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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 11/97 NBAA MEETING AT DALLAS CELBRATES 50 YEARS OF BUSINESS AVIATION by Norbert Burgner 50 years NBAA - 50 years management tool aircraft. What started with aircraft such as the Lockheed JetStar, is today, with super jets from Bombardier and Gulfstream or the Airbus and Boeing luxury liners, offering the ultimate way of transportation. The presentation of the world's two largest aircraft manufacturers at this year's anniversary convention of the National Business Aircraft Aviation (NBAA) in Dallas, Texas, went as expected. Once again, Airbus Industrie and Boeing exchanged their "traditional messages of greetings". In the manner proven at many airshows, the two were beating at the respective competitor's products. Especially Airbus vice president John Leahy has meanwhile acquired a degree of artistic skill in this exercise. Airbus Industrie Leahy says that he can't see how the competitor from Seattle can come up with a market potential of 24 aircraft per year since this is exactly the number that AI expects to sell per year. He continues, saying that there is no doubt who will succeed in that market segment, pointing out the more roomy cabin of the A319CJ that was launched in June (78,75 cubic meters as compared to the Boeing Business Jet's 75 cubic meters) alongside a 30 percent larger cockpit, the longer range (11668 km as compared to 11482 km), a better take-off and landing performance, and 11 percent lower operating costs. Leahy's assessment of the Global Express and Gulfstream GV is even more drastic. He says that for almost the same capital costs (list price of $35 million for a green aircraft) and only little higher operating costs, the customer would get a much better comfort. According to the Airbus manager, the A319CJ is leading the scale of "operating costs per hour per cubic meter of comfort" in this market segment, followed by the BBJ and only then the GEX and GV. However, he doesn't take into consideration the fact that the level of direct operating costs of the two super long-range business jets is approximately 20 percent lower. Furthermore, it remains open whether the customer will be willing to pay a $ five million higher purchase price along with the higher equipment costs because of the larger cabin of the airliner business jets. An interesting aspect is the option to equip the A319CJ with a four-wheel main landing gear in tandem configuration, reducing the runway and taxiway load by up to half. This, along with the really somewhat better power/weight ratio, might give the A319CJ, compared to the BBJ, a better destination flexibility. AI has logged seven firm orders for the aircraft since the program was launched at the Paris airshow. While this is a clear indication of customer preference for John Leahy, Boeing Business Jets president Borge Boeskov has some doubts. Boeing Since the BBJ program was initiated one year ago, Boeing has sold already 25 units to 21 customers. The BBJ is based on the 737-700 fuselage, fitted with structurally enforced parts (wings and landing gear) and the engines of the larger 800 version. The fuel needed to yield the almost doubled range of 11482 km (as compared to the basic airliner), BBJ is holding in nine additional fuselage tanks with a capacity of 16254 liters, increasing the total capacity to 42289 liters. While this is 1179 liters more than the Airbus product holds, the BBJ still comes 186 km shorter in range - one result from its higher take-off mass (approximately two tons). However, the expected operating costs of the two competing products are really close and the BBJ's price of $32 million is three million below the AI product. All together, Boeskov sees a market potential of 600 super business jets (including GEX and GV) until 2007, 40 percent of which is to be covered by the BBJ. Bombardier The Montreal based manufacturer of business jets does not agree with that, however. A Bombardier manager says: "One certainly buys cabin volume when purchasing a BBJ or A319CJ. But, along with that goes less range, less speed, less operational performance, an unfavorable cost structure, less flexibility, and really less cabin comfort." For one, while the GEX passenger stays at a comfortable cabin altitude of 1500 m (at a cruising altitude of 12,5 km), the BBJ passenger is "flying" at 2500 meters. Secondly, the cabin air in the BBJ is only adapted to short-range airline flights, while the GEX cabin offers air that is specially cleaned through an ozone converter, along with a indirect floor heating, such being optimized for the requirements of long-range business aviation. He continues, pointing out the GEX's longer range in all speed regimes, for example allowing direct connections between New York and Tokyo. Other advantages of the BBJ include the higher cruise speed of the GEX, along with the shorter take-off roll (by 700 meters) and the approximately 100 meter shorter landing distance. According to the Bombardier speaker, the Canadian super long-ranger has a drastic economic advantage over the new airliner business jet. According to a Conklin & deDekker study, the BBJ supposedly generates $2401 direct operating costs while the GEX flies for $1382 per hour. Assuming 500 flight hours per year, this would mean a $509.500 advantage per year for the GEX operator. Concerning the competing Gulfstream, Global Express product management director, Kevin Hoffman says that the weight discussion that was raised by the manufacturer from Savannah is "far-fetched". He continues, saying that the announced weight increase of the GEX is due to the additional fuel tank (fuel plus empty weight of the tank). The tank was originally included in the aircraft design as a safety margin and was activated when the problem of the higher weight and with this a six percent higher specific fuel consumpotion (SFC) of the BMW/Rolls-Royce engines came up. When the engine manufacture solved the SFC-Problem, the tank stayed, increasing the range of the GEX to 6700 nm. Hoffmann also says that Gulfstream purposely launched some erroneous information about the GEX's additional tank being in the engine rotor burst zone. "This is not the case. The exact opposite is the case, it's the GV whose pressure bulkhead is located in this critical area." All together, Bombardier can be satisfied with the order log for the GEX. Although the arch rival GV had the advantage of an earlier market introduction, the order book comparison is somewhat balanced (74 GV and 68 GEX). The certification of the Global Express is scheduled for May of next year. Gulfstream There was only record news to be heard from Gulfstream at the NBAA in Texas. On 19 August, the GV was the first business jet to cover the route from New York to Tokyo in a nonstop flight. Four weeks later, on 14 September, the GV set a total of 24 new records. Among others, the twinjet carried an observer from the National Aeronautic Association including a 2000-kg payload in 15 minutes and 34 seconds to an altitude of 51.000 ft. At the end of the day, the aircraft topped at a true altitude of 55.256 ft. Dassault This would be the altitude at which an object would fly whose feasibility is currently studied by the French company Dassault Aviation. "It's time to discuss a supersonic Falcon jet", says Francois Georges, vice president civil aircraft. He says that while a transpacific range does not have to have the priority for such an aircraft, the route from Paris to New York should be the minimum. He excludes speeds beyond Mach 2 due to the effort and costs involved. The first step will be a study that may take six months to a year. Should the results be encouraging, preliminary design concepts would be worked out. According to Dassault, the first supersonic business jet could be on the market around the year 2007. Georges is optimistic: "We have so much experience with supersonic fighters that the realization would not be a real problem." Other NBAA highlights include the 2500th Citation (a Citation X) being delivered just prior to the show - the 179000th aircraft in the company's history. Galaxy Aerospace rolled out the prototype of the new super mid-size jet Galaxy on 4 September. Nine months after the scheduled date, the newest Learjet family member, the Learjet 45, received FAA certification on the day just prior to the show. According to Bombardier, there are already 135 firm orders for the new Lear. From page 32 of FLUG REVUE 11/97 Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 11/97 Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated October 16, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany