NBAA

Approval for commercial single-turboprop operations will boost prospects for the Pilatus PC-12
merger with Airbus partner Aerospatiale could
see the A319CJ eventually positioned at the top
of Dassault's business-jet range.
Previous shows have seen much activity in the
mid-size sector, but few of the new products are
ready for display. Cessna will display the
Citation X, and Dassault die Falcon 2000 and
upgraded Falcon 50EX, all of which are now in
service. Galaxy Aerospace rolled out its "super
mid-size" Galaxy in Israel on die eve of die show
and plans to fly the aircraft in December.
Raydieon plans to fly its super mid-size Hawker
Horizon in late 1999. Bombardier, meanwhile,
has begun advanced design of a new mid-size
business jet which could be available in 2002 to
fit between its Learjet 60 and Challenger 604,
and which would be in competition with the
Falcon 2000, Galaxy and Horizon.
The light business-jet market has seen a thor-
ough revamp in recent years. Cessna is close to
completing an upgrade of its entire Citation
line, having introduced the entry-level
Citationjet and having upgraded the Citation
II, to produce the Bravo, and tlie Citation V, to
produce the Ultra. Cessna's new "widebody"
light business jet, the Citation Excel, is now in
flight test, widi deliveries scheduled to begin in
die second quarter of 1998.
Cessna reports strong order backlogs across
all of its Citation product line. The question
now is whether the company will continue to
upgrade the family or embark on development
of a completely new business-jet line. One near-
term option could be to improve die Citationjet
widi the uprated FJ44-2 turbofans now avail-
able from Williams-Rolls.
Bombardier hopes to come to Dallas armed
with US certification of its new Learjet 45 light
business jet. Deliveries are expected to begin in
October or November against a strong backlog.
The existing Learjet 31A has also been selling
well, but the larger Learjet 45 is intended to rival
aircraft such as the Citation Excel and Raytheon
Beechjet400A.
Both die Excel and Learjet 45 are coming to
market later dian planned, because of develop-
ment delays. The same is also true of Raytheon's
Premier I light business jet, the first flight of
which has been delayed until die second quarter
of 1998 because of design changes required to
ensure that the aircraft meets its performance
guarantees. Raytheon, meanwhile, is not
expected to launch the stretched Premier II
until 1998 at the earliest, having its develop-
ment plate full with both the Premier I and
Hawker Horizon.
Sino Swearingen Aircraft will display its
prototype SJ30-2 light business jet for die first
time at the 1997 NBAA show. The company has
modified its original SJ30 prototype widi the
stretched fuselage and uprated FJ44-2 A engines
planned for die production aircraft. Flight test-
ing with die new engines began on die eve of die
show, and Taiwan-backed Sino Swearingen is
hoping to carve out a niche in die competitive
light business-jet market by offering high per-
formance at relatively low cost.
SINGLE-ENGINE ACTIVITY
While little new is expected to emerge at the
1997 show in the traditional business-twinjet
market, there will be considerable activity in the
burgeoning single-engine sector. One reason is
a growing recognition that turbine engines are
far more reliable than pistons. This is under-
lined by the US Federal Aviation Administra-
tion's recent agreement to allow commercial
instrument-flight-rules (IFR) operations with
single-engined aircraft.
Several single-engine business aircraft will be
making diei r debut at the 1997 NBAA show. In
the turboprop field, Advanced Aerodynamics &
Structures (AASI) will be displaying its Pratt &
Whitney Canada PT6A-powered Jetcruzer
500, flown for the first time in late August. The
aircraft is a stretched and uprated version of die
already certificated Jetcruzer 450, and deliveries
are planned to begin by late 1998.
New Piper Aircraft is expected to unveil a
mock-up of a single-turboprop business aircraft
based on its Malibu Mirage pressurised piston
single. Deliveries of die Meridien, powered by
a PT6A, are scheduled to begin in die first quar-
ter of 2000. It will be Piper's first turboprop
since the now out-of-production Cheyenne.
In die jet field, VisionAire will display its sin-
gle-turbofan Vantage for the first time at an
A strong order backlog for Cessna's new Citation
Excel underlines business-aviation's buoyancy
NBAA show. The all-composite proof-of-con-
cept aircraft, designed, built and test-flown by
Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites, will be dis-
played in the static park, while VisionAire will
also unveil a revamped mock-up showing cabin
and cockpit improvements. Deliveries of die
P&WCJT15D-powered Vantage are planned
to begin in die second quarter of 1999.
Century Aerospace has also entered die sin-
gle-turbofan market widi the FJ44-powered
Century Jet. Certification is planned for late
1999 and initial deliveries will be with the
proven FJ44-1, two of which power die Cessna
Citationjet. Later aircraft will have die FJ44-2.
An unexpected newcomer to the NBAA show
will be Canada's Alberta Aerospace, which will
unveil the single-turbofan Phoenix Fanjet -
formerly known as the Promavia Jet Squalus.
Alberta plans to certificate die basic two-seat
side-by-side version in early 1998, and plans a
four-seater. The Fanjet is powered by an FJ44.
In addition to improving prospects for diese
new projects, approval for single-engine IFR
operations is expected to boost sales of existing
single-turboprop aircraft, including die Cessna
Caravan, Pilatus PC-12 and Socata TBM700.
There are also several other programmes
worth watching at the 1997 NBAA show. Ayres
is expected to announce the selection of major
partners for its Loadmaster utility-aircraft pro-
gramme, including suppliers of the wing and
fuselage. The Loadmaster is powered by two
LHTEC CTS800 turboshafts driving and sin-
gle propeller. Williams International, mean-
while, may talk about its FJX-2 small turbofan.
Williams has already flown its testbed for die
FJX-2, the Rutan-designed V-Jetll.
FRACTIONAL ISSUES
As the NBAA enters its second half-century,
issues lying ahead of die organisation include
coping with the changes which are being
brought about by die rapid growth in business-
aircraft fractional ownership. In die past year,
Executive Jet has placed massive new orders
widi Cessna for Citation Excels, VIIs and Xs,
widi Gulfstream for GrVs and widi Raytheon
for Hawker 800Xs with whjch to expand its suc-
cessful Netjets shared-ownership scheme.
Bombardier continues to grow its Flexjet pro-
gramme, and will add Learjet 45s and Global
Expresses, while Raytheon has launched its
Travel Air programme, which offers shares in
King Air 200 turboprops, as well as Beechjet
400A and Hawker 800XP business jets.
While fractional ownership is dramatically
increasing die population of business-aircraft
owners, it is posing a challenge to die tradition-
al role of the corporate flight-department.
Having seemingly succeeded in getting regula-
tors to recognise the value of business aviation,
it appears that the NBAA must now turn its
attention to convincing corporations that frac-
tional ownership is a valuable supplement to,
not a replacement for, their existing business-
aircraft operations. Q
38 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17 - 23 September 1997