The first delivery of the new Bombardier Global 5500 range has just taken place marking the jet’s official Entry-into-service.
Bombardier will certainly be proud that the first of its long-range Global 5500 business jet was completed and recently delivered to an undisclosed customer marking the jet’s entry-into-service.
The new Global 5500 range is an update from the previous Global 5000 range and sees new engines, interiors, avionics, wings, and presents decreased fuel burn, emissions, and an increased range and comfort to its passengers.
Completed at Bombardier’s site in Wichita,
Kansas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Bombardier employees had to demonstrate
flexibility and dedication to enable the Global 5500’s completion. Bombardier said
it had taken extraordinary steps to protect its employees and customers against
the virus, and that now as manufacturing activities resume around the world,
Bombardier will maintain its new strict protocols to continue safety and
operational excellence.
Last year, Bombardier made an announcement
that the Global 5500 would fly 200 nautical miles more than planned, and that its
new range of 5,900 nautical miles is 700 nautical miles more than the nearest
competitor at the same speed.
Global 5500 Cabin
Bombardier also state the Global 5500 has the
largest cabin (12.41m long, 2.41m wide and 1.88m high) and the smoothest ride
in its class and that all starts inside where the conference and dining areas are
equipped with the Nuage seat. Bombardier says the Nuage seat is the first
meaningful change in the operation and design of a business aircraft seat in 30
years. The Nuage design grants proper posture both for business meetings and
dining, and can also be converted into a reclining lounge chair.
Passengers will also benefit from a sophisticated air purification system called Pũr Air which is only available on Global aircraft. The system’s advanced HEPA filter captures up to 99.99% of allergens, bacteria, and viruses, and completely replaces the cabin air with 100% fresh air in as little as 90 seconds. The cabin also features turbo heating and cooling which instantly adjusts temperatures for a more comfortable flight.
The Global 5500 boasts the Rockwell Collin’s
Venue cabin management and entertainment system, innovated with the capability to
provide the first ever ultra-high-definition 4k content all throughout the
cabin. The aircraft’s Ka-band satellite connectivity supplies seamless internet
connectivity that is almost 35 times faster than other internet systems in the
industry, and makes use of the updated satellite technology.
The cabin of the Global 5500 is 12.41-meter long, 2.41-meter wide, and 1.88-meter high. It has three different living spaces that give the needed seclusion and enjoyment by providing sufficient room to eat, work and rest in total convenience.
Global 5500 Flight Deck
One big feature of the flight deck is the
Rockwell Collins Combined Vision System (CVS), which joins infrared Enhanced
Vision System (EVS) and Synthetic Vision System (SVS) imagery into a single
conformal view. The CVS combines both vision systems throughout the entire
display in order to give the pilot the best possible view into one dynamic
image and provides real-time situational awareness.
As you would expect with the most modern of Bombardier’s jets, the avionics system of the Global 5500 includes advanced weather radar for predicting wind shear, Airport Moving Maps, real-time air traffic and an enhanced terrain database that serves as a digital representation of the elevation of the terrain at a number of discrete points.
Global 5500 Powerplant
Powered by two Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 engines, the Global 5500 has a maximum thrust of 15,125 pounds and emits 48% less smoke, 20% less nitrous oxide, is two decibels quieter, burns 7% less fuel and has 9% added thrust than the BR710A2-20 engines on the previous 5000 models.
The new engines are some of the latest tech
to come out of Rolls-Royce and boast a new core with a new high-pressure
compressor, as well as an advanced engine Health and Usage-Monitoring System
(HUMS) that tracks the status of critical systems and components.
Wings
The aircraft also features aerodynamic
cleanups that will blend with the purpose-built engines to improve fuel
efficiency by up to 13%.
One of those was a next-generation Global
wing with a fully re-profiled trailing edge. The re-profiled wing has a span of
28.7 meters and was designed and constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd, a Japanese company headquartered in Tokyo.
The
Global 5500’s new wings with its renowned flexibility, combined with the other
aerodynamic improvements, Nuage seats, 100% fresh air system with HEPA filter,
instant temperature control, wide cabin, 4K entertainment and quieter engines
all go towards creating the best possible conditions for a smooth and comfortable
ride or sleep in the air.
Global 5500 city pair examples
As seen above the Bombardier Global 5500 would be able to connect Sao Paulo to Paris, Los Angeles to Moscow, Sydney to Tokyo, Singapore to London, or New York to Hong Kong non-stop.
