Rolls-Royce began flight testing its Pearl 10X turbofan that will power the ultra-long-range Dassault Falcon 10X, the engine manufacturer announced this morning.

The third in Rolls-Royce’s Pearl program (the Pearl 15 powers the Bombardier Global 5500/6500 and the Pearl 700 is on the Gulfstream G700/G800), the 18,000-pound-thrust engine for Dassault's flagship airplane is being flown on Rolls-Royce’s Boeing 747-200 testbed in Tucson, Arizona. According to Rolls, the engine will undergo performance and handling checks at a range of speeds and altitudes, inflight relights, trials of the nacelle’s anti-icing system, and fan vibration assessments.

Rolls’ testbed is fitted with five engines for these trials: the Pearl 10X, a Trent 1000, and three RB211s. Fitted with test equipment, the flights can gather up to 20 GB of performance data per day. Flight trials come as the program has accumulated more than 2,300 test hours, including both on its Advance2 core demonstrator and the Pearl 10X engine configuration. The Pearl 10X features Rolls-Royce’s Advance2 engine core.

Ground tests have involved the ultra-low-emissions ALM combustor, which Rolls-Royce said is compatible with 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel, as well as the new accessory gearbox that enables a higher additional power extraction. Rolls-Royce noted that the Pearl 10X—the most powerful business aviation engine in its portfolio—surpassed its target thrust levels on the first test run.

Turbine business airplanes were involved in 12 fatal accidents globally in the first quarter, up from seven in the same period last year, according to preliminary data collected by AIN. Those fatal accidents in the first three months killed 43 crew and passengers, compared with 19 in the first quarter of 2023.

Nine people died in three crashes involving U.S.-registered business jets in the quarter versus two accidents and two fatalities in the three months last year. These included the February 7 crash of a Part 91-operated Beechcraft Hawker 900XP, killing both pilots; February 9, Part 135-operated Bombardier Challenger 604, killing both pilots; and March 10, Part 91-operated IAI Astra SP, killing all five onboard.

Meanwhile, two of the six people aboard a Russian-registered Dassault Falcon 10 died on January 20 when the twinjet crashed in Afghanistan on a chartered ambulance flight.

Operations of U.S.-registered turboprops represented the only turbine business aircraft segment to have experienced a decrease in fatal accidents. In the first quarter, six people lost their lives in one Part 91 accident, compared with 14 fatalities in three accidents in the quarter a year ago.

But there were 26 fatalities in seven accidents of non-U.S.-registered turboprops in the first three months. Two private and two charter operations alone sustained 22 fatalities. During the same time frame last year, three people died in two non-U.S-registered chartered turboprops.

Bombardier Challenger 3500 and Global 7500 operators enrolled in the OEM’s Smart Link Plus flight data monitoring (FDM) service could see about 5 percent higher aircraft market valuation, according to Vref Aircraft Value Reference. The aircraft valuation firm has officially started to recognize Smart Link Plus as a value add for Bombardier business jets.

Since Smart Link Plus is standard equipment on the Global 7500, those continuously enrolled in the program from delivery onward have a back-to-birth traceability, which Vref said is a first in business aviation. Thus, continuous enrollment in the FDM program could have a “significant impact” on Global 7500 valuation, Vref said. Conversely, it added, “absence of enrollment…will result in a notable deduction in the aircraft’s value.”

Besides enhanced resale value, Vref said the inclusion of Smart Link Plus in the valuation process will also streamline future sales transactions. “The comprehensive data provided by the program facilitates faster and more efficient closing processes on the resale side, reducing the need for extensive due diligence,” it noted.

“The recognition of Smart Link Plus as a pivotal factor in aircraft valuation marks a significant moment in the industry,” said ASA and Vref president Jason Zilberbrand. “As more OEMs adopt similar programs, the landscape of aircraft valuation and resale is set to evolve dramatically.”

ExecuJet MRO Services Australia has completed its first 20-year maintenance check on a Global Express, the heaviest airframe check possible for the Bombardier business jet, the company said today. The extensive work involved removing the cabin interior to allow access to areas of the fuselage that required inspecting and testing. All three sets of landing gear were also overhauled.

ExecuJet made the most of the downtime by upgrading the inflight entertainment system with Honeywell’s Ovation Select cabin management system and installing USB-C outlets in the cabin.

“With more Global Express aircraft coming due for this check in the coming years, we are well positioned as we have the experience and attention to detail,” said Grant Ingall, ExecuJet’s regional v-p for Australasia.

ExecuJet MRO Services has operated in Australia for more than two decades. Besides Melbourne, it also has heavy maintenance facilities in Perth and Sydney.

