Ultimate Jet #73 - Phenom 300E Flight Test

NEWS I MANUFACTURER I 8
DFS complete Falcon 900B
cargo conversion
Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) recently completed the conversion of
a Falcon 900B from passenger configuration to full cargo in record
time. The conversion, involving a company-owned aircraft, took eight
days from reception of the order to approval by French Civil Aviation
authorities, granted under a fast-track exemption. The project entailed
stripping passenger seats and furnishings and installing equipment
to stow and secure freight. No major modifications to access doors
or other systems were undertaken and the conversion is readily
reversible back to passenger configuration.The modification involved
customer service, engineering and operating teams from DFS as well
as test and certification resources from Dassault Aviation. The aircraft
is being used to transport fabric needed for the production of face
masks to a plant in Eastern Europe and to return completed masks
for distribution in France, North Africa and other areas stricken by
the Covid-19 pandemic or recovering from the coronavirus lockdown.
Flying these materials in a converted business jet is considerably
faster and provides greater flexibility than commercial airfreight or
ground transport. Capacity is 13.5 cubic meters or 6,325 lbs (2,884 kg).
Gulfstream G600 receives
EASA approval
Gulfstream Aerospace has announced on May 11th its award-winning
Gulfstream G600 earned type certificate approval from the European
Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), enabling aircraft registrations
and deliveries to begin for EU customers. «The Gulfstream G600’s
advanced technology, high-speed performance and unparalleled
efficiency will serve the intercontinental European business traveler
well,» said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “We are excited to get
this aircraft in the hands of customers throughout the continent.”
At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90, the G600 can carry passengers
5,500 nautical miles/10,186 kilometers nonstop — enough range to
travel from London to Los Angeles or from Paris to Hong Kong. At
its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85, it can fly 6,500 nm/12,038
km. Its maximum operating speed is Mach 0.925.The aircraft, which
entered service Aug. 8, 2019, has already earned 23 city-pair speed
records. Among those records was a flight of 4,057 nm/7,514 km
from Savannah to Geneva that took just 7 hours and 21 minutes at
Mach 0.90.
First Citation Latitudes configured for flight
inspection enter service
Textron Aviation recently delivered the first two Cessna Citation
Latitude aircraft configured for flight inspection missions. The aircraft were
delivered to Kanematsu Corporation and will be owned and operated by the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) to ensure the integrity of instrument
approaches and airway procedures that constitute the national airspace of
Japan. A third aircraft is anticipated to deliver in early 2021. «We’re proud
the JASDF selected the Cessna Citation Latitude, the best-selling midsize jet,
in support of its flight inspection mission,» said Bob Gibbs, vice president,
Special Mission Sales for Textron Aviation. «When the JASDF needed a modern
aircraft with low direct operation costs for an enduring mission, it chose the
Cessna Citation Latitude.» Fitted with UNIFIS 3000 Flight Inspection System
equipment from Norwegian Special Mission (NSM), the aircraft will provide
flight inspection missions through the periodic evaluation of navigational
aids, such as flight procedures and electronic signals, to ensure they are safe
and accurate. The aircraft will be operated by the Flight Checker Squadron,
a JASDF unit based at Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo.
«Flight inspection has long been a vital part of providing a safe air transportation
system making instrument flight possible and safeguarding passengers and
aircrew,» said Gibbs. “The Latitude’s long range, large cabin and class-leading
performance ideally suits it for the flight inspection mission.”