Textron Aviation has received FAA type certification on its newest Cessna 560XL variant—the Citation XLS Gen2, which was introduced at the 2021 NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas. It has also delivered this week the first production copy of the XLS Gen2 to an unnamed, long-time Citation operator in the U.S. Midwest.
“This fresh approach to our popular 560XL series includes comfort and productivity upgrades requested by our customers yet retains the model’s combination of performance and efficiencies that offers midsize jet features at a smaller jet operating cost,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of sales and flight operations Lannie O’Bannion.
Cabin updates to the $15.5 million XLS Gen2 include a lighted airstair door, the addition of an entry door for inclement weather, a pedestal seat design with individual controls and USB charging port, and an optional fold-down forward couch for extra baggage stowage. Additional upgrades are a wireless cabin management system with a moving map monitor, wireless smartphone charging, and an optional Bongiovi speakerless sound system.
The Wichita-based OEM has delivered more than 1,000 Model 560XL variants since the type’s introduction as the Citation Excel in 1998.
AINsight: From Where I Sit
I still see record demand for preowned business aircraft continuing unabated, supply trickling in, and prices remaining at all-time highs. Yes, in certain areas of the market a few more airplanes are coming to market, but this is not causing pressure on pricing.
All the reasons that should be in place for a change are in place—geopolitical events, interest rate hikes, and on and on. But none of these market-changing events are actually changing the market.
I am still seeing sellers limit drastically the allowed inspection protocols. I am still seeing sellers say, “Well that was easy, maybe I should ask even more and give even less.” I am still seeing buyers being willing to accept these prices and terms.”
Yet, I am still going to continue to advise my clients, both sellers and buyers, to act prudently. Act deliberately and keep putting themselves in the other’s shoes. Balance is what we must strive for or I believe we will be setting ourselves up for a harder fall.
Maintaining balance will keep our market going forever, but lack of balance will throw us all off. So, from where I sit, I see an opportunity for both sides to work to create and sustain the industry we all have enjoyed.
ZeroAvia announced today that it has started preparing a second Dornier 228 aircraft to serve as a testbed for its hydrogen-electric propulsion system. The 19-seat aircraft is at the company’s headquarters in Hollister, California, where it is being fitted with the ZA600 powertrain developed by ZeroAvia's UK-based team under the government-funded HyFlyer II project.
According to the company, it could take another three or four months to prepare the Do-228 to begin test flights. ZeroAvia, which is aiming to complete FAA certification for the 600-kW powertrain in 2024, said the system will power aircraft with between 10 and 20 seats operating on routes of up to around 500 miles.
The Do-228 is being converted so that one of its two turboprop engines will operate in tandem with the ZA600 powertrain. Meanwhile, ZeroAvia is lining up partners with which it will test the viability of a variety of passenger, cargo, and industrial applications for the aircraft.
“This new project in California will allow us to use the architectures from our HyFlyer II initiative, where we are working with the same aircraft, and apply those lessons as we further test and demonstrate the system across a number of different use cases,” said ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “Ultimately, this will help us optimize our zero-emission powertrain design ahead of certification.”
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Duncan Aviation delivered to customer Toll Group NW a Cessna CitationJet that features a “flashy” red and black livery with silver accents and a refurbished interior to match. The twinjet’s paint scheme emulates the livery of an Embraer Phenom 300 that the CJ owner saw at Duncan’s Battle Creek, Michigan facility.
“These models of aircraft have solar reflective values that have to be met for the exterior paint,” said Duncan senior completions sales representative Angie Coleman. “This put our paint and design team to work to find a good match of paint in the solar reflective paint formulas.”
On the inside Duncan did a complete refurbishment of the cabin, using a light neutral tone for the headliner and window panels, cabin veneer with brown-toned stain, and red undertone in a matte finish. Drink rails and table inserts are covered with red leather, while lower sidewalls are fitted with a charcoal gray, diamond-patterned chenille fabric. The cabin seats are covered in black leather with red accent stitching, and a charcoal gray carpet capped off the cabin refresh.
“It’s always a little nerve-racking picking finishes because you don’t know how they will look together, but the Duncan Aviation team guided me through the process and ensured the final product would turn out great,” said Toll Group v-p Kjell Lindberg. “It certainly did.”
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told financial analysts that the two repurposed 747-8is slated to replace the current Air Force One airplanes now won’t be ready until 2026—a two-year delay—and that Boeing expects to post a $1.2 billion loss on the deal. He said the $3.9 billion deal announced in 2018 to use already built, but new-production, 747-8is presented “a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken.”
