Today’s Top Pick is a 1984 Cessna 650 Citation III.

Cessna’s first Citation jets broke new ground in the early 1970s with their forgiving flight characteristics, easy handling, passenger comfort, and economical operation. The only thing the straight-winged machines lacked, some critics said, was speed. Unflattering nicknames, such as “NearJet” and “Slow-Tation,” proliferated. The 650 Citation II put a stop to that with a new swept-wing design and record-setting performance.  

With the 650 Cessna focused its efforts on integrating high-end features that could give the new Citation the feel of bigger and more expensive airplanes. These ranged from a comfortable, surprisingly roomy cabin to trailing link landing gear known for smoothing out even fairly rough landings.

This 1984 Citation III has 9,931 hours on the airframe with 1,939 hours on the left engine and 1,741 hours on the right. The Honeywell TFE731-3C-100S engines are managed under the MSP Gold program. The aircraft is equipped with a Sundstrand T62T-40C7A1 APU and has made a total of 7,336 landings.

The panel features a PS Engineering PMA-8000E audio panel, dual Garmin GTN 750 GPS/Nav/Comms, Bendix/King KTR-953 radio, Garmin GWX 70 radar, Garmin TAWS B, Bendix/King TCAS, Goodrich WX500 Stormscope, Fairchild GA-100 cockpit voice recorder, and GTX 345R transponder with ADS-B In and Out.

Pilots who are interested in a jet with more cabin space and longer range than many light jets should consider this 1984 Cessna 650 Citation III, which is available for $1.2 million on Aircraft For Sale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 1984 Cessna 650 Citation III Is a Groundbreaking ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2023 Cirrus SF50 G2+ Vision Jet.

While revolutionary when introduced, the Cirrus Vision Jet has become a common sight on general aviation ramps across the country due to its popularity with private pilots and a range of commercial operators. Much of the aircraft’s appeal stems from the way it was designed around a single pilot, with the goal of making their workload easily manageable.

Many GA pilots are accustomed to flying aircraft with a range of advanced features, including autopilots and GPS navigation systems. In the Vision Jet, pilots transition to a cockpit with fully integrated automation that is several steps ahead of the retrofit technology that many have flown with for years. The difference is palpable.

Cirrus also had passengers in mind when developing the Vision Jet, which has an especially spacious, airy cabin that allows occupants to stretch out and enjoy pressurized comfort. The experience is akin to a personal airliner with first-class-only seating. If you take your family on a long vacation trip in this aircraft, they may not be willing to ever fly at low altitude with piston power again.    

This Vision Jet has just 14 hours on the airframe and its Williams FJ33-5A turbofan engine, which has a 4,000-hour TBO.

The aircraft’s panel features the Garmin G3000-integrated flight deck with the Cirrus Perspective+ Touchscreen interface and Safe Return emergency Autoland system. The avionics package includes synthetic vision, altitude and heading reference system (AHRS), Garmin Class B terrain avoidance warning system (TAWS), traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), and triple digital transponders. The airplane has a ceiling of 31,000 feet and is certified under Part 135 to operate in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace. 

Pilots interested in owning a well-equipped very light jet (VLJ) that is nearly new should consider this 2023 Cirrus SF50 G2+, which is available for $4 million on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Cirrus Vision Jet G2+
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• FLYING Magazine: The Cirrus Life: Three Remarkable Days at the Cirrus Vision Center in Knoxville
• Plane & Pilot: Cirrus Vision SF50 to Add Garmin Autoland
• Plane & Pilot: Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet Wins Collier Trophy
• The Aviation Consumer: Vision Jet: The Safest GA Airplane?

The post This 2023 Cirrus SF50 G2+ Vision Jet Is a Fully Integrated ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2019 Honda HA-420 HondaJet Elite.

The HA-420 HondaJet was among the most anticipated aircraft in history in part because, by the time it received FAA certification in 2016, it had been in the works for decades. Many people familiar with Honda’s vast automotive operations had caught wind of the seemingly odd aviation project underway far behind the scenes.

