GE and Honda formed a joint venture in 2004 called GE Honda Aero Engines. The joint company integrates the resources of GE Aviation and Honda Aero, Inc., a subsidiary to manage its aviation engine business. The GE Honda HF120 engine program was launched in 2006. To date, the HF120 program has accumulated close to 20,000 cycles and more than 10,000 hours demonstrating maturity prior to entering service.
The HondaJet's HF120 turbofans rest on pedestals that rise from the wings. Not only does this configuration free up cabin space by removing engine support structures within the fuselage, it decreases drag by placing the engine outside the natural laminar flow of the fuse. The over-the-wing engine mount (OTWEM), originally pioneered on the VFW-Fokker 614, presents inherent stability questions, but Honda found a sweet spot that appears to overcome many prior concerns. The height of the engine over the wing is two-fold; it places the thrust line on the same plane with the fuselage, thereby reducing pitch tendencies with changes in power, but also to reduce laminar interference above the wing. The intake of the engine is creating a large vacuum which could be disruptive to the negative pressure above the wing if mounted too closely.
The first prototype HondaJet took to the air in December 2003 and made its public debut at the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in July 2005. One year later, Honda returned to Oshkosh and announced they were bringing the HondaJet to market. Fast forward five prototypes and ten years later, Honda's vision is about to become reality; busting open the light jet market and making acquisition affordable.
If ever there was a 'superyacht' of private jet aircraft, the Embraer Lineage 1000 would certainly qualify. Matter of fact, Embraer will actually create a 'Sky Yacht" for you. Dubbed "Skyacht One", Embraer enlisted SottoDesign Studios to develop an ultra-custom interior that caters to owners who seek a level of luxury found in today's modern superyachts.
Motivating this massive sky yacht are a pair of GE CF334-10E7-B Turbofans producing 18,500 foot pounds of thrust. I needs just over 6000 ft at SL to roll out, but once aloft it will cruise 472 ktas at 41,000 ft., covering 4,600 nautical miles. All very impressive, but the fuel burn will bring you back down to earth. A 2:20 flight covering 1000 nm will vaporize 9400 lbs of fuel!
One of the first aircraft in executive aviation to offer fly-by-wire technology, the Lineage 1000 replaces mechanical controls and linkages with servo actuators. The benefits of these types of systems are numerous, such as reduced weight, maintenance, complexity and even pilot workload.
The Lineage 1000E was developed from the proven Embraer 170/190 family, which has accumulated more than 5 million flight hours in a high utilization environment (commercial airlines). A mature maintenance plan supports the Lineage based on MSG-3, allowing intervals as long as 500 flight hours or 6 months.
Embraer has chosen the Honeywell Ovation Select Cabin Management System to manage media content with surround sound audio and high definition (HD) video. This system lets passengers send and receive e-mail, surf the Internet, host video conferences and even make telephone calls. Every seat becomes its own office in the sky.
The interior of the Lineage 1000 can be configured with up to five distinct cabin zones, such as the galley, dining area, office, sleeping quarters, ensuite shower, conference room, etc. Essentially, you can live the airborne life of S.R Hadden. (remember the movie Contact?)
The flight deck of the Lineage 1000E is based on the Honeywell Primus Epic system with steep approach capability. Incorporated are Embraer's Enhanced Vision System, Autothrottle & Autoland capability with Windshear Detection and Guidance System, Weather Radar and turbulence detection.
A week before the NBAA, Gulfstream announced two, totally new aircraft; the Gulfstream 500 & 600 that build upon the technology of their flagship, the G650. At a later date, we will have a special feature on one of these two new Gulfstream's, but Tom's Nikon focused on the G650, an icon in business jet aviation. For some our readers just coming up to speed, Gulfstream is the commercial arm of General Dynamics, the world's fifth-largest defense contractor.
The new Gulfstream 500 & 600 look very much like the G650 because they utilize the same wing and tail design that permits high speed cruise, however the G600 and G500 are clean-sheet designs but are readily identifiable with their trademark oval windows, a Gulfstream signature.
Gulfstream recently announced a new long range version of their flagship appropriately designated the G650ER. It's capable of covering 7500 nautical miles, a 500 mile increase over the G650. And like the G650, the ER has a maximum speed of Mach 0.925. It's essentially the same aircraft because current G650 owners and order-holders can upgrade their original G650 to a G650ER, which will enable them to take advantage of the additional range capabilities the G650ER provides.
The increased range of the G650ER is mostly due to its new Rolls-Royce BR725 engines. The BR725's adapt technology from the Trent widebody engine family and were designed with fuel efficiency and thrust margins that support the G650ER’s enhanced performance. Supporting all this is a trailing link landing gear system for smooth touchdowns, then a brake-by-wire system to bring it all to a halt. The G650ER was recently certified by the FAA with first deliveries are scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.
It seems like the G650 has always been with us, but it was only certified in 2012 after a 5 year flight test program accumulating more than 4,400 hours over 1,300 flights on seven flight-test aircraft. Since then, Gulfstream has delivered over fifty G650 aircraft to customers and along the way, accumulated around 40 city-to-city speed records. Not a bad year!
The G650 aircraft controls are completely fly-by-wire, a system not unlike a remote control aircraft or modern fighter jet that replaces conventional manual flight controls with an electronic interface to actuate flight control surfaces. The system transmits an electronic signal by wire and computers determine the actuators response. It also allows a higher level of automation to perform functions without the pilot's input, such as flight stability systems.
Zooming in, four 14 inch LCD screens display the G650's PlaneView II system. Standard systems include Gulfstream’s Enhanced Vision System, the synthetic vision/primary flight display system and head-up display. plus a three-dimensional scanning weather radar with an integral terrain database for efficient ground-clutter elimination.
The Gulfstream Cabin Management System (GCMS) synchronizes with Apple iOS or select Google Android smartphones and tablets to provide touch-screen control for temperature, lighting, window shades and entertainment options. Apple iPod touches or Google Android devices are provided as cabin controls, but GCMS also can be saved to a free mobile application on a passenger’s smart phone or tab, which allows a passenger to save and recall preferences for a subsequent flight.
The Gulfstream-designed CabinView lets passengers track flight progress, displays points of interest and provides passenger briefings. The G650 offers a variety of ways to stay connected, such as the Gulfstream Broadband Multilink high-speed data system, two multichannel satellite communications systems or a wireless local network that provides onboard printing, Internet access and phone service. Dual media servers, high-definition video source equipment and a cabin audio system also keep business on track, even at Mach 0.925
