Month: December 2022

The U.S Sun – Reports

WANT to travel from New York to Los Angeles in as little as three and a half hours? It will cost you more than $30,000. The extraordinary price point is tagged onto Bombardier’s Global 7500 business aircraft – the world’s largest and longest-range private jet. With a range of 8,860 miles and up to 14 hours, flights from New York can reach as far as London, Moscow, Dubai, and New Delhi.

The massive jet reaches a maximum speed of 0.925 Mach and holds up to 19 passengers. Released in 2018, the aircraft has since been dubbed the “Ferrari of the Skies.” The near-supersonic speed and exclusive features have attracted many celebrities including Kylie Jenner.

Before you go rushing for a ticket, those who wish to try it out for themselves will have to fork over $10,000 per hour.

However, for some, that price may be worth it. Travelers can find four separate living spaces on the jets including a meeting room, dining room, entertainment room, and a master bedroom. The private jet also features a massive galley with microwave ovens, espresso machines and chilled storage.

In all the main areas, passengers can find large wall-mounted TVs, massive windows, and concealable side tables. The plane — worth up to $75 million — also features Bombardier’s signature Nuage swivel seats that are “ergonomically adjustable.”

Additionally, passengers are given access to small dials with which they can adjust the temperature and lighting of the aircraft. While the plane can seat 19 – it can only sleep around eight people comfortably.

The sleeping arrangements are limited to approximately two people in the bedroom, two people on the couch in the entertainment room, two in the meeting room and two in the dining room. Travelers can find lavatory’s in the front and back of the aircraft, which are also next to wardrobes for passengers and staff items. Not only is the Global 7500 an upgrade for passengers, but for the aircraft crew as well.

In November, pilots for private charter company VistaJet – which is the biggest operator of the Global 7500 – told Business Insider the upgraded flight deck design helps boost safety and flight duties management as well as reducing their own workload. Specifically, the pilots have been given “fly-by-wire” technology as well as permanently side-facing jump seats, according to Bombardier.

If you have the cash to spare, the company touts that passengers will have the “smoothest ride” of their life, thanks to Smooth Flex Wing technology.VistaJet is the largest operator of the Global 7500 with 15 of the jets, according to Business Insider. Deep-pocketed travelers can also reportedly rent the plane from other companies like NetJets and Phenix Jet.

Jacyln Tropp from Robb Report – Reports

Social media accounts that broadcast flight patterns of noteworthy names have racked up millions of followers, and it’s perfectly legal. Here’s why.

One of the great perks of flying privately is right there in the name: privacy. But the ability to stay away from prying eyes only applies inside the cabin. Social media accounts that broadcast flight patterns of noteworthy names—including Tom Cruise, Kim Kardashian and LVMH chairman Bernauld Arnault, as well as numerous sanctioned Russian oligarchs—have racked up millions of followers combined, with the Twitter handle @elonjet gaining national attention after Musk himself suspended the account. The spotlight it shines is equal parts geeky hobby, gawker-level curiosity and data-driven emissions-shaming—and Arnault, at least eventually got sick of the glare, selling his Bombardier Global last fall and switching to charter flights with private passenger manifests.

And it’s not just business magnates, celebrities and politicians who are vulnerable. Anyone using a private jet is sharing information transmitted through the plane’s black box. For safety reasons, Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) technology transmits GPS coordinates, altitude, ground speed and other data to air-traffic controllers and surrounding aircraft—but it also gives rise to dangers ranging from corporate espionage to violence.

This is akin to driving on the motorway and having anybody pick up and track your licence plate, explains Doug Carr, senior vice president of safety, security, sustainability and international affairs for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). “This isn’t just about lifestyles of the rich and famous. It’s about basic security and not being able to track people in real time—which, by the way, is illegal anywhere else.”

The issue came into focus a decade ago, when a restaurant-supply firm CEO, who used aircraft to conduct business, was cyber-stalked and tracked by competitors. Then there were the wounded army veterans who were followed and met by anti-war protestors at their home airports. Martha King, who runs pilot-training academy King Schools with her husband, John from its headquarters in San Diego, California, had several unstable “fans” harassing her from out of state. One showed up unannounced and threatened her. “Privacy sounds abstract, but it got personal for us quickly,” says King. “Now, we’re more cautious flying into unknown airports.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is trying to help. After ADS-B became mandatory in January 2020, the agency created several programmes that allow jet operators to opt out of sharing tail numbers, helping to conceal passenger identities. Many private owners signed up for the Limited Aircraft Display Data (LADD) programme, but sources that don’t use FAA data aren’t obliged to obey those restrictions and can still publish the information emitted from a jet’s transponder.