When the jet finally emerged, it was clear that it incorporated a number of true innovations, starting with its over-the-wing-mounted engines. This new setup helped to isolate the engines from the cabin, reducing noise and vibration while also giving passengers more space but removing the invasive mounting structure from the fuselage. The result is a cabin that is larger than many would expect.

The HondaJet’s cruising speed also drew a lot of attention. While using power similar to that of competing jets, the Honda could cruise at 420 ktas, which was higher than its closest rivals. 

This 2019 HondaJet Elite has 4,120 hours on the airframe and 3,524 hours on each of its GE Honda HF120 engines since new. The aircraft is under Honda’s Flight Ready P2 maintenance program as well as the CAMP maintenance tracking system. The engines have logged 2,520 cycles, and the jet has performed 2,913 landings.

The panel features Garmin G3000 integrated avionics with a GFC 700-enhanced automatic flight control system, GWX 70 weather radar, radar altimeter, TCAS I, TAWS Class B, synthetic vision, Garmin Flight Stream 510, Jeppesen Chartview, and Cockpit Iridium.

Pilots looking for a small, single-pilot jet with innovative features and performance that matches or surpasses many larger models should consider this 2019 HA-420 HondaJet, which is available for $3.2 million on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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• The Aviation Consumer: NBAA 2022 Standouts: Refurbs, HondaJet

The post This 2019 Honda HA-420 HondaJet Elite Is a Feature-Packed ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The announcement was made on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, along with several updates on the airframe and engine development as well as manufacturing and testing plans. The final product—the Overture—is projected to fly at Mach 1.75 in overwater cruise powered by bespoke Symphony engines running on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.

Mainline Suppliers

Leonardo, based in Rome, will provide its expertise in composite structure development and manufacturing as engineering lead for the Overture’s fuselage structural components integration, and serve as a design and build partner for fuselage sections—including the wingbox. The cross section of the Overture has a larger diameter at its fore section growing smaller towards the rear of the airplane. The design is intended to “minimize wave-drag and maximize fuel efficiency at supersonic speeds,” according to a statement from the company.

Aernnova, in Madrid, a large tier-one aerospace supplier, has been chosen to design and develop the Overture’s gull-shaped wings, which are structurally thinner than typical subsonic wings. Their nature is intended to reduce drag and increase efficiency at high speeds.

Aciturri, based in Miranda de Ebro, Spain, and another major tier 1 supplier, has been selected to provide the empennage to the Overture. A horizontal stabilizer that allows for greater control at subsonic speeds, including takeoff landing, is a key element to the tail design.

Symphony Engine Milestones

Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT) of Doral is the main partner on Boom’s proprietary engine, named the Symphony, and it continues to move forward in the two-spool, medium-bypass turbofan’s development. Scholl gave details on the powerplant’s specs along with teasing photos of the cross section that include the aforementioned optimization to run on 100 percent SAF. “Symphony features a high-specific-flow fan,” said Scholl, “which allows us to reduce the frontal area of the engine, which reduces supersonic drag.” Other details include:

• 35,000-pound thrust
• single-stage 72-inch fan
• air-cooled, multi-stage turbine
• FAA Part 33 and EASA CS 33 compliant
• adherence to ICAO Chapter 14 noise levels

Use of additive manufacturing will enable lightweight composition, low parts count, and reduced assembly costs. The engine features three low-pressure compressor stages, six high-pressure compressor stages, three low-pressure turbine stages, and a single high-pressure turbine stage. Former Rolls-Royce CTO and Singapore Aerospace programme chair Ric Parker serves as lead on the engine program, which has been under the magnifying glass when it moved away from former engine partner Rolls-Royce and went with a trio of new collaborators: FTT, GE Additive, and Standard Aero. Scholl spoke to this tangentially, stating that the need for a bespoke engine “specifically optimized for sustained supersonic flight and sustainable supersonic portions of that.” The vertical integration strategy is key to achieving this.

• READ MORE: Boom to Lead New Powerplant Design for Supersonic Jet

Manufacturing of the engines at scale will take place at FTT’s facility in Jupiter, Florida, Scholl revealed at the press conference. He also updated on progress of the company’s “iron bird” testing facility at its headquarters on the Centennial Airport (KAPA) on the south side of the Denver metro area in Colorado. 

