granted.” Despite an

The third Citation Longitude has joined the test programme. Test pilots Corey Eckhart and UJ Pesonen, along with flight test engineer Mike Bradfield, successfully tested various systems throughout the one-hour and 40-minute flight. The aircraft will be used in the programme for avionics and systems development, as well as collecting flight simulator data. In addition to the three flying test aircraft, the company has started assembly line flow in the company’s east campus Plant IV manufacturing facility, with the first four production Longitude aircraft currently in progress. These aircraft are being built using the same advanced tooling and manufacturing techniques that were applied on the Longitude flight test articles, which drives precision and quality on the assembly line. “The speed at which our team is achieving these milestones is an important indication to our customers of the maturity of the aircraft’s systems and the proficiency of our processes.” “The speed at which our team is achieving these milestones is an important indication to our customers of the maturity of the aircraft’s systems and the proficiency of our processes,” said Brad Thress, senior vice president of Engineering. “We continue to build momentum in the program, and the team is dedicated to getting this world-class aircraft in the hands of our customers.” The third aircraft joins the test programme less than six months after the first Longitude flew in October 2016. To date, the first two aircraft in the flight test program have completed 125 flights, logging more than 250 hours. Certification of the citation longitude is expected by the end of this year. Source: corporatejetinvestor

Bombardier Business Aircraft is pleased to announce its establishment of five new line maintenance stations across Europe. The facilities provide line maintenance support to Bombardier Business Aircraft customers in Europe, complementing the tip-to-tail heavy maintenance services provided by Bombardier’s Service and Support Network in the region and worldwide. “This expansion is an integral part of our overall strategy to enhance OEM support for our European operators, including the opening of our brand new heavy maintenance facility at London Biggin Hill Airport,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Vice-President and General Manager, Customer Experience, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “As a part of our commitment to offering an exceptional customer experience, we are delighted to continue to offer our customers expanded support, more resources and increased flexibility closer to their base of operations.” The facilities are located in Linz, Austria; Nice and Cannes, France; and Milan and Olbia, Italy and provide scheduled line maintenance along with unscheduled and AOG maintenance support for Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft in the Europe region. The five stations are connected to Bombardier Business Aircraft’s 24/7 Customer Response Centre, as well as Bombardier Business Aircraft’s Customer Support Team.The line maintenance facilities join Bombardier Business Aircraft’s award-winning network of nine service centers and a total of 17 Customer Response Team mobile units worldwide, all equipped to support Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global business aircraft. The network’s approximately 1,000 dedicated technicians have completed some 45,000 maintenance events to date, and share best practices to provide industry-leading maintenance and care. Bombardier Business Aircraft customers also have access to a broad network of nearly 50 Authorized Service Facilities around the world. Copyright : Frédéric Vergnères   Source: ULTIMATE JET