The FAA moved to fix that loophole by creating a way to temporarily disguise a jet’s tail number through the Privacy International Civil Aviation Organization Address Program (PIA). But joining the programme is significantly more complicated than signing up for LADD, requiring physical modifications to the transponder and temporary call-signs—and when it comes to the latter, “you’d likely need to change that code on a routine basis,” says Heidi Williams, NBAA’s director of air traffic services. Besides, the new codes are not recognized outside of US airspace.

As we’ve seen from broader celebrity culture, if there’s enough public interest, the trackers will find a way—the FAA can’t stop enthusiasts or paparazzi from physically watching jet traffic at a local airport and then sharing those tail numbers, for example. Spokesperson Tammy L. Jones says the agency is expanding PIA for US-registered aircraft to include FAA-managed international airspace, but no mechanism currently exists to encrypt secondary surveillance and communication technology, and that modifying the next ADS-B generation could be a decade away.

Meanwhile, the NBAA is in talks with trade associations in Canada and the European Union, which account for 40 percent of global business-aviation activity, to create an international PIA-type programme. But universal adoption would require “a conversation in every part of the globe on what this programme means, and how it would interface with air traffic control systems,” says Carr. All of which leaves pilots like John King—whose wife was physically endangered—frustrated, angry, and wondering: “Why should we have to give up our privacy whenever we get on an aeroplane?”

James Durston from SCMP – Reports

If you were to imagine the perfect air travel experience, might it look something like this?

I arrive at the airport 10 minutes before take-off. Hand my passport to a well-groomed man who sorts out the details while I sit down with a drink. Someone else takes care of my bags. I’ve got an open bottle of water and a laptop in my hand-carry, I inform him. “No problem sir,” he says with a smile. My passport is returned almost immediately, and I am invited to board. All within those 10 minutes since I arrived.
The flight is straight out of a brochure. Plush leather seats that swivel and offer music and lighting controls for the cabin. Michelin star-worthy meals served on a white tablecloth, with silver cutlery and crystal wine glasses. Fasten seat belt signs that can be ignored. Zero commands to switch off my phone. A TV room with three-seater couch, a double bedroom, and a smooth, quiet ride that allows for easy cloud-gazing as well as idle chatter.

This kind of premium travel has been available for years, but it is catching on, and while still unaffordable to most, it’s no longer the domain only of the billionaire jet owner. Membership services make this kind of A-list air travel an increasingly accessible option for the world’s business traveller, according to Ian Moore, chief commercial officer for Vista Global. Its VistaJet membership service offers access to a fleet of aircraft around the world, ready to fly within 24 hours notice from and to pretty much anywhere. Members buy, for example, 100 hours of flying for a year, and can then call on VistaJet whenever they need.

“Our competition is aircraft ownership,” says Moore. “Ten years ago we had just 20 aircraft, now we have 350, and our market share is less than 5 per cent compared to private ownership – so the potential is huge.”

The pandemic has helped. As commercial air travel options became limited, the private option surged. Businesspeople who need to be places, fast, could pay US$75 million to buy a Bombardier Global 7500 plane (and around US$4 million per year for maintenance), or just sign up with a membership business and save time, money and hassle. VistaJet, that just bought 18 of those same 7500s, charges US$25,000 per flying hour for that option. And there are other operators too.

While VistaJet owns most of its aircraft, other businesses have emerged that don’t own any. Jettly was founded in 2016 and offers something akin to Uber for planes: a website and app that allows you to charter someone else’s plane as easily as booking a hotel, with more than 23,000 registered aircraft available in 190 countries and territories.
“Going back to commercial travel is extremely difficult once you’ve flown and experienced private flights,” says Justin Crabbe, Jettly’s CEO. “During the pandemic, we experienced a 67 per cent growth in new first-time private fliers. The benefits over outright ownership are quite clear – no ownership costs, no capital expenditures, no storage, no maintenance, no depreciation, no interest on loans, no minimum hours to maintain aircraft manufacturer warranties and no management of crews.”

For the full article by James, please click here.

Otilia Drăgan of Autoevolution – Reports

The most daring predictions for aviation envision hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered airliners completely replacing current commercial fleets. But that would happen in the next decade, at best. The net-zero goal can’t wait until then, without implementing any intermediary solutions. It looks like both the industry and government believe that SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) could fulfill this role.

Back in 1958, the Gulfstream I was paving the way for what would become the incredible business jet industry that is now an integral part of the modern world. Throughout the decades, Gulfstream has maintained its iconic status, always stepping up the game and continuing to improve business aviation.