“This is the integrated test facility, where we will be able to put all of the systems hardware through exhaustive testing, with software and hardware in the loop, with thousands of simulated first flights before Overture makes its maiden voyage,” said Scholl. Flight controls, electrical power, and landing gear will all be operable in the iron bird facility.

Fuel System as CG Control

One of the unique aspects of the Overture includes systems architecture updated upon during the press conference by Scholl. While avionics, flight controls, hydraulics, and gear systems were touched upon—and will meet FAA and EASA Part 25 regs—he offered a bit of insight on the fuel system, which will be used to provide center of gravity (CG) control during both sub- and supersonic operations.

The all-composite makeup of Overture enables the use of complex aerostructures to create the contoured fuselage and gull-wing planform. Overall, the use of already certified technologies have been chosen thus far to reduce the risk on the program, as it breaks ground in significant ways in commercial passenger service.

The program remains on track in its 10-year development cycle—where it stands 3.5 years in—for a planned type certification in 2029.

The post Boom Aerospace Delivers Update on Supersonic Model appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Boom said it is leading the collaborative effort in developing the new supersonic engine—dubbed Symphony— alongside Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT) for engine design, GE Additive for additive technology design consulting, and StandardAero for maintenance for Symphony.

The announcement comes three months after engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce exited its contract with the commercial airline manufacturer, prompting Boom to look to other engine manufacturers with supersonic propulsion programs. At the time, Rolls-Royce said commercial supersonic flight was no longer a short-term priority for the company.

• READ MORE: Rolls-Royce Will No Longer Power Boom’s Supersonic Airliner

Company officials, however, then decided the solution was to design the aircraft and engine together.

“Developing a supersonic engine specifically for Overture offers by far the best value proposition for our customers,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic,

The announcement comes at a pivotal point of development for Boom following Rolls-Royce’s exit. The first Overture aircraft—expected to fly as fast as Mach 1.7, as high as 60,000 feet msl, and carry between 65 to 88 passengers—was scheduled to roll out in 2025 and begin commercial service with passengers by 2029.

Now, with Symphony, Boom said that design is already underway and that Overture is expected to achieve type certification in 2029. The company will build Overture at the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, with ground testing to begin in 2026 and flight test in 2027.

• READ MORE: How North Carolina Got Boom’s Overture ‘Superfactory’

“Through the Symphony program, we can provide our customers with an economically and environmentally sustainable supersonic airplane—a combination unattainable with the current constraints of derivative engines and industry norms,” Scholl said.

A Boom-Led Partnership

FTT, a Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc business unit, will lead the engine design portion. Boom indicated that it would leverage FTT’s “supersonic engine design expertise,” notably because FTT’s workforce, including engineers involved in the “designing the F-119 and F-135 supersonic engines that power the F-22 and F-35,” Boom said.

“The team at FTT has a decades-long history of developing innovative, high-performance propulsion solutions,” FTT President Stacey Rock said. “We are proud to team with Boom and its Symphony partners and look forward to developing the first bespoke engine for sustainable, economical supersonic flight.”

• READ MORE: American Airlines Inks Deal for 20 Boom Supersonic Overture Aircraft

Boom has also tapped GE Additive for additive manufacturing design consulting. Boom said the partnership would enable more streamlined development, reduced weight, and improved fuel efficiency.

“GE Additive will bring industry-leading capabilities to Symphony, providing additive manufacturing design consulting and technology while looking for additional areas to potentially collaborate,” Chris Schuppe, general manager of engineering and technology at GE Additive, said in a statement.

Looking ahead to maintenance, Boom selected StandardAero in order to deliver “reliable and economical operations and provision of maintenance services for the life of the aircraft,” it said.

StandardAero also has experience as a supersonic engine assembler.

“Our current qualifications, capabilities, and experience assembling and servicing supersonic military jet engines make us the intelligent solution for future commercial supersonic engine MRO applications,” said Russell Ford, chairman, and CEO of StandardAero.

