Turbine Pilot

The Global Express merges high-tech with the luxo cabin

The Montreal-based Bombardier conglomerate is one of today's biggest success stories. From modest beginnings manufacturing snowmobiles, the company, under the leadership of then-president (now executive chairman) Laurent Beaudoin, went through a series of quantum expansions, beginning in 1986 when it bought Canadian-government-owned Canadair. In 1989 Bombardier bought Short Brothers, a Northern Ireland aircraft manufacturer and subcontractor. In 1990, Learjet was acquired. In 1992, de Havilland became a Bombardier company. Now Bombardier's Aerospace Group has garnered huge market share, what with the success of its Regional Jets (the 50-seat CRJ and 70-seat CRJ700) and the synergies of its business jet design, manufacturing, sales, and support network.

Bombardier Aerospace, its spokesmen like to emphasize, is the world's third-largest manufacturer of civil aircraft, with 31,000 employees worldwide, and customer service facilities from Tucson to Singapore. The jewel in Bombardier Aerospace's crown is the Global Express.

Going global

For years, the design goal at Bombardier has been to expand the speed and range of its large business jet line. The cabin was never an issue: All customers like the extra-wide cabins and flat floors that were the signatures of the Challengers. But from the beginning, Canadair/Bombardier's sales nemesis has been the Gulfstream line of large business jets, and it seemed that in many performance scenarios Gulfstream IIIs and IVs too often had the edge in the range department.

Countering this edge became a major driver in the evolution of the Canadair Challengers: The early 600 models have 2,800-nm maximum ranges; the 601s could fly for 3,600 nm; the 604s can go 4,000 nm nonstop. But by the early 1990s, the Gulfstream IVSP could claim a maximum range of 4,220 nm—about 600 miles more than the extended-range versions of the Challenger 601-3A, then the top-of-the-line Challenger.

Beaudoin wanted a next-generation, ultra-long-range, very large business jet that would crush the competition—a 6,500-nm-plus airplane capable of pushing Mach 0.90, with the latest-technology cockpit, the most efficient engines, and a cabin that would set the standard for business jet luxury and double as a flying office. Market surveys angling for the specific features of such an airplane had begun in 1991.

Gulfstream's G-V program was launched in September 1992 and first deliveries began in mid-1997, so Gulfstream was the first in the race to sell this new breed of global business jet.

Bombardier came up with a clean-sheet design that would showcase the company's expertise. International subcontracting teams helped build various elements of the Global Express, and FAA certification came in November 1998. JAA (the Joint Airworthiness Authority that governs certification in Europe, Australia, and many other nations) certification came six months later, and the first Global Express was delivered in July 1999. Currently, there are 13 airplanes in service, 36 more in the completion phase, and firm orders for over 120 more Global Expresses.

GLEX versus G-V

From the outset, Bombardier and Gulfstream have been sniping at each other over whose airplane has more advantages. Global Express advocates say their airplane is a clean-sheet design, unlike the G-V—which Bombardier says is a derivative of a prior design. Gulfstream, however, claims the G-V is a new design and completely different from the G-IVSP.

G-V sales personnel say their airplane's cabin has plenty of fresh air and lower cabin altitudes above 45,000 feet. The Global Express' environmental system, we're told, exchanges fresh cabin air at three times the rate—42 cubic feet per minute per passenger—of the G-V's. The G-V overstates its performance, Bombardier claims. The debate even extends to the amount of ambient light in the cabin. Bombardier says that it has a brighter cabin because the Global Express has more windows; Gulfstream says sure, the G-V has fewer windows, but they're larger and thus admit more light.

In several areas, however, there can be no debate. Bombardier worked hand-in-glove with European aviation authorities during the design and manufacturing process, so the Global Express is certified to JAA standards.

The Global Express' cabin is 10 inches wider, one inch higher, and has a larger floor area and greater cabin volume than that of the G-V.

The Global Express beat the G-V's speeds on routes from Tokyo to Teterboro, New Jersey, and Teterboro to Tokyo—setting new world records—and set world records on four other long-range routes Bombardier claims the G-V didn't attempt.

Those in the market for a global-range jet are best advised to seek out company representatives of both these fine airplanes for help in making their own decisions about which airplane is better suited to their travel needs.

System highlights

Airframe. The Global Express airframe is certified to the latest damage-tolerance standards, which means, among other things, that the wings have multiple load paths—each one of which could bear the aerodynamic load in the event of structural damage to other components. Composite materials are used for nonstructural as well as structural components. These include the horizontal stabilizer and elevators, rudder, ailerons, and flaps. The wings have a 35-degree sweep and a cross-section design optimized for flight at transonic (just below the speed of sound) velocities. Typical cruise speed for the GLEX is Mach 0.85, although a Mach 0.88 cruise speed can be used. Additional drag reduction is planned in a future program that will drop the ailerons, change the air cycle machine's exhaust louvers, and add gap seals to the aileron hinges and thrust reverser doors. These and other improvements could boost maximum ranges by as much as 100 nm. There's a 20-year warranty on the primary structure.

Powerplants. These are the BMW-Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, with thrust ratings of 14,750 pounds each. They let the airplane climb directly to 43,000 feet, and cruise as fast as Mach 0.88. At that speed, the airplane can fly as far as 5,000 nm. At Mach 0.87, max range is 5,800 nm; at Mach 0.85 it's 6,100 nm; and at Mach 0.80 it's 6,500 nm. The engines are controlled by a FADEC (full authority digital engine control) system, and an electronic engine control system provides a dual-channel interface with the highly automated cockpit. The APU is the Honeywell/AlliedSignal RE220, which can be started in flight at altitudes up to 37,000 feet and operated up to 45,000 feet.

Electrical. This system is driven by four engine-driven generators and two nicad batteries. These feed both AC and DC power systems. In the rare case of a complete AC power failure (as would occur in a dual engine flameout) a ram air turbine (RAT) generator will deploy automatically from the nose section. The RAT, driven by a small two-blade propeller, can power primary cockpit instruments as well as drive an integrated hydraulic pump capable of powering all flight control surfaces.

Hydraulics. There are three independent systems for hydraulic power, which control the ailerons, elevator, rudder, spoilers, landing gear, and brakes. Each system has two pumps, for additional redundancy.

Flight controls. Control surfaces are hydraulically powered via dual power control units (PCUs), except the rudder, which has three PCUs. Pitch trim is electrically powered, with two-speed trim motors, overspeed protection, and separate electrical buses powering the two separate pitch trim motors for redundancy. In the event of a control jam, applying force to the control column (or manually disengaging the controls via cockpit disconnect handles) will disconnect the pilot's controls from the copilot's. The airplane can be flown with one operating elevator and one operating aileron in this scenario.

CAIMS. The Central Aircraft Information and Maintenance System records and stores any and all failures in the Global Express' systems. Maintenance data can be downloaded to a portable maintenance access terminal.

Honeywell Primus 2000XP

The Global Express cockpit is dominated by the 2000XP's six eight-by-seven-inch EFIS displays. Two are primary flight displays (PFDs); the rest are EICAS (engine instruments and crew alerting system) or multifunction displays (MFDs). The avionics suite interfaces with all the airplane systems, including the EICAS, and its functions are divided into four main categories. Communications components include dual VHF comms, dual HF comms, a cockpit voice recorder, and a selective calling (selcal) capability. An AFIS (airborne flight information system) is optional. Primus II radio management units, which use color flat-panel displays, are used to select and display various comm, VHF nav, and ADF frequencies, as well as input transponder and TCAS settings. The office-in-the-sky option features Satcom telephone, datalink, and fax capabilities. Navigation components include triple inertial reference units, triple air data computers, radio altimeters, TCAS, weather radar, lightning detection, windshear detection, EGPWS, an optional head-up display, plus dual VHF, dual ADF, DME, and a single GPS receiver. A dual flight management system is also standard, and there's an option for a Lasertrak laser reference unit that serves as a backup long-range source of navigation information. Automatic flight control functions include the flight director, autopilot, yaw damper, autothrottle, and stall prevention systems (a stick shaker/pusher). Indicating and recording functions are presented on the EICAS display pages, and these include the system synoptic pages that show system schematics. Aural warnings, a flight data recorder, and a takeoff/landing monitor are also provided.

Training

Global Express training takes place at Bombardier's training center in Montreal. There will soon be a second Global Express Level D simulator, and the company uses class sessions, simulators, and flight training devices to prepare those lucky pilots who will have to master the 2000XP, earn their type ratings, and attend recurrent training sessions. Pilot initial training lasts 19 days at a minimum. Those unfamiliar with the 2000XP, FMSs, or EICAS can expect to spend an extra week learning how to make those components sing.

Flying N700HX

At last, I make my way to the left seat of a Global Express—serial number 9005, to be exact—the fifth airplane off the production line, and a hard-working demonstrator.

Once strapped in, the view is as impressive as the cockpit is huge. My overseer, Bombardier demonstration and flight test pilot Bruce Robinson, guided me through the engine start process, which amounts to pushing a button and watching that things don't go awry. At the proper time, generators and pumps come on line automatically, and soon we're ready to taxi. A tiller is used for only the tightest turns; conventional, hydraulically powered rudder-pedal steering is more than adequate for normal taxiing and the entire takeoff run.

