Eclipse 500-based air taxi operation set to launch before mid-year

Photo Credit: Eclipse Aviation

EA Aerospace, the Turkish founding partner of Eclipse Aerospace, is planning to launch an air taxi service in the second quarter using two Eclipse 500 very light jets (VLJ) and a de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter.

The move is the first stage of a wider strategy by the Istanbul-based company to offer an air taxi services in the Middle East and Europe. The decision to launch Seabird Airlines comes around four years after EA president and Eclipse shareholder Ekim Alptekin was forced to abandon plans to launch his original air taxi offering, Myjet Aviation, following the collapse of Eclipse Aviation.

"I, along with a host of other people, had their fingers badly burned when Eclipse went bankrupt," he says. Fewer than 260 of the VLJs had been delivered from an order book of more than 1,200 aircraft. According to Flightglobal's Ascend database, only 11 Eclipse 500s are registered in countries outside the US. Turkey, Spain and Germany account for five of these.

"I lost a great deal of money but I never lost faith in the product," Alptekin adds. "I decided to become a shareholder and board member in the new company so I could help bring the product back to market."
Alptekin says there is huge pent-up demand in Turkey for an aircraft such as the Eclipse. "Demand for air travel is booming here and people are looking for affordable and flexible transportation, which the Eclipse can provide with operating costs of only $600 an hour."

Many travelers are "not well served" by the airlines, he says. "There are 54 airfields and airports available but 80% of these are under-utilized," he adds. Seabird will initially operate two Eclipse 500s - one owned by Alptekin and the other a privately owned aircraft - but another three aircraft will be added to the fleet by the end of the year. The 19-seat Twin Otter will serve Turkey's coastal resorts.

Alptekin says the "new" $2.7 million Eclipse 550 - featuring synthetic vision and auto throttles - remains on target for service entry in the third quarter of 2013. Eclipse Aerospace, which is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has already secured enough orders to fulfil the first year's production, he adds.


Flight Global

Cessna M2 makes its maiden flight

Photo Credit: Cessna Aviation

Cessna's latest Citation business jet, the M2, took to the skies for the first time on 9 March. The flight, from Cessna's facility in Wichita, Kansas, lasted around 1h 30min during which the light cabin jet's G3000 avionics, autopilot, instrument approaches, engine and aircraft systems were tested. The Williams International FJ44-powered twinjet is based on the out-of-production CJ1 (Model 525) featuring a 400kt (740km/h) maximum cruise speed. The eight-seat M2 is priced at $4.2 million.






Flight Global

Russia working on quiet supersonic business jet

Photo Credit: Flight Global

A major Russian aeronautical research agency has launched preliminary design work for a quiet supersonic business jet that could fly over populated areas.

The Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) will develop the preliminary design in partnership with several Russian companies, including aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and engine maker NPO Saturn, TsAGI says.

An official conceptual image of the aircraft shows it with a long, pointed nose and as many as four engines mounted on top of the aft fuselage. The aircraft also features twin vertical tails and long, thin wings.


The goal of the project is to establish Russia's aeronautics industry as a technology leader in a potential new market for business aviation, TsAGI says. Sergei Lyapunov, deputy director general of TsAGI, says the broad spectrum of industry and research organisations involved in the project is unprecedented in Russian aeronautics.
TsAGI says a preliminary assessment suggests the supersonic aircraft should generate the same noise level as future subsonic aircraft for the civil market. In addition to completing the design, the research team will also assess the "promising domestic engines" that could power the new aircraft.

The concept of a Russian supersonic business jet has been on the drawing board for decades. In the early 1990s, Sukhoi partnered Gulfstream to develop a design of the S-21. Sukhoi continues to list a "supersonic business jet" on its website as an ongoing project, without elaborating further. Tupolev has also proposed the Tu-444 supersonic business jet, advertising 4h flight times between Moscow and New York.

