Development and testing of Dassault’s 7,500-nm, Mach 0.925-capable Falcon 10X is proceeding apace. Primary parts for the 19-passenger ultra-long-range jet are now in production, as well as long-lead elements such as the landing gear. Key systems and components are now undergoing rigorous tests at various Dassault and supplier locations.
Among them is the all-composite wing. The wing test article, known as the LNX, has now completed 10,000 equivalent flight cycles, while the flight simulator bench at Dassault’s development center in St Cloud has conducted 300 representative “flights.”
EBACE 2023 promises to be a show unlike any previous due to its potential as a target for environmental protestors. Other European industry events this year—including EBAA’s AirOps2023 Conference in February—have attracted negative attention from organized groups that sought to disrupt the activities.
While a permit has been filed for a peaceful demonstration to take place this evening near the main entrance to Palexpo, show organizers EBAA and NBAA said they are prepared for any contingency. “One difference that people will notice this year is there is more emphasis on security,” said EBAA COO Robert Balthus. “There’s going to be a few more checks [and] before you get in there might be a bag check.”
Honeywell’s in-development Anthem integrated avionics suite is well into the flight-testing phase onboard the company’s Pilatus PC-12 testbed, in preparation for some likely airframer announcements that are expected soon. The PC-12 has logged more than 120 flight-test hours with various Anthem systems and less than two weeks ago it flew for the first time with the complete integrated flight deck and also fully managed by the system, according to Honeywell. The milestone flight in the Phoenix area was piloted by test pilots Ed Manning in the left seat and Bill Lee in the right seat, with support from flight engineers Paul Carter and Will Quinn.
So far, two advanced air mobility companies—Lilium and Vertical Aerospace—have selected Anthem for their aircraft, and this illustrates one of Anthem’s core features: it is scaleable from small aircraft to large and anything in between. It is also designed for both forward-fit applications on new aircraft and retrofits to existing aircraft.
After introducing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Geneva Airport for the first time last year in honor of EBACE 2022, Jet Aviation has done it again for this year's show. In partnership with renewable fuel producer TotalEnergies, the Zurich-based service provider imported a stock of 30 percent blended SAF and is making it available to aircraft operators visiting the company’s Geneva FBO until Friday.
A cornerstone of the aviation industry’s decarbonization efforts, SAF offers life cycle carbon emissions savings over jet-A that increase depending upon the amount of SAF in the blend ratio. For example, the use of a 30 percent SAF blend reduces an aircraft's life cycle emissions by about 24 percent, while 100 percent SAF raises that benefit up to 80 percent.
“We're off to a strong start,” Boeing Business Jets president Joe Benson said on Monday at EBACE. The company has received orders and an option for four aircraft thus far this year: a BBJ Max 7, two BBJ 787-8s, and the first option to purchase a BBJ 777-9.
“Each part of our family is represented in those orders and commitments,” Benson added. Those families are the single-aisle BBJ; in-production widebodies (the all-composite BBJ 787 Dreamliner); and BBJ 777X next-generation widebody.
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 2023, whether you’re in Las Vegas attending the show or watching from afar.
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