Aircraft

Aircraft of the Week - Cessna Citation X+ The Citation X+ is a Mid Sized Jet produced by Cessna. The Citation X+ is a very unique aircraft when considering the cruise speed and top speed of such an aircraft. The Citation X+ allows you to fly at mach .935 or 711 miles per hour, making this aircraft the fastest operating business jet ever made. The X+ is based off of the Citation X which was first developed in 1996. Changes from its predecessor include a 14.9 in longer cabin, 0.8 in of extra height, a 5.6 ft increase in wingspan, an increase in maximum takeoff weight to 36,600 lb and a 26 nautical mile increase in range up to 3,242 nautical miles. The original Citation X was a very similar aircraft, lacking winglets on the wingtips and not as easily distinguishable from the X+ as you may imagine. The X+ has 2 Rolls-Royce AE3007C2 turbofan engines capable of pushing 7,034 lbs of thrust (quite a feat considering the engine size) Able to takeoff in 5,250 feet, this is a pretty large runway requirement when compared to smaller business jets, but just about right for a jet like the X+. What the X+ lacks in takeoff distance, it easily makes up for in climb rate. The X+ climbs at 4,117 feet per minute (one of the fastest climb rates we’ve seen in an aircraft of this type). The all new cabin design offers expanded legroom and allows the Citation X+ to reach new levels of comfort, the X+ has a partial galley and a full sized lavatory, something unexpected from a Citation aircraft, the X+ is one of the largest cabin aircraft made by Cessna thus

Gulfstream G5 Jet The Gulfstream G5 Jet or Gulfstream G-V is a long range enabled large jet first made by Gulfstream Aerospace in 1998. The Gulfstream GV Jet was one of the very first jets to hold the title of “ultra long range aircraft” with a massive 5,800 nautical miles. 5,800 nautical miles was nearly unheard of at the time, and it outperformed the majority of widebody airliners at the time, and is also capable of nonstop flights between New York and Tokyo, or New York and Moscow, or nearly any other pair of cities imaginable. The Gulfstream G5 not only offered  huge range capabilities, but also a cruise speed of mach .85, much faster than commercial airliners, and even now only beaten by a handful of aircraft in terms of speed. The Gulfstream G5 can be configured for up to 19 passengers in a very comfortable VIP configuration, or less passengers for more cabin room, or a few seats in club configuration and a divan, allowing more freedom to move about the cabin. The Gulfstream G5 Jet quickly became an important aircraft for business aviation. It not only allowed amazing range and speed capabilities, but also a huge cabin at over 50 feet long, basically unheard of at the time for a private jet of this class. With a breathtaking interior design, the Gulfstream G5 Jet’s cabin was one of the first to be large enough to allow unseen cabin amenities, everything was easy to implement on this aircraft, from video screens to beds and full sized galleys and lavatories. The Gulfstream G5 Jet later evolved into two very important aircraft as well, which were both constructed from the original Gulfstream G5, out of

Aircraft of the Week - Nextant 400XTi The Nextant 400XTi is a unique aircraft, but is not technically an aircraft, but a modification. The Nextant 400XTi is an updated hawker 400, which according to Nextant, has been completely rebuilt from the ground up, with the exception of the fuselage. But the engines are replaced with better fuel efficient and more powerful engines, the wings have been modified for a stable flight at high speeds and the ability to cut down fuel costs. The 400XTi also has completely updated avionics and cabin, making this aircraft worthy of a name more than just a modification, but a full blown aircraft. While the 400XTi and the Hawker 400 may share some similarities, the Nextant 400XTi is a much better aircraft in every aspect. It is faster, flies farther and even goes so far as to beat the majority of the light jets on the market in terms of speed, range, operating cost, and even price. At $4.9 million, the Nextant 400XTi is under half the price of competing light jets such as the learjet 40/70 which costs a massive $10 million. Nextant has added an amazing composite shell interior to the 400XTi. These modern materials change the experience of the Nextant 400XTi, allowing more passenger space where its needed. The 400XTii has the quietest cabin in its class with the acoustic insulation package that lowers ambient noise by 9 dB in the region of 50% quieter than the competition. Coupled with state of the art cabin entertainment and communications systems, the 400XTii is an elegant example of comfort and productivity. Nextant has this to say about the technology advancements of this aircraft: "Nextant completely redesigned the engine cowlings