Our flight will take us from Montreal's Dorval International Airport (CYUL) all the way to Montreal's Mirabel Airport (CYMX)—a distance of 30 nm or so. I've been allocated an hour to fly the airplane because time is tight. After my flight, we'll return to Dorval, then take off for an airshow in Istanbul, Turkey, a series of demonstration flights in the Middle East, and, finally, a stop at the ILA airshow in Berlin.

Thanks to the wraparound windows, visibility is great, and this helps taxiing go smoothly. I'd spent an hour in the Global Express simulator the day before, and the rudimentary familiarity I'd gained with the displays and flight control system was proving essential as the time for takeoff neared. Robinson, way over on the other side of the cockpit, set up the MFDs and EICAS displays, bugged the takeoff speeds on the PFDs, and armed the autothrottles. The leading-edge slats were extended, and flaps were selected to the 6-degree takeoff setting.

Ordinarily, I'd write down the takeoff speeds—V ₁, V _R, and V ₂—but I was too busy anticipating and concentrating on the takeoff profile to pull out paper and pen. Besides, Robinson would call out the speeds, and anyway it's too late; we're cleared for takeoff.

I press on the autothrottle switch, and engine power automatically spools up to the appropriate value. The runway rushes by, and after reaching 110 kt or so, I raise the nose to match the flight director's cross-pointers. Dorval was left far behind as we entered a 200-kt climb doing 4,000 fpm or so.

Things happen fast, and soon it was time to slow in preparation for landing. I switch to hand-flying and follow the ILS down to a landing at Mirabel. Gear, flaps, and slats are extended by glideslope intercept, and down we go, flying at our V _REF of 112 kt. The autobrakes are set to medium. Approaching the runway there's no doubting the sense that you're flying a massive airplane—it's rock-steady and loaded with inertia. Control forces are appropriate to an airplane with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 93,500 pounds. At 50 feet agl the EICAS voice calls out "50 feet," and I pull the thrust levers to idle and settle to the runway, holding the nose a few degrees up. (If this were an autothrottle approach, the thrust levers would have automatically retarded at the 50-foot call.) The mains touch first and we roll on in acceptable fashion. When the nosewheel touches I crack the thrust reversers open. The autobrakes kick in, I pull reverse thrust, and we're stopped in 2,500 feet or so. Not bad for a first-time landing in the real McCoy, and another endorsement for the value of simulator training.

Subsequent landings are equally uneventful, although I've got this habit of stepping on the brakes after touchdown. Doing that in a Global Express instantly disables the autobrakes—if you've selected them in the first place.

The return to Dorval was a real confidence-builder. Inside of an hour I was feeling much more comfortable with the airplane (if not the 2000XP) and our landing was to be on a shorter runway—one that intersected with the longer, principal runway. We arrived in style, with plenty of room to spare. Yes, the Global Express is easy to fly.

CYUL to LTBA

For the 4,062-nm nonstop trip to Istanbul, some 37,000 pounds (about 5,522 gallons) of fuel were pumped into 700HX via the single-point fueling port in the leading edge of the right wing root. The flight crew would include Robinson, Warren Breeding, and Herves Gros-Desormeaux. Our flight attendants were Vicki McKinney and Marianne Susich. Also along on the trip was Leo Knaapen, Bombardier Business Aircraft's manager of public relations and communications; and Luc Fouquette, director of the Global Express project. Along with our baggage, this made our takeoff weight 89,000 pounds—4,500 pounds under max takeoff weight.

Bombardier policy prohibits nonemployee pilots from manipulating the controls on company business flights—but that didn't mean I couldn't be in the cockpit. So I rode the jump seat and had an up-close view of the goings-on.

Breeding programmed our route into the FMS, then called up the precalculated V speeds—V ₁, 123 kt; V _R, 123 kt; and V ₂, 136 kt—which then appeared on the PFD's vertical tapes. Preflight checks included studying the synoptics pages on the MFDs. Calling up the fuel system schematic, you could see that the APU was burning 200 pph, read the total fuel quantity and engine fuel burn, and see the positions of all the fuel valves. Call up the hydraulic system page, and you can see which pumps are operating, along with system pressure and fluid quantity levels. As for the primary EICAS display, it shows EPR (engine pressure ratio, a measurement that indicates the difference in pressure between air flowing into and out of the engine, and the primary gauge for setting power), N1 (fan speed), and ITT (interturbine temperature) on small symbolic gauges. Trim, flap, slat, and gear positions; fuel burn; total fuel; and oil temperatures and pressures are also shown. On other EICAS pages, you can see the brake temperatures, cabin temperatures, cabin altitude, APU information, and anything else you might want to know about the airplane's status. Yet another page lists any warning information in text—in red if there's a warning, amber if there's a cautionary situation in any of the systems, cyan if the information is advisory in nature, or white if it's merely status information.

