Author: Jon Ostrower

Travel Day: IAD-DEN-LAX-PSP, originally uploaded by flightblogger.

Last of three flights today to Palm Springs for the World Airline
Entertainment Association conference. Routing took me through Denver
and Los Angeles aboard United Airlines 757-200s (N520UA & N553UA).
Final leg is onboard SkyWest Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia (N235SW). With
all my traveling over the last two years, this will be my very first
trip to California, unless you count a 2003 spotting excursion to In &
Out burger at LAX.

Stealing a page directly from Cranky Flier’s playbook, I’ve decided to conclude each week with links articles I’ve written and other content posted outside of FlightBlogger.

G650 rolled out in upbeat Savannah ceremony – Flightglobal
After a year economic downturn and bad publicity endured by the
corporate aviation community, Gulfstream took a moment to celebrate
with the roll-out of its new large-cabin G650 business jet.

Embraer set to unveil Phenom 300 maintenance datalink – Flightglobal
Embraer is set to announce a datalink for its new Phenom 300 aircraft that will link the light jet’s central maintenance computer (CMC) to aircraft service centres.

Boeing revamps 787 wiring, begins structural modifications – Flightglobal
Boeing will introduce a new wiring standard for the 787 to reduce
weight, improve maintainability and address a spacing issue between
wires, says key supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

New Photos
Also, see my Flickr photostream for the most recently uploaded photos. New additions include G650 photos and some panorama shots from the Udvar-Hazy Center. Make sure to check out the extremely belated posting of photos from EBACE and the May ZA001 roll-out.

In a move that could reshape the US regional jet landscape, feeder carrier Trans States Airlines signed an LOI for up to 100 MRJ aircraft.

The order includes 50 firm aircraft and 50 options and is one of the biggest in a year that has seen few large orders, especially from US carriers.

Trans States currently operates a fleet of ERJ-145 and CRJ700 (subsidiary GoJet) aircraft for US Airways Express and United Express.

The introduction of the MRJ to US regional feeder routes adds a fifth
major player in the North American commercial jet transport market along side Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier. In particular, the MRJ takes direct aim at the market currently occupied by Bombardier’s CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft, as well as Embraer’s E-Jet family.

The significance of this order is not to be underestimated. A Japanese aircraft breaking into the US regional market could be on par with the 1986 order by Northwest Airlines and the 1996 order by United Airlines for A320 family aircraft, opening the door to a flood of new operators.

The order also represents the US commercial launch of the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G turbofan, as well as the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics platform.

Delivery dates have not yet been set, however the MRJ plans to enter service in 2014 with launch customer ANA. Trans States did not specify a breakdown of selected variants, but have said they are interested in the 92-seat MRJ90, the 78-seat MRJ70, and the proposed stretched variant of the aircraft with 100 seats.

The order comes three weeks after Mitubishi unveiled major changes to the MRJ design including shifting the wing from composite to aluminum.

“Conceptually, this is a very big change,” admits Mitsubishi
Aircraft. “Structural changes are easier and require shorter lead-time
with aluminium wings. With an aluminium wing box, the wing structure
can be more easily optimised for the MRJ70/90 and the stretch model,
which enhances the overall competitiveness of the MRJ family.”

The
change will allow its engineers to develop an optimum wing for the
MRJ90 and minimise the deterioration of range performance for the
stretched version. The biggest benefit will be for the MRJ70, which
will weigh less.

“This will allow weight reduction through
structural changes, allowing for larger winglets and resulting in a
reduction of block fuel [consumption] and take-off performance
improvement,” says Mitsubishi.

As a result, Mitsubishi has thickened the now-aluminum wing of the MRJ resulting in a 27 knot decrease in cruise speed while seeking to maintain the aircrafts planned fuel burn advantage over today’s regional jets.

Albaugh Visits Charleston
Newly minted President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Jim Albaugh, made his first visit to Boeing Charleston and Global Aeronautica today as news spreads of the recently filed permits for the second 787 assembly line.

Though there appears to be no direct connection to Albaugh’s visit to Charleston and the selection of a second line, that decision – expected by year’s end – will define his early months at the helm of BCA.

The Charleston Post Courier reports that the details of the permits make way for a 720,000 sq. ft. facility at the southern end of Charleston Air Force base on the Boeing Campus. Scott Hamilton notes that the Everett factory is 4.3 million sq. ft. by comparison. A quick calculation shows that 720,000 sq. ft. is roughly one-sixth of the Everett factory, which is split into six main bays for final assembly of the 747, 767, 777 and 787. The 720,000 sq. ft. figure makes the new facility’s footprint almost identical to that of the current 787 line.

Sources indicate that that there has been increased surveying activity at the Boeing Charleston site with heavy equipment arriving on site, such as an excavator, small bulldozer and a brush cutter.

Boeing emphasizes that no decision has been made on the location of the second line, however, the permits indicate that brush clearing would begin in November if the green-light is given.

