The Boeing 787 Dream liner hit the headlines again recently making its debut in Africa by visiting Addis Ababa and Nairobi, as well as establishing two world records, setting new marks for both speed and distance for the aircrafts weights weight class.

The sixth 787,ZA006 ,powered by General Electric GEnx engines, departed from Boeing Field in Seattle at 11h02 on December 6 and set distance record for its class (440 000-550 000lbs .) with a 10710 nm flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh ,with credit for 10337nm.This record had previously been held by the Airbus A330 based on a 9127 nm flight in 2002.

Following an approximately two-hour stop for refueling in Dhaka, the B787 returned to Seattle on a 9734nm flight. It landed at 05h29 on December 8, setting a new record for speed around the world (eastbound) with a total trip time of 42 hours and 27 minutes. There was no previous around-the –world speed record for this weight class.

Flight routing on the first segment of the journey took the airplane from Seattle across the US to Nantucket. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the aircraft entered European air space at Siantiago, Spain, and proceeded down the Mediterranean, across Egypt to Luxor, across the Middle East and over India to Bangladesh.

On the second segment, the Dream liner flew over Singapore, the Philippines and Guam before entering US airspace over Honolulu and returning to Seattle.

Boeing holds world records for longest distance flights in five weight classes with records set by the KC-135,767-200ER (Extended range) ,777-200 and 777-200LR (longer range).The 777-200 also holds the speed record for its weight class.

For its African debut, the Dream liner visited customer airlines for demonstration flights. First stop was in Addis Ababa where it was shown to Ethiopian Airlines after which it flew to Nairobi where Kenya Airways had a chance to see it “in the flesh” .The aircraft received a traditional water arch welcome on arrival.

The African visit was part of a four-month world demonstration tour by the aircraft.

First Citation CJ4 For South Africa

The first Cessna Citation CJ4 to have been purchased by a South African customer whose identity has not yet been released, has arrived in the country.

The owner travels frequently into Africa and chose the aircraft type because it was the only one in its price range which can fly direct from Johannesburg to Nairobi without refueling with a full complement of nine passengers and still have enough fuel to reach an alternate airport 200nm miles from its original destination.

Another plus factor is that the aircraft is certified for single-pilot operations.

Alternates are very important when flying into Africa as charter flights are often stranded due to alternate airports being unable to accommodate an aircraft in bad weather conditions, especially at night.

The citation CJ4 joins a fleet of other aircraft which also includes the smaller Cessna Mustang.

Embraer Rolls Out The Legacy 500

The first prototype of the Legacy 200,Embraers latest executive jet, was rolled out from the company’s production at the Sao Jose dos Camps headquarters ,in Brazil, recently and within days engineers began to perform important ground tests, prior to the aircrafts first flight, which is scheduled for the third quarter of 2012.

Following the roll out, the aircraft began initial systems evaluations leading to the first engine run, and then to the ground vibration tests (GVT), and the full regimen of ground tests. This aircraft is the first of three prototypes that will be used in development, ground, flight and certification testing.

There are more than 800 Embraer engineers supporting these technical efforts. The aircraft will be certified by ANAC (Brazil), FAA (USA), EASA (Europe), and other aviation authorities in key markets throughout the world.

The Legacy 500 is powered by two Honeywell HTF 7500E turbofan engines, each producing 6540 pounds of thrust at takeoff. They will allow the aircraft to fly at a high-speed cruise of Mach 0, 82 and to have a range of 3000 nautical miles with four passengers.

The jet features the advanced Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion integrated flight deck, as well as a modern full fly-by-wire system with complete flight envelope protection.

The Legacy 500 can accommodate up to 12 passengers in a stand-up cabin with 1, 82 –metre ceiling and a flat floor. Cabin design and amenities include four breathable (fully flat) seating pairs, a low 6000-foot cabin altitude ,Honeywell’s Ovation Select cabin management system, and internal and external baggage compartments.

Premium seats are also available with leg rest, headrest with flexible wings, electrically actuated lumbar

Support, and massage and heating systems, which are unique to its category.

Final Gulf stream G200 Rolls off Production Line

Capping a 14-year production run, the last super mid-size Gulf stream G200 business jet – the 250^th – has rolled off the production line in Dallas.

It will be replaced in the Gulf stream fleet by the all-new large-cabin, mid-range Gulf stream G280, which is scheduled to enter service in the first part of 2012.

The G200 (shown above right) was the first super mid-size business jet to enter the marketplace. It rolled out in 1997 and was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1998.Seven years later of the day, Gulf stream delivered the 100^th G200.

With a cabin width of 2,184m and a cabin height of 1,905m, the G200 has one of the largest cabins in its class. To date, the aircraft has been certified in 18 countries and has a dispatch reliability rate in excess of 99%. The fleet has flown more than 581000 flight hours and completed more than 351000 take-offs and landings.

Originally introduced as the “Galaxy” by Galaxy Aerospace (which has acquired by Gulf stream in 2001), the G200 was manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries in Tel Aviv and then flown to Gulfstream Mid-Cabin Completions Center in Dallas for interior outfitting and paint.

The last G200 was scheduled for customer delivery late last month.

The G200 set the standard for the new super mid-size category and quickly established an important market niche. It became a mainstay aircraft for Net Jets and many corporate operators. It also opened new markets for Gulfstream in China, Brazil and elsewhere.

“The G200 took the basic cabin dimensions of a large-cabin aircraft and made them available to a broader market by offering a shortened eight-to 10-place ,two –seating –area layout with solid transcontinental US range ,” said Stan Dixon, vice-president of the Mid-Cabin Program mes,Gulfstream .”It led the category for its time, as will the G280 going into the future.”

Gulfstream claims the G280 offers the largest cabin and the longest range at the fastest speed in its class. The business jet is capable of traveling 3600nm at Mach 0, 80 and has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0, 85 .With an initial cruise altitude of 41000 feet, the G280 can climb to a maximum altitude of 45000 feet. Its 3600-nautical miles range means the G280 can fly non-stop from New York to London or from London to Dubai.

The G280 features an all-new, advanced transonic wing design that has been optimized for high-speed cruise and improved takeoff performance .At maximum takeoff weight, the G280 has a balanced field length of 1445 metres.

Although G200 production has ended, the product support organization will ensure adequate parts, tooling, sustaining engineering and people are available to continue providing Gulf stream industry –leading product support for the worldwide G200 fleet.

Manufacturers have introduced innovations and creativity which has enabled them to manufacturer mid –size business executive jets and large-size business executive jets to be able to meet the high demand by leisure, business executive and other travelers who prefer private flights. This innovations has come up with creativity of the cabin and cost effectiveness of the operations by reduction in fuel burn and maintenance cost thus with long range endurance, enabling this jets do no-stop flights of 5 hours.

Anthony Juma is the Editor and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. <br><a href='http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com’> This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Private Executive Jet Charter Flights | VIP Executive Business Jet Flights| Air Ambulance Charter Flights| Corporate Executive Jet Charter Flights & Flight Air News On Business Jet Aircraft Kenya, Rwanda,Tanzania,Uganda,Burundi,DR Congo,Somalia,South Sudan, Eastern & Central Africa and the African continent. </a> The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/services/vip-executive-flights.html</a>