In all, there are seven pages of system synoptics, with one each for bleed air, air conditioning, hydraulics, AC electrical, DC electrical, fuel system, and flight control system. In addition, there are small electrical management system control display units (CDUs) mounted at the left and right edges of the instrument panel. These panels quickly show electrical faults and let you promptly manage any problems. There are comparatively few circuit breakers in the Global Express, and the CDUs eliminate the confusion and time spent in other designs by pulling many breakers in order to isolate a fault. After all these displays are checked, we're ready to go.

Robinson pushes the thrust levers up all the way, the EPRs automatically seek their 1.54 targets, and in short order we're climbing into the growing darkness over the Canadian landscape. A 250-kt climb yields a climb rate of 3,100 fpm. At 10,000 feet, 700HX is accelerated to 300 kt, and now climbs at 2,200 fpm. A value of Mach 0.80 is maintained in the climb to altitude—FL410. We get there in 23 minutes.

We settle into a Mach 0.851 cruise, watch the stars come out, then spot an aurora borealis a few minutes after we go "feet wet." This one's unusual because it's reddish; most have a blue or green tint. Our indicated airspeed is 254 kt, we're truing out at 490 kt, and our groundspeed is 507 kt. Outside, it's minus 55 degrees Celsius and ISA plus 3 degrees.

It's a nice night. It's smooth; we're way on top of any clouds, and above the North Atlantic tracks that lower-flying airliners must use. That means we can fly a more or less direct route across the ocean.

Ah, the cabin

I sense a presence behind me. It's McKinney, telling me it's time for dinner.

Knappen, Fouquette, and I retire to the aft cabin, where Fouquette talks about the Global Express while I take notes. He's talking about the Global Express advantages, that the cabin has an even temperature—unlike brand G, where your feet can get cold while the rest of you is warm. He says two Global Expresses have humidifiers, and that the interior completion allowance will be increased from the current 6,000 pounds to 6,800 pounds; that an increased takeoff weight option—to 95,000 pounds—has just been approved; that Globals have dual flap motors, unlike, well, you get the idea. It was a thorough, productive, and informative two-hour meeting, and Fouquette, Knappen, and Gros-Desormeaux were great company.

This demonstrator had a forward club seating arrangement, with a four-place work/dining area and a side-facing divan in the aft cabin area. There's a crew rest area up front and a well-appointed galley.

Spacious interior? You bet. On long flights, being able to get up and freely walk around makes all the difference in the world. The ability to really spread out your papers and get some meaningful work done is yet another advantage.

We all pushed back from the table and headed for the big chairs. I reclined and went out like a light.

When the sun woke us up, I headed for the front lavatory and washed the sleep off my face. By the time I went back to the cockpit we were about to cross into Bulgaria. We rode out a few light bumps on our descent through a broken layer, and then we saw it: the Black Sea and the Turkish coast. After being cleared for the approach, we soon touched down at Istanbul's Kemal Ataturk International Airport eight hours, 33 minutes after taking off from Dorval. In the process we burned 30,000 pounds (about 4,477 gallons) of fuel, leaving a reserve of 7,000 pounds (about 1,045 gallons).

Airline comparison

What better way to explain the success of global jets—or business aviation in general—than to relate to you the details of my airline trip back to the United States.

After going through three layers of security at Ataturk, then waiting in a holding area for an hour, I boarded a Delta Boeing 767ER bound for New York's JFK International. Seated next to a rather large man, I contemplated the 11-hour trip ahead of me. That's a long time trapped in a less-than-arm's-length seat pitch.

But it would take longer than 11 hours. There was no engine start. Instead, we sat in the airplane for three hours at the gate while the crew, we were told, figured out how to remedy a "fuel transfer" problem. That resolved, we took off and watched three and a half movies in a row and had your typical airline dinner and breakfast. After landing at JFK, waiting for my bags, and going through Customs and immigration, I trudged over to Delta's commuter airline gates. Sure enough, my flight back to Washington, D.C., was canceled. I was told to wait for the next available flight—which wasn't until two hours later. A shuttle bus finally came and took us to a Jetstream 31 parked somewhere out on the tarmac. From my seat—apparently designed for use in a troop carrier—I could see the Jetstream's captain chewing the fat with a ramp attendant. An hour later we took off, and an hour and a half after that we landed at Washington's Reagan National Airport. By the time I got home it was 10 p.m., and I'd been up for 32 hours.

This is why airplanes like the Global Express and G-V have prospered. What kind of globetrotting, frequently flying, high-powered executive could tolerate repeated ordeals like mine? Industry experts say there's a market for 500 to 800 of these long-range jets—even with their circa-$40 million price tags (actual price depends heavily on options and interior completion items). I used to think that market estimate was absurdly high. Not any more. Get a prospect on a demonstration flight like mine, and there's no going back to the airlines.

Links to additional information on global business jets may be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links/links0010.shtml). E-mail the author at [email protected].