Gogo Business Aviation is making significant progress with two key initiatives set to hit the market in 2024: Gogo Galileo and Gogo 5G. Testing is underway for both systems. Gogo Galileo, the company’s new global broadband service, reached a major milestone in late March completing an end-to-end connection using its small HDX antenna. Gogo also announced in March that it had initiated testing of its 5G software using a virtual flight simulator that it created.

Bombardier has published an environmental product declaration (EPD) for the Challenger 650 and now has one in place for its full suite of in-production aircraft. The publication of the EPD, which provides an analysis of the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, comes almost a year ahead of the Canadian manufacturer’s goal to have them in place for its entire in-production aircraft portfolio.

Bombardier paved new ground in the business jet sector with the initial EPD it secured for the Global 7500 in 2020. The EPD was developed through the International EPD System, which has a library of declarations for products from more than 30 countries in an attempt to foster transparency about environmental life cycles. Third-party verified to international ISO standards, the EPD discloses detailed information about a product from raw material to end-of-life.

Since 2020, Bombardier has been adding EPDs for each of its business jets—the Challenger 3500 followed in 2022 and then the Global 5500 and 6500 last year.

“The role of EPDs is not to stamp our aircraft as more sustainable than others—rather, to take ownership of the environmental impact they generate,” explained Jean-Christophe Gallagher, executive v-p of aircraft sales and Bombardier Defense. “For clients, these reports can be easily consulted like any other spec document.”

Switzerland’s SESE accident investigation agency is probing the crash of an Airbus AS350B3 helicopter on Tuesday that killed three of the six people on board. The rotorcraft crashed at around 9:25 a.m. local time while in the process of disembarking skiers on the Petit Combin Mountain in the Swiss Alps at an altitude of 12,000 feet.

According to a statement by the police force of Valais canton, a pilot, a mountain guide, and four skiers were on board. Swiss-based Air Glaciers confirmed it was the operator of the aircraft. It has 12 AS350s and H125s in its fleet, as well as four EC135s and H145s.

The three survivors were airlifted to a hospital in Sion, with seven rescue helicopters operated by Air Zermatt and Rega having been dispatched to the scene. None of those involved in the accident have been identified.

A police report indicated that the helicopter slid down the northern slope of the mountain for reasons that are now being investigated. The accident occurred at a designated landing site for ski trips.

Alto Aviation has developed a retrofit solution for Gulfstream G200s equipped with obsolete Honeywell or Collins cabin management systems (CMS). The retrofit features several upgrades, including removing headphone audio jacks for optional USB-A or -C charging ports and replacing existing CD/DVD source equipment with Bluetooth audio receivers. In addition, existing NTSC aux panels are swapped with HDMI aux ports to interface with high-definition bulkhead monitors.

"We are pleased to serve our MRO customers by introducing this simple and effective upgrade solution designed to solve CMS obsolescence in the Gulfstream G200 aircraft. Cadence switch panels offer a practical CMS solution without any performance compromise and an unrivaled price point. Our authorized installers do a great job, and the installations are fast, with seamless results, easily bringing new cabin control life to this great aircraft," said Steve Lord, senior technical sales manager at Alto Aviation.

The company's retrofit also provides replacement switch panels at all locations except the VIP seat and the galley locations, which need to be trimmed to support the additional features required for the master switch panels.

Aloft AeroArchitects is developing a supplemental type certificate (STC) for installation of a Eutelsat OneWeb satcom system in the Boeing 737 series. This STC will enable owners of Boeing Business Jets to install the OneWeb system in their airplanes, and Aloft's first installation will be in a Boeing BBJ.

The OneWeb satcom includes an electronically steered antenna developed by Stellar Blu Technologies and delivered by Satcom Direct, which is Eutelsat OneWeb’s distribution partner. Total system weight is 98 kilograms (216 pounds), and the antenna measures 213 centimeters (84 inches) by 105 centimeters, with a height of 9.25 centimeters.

With system speeds of up to 195 Mbps download and 32 Mbps upload, the OneWeb low-earth-orbit constellation—with more than 630 satellites—is available worldwide. Orbiting at an altitude of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), the OneWeb satellites provide lower latency than geostationary satellites at nearly 36,000 kilometers.

“Our BBJ customers expect their aircraft to be as comfortable and capable as their homes and offices,” said Colby Hall, Aloft director of integrated technology. “This expectation now includes high-speed connectivity and being able to remain connected through their personal devices—all the time. Thanks to the connected ecosystem that Eutelsat OneWeb and their partners are deploying in the business aviation market, our VIP customers will be connected, entertained, and productive like never before—able to work, stream, and trade as they choose.”