Already a leader when it comes to cabin design, passenger comfort, and aircraft performance, the jet maker now has a new record under its belt. It claims to have recently conducted a flight powered by 100% SAF, an industry first for business jets. This would make Gulfstream the first OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to achieve this performance in the business jet sector.

However, the company didn’t give out too many details about this important flight, most likely because it was just an initial test. The important thing to note is that a Gulfstream G650 carried out the flight, travelling from Savannah, Georgia, with unblended green jet fuel in its Rolls-Royce G650 BR725 engine.

The particular SAF that was used is made in the U.S. and consists of HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) and SAK (Synthesized Aromatic Kerosene). The HEFA is made by World Energy in California, from waste fat and plant oils, while the SAK is produced by Virent in Wisconsin, from plant-based sugars.

The result is a fuel that can be used unblended in jet engines, without requiring any technical modifications, to obtain CO2 emission cuts by up to 80%.

With several world speed records linked to its name, the Gulfstream G650 broke the norm again with what is surely just the beginning of a green revolution for business aviation.

Jon Hemmerdinger of Flight Global – Reports

2023 will mark the 20th anniversary of the final flight of Concorde, but a return to supersonic air travel still seems an uncertain prospect

The prospect of a return to civil supersonic flight was looking increasingly uncertain as 2023 approached, after several major engine manufacturers confirmed they had no intention to develop powerplants for the application.

However, that has not deterred Boom Supersonic, the most visible player in the segment. Following the collapse of its tie-up with Rolls-Royce, it announced on 13 December plans to develop its own supersonic engine with Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT).

Another player, Massachusetts-based Spike Aerospace, is progressing with its plans, but in “semi-stealth mode”, its chief executive Max Kachoria tells FlightGlobal. “What we are doing is well known. But the specifics are reserved for our key stakeholders.” The supersonic space grew decidedly less crowded in 2021 when US supersonic business jet developer Aerion failed amid financial trouble.

Until recently, Boom, with offices in Colorado, had seemingly been humming along with the development of its Overture, a conceptual airliner the company says will cruise at Mach 1.7 and have range of 4,250nm (7,860km). It intends to deliver the first Overture in 2029.

Increasing Commitments
In 2022, the company revealed plans to manufacturer the Overture at Piedmont Triad International airport in North Carolina, and landed several aerospace partners. It also revealed design changes that included higher-aspect-ratio wings and a shift from two to four engines. Additionally in 2022, American Airlines said it committed to order up to 20 Overtures, building on a commitment from United Airlines.

But that momentum seemingly stalled in September when R-R said it had stopped working with Boom, after performing engine studies for the Overture.

“After careful consideration, Rolls-Royce has determined that the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for us and, therefore, will not pursue further work on the programme at this time,” the UK engine maker said. Boom reported the news differently, saying “it became clear that Rolls’ proposed engine design and legacy business model is not the best option for Overture’s future airline operators or passengers”.

Within days, other engine makers – GE Aerospace, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Safran – confirmed that they, too, are not developing supersonic civil aircraft engines. Despite that lack of interest from the propulsion community, Boom promised to make an announcement on its engine by the end of the year, a prospect that seemed to grow more remote as Christmas drew closer. However, over the weekend of 10 December, reports emerged that, against all odds, Boom had a solution.

On 13 December it revealed that solution: the Symphony engine – a twin-spool, medium-bypass design, with no afterburner, delivering 35,000lb (156kN) of thrust at take-off. FTT will work with Boom on the engine architecture, with GE Additive providing consultancy on additive technologies, and StandardAero taking the lead on maintenance.

However, Boom has not disclosed how or where the engine will be built, or indeed how much development work has already been carried out. The 2029 entry into service target for the Overture gives the company less than seven years to develop, construct, fly and certificate both an all-new engine and an all-new airframe, an ambitious timescale by the standard of even the industry’s most seasoned manufacturers.

Uncertainty also surrounds Spike’s plan to develop a supersonic business jet called the S-512. In a 2022 blog post, Kachoria conceded companies like his face challenges now that engine makers have seemingly backed off from supersonic civilian aircraft engines.

“Does supersonic flight face difficulties in designing a new civil jet without an engine? Yes, absolutely. Super difficult,” he wrote. “But that is not the end of the story… this is just the beginning of a long road to supersonic flight.” Kachoria declines to specify Spike’s progress in developing the S-512 but insists work continues.

“The Spike S-512 programme is moving along very nicely, and we are very excited about the progress made in the last few years,” he says. “Developing a supersonic aircraft will take years of engineering, testing and certification.

“We have taken on the slogan ‘It’s good to be quiet’ rather than issuing constant press releases about timing, funding or customers.”