Dassault Falcon 5X Specifications and Charter Info The Falcon 5X is marketed by Dassault Aviation as their biggest and most advanced jet as of yet. First introduced in 2013, and aiming for a first flight early next year, the Falcon 5X boasts a hefty 5,200 nmi range and great fuel efficiency. This all new business jet features a groundbreaking 6 foot 6 inch high cabin, enough room to stand up in the cabin comfortably, and putting other large jets in its category to shame. Featuring efficient and environmentally friendly Safran Snecma Silvercrest Engines, which Dassault Aviation claims "this can make the aircraft as much as 50% more efficient on short missions” this is of course when compared to jets within its category, large jets tend to burn a great deal of fuel and the 5X looks to be a great business jet in terms of operating cost. The Falcon 5Xs range of 5,200 nmi makes the 5X capable of flying from New York to nearly any location in South America, Europe, and parts of Africa as well as Asia. Expected to be capable of taking off and landing in under 6000 ft, and featuring a cruise altitude of between 41,000 and 45,000 ft as well as a top speed of mach .90 which essentially makes this aircraft tied for the title of fastest business jet (referring to the Ciation X of course). Dassault also claims that this aircraft will in some circumstances be capable of using runways under 4,000 ft., which would make this an excellent aircraft for all sorts of private flights, the downside to larger aircraft is the immense runway length required to take off or land, which means customers will very often

Aircraft of the Week - Embraer Lineage 1000 This week’s aircraft of the week is the Embraer Lineage 1000, an aircraft that doesn’t fit as easily into a category as other jets of it’s size and specifications. At first glance, the Embraer Lineage 1000 is a narrowbody airliner. The Embraer Lineage 1000 was built as a variant of the Embraer 190, a regional jet, traditionally configured for 94 passengers. The Embraer Lineage 1000 makes huge changes to the regional airliner by dropping the maximum capacity from 94 passengers to a much more comfortable 19. While not technically as large as a BBJ or ACJ, the Embraer Lineage 1000 still has a larger cabin than long ranged business jets, and is just slightly smaller than competing narrowbodies (BBJ & ACJ). The Embraer Lineage 1000 further modifies the Embraer 190 by dropping the cargo area for a much needed upgrade: fuel tanks, this nearly doubles the range to 4,500 nmi, not enormous in terms of competing narrowbodies, or competing long range business jets, but still a large enough range to hold it’s own. Lest we forget that 4,500 nmi is enough range to fly from New York to western Russia. Boasting a maximum speed of mach 0.83, the Embraer Lineage 1000 is a rare find, only 13 have been built thus far, and I have been lucky enough to see two. All Lineage 1000s come with a lavish VIP configured interior which at first glance looks like a Global Express 6000/XRS, but the larger cabin space is apparent as soon as you step through the door. With full sized bedrooms, lavatories with full sized showers, and full sized galleys, the Embraer Lineage 1000 does not come up short

Aircraft of the Week - Piaggio P180 Avanti The Piaggio P180 Avanti is a unique aircraft, loved by many, ridiculed by others. Those who have seen the P180 Avanti in person have realized how beautiful of a turboprop it is, especially compared to other turboprops sharing its basic specifications. What makes the P180 Avanti so great? Firstly, the P180 Avanti has a small forward wing, in addition to a rear wing, generally, this type of forward wing has never been seen outside of supersonic aircraft (with some exceptions of course). The P180 Avanti’s forward wing is meant to compensate for how incredibly far back the main wing is, with the rear wing nearly reaching the tail section. It is hard to miss that the twin turboprop engines on the P180 Avanti are pointing backwards instead of forwards. These two turboprop engines are mounted behind the cabin, and instead of pulling air towards the rear, these engine push the air backwards. But why this unique configuration for this turboprop? The P180 Avanti has a cruise speed of 455 mph, something more comparable to a light jet than a turboprop. For example, the Cessna CJ1 cruises at 447 mph while offering a range of 1,300 nm, whereas the P180 Avanti has a longer range, approximately 1,500 nm. This is due to the unorthodox aircraft’s configuration of rear mounted rear pushing turboprop engines. This engine configuration not only helps fuel economy, but also cabin noise levels. The rear pushing engines are known to be loud, but only to the outside world, in the cabin, the noise is a manageable 68 dBA, quite a bit quieter than traditional turboprops. The fuel burn rate for the P180 Avanti is 3.1