The final Gulfstream G550 business jet has been delivered to an international customer, marking an end of an era for the long-range commercial jet.
After almost 20 years, Gulfstream has delivered its final G550 commercial jet to an international customer.
Entering service in 2003 as a long-range business jet, the G550 has a range of 6,750 nautical miles (12,501 kilometers) at Mach 0.80 and has broken over 55 speed records during its time of service.
Launched as a commercial jet that could be configured for business, government, or military and seat up to 19 passengers, the G550 is a versatile jet that enables owners to fly between international destinations such as Shanghai to Los Angeles, New York to Dubai, or London to Tokyo.
The Gulfstream G550 also launched the PlaneView™ flight deck platform for the first time and led the way with the certified Enhanced Vision System (now known as the Enhanced Flight Vision System – EFVS) as a standard safety feature for pilot safety.
“For nearly two decades, the G550 has been exceeding customer expectations,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “The G550 set a new standard for performance and reliability and continues to outperform and impress with its wide-ranging capabilities. Given our vast G550 fleet in service, we look forward to continuing to support all G550 customers around the world with Gulfstream Customer Support’s extensive network.”
The final delivery, which took place at the end of June, brings the global fleet of Gulfstream G550’s in service to a total of 600 jets.
Aerion Supersonic set to close operations after struggling to acquire further funding to produce its AS2 supersonic business jet.
Aerion Supersonic is reportedly set to close operations after failing to secure the considerable capital required to produce its AS2 business jet at its future $300 million planned facilities at Aerion Park, Florida.
Founded in 2004 with backing from Texan billionaire Robert Bass, Aerion Supersonic started as a solution to the 2003 retired Concorde and gained backing and support from organizations like Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, and NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Yet despite raising $11.2 billion in pre-sales, Aerion has struggled to gain the capital needed to bring it to market.
“The AS2 supersonic business jet program meets all market, technical, regulatory and sustainability requirements, and the market for a new supersonic segment of general aviation has been validated with $11.2 billion in sales backlog for the AS2,” reads the company statement, as stated by Florida Today.
“However, in the current financial environment, it has proven hugely challenging to close on the scheduled and necessary large new capital requirements to finalize the transition of the AS2 into production. Given these conditions, the Aerion Corporation is now taking the appropriate steps in consideration of this ongoing financial environment.”
As reported by CNBC in early 2020, Aerion Supersonic revealed it would need around $4 billion to continue developing the AS2 after already spending $1 billion on engine development.
Initially, Aerion Supersonic had intended to launch the 1,000-miles-per-hour jet by 2024 and begin commercial activities by 2026, producing 300 AS2 jets during the first decade of production.
Unless 11th-hour funding is secured, the future of Aerion Supersonic is set to remain indefinitely grounded.
Dassault Aviation’s new Falcon 10X Business Jet is a high-speed ultra-long-range jet capable of flying non-stop from New York to Shanghai.
Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 10X Business Jet is a high-speed ultra-long-range jet featuring the largest and most comfortable cabin on a business jet yet.
Said to “deliver a level of comfort, versatility, and technology not yet seen” in terms of cabin size and comfort, the Falcon 10X is looking to rival the likes of the Gulfstream G700 and Bombardier’s Global 7500 when it goes into production end of 2025.
“The 10X will be more than just another big step forward in business aviation. It will be absolutely the best business jet available in the ultra-long-range category and will remain so for a long time,” shared Dassault Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier.
As the first Dassault business jet to be powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl engines, the new Dassault Falcon 10X can achieve a top speed of Mach 0.925 and, with a nautical mile range of 7,500, will be able to fly nonstop from New York to Shanghai, Los Angeles to Sydney, Hong Kong to New York or even Paris to Santiago.
Created as a “penthouse suite in the sky,” the Dassault Falcon 10X will offer greater modularity than any other aircraft in its class and a selection of multiple interior configurations.
The 10X is large enough to accommodate four-cabin zones of equal length, but owners can configure their cabin as they desire to create a living space to best suit their needs, including an expanded dining/conference area, a dedicated entertainment area with a large-screen monitor, a private stateroom with a queen-size bed or an enlarged master suite with a private stand-up shower.
“Today we are introducing a new benchmark in business aviation,” said Dassault Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “The Falcon 10X will offer an unrivalled passenger experience over both short- and long-duration flights, along with breakthrough safety features from Dassault’s frontline fighter technology. We have optimized every aspect of the aircraft with the passenger in mind and established a new level of capability for ultra-long-range aircraft.”