Flight News On Business Jet Manufacturers Embraer Boost African Fleets,Dassault Evaluates Laminar Designs & Future Aircraft Trends
Two African airlines have either received or are about to receive,Embraer regional jets to boost their respective fleets, the first delivery going to Kenya Airways thus continuing the carriers drive to grow and modernize its aircraft fleet.
The aircraft is the very first E190 advanced Range (AR) aircraft to emerge from Embraers factory in San Jose Dos Campos, Brazil, and it has joined Kenya Airways existing fleet of Embraer 170s, bringing the total E-jet fleet size to six aircraft.
The new E190AR will service the Lusaka, Kigali, Bujumbura and Maputo routes.
Scheduled for delivery this month to Windhoek-based Air Namibia are three former Air France ERJ135 jets which will replace some of the national flag carrier’s turboprops and help develop its route network.
The aircraft have been leased from the ECC Leasing Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Embraer, which arranged the deal with the Air France subsdiary, Regional Compagnie Aerienne Europeenne.
The aircraft, configured in a 37-seat layout, will be operated from Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport, as well as the downtown Eros Airport and will be used exclusively on domestic services.
Dassault Evaluates Laminar Designs
Dassault Aviation recently performed a successful flight test to evaluate potential applications of a laminar wing for large business jets. The flight was performed with a Falcon 7X at Dassaults Flight Test centre in Istres, France.
The tests are part of the “smart fixed wing aircraft” one of the integrated technology demonstrators of the European Clean Sky initiative .Clean Sky, one of Europe’s largest research initiatives ever, aims to develop technologies for cleaner and quieter next-generation aircraft which will enter service beyond 2020.
The flight evaluated a new infrared (IR) camera technology, developed by FLIR, which is capable of measuring temperature gradients in high altitude/low temperature and pressure environments. The camera measured differences in surface temperatures between laminar and turbulent areas of the horizontal tail plane on the Falcon 7X.
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Although the Falcon 7X is not based on a laminar design, at high altitudes a laminarity of up to 40% was predicted on the upper surface of the horizontal tail. Measurements from the IR camera placed at the top of the vertical tail were performed to provide experimental validation.
“The results, which are still under analysis by Dassault Aviation and ONERA, (the French national aerospace research centre) do show laminar extensions as expected,” said Philippe Rostand, future Flacon programmes project manager. “The tests also permitted us to qualify new measurements techniques and equipment that will be used in future test flights to be flown by Dassault,Airbus and the other European partners on an even larger scale, such as the smart laminar wing’ that will be flight tested in 2014 on a modified Airbus A340-300 test aircraft.”
Among other aerodynamic innovations, a laminar wing offers the largest potential for a dramatic decrease in drag. Laminar wings are wings are currently only used on sailplanes and small business jets. Initial studies indicates a potential 5-10% drag decrease and corresponding reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions with a laminar wing design on a large aircraft .Demonstration and analysis on a larger scale have yet to be performed to confirm possible efficient and safe application on larger aircraft.
Dassault Aviation previously performed a series of successful test flights with an experimental laminar airfoil from 1986-1989 on a modified Falcon 50. “Today, better measurement tools and production methods are in place to implement what we’ve learned so that we can someday bring these exciting findings into reality,” said Rostand.
Future Aircraft Trends
Cabin Comfort will take centre stage over the next few years with passenger expectations on the rise and it was predicted that the current standard 60-inch seat pitch in business class would soon be replaced with a fully flat bed.
This opinion was expressed by Andy Shank land, vice president marketing for Airbus, at a recent Thai Airways International conference.
Global health trends are also set to impact the aviation industry over the next few years and airlines will be expected to accommodate larger passengers, especially in its economy classes. This will happen sooner than expected with the World Health Organization predicting that more than, 5 billion people will be classified as overweight or obese by 2015.
Cabins allowing for wider seats will be well worth the investment, and could well translate into a competitive advantage in the near future.
“Passenger expectations are also driving change in terms of in-flight services and the seamless integration of mobile services will soon become the norm. Trends indicate that air travelers will deem trouble-free connection and mobile availability while in the air more important than in-flight entertainment.
“In the interim, more consumers will bring their own entertainment onboard, and will expect to see a wide spread convergence of TV,PC,Phone,MP3 player, video player and cameras in the near future,” said Shankland.
“Eco efficiency will further establish itself on the airline industry’s agenda and the aim is to significantly reduce CO2 emissions per passenger by lowering cabin weight and offering more efficient use of space.Theindustry is already exploring innovative seating configurations including staggered front-facing and toe-to-toe arrangements. Innovative gallery designs can save up to 1200kilograms and gain between three and 10 seats. In addition, lighter seats could save up to 2000 kilograms and de-centralized in-flight entertainment a further 600 kilograms.
“The aviation industry has never been a static one and it is clear that clear that passengers are becoming a major driving force behind airline trends. Its imperative that we respond accordingly to ensure that e remains relevant, successful and competitive,” he said.
“The presentation by Shank land was an insightful one, and highlighted the necessary steps airlines will be expected to take in the next few years,” commented Niruth Sripawatakul, general manager of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa for THAI.
Anthony Juma is the Editor and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation.
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