• READ MORE: Curious About Boom Supersonic? Here Are Five Things to Know

Here’s What to Know About Symphony

According to Boom, the powerplant will be a medium-bypass turbofan engine, similar to powerplants on current commercial aircraft. However, unlike subsonic turbofans, Boom said its Symphony would feature a Boom-designed axisymmetric supersonic intake, a variable-geometry, low-noise exhaust nozzle, and a passively cooled high-pressure turbine. It won’t have an afterburner. 

Boom said the powerplant would produce 35,000 lbs of thrust on takeoff and would run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel. To keep things quiet and meet Chapter 14 noise level requirements, Symphony will be designed with a single-stage fan. The process will include additive manufacturing to keep its weight and parts count low and reduce assembly costs. Finally, it will need to meet FAA and EASA Part 33 engine certification requirements.

Boom said it expects Symphony to reduce airplane operating costs for airline customers by 10 percent compared to other derivative powerplants.

The post Boom to Lead New Powerplant Design for Supersonic Jet appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

If a vintage-car buff entered the conversation, the TFE731 would certainly be the Chevrolet small-block V-8 of aviation.

Like those piston powerplants, the TFE731 has been an industry workhorse for decades. Indeed, the engine turns 50 this summer. Following certification in August 1972, it entered production the following month into what some might call a perfect storm in the aviation market.

Lear, Dessault, and Cessna

The business jet segment arguably was born in the 1960s with the introduction of the Lear 23. But by the early 1970s, it was coming of age rapidly as demand for private and corporate jet travel boomed. The TFE731, then built by Garrett AiResearch, arrived just in time to power a number of definitive new aircraft, including the Lear 35, Dassault Falcon 50, and the upgrade to the Cessna Citation line, the Model 650 or Citation III. FLYING’s pages in the June 1975 issue featured a report on the Falcon 10 highlighting the TFE731—and Ziff Davis Publishing awarded the turbofan the “Aviation Product of the Year” prize for 1975.

Today, Honeywell continues to manufacture variants of the engine for new aircraft as well as those in the aftermarket, such as the Gulfstream 150, Dassault Falcon 900, and Bombardier Learjet 70/75. It remains a stalwart of the midsize jet segment that forms the backbone of business aviation. Honeywell says 13,000 TFE731s have been produced and about 9,400 are still in service. Together, they have logged 108 million flight hours.

Geared, Twin-Spool Turbofan Design

Honeywell says the engine stands out historically because it was designed for business aviation, unlike earlier engines that had been adapted from military aircraft. The TFE731 was intended to boost fuel economy and range while cutting noise pollution, which was a major hurdle for early business jets. Its geared, twin-spool turbofan design developed from the TSCP700 auxiliary power unit used in the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliner.

Honeywell says the TFE731-2 engines built in the early 1970s generated 3,500 pounds of takeoff thrust and cut fuel consumption by 30 to 40 percent compared with other competing engines. The latter enabled transcontinental flight, which was a major selling point. Though Learjet and Dassault were the launch customers for the new engine, more manufacturers—including Lockheed (NYSE: LMT), Cessna (NYSE: TXT), Israel Aerospace Industries, and Raytheon/Hawker Beechcraft (NYSE: RTX)—soon began using it. The military engine also found its way into training aircraft, including the CASA 101 and AIDC AT-3.

Honeywell says the engine has received 34 aircraft type certifications and has been produced in 80 configurations. The engine continues to evolve, with the latest version, the TFE731-60, rated at 5,000 pounds of takeoff thrust, and flown on the Falcon 900EX.

The post Business Aviation’s Workhorse Engine Marks Its 50th Birthday appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While the follow-on models of the L-39 rank high in popularity—in their demilitarized versions—among civilian pilots in the U.S., current L-39 manufacturer Aero Vodochody recently announced the unrestricted certification under European Union/NATO EMAR 21 standards of its revamped model, the L-39NG. 

In partnership with Williams International (powerplant) and Genesys Aerosystems (avionics), the “next generation” single-engine turbofan training platform is already seeing interest from militaries outside of the Czech Republic.

