Following a three-year pandemic-induced hibernation, EBACE is returning to an in-person show with the debuts of two of the latest high-end, large-cabin business jets: the Gulfstream G700 and Dassault Falcon 6X. The ultra-long-range jets are on display for public purview for the first time at any major event.
The G700, Gulfstream’s forthcoming flagship introduced at NBAA-BACE in 2019, is setting new performance standards. En route to EBACE, the aircraft, S/N 6, set its seventh international city-pair speed record: from Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, to Geneva in 7 hours and 37 minutes—achieving an average speed of Mach 0.90. That flight was conducted using sustainable aviation fuel.
S/N 6—the first fully-outfitted production G700 that is on static display—will return to Savannah after the show to rejoin the flight-test program.
The Falcon 6X that is making the type’s public debut, F-WZOA, is the fourth of the 5,500-nm range business jets to be built and is the first to be fitted with a full interior. It first flew late in the first quarter and is being employed for cabin design verification and demonstration of the operational maturity of the design.
Next month, the aircraft is embarking on a four-week, 40-stop, 150-flight hour round-the-world tour to validate the reliability of the aircraft and onboard systems in real-world conditions ahead of entry into service, which is now slated for mid-2023.
Private aircraft departing EBACE 2022 will have the option to refuel with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), thanks to a deal signed by Jet Aviation with French fuel producer TotalEnergies.
At its Geneva Airport FBO, Jet Aviation has imported a supply of 30 percent SAF blend, which will provide an approximately 24 percent decrease in lifecycle carbon emissions compared with the same volume of conventional jet-A.
While this marks the first time SAF has been available in Geneva, this is the second time the company has offered it in Switzerland. Jet Aviation debuted the renewable fuel at its Zurich FBO in 2020 for the World Economic Forum (WEF). Complementing its SAF uplifts for outbound Geneva flights this year, the aviation services provider will also offer book-and-claim service for inbound flights as well as for this year’s WEF activity.
“We are delighted to partner with TotalEnergies, whose commitment to renewable energy solutions supports our efforts to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint by promoting increased production of, and access to SAF,” said Joao Martins, Jet Aviation v-p of European FBO operations and general manager of its Zurich facility. “Only by working together with our partners have we been able to bring SAF to Geneva in time for EBACE and WEF, both of which are taking place in Switzerland this week.”
Rolls-Royce is wrapping up testing on its Pearl 700 engine for the ultra-long-range Gulfstream G700 and shifting to “production mode,” said Colm Golden, Rolls-Royce's senior v-p for the Pearl 700 program. The company has delivered several production engine shipsets to the OEM since handing over the first ones late last year and already has issued two-thirds of the necessary certification reports.
Meanwhile, Golden reports that the test campaign on the Pearl 10X for Dassault’s large-cabin flagship is also proceeding well. Both the Pearl 700 and 10X are rated to produce more than 18,000 pounds of thrust and deliver significant increases in efficiency.
Compared to the Rolls-Royce BR725 that powers the Gulfstream G650, the Pearl 700 delivers an 8 percent increase in takeoff thrust, a 12 percent better thrust-to-weight ratio, and a 5 percent higher efficiency. Rolls-Royce has achieved these gains by mating advanced materials and manufacturing techniques, including the use of 3D-printed combustor tiles. Metal injection molding and friction-stir welding are other technology being applied to the engine’s manufacturing.
But Golden stressed that the Pearl’s highly-efficient core is really its secret sauce and that by optimizing it and the parts around it, Rolls-Royce has developed “the most efficient core in business aviation.”
Honeywell Aerospace is seeing a rebound in the business aviation sector from the pandemic and is projecting increased business jet usage this year. The company is confident in recovery in Europe, despite some pockets of challenges. At the same time, it is at the forefront of the drive for greater sustainability in the aviation sector.
“Globally, we’re not seeing purchase plans of new or used jets being postponed due to Covid-19 concerns. In fact, 90 percent of operators in our latest forecast said that Covid hasn’t postponed their plans,” said Ryan Lees, company president for the EMEAI aftermarket. “And in Europe, 19 percent of fleets are expected to see new jet replacements in the next five years alongside a sharp increase in used jet purchase plans.”
As with other companies, Honeywell reports increased focus on large-cabin jets, faster speeds, and extended range, among other factors. “Consumer confidence is growing and pent-up demand for travel is expected to grow throughout 2022,” added Lees.
A key element of Honeywell’s activities is a focus on sustainability. “It’s at the core of what we do,” said Lees. “We have set our own sustainability target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions across facilities and operations by 2035.”
The company focuses half of its new product R&D investment on solutions that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers.
Astronics has formed a strategic partnership with LG Display to bring the latter’s organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology to the aviation marketplace, with a particular focus on inflight entertainment (IFE) systems for business and VIP aircraft. Previously the two companies had collaborated on the delivery of more than 100 4K OLED products qualified for aviation use. The new partnership builds on that work to leverage the technological expertise of both companies to launch further advanced products.
Astronics, and its Custom Control Concepts unit, is exhibiting at EBACE (Booth B41) with a range of offerings, including those from the latest Avenir cabin management system (CMS)/IFE range, which delivers native 4K video distribution through the highest bandwidth ethernet network available in the sector. This is based on fiber optics and power over ethernet (POE) technology that significantly reduces wire count and weight compared with traditional CMS/IFE systems.
Avenir delivers wired and wireless streaming audio/video on demand and an interactive 3D map to a range of LCD and OLED displays and audio outlets. Taking pride of place on the company’s EBACE display is the mighty 77-inch 4K display, the largest monitor currently certified for aviation use.
The digital flip-through issues of AIN’s award-winning EBACE Convention News are now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from EBACE 2022, whether you’re in Geneva attending the show or watching from afar.
Business Aviation Builds Back Better at the EBACE Show
The European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition just opened in Geneva for the first time since 2019. More than 300 exhibitors and 50 aircraft flocked to this picturesque air show site, and plenty of news is forecast from the event. The AIN news team is working around the clock to bring you all the stories.
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