Flight Global

G280 Takes Step Closer To Market Entry

Gulfstream Aerospace is hoping to obtain full certification and delivery of its G280 super midsize business jet in the second quarter, after receiving provisional type certification (PTC) from FAA on March 1. The PTC followed similar approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel on Dec. 29.

The primary remaining outstanding issue for full type certification involves an update to the software for the aircraft’s PlaneView avionics suite, which is based on Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion cockpit. The Gulfstream G650, which was awarded PTC in November, also awaits the update, but must complete other testing for full TC.

In addition to the software upgrade on the G280, Gulfstream is testing optional avionics systems, including the head-up display (HUD II) and enhanced vision system (EVS II). The Savannah, Ga.-based airframer will use Serial Number (S/N) 2003 for that testing, now that the requisite certification trials involving the aircraft are complete.

The first production aircraft, S/N 2004, was outfitted and painted last year for the 2011 National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention in October. That aircraft must under go the final upgrades, however, before delivery.

Gulfstream is not revealing the number of other aircraft in production, but it was able to make green deliveries of its G650 once PTC was awarded. Gulfstream has targeted mid-year for G280 full type certification. Jay Johnson, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, told analysts earlier this year that Gulfstream plans 10-15 mid-cabin deliveries in 2012, with the G280 accounting for the majority of those deliveries

Aviation Weekly

Embraer Achieves 300th Phenom Jets Delivery

Melbourne, Florida, USA – Embraer recently delivered the 300th Phenom jet, capping off the latest series of milestones which includes the assembly and first flight of the initial aircraft from the Company’s year-old Melbourne facility in Florida, USA. Embraer recently shifted global operations for its business jets from Brazil to Melbourne, where it is creating 200 engineering and technical jobs in an area hard hit by reductions in the Space Shuttle program.

“With the delivery to a US customer of a Phenom 300 jet, the 300th delivery in the Phenom line, Embraer has achieved a true milestone,” said Robert Knebel, Vice President Sales for North America, Embraer Executive Jets. “The success of the Phenoms can be seen in the diversity of our customers, which include private individuals, corporations, universities, fractional, charter, flying schools and motor racing executives. Fifty percent of the Phenom deliveries have been taken by North American customers, with Latin American operators accounting for another 30%. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) account for 17%, while Asia accounts for 3% of the market.”

Deliveries have been building since December 2008, when the Phenom 100 entered in service. In 2009, deliveries rose to 98, along with another 126 in 2010. In 2011, there were 83 deliveries.

Since 2000, Embraer has not only entered the dynamic executive jet market, but has also fielded seven different designs, covering the entry level business jet represented by the Phenom100 to the ultra-large executive jet represented by the Lineage 1000. The Phenom jets represented the first clean-sheet designs, an innovation for the light jet segments in the industry, which has suffered from the continuous introduction of derivative products.

The Phenom 100 can accommodate up to eight occupants and has seven different interior options designed in partnership with BMW Group DesignworksUSA. Its range of 1,178 nautical miles (2,182 kilometers), including NBAA IFR fuel reserves, means the aircraft is capable of flying nonstop from New York to Miami, in the U.S.; from London to Rome, in Europe; or from Brisbane to Melbourne, in Australia. The jet has proved to be the fastest, with the largest baggage capacity in the entry level category. It has the latest in cockpit design, and a private aft lavatory is one of its competitive features.

The Phenom 300 reaches 521 mph (839 km/h, or 453 knots - KTAS) and can fly at an altitude of up to 45,000 feet (13,716 meters). Its range of 1,971 nautical miles (3,650 kilometers), including NBAA IFR fuel reserves, means the aircraft is capable of flying nonstop from Zurich to Reykjavik (Iceland), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain), Moscow (Russia) or Cairo (Egypt).

Embraer Media 

The Phenom 100 and 300 are VLJ's (Very Light Jets - Jets that are "single-pilot" operated AND have a Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) of 10,000lbs or less ).