Staged Development

The L-39NG program came to fruition in two segments. Stage 1 offered an upgrade path for existing L-39 models, with an engine change to the Williams FJ44-4M and an optional avionics update. Stage 2 introduced newly built NG models with additional design improvements, including:

• Williams FJ44-4M powerplant
• Genesys Aerosystems avionics suite
• Wet wing fuel tanks
• Digital fuel management system
• Flight control system with enhanced maneuverability characteristics
• Pylons with options for six hard points, with two for external fuel tanks 
• Martin-Baker CZ16H ejection seat
• 15,000-hour airframe life

First flight of the L-39NG took place on December 22, 2018.

First Military Customers

So far, the L-39NG has proven popular in its launch with uptake by several military customers worldwide for inclusion into their training fleets. These include:

• Vietnam, the launch customer
• Hungary
• U.S. company Patriots Global Training, to use in partner-nation training

The Civilian Side?

To get a feel for the impression that the new L-39NG is making in the U.S. civilian market, FLYING talked with Zach McNeill, founding member of the American Honor Foundation, FAA liaison for the Classic Jet Aircraft Association, and a designated pilot examiner with a long list of experimental aircraft type ratings, including the L-39 and its predecessor, the L-29 Delfin.

The L-39, in his estimation, is “the best jet trainer ever made” for several reasons, but essentially because it “underperforms at the right times and overperforms at the right times.” For a swept-wing jet, it has very good stall characteristics, and an overall ruggedness that is legendary among operators. This is balanced by the fact that the original L-39 models (as engined with the Ivchenko AI-25TL) retain significant lag when brought from idle power to full power rapidly—such as during a go-around—teaching conservative power management to new jet pilots.

The modern cockpit layout also makes for a smooth transition for personal jet pilots who want to move up the food chain to the MiG17 or MiG21, in McNeill’s estimation. “Same or similar cockpit, some of the gauges are the same,” he said, demonstrating a thoughtfulness in design.

Because the current asking price for the new L-39NG ranges from $15 million to $20 million per unit (with associated high engine replacement costs), and a mid-1970s to ’80s L-39 on the used market fetches between $400,000 to $1 million, McNeill doesn’t see new private buyers lining up for the NG. “You could get a lot more jet for the price.”  

Aero L-39NG

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This was the first time the turbofan has been tested with 100 percent SAF, according to a GE Aviation news release. Currently, SAF blends are limited to a maximum of 50 percent, mixed with petroleum-based jet-A or jet-A-1.

Certificated by the FAA in 2016, the Passport—boasting a thrust of nearly 19,000 pounds—was designed specifically to power Bombardier’s (OTC US: BOMBF) Global 7500 ultra-long range business jet. 

Preliminary test results of the Passport engine were “favorable,” the company said, “with the engine performing similarly to when it runs on petroleum-based jet fuel.” The test was conducted with one engine over several days last March at the company’s facility outside Cincinnati in Peebles, Ohio. 

The test used a type of SAF called HEFA-SPK, the most widely available SAF, which can be made from cooking oil and other waste fats, oils and greases. 

“As our testing shows, the Passport engine, like all GE engines, can operate on approved sustainable aviation fuel today and in the future,” said a statement by GE Aviation’s Melvyn Heard, president of the Passport engine program. “Our customers can be confident that the Passport engine can help meet their sustainability goals to reduce CO2 emissions in flight, thanks to the Passport’s more fuel-efficient technologies compared to previous-generation business jet engines and ability to operate on lower-carbon fuels.”

Recently, Airbus and Rolls-Royce have been testing flights with Trent XWB engines fueled with 100 percent SAF. 

• READ MORE: Airbus Tests 100 percent SAF on A350 Passenger Jet

The news is the latest sign of GE Aviation’s efforts to develop more environmentally friendly powerplants. Last February, GE Aviation joined Airbus and Safran in announcing plans to build a direct combustion hydrogen-fueled engine and demonstrate it on a modified Airbus A380. Civilian aviation accounts for roughly 2 percent of global CO2 emissions.

• READ MORE: GE Aviation partners with Airbus on Hydrogen Demonstrator

The first flight of the demonstrator is expected by the end of 2026.

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