The aircraft, N894BA (S/N 42416) and N895BA (S/N 42417), which will be designated as VC-25Bs by the U.S. Air Force, were originally slated for delivery to defunct Russian airline Transaero, which defaulted on these airplanes. The aircraft were then placed into storage in 2016. In 2015, Boeing had proposed building two new Air Force One aircraft for just over $5 billion—a figure later rejected in 2017 by former President Donald Trump, who personally negotiated the repurposed aircraft deal with former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
However, the program soon ran into delays, triggered by the complexities of retrofitting a civil airliner to a military aircraft equipped with defensive and reinforcement systems, sophisticated communications, and the ability to resist electromagnetic pulse interference from a nuclear blast, as well as labor and supply disruptions from the Covid pandemic. Boeing and interior subcontractor GDC Technics also publicly locked horns in messy litigation related to the delays.
Following its successful return last year after a two-year Covid-induced layoff, JetNet has scheduled its annual iQ Global Business Aviation Summit for September 15 and 16 in New York City. The conference will take place at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and this year’s event theme is “Bluer Skies. Greener Future.”
JetNet iQ is an aviation market research, strategy, and forecasting service for the business aviation industry. The conference will bring together top industry leaders to discuss the current concerns and hurdles facing sustainable aviation growth and what decisions and actions will be required to ensure its future, it added.
"I think we’ve seen a step-change in demand for our industry and services,” said JetNet iQ founder Rollie Vincent. “Business aviation has a duty and a responsibility to become a greener industry and we are on good pathways to get there, but there is a lot of work to be done."
Conference attendees will hear expert perspectives from many sectors, including analysts, brokers, operators, and manufacturers during panel discussions and speaker events. The summit will also provide attendees time to network and develop topics outside of scheduled sessions.
JetNet is offering early-bird registration pricing for the event, a savings of $200 off the regular pricing, through May 17.
Rolls-Royce Electrical, which was formed in January as a business unit focused on developing electric aircraft propulsion and storage systems, exhibited for the first time at the recent Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany.
The division traces its roots back to Rolls-Royce’s acquisition of Siemens’s electric and hybrid-electric aerospace propulsion activities in 2019. During that time, Rolls-Royce Electrical has been developing energy storage and propulsion systems designed for the nascent advanced air mobility market.
Rolls-Royce’s exhibit at Aero Friedrichshafen included details about the Spirit of Innovation, billed as the world’s fastest electric aircraft and developed as part of the UK-funded Accel project. Much of the research that resulted in the Spirit of Innovation, a modified Nemesis NXT experimental airplane that can reach 388 mph, informs future electric products that Rolls-Royce is preparing for customers.
Attendees could also view a cutaway view of Rolls-Royce’s battery for electric aircraft, which is designed to facilitate flights of up to 100 nm and will be ready for the market in 2025 or 2026. Meanwhile, the company’s hybrid-electric turbo-generator, using a turbine engine to drive an electric generator, will be demonstrated later this year, according to customer director Matheu Parr. That hybrid-electric system is expected to be available in 2025 or 2026, he added.
Augmented reality (AR) platform developer Red 6 has signed a strategic partnership—the company’s first such international agreement—with Saudi Arabia-based Advanced Electronics. The company will use Red 6’s AR-based synthetic air combat training to “support and improve training to meet current and future threats,” according to Advanced CEO Ziad Al Musallam.
“We’ve been working on a number of different markets for some time,” said Red 6 CFO and board director Maissan Almaskati. Plans call for Advanced Electronics, which is owned by the Saudi government’s Saudi Arabian Military Industries, to use the Red 6 AR platform to enhance training for pilots that fly the country’s BAE Hawk Mk 165 jet trainers. The first integration of Red 6 AR tools with the Hawk trainers should take place by the end of this year or early next year, according to Almaskati.
The Red 6 AR platform enables a pilot to see virtual and constructive assets—essentially detailed and realistically flying animations of other aircraft such a refueling tanker, friendly or enemy fighter aircraft, and ground-based targets—just by looking outside while flying a training aircraft and wearing special goggles. For safety reasons, the trainee must fly with another pilot who isn’t wearing goggles. The setup allows pilots to practice flying against foes, in formation with virtual teammates, or practicing simulated refueling missions at a much lower cost.
Justice denied. Luke Egan captured this sunset from the Gulfstream G650ER he was piloting on climb out from Sydney, Australia (YSSY). “It was a spectacular sight from FL310. The photo doesn’t do it justice,” he said. We’ll take your word on that, even though we still find the image stunning. Thanks for sharing, Luke!
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