In addition, the State of Washington has publicly made its own case for why it should be the site of the second 787 line. Scott Hamilton explores the important difference between Washington State not providing Boeing any incentive for the second line vs. Boeing not actually asking for anything from Washington.

Z18 Moves -9 Again
This page reported last week that the first 787-9 would be airplane
109 instead of 88. The 109 figure was correct, however only to the Z17
schedule, not the latest Z18 revision, which now puts the first 787-9
at LN139. Apologies for any confusion.

The Changing Tone of the Backlog
In recent weeks, the tone of the now 840 aircraft 787 backlog has shifted. When early customers discussed cancellations, the reasons given were attributable to the economic downturn. QANTAS, LCAL, S7, SkyPeace, RBS (unconfirmed) all cited the economy as the key driver for the cancellations. Earlier this week, TUI Travel, which recently merged with First Choice, reduced its combined 787 order by 10, while expanding purchase rights for an addition 13 aircraft.

However, as the global recession begins to bottom, 787 customers have begun to cite the program delays as a driver in future fleet planning. Oman Air now says its order for 10 hinges on the outcome of first flight, while Kenya Airways is openly discussing a potential A330 order for interim capacity and LOT Polish Airlines is considering placing an Airbus order as well. In addition, Vietnam Airlines is also weighing its options on its 787 order.

First flight could help to settle much of this uneasiness, however the number of airlines seeking either interim lift or discussing potential order cancellations has grown considerably. These four airlines hold firm orders for a total of 39 787s, according to Boeing’s website.

Dreamliner Eleven
Boeing is set to take delivery of the final structural sections (Forward and Center) for the
11th 787 this weekend and early next week as the production pace beings to
quicken. Early next week will also see the arrival of the wings for Dreamliner 12 as the line pulses forward. As the final body join for the 11th 787 gets underway later next week, the first production 787 (ZA100) will likely move out of final assembly to the paint hangar for closeout and aqueous wash of the wing tanks before receiving the official ANA colors. Access to the side of body and center tanks will still be available to install the wing fix later on.

Dreamliner Eight – Photo Credit Brendan Sobie

Now Gulfstream’s version:

See more photos from the G650 roll-out

Here’s the full set of photos from yesterday’s G650 rollout, including the flights to and from Savannah. Seven thousand people attended yesterday’s ceremonies that saw the new large-cabin business jet taxi in under its own power. I suspect a power roll-in could be a first for an aerospace industry.

The first thing you notice when walking around the aircraft is the wing, which is incredibly clean and already has a slight upward curve to it. Also worth noting, the sharp angle at the edge of the cockpit windows gives N650GA an almost Cardinal-esq appearance. In case you’re wondering, the windows are 16% larger than the G550’s,
which strangely makes the aircraft look smaller from far away. From an aesthetic point of view alone, this is one good-looking aircraft. For the sake of full disclosure, I don’t think I’ve ever met an aircraft I didn’t think was good-looking. Enjoy!

On location at Gulfstream’s G650 manufacturing site. N650GA (6001) taxied in under her own power. The aircraft will fly by the end of the year.

Off to Savannah momentarily aboard a G550 for the rollout ceremonies to see N650GA (Fmr. N601GD) in the flesh. Will be tweeting all day from the event. Special thanks to The Enterprise Report for the first photo.

Thanks to a cached version of the G650 wikipedia page, it appears Gulfstream has been making some impressive strides with its new business jet. One item that has since been removed from the current entry reads:

The G650 was first spotted taxing under its own power at the Gulfstream Savannah Georgia production facility on Sept 26, 2009. A photo of the aircraft was published.

That photo has proved elusive. However, thankfully, others have not:

Air France A380 Flies…Again
Last Friday in Hamburg, Air France’s first freshly painted A380
(MSN033) took to the skies for a five-hour cabin test flight. The
aircraft lifted off without the new Premium Voyageur economy class
aboard which will be first introduced in October aboard the airline’s 777 fleet.
The Wall Street Journal detailed the spat between Airbus and Air France on the A380 cabin modifications. Air France should take delivery of F-HPJA in late October, with two more expected to follow before the end of the year (MSN040 &
043).

G650 Rollout
Tomorrow morning, I’ll be hopping a quick flight down to Savannah, Georgia for Gulfstream’s roll-out of the new large-cabin G650. It feels like just yesterday that Gulfstrean announced the program. How quickly they grow up. Word on the street is that the aircraft has already has first engine start. Perhaps Gulfstream has a treat for us tomorrow with a surprise first flight too? I’ll be tweeting live all morning tomorrow.

WAEA
Starting early next week, I’ll be heading west for a week of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity at the World Airline Entertainment Association conference in lovely Palm Springs. Mary Kirby (Runway Girl) and I will have the show covered wall to wall bringing you the latest innovations on what we may see in the cabin of the not-so-distant future.