Airbus Corporate Helicopters has confirmed customer orders on three different continents for the limited edition Aston Martin ACH130.

At the beginning of the year, Airbus Corporate Helicopters launched the unique ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, created in collaboration with the British based luxury sports car maker.

Working closely together for over a year, the aeronautical designers at Airbus Corporate Helicopters and bespoke customization team at Aston Martin developed a range of four different interior and exterior designs that reflected the beauty and handcrafted excellence of automotive art in the form of a single-engine helicopter.

Airbus has now revealed three orders have already been signed for the ACH130 Aston Martin helicopter and are all expected to be operational in the coming months.

An existing Airbus customer in New Zealand was the first to place an order for the Asia Pacific region and plans to use the sporty ACH130 both privately and for VIP charter operations.

The second ACH130 Aston Martin edition can be found in Latin America and has recently entered service with an undisclosed VIP customer in Guatemala.

Meanwhile, the third and most recent order is for a Canadian based customer. Currently under construction in the UK, the latest edition will be delivered to the Airbus Customer Center in Fort Erie, Canada.

“We are delighted with the market reaction to this superb new helicopter,” shared Frédéric Lemos, Head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters. “These orders across the world, clearly demonstrate the excitement generated by our collaboration with Aston Martin.”

Virgin Galactic announces new Mach 3 supersonic jet and collaboration with Rolls-Royce to design and develop the engine propulsion technology.

Virgin Galactic has recently announced the new Mach 3 super jet and its intent to collaborate with Rolls-Royce on developing the engine propulsion technology needed to take the Mach 3 to new heights and travel three times faster than the speed of sound.

Self-described as a “vertically-integrated aerospace and space travel company pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers,” Virgin Galactic is continuing its mission to advance air and space vehicles, revealing for the first time their new delta-winged Mach 3 super jet to be developed in collaboration with Rolls-Royce.

Designed to carry up to 19 passengers at an altitude of 60,000 feet and reach a top speed of 2,300mph/3700kmh, the new Mach 3 Super Jet could travel between London and New York in just under 1.5 hours. It would take off and land like a regular passenger aircraft at existing airports worldwide and ntegrate into existing airport infrastructure.

To build the technology needed to make this happen, Virgin Galactic has signed a memorandum of intent with high Mach propulsion specialists, Rolls-Royce (not to be confused with Rolls-Royce Motorcars), who already have experience in creating the only civil-certified commercial aircraft capable of supersonic flight – aka the Concorde.

George Whitesides, Chief Space Officer, Virgin Galactic, shared, “We are excited to complete the Mission Concept Review and unveil this initial design concept of a high speed aircraft, which we envision as blending safe and reliable commercial travel with an unrivalled customer experience. We are pleased to collaborate with the innovative team at Rolls-Royce as we strive to develop sustainable, cutting-edge propulsion systems for the aircraft, and we are pleased to be working with the FAA to ensure our designs can make a practical impact from the start. We have made great progress so far, and we look forward to opening up a new frontier in high speed travel.”

“We are excited to partner with Virgin Galactic and TSC to explore the future of sustainable high speed flight,” said Rolls-Royce North America Chairman & CEO Tom Bell. “Rolls-Royce brings a unique history in high speed propulsion, going back to the Concorde, and offers world-class technical capabilities to develop and field the advanced propulsion systems needed to power commercially available high-Mach travel.”

The new Mach 3 super jet’s design philosophy is focused on making high-speed travel practical, sustainable, safe, and reliable while keeping customer experience a top priority. The super jet can be configured for a range of operational scenarios, including service for passengers on long-distance commercial aviation routes, and can offer business or first-class seating arrangements.

Virgin Galactic has been previously working closely with international regulatory communities to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards and are now working with FAA’s Center for Emerging Concepts and Innovation to outline a certification framework during the pre-project guidance phase.

The all-new Gulfstream G700 business jet surpasses speed and altitude limits during recent testing.

Testing of the new Gulfstream G700 is well underway since the jet was revealed in October 2019. With Gulfstream boasting the industry’s most spacious cabin with the highest speeds at the longest range, they have now revealed the flight-test program is making significant progress with a number of accomplishments in testing and performance.

The G700 has chalked up over 100 test flights and recently completed Gulfstream’s flutter testing.  Aeroelastic flutter is basically when a dangerous vibration begins to occur during flight, usually in the wings or tail, which often results in structural failure. High-speed aircraft are most susceptible to flutter, and especially with the introduction of thinner wings, all-movable horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and T-tail configurations, the likelihood of flutter occurring within a desired flight envelope increases further.

G700 Flight Tests Exceeding Expectations

During the G700’s testing, Gulfstream were able to expand the flight envelope (the design capabilities of the jet) at both high and low speeds. The G700 business jet flew beyond its maximum operating speed and cruise altitude, reaching Mach 0.99 and an altitude of 54,000 feet/16,459 meters. In typical operations, the G700 has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925 and a maximum cruise altitude of 51,000 ft/15,545 m. The testing showing that the all-new G700 has not only met its specs but truly surpassed them as well.

“These accomplishments at this stage in flight test point to the impressive maturity of the G700 program,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream. “We designed and developed the G700 for our customers to fly safely, securely and efficiently while enjoying the same level of comfort as they do on the ground. With the largest galley in the industry, the utmost in technology, and the finest, freshest cabin environment, the G700 unlocks new opportunities in business jet travel.”

G700 Circadian Lighting System

The all-new G700 business jet features 100% fresh, never recirculated air, an industry-leading low cabin altitude, whisper-quiet noise levels, and the option for the industry’s only true circadian lighting system that attempts to counteract the onset of jetlag.

The circadian lighting concept follows that of the human circadian rhythm which is a person’s internal 24-hour clock. The hypothalamus in the brain controls each person’s circadian rhythm by receiving signals from the eyes that report when it’s daytime and night time. The hypothalamus, in turn, controls the amount of melatonin released to correlate sleepiness with darkness and alertness with lightness.

How Circadian Lighting Works

As the eyes play a fundamental part to this process, light can be manipulated in the following three ways to hack the brain from experiencing time zone disruptions:

• 1. Adjusting brightness and intensity with controlled dimming to correlate with a particular time of day.
• 2. Adjusting the color temperature of lights. We experience cooler color temperatures (ranging from 4000K up to about 10,000K) when the sun is highest in the sky and people are typically most alert during the day. Therefore, cooler color temps are used in spaces when it’s appropriate to promote alertness and attention. Warmer color temperatures (ranging from < 2700K to 3500K) represent daylight hours when the sun is rising and setting and when people are falling asleep or waking up
• 3. Stimulus tuning (replacing the “bad blue” light wavelengths with “good blue”).

Other features of the G700 cabin include 20 Gulfstream panoramic oval windows in up to five living areas, the Gulfstream exclusive Ultragalley floor plan option that provides more than 10 ft/3 m of counter space, as well as a master suite floor plan option with a stand-up shower.

The G700 is powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and can fly at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 for 6,400 nautical miles/11,853 kilometers or at its long-range cruise of Mach 0.85 for 7,500 nm/13,890 km. The G700 also includes the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck™ with the industry’s only electronically linked active control sidesticks; the most extensive use of touch-screen technology in business aviation; and Gulfstream’s award-winning Predictive Landing Performance System.