ISSUE NO. 1AEROVOGUE.COM

Y O U R A V I A T I O N W I S H L I S T M A G A Z I N E

Aero

The ultimate G650

insights

Revealing the exclusive

HA-420

Cubcrafters X Cub The

game changers

Vogue

12

Photographs of the month

17

Aviation Feed

20

We Fly: Honda HA-420

Honda President's Mr. Fujino's 'Tear

and sweat' experience.

24

The XCub is an ideal backcountry

machine

We reveal the postmodern of the new

country unicorn in Washington.

26

The Airbus Milestone

SIA marks 10,000th airbus A350

delivery

28

The Luxe Cribs

Inside the new Emirates A380 Luxury

First class suites.

29

The Aero Vogue Story

32

Rolls Royce delivers its first Trent 900

jet engine made in Singapore

 AEROVOGUE

24

The X Cub Is An Ideal

Backcountry Machine

20

We Fly: Honda HA-

420

34

The Ultimate

Gulfstream G650

AERO  VOGUE     |       5

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Aero Vogue

10BILLION BID FOR AGE JET ENGINE

QANTAS' NEWBUSINESS LOUNGE IN QLD

FOKKER WWI FIGHTER JET REPLICA

djacent to the factory facilitylies the delivery hangar, which hasa lazy-Susan-like rotating platformon which the airplane is parkedduring the delivery process, givingcustomers of this $4.85 million jeta lavish look at their new airplanewhile they sign the finalpaperwork.

The ramp up to deliveries alsoshows a level of maturity that aregular startup would be hard-pressed to accomplish. By mid-April, less than five months afterthe FAA inked the certificationpaperwork, the company hadalready delivered sevenHondaJets.

AEROVOGUE     |       20

Honda Aircraft’spresident and CEO,Michimasa Fujino,chose the over-the-wing mount systemfor the GE HondaHF120 engines thatpower the HondaJet.

Not only are the facilities top-notch, adealer network and an extensive servicenetwork with support available 24/7 havealready been established. More than 50maintenance technicians have gonethrough FlightSafety’s rigorous trainingprogram located adjacent to the factory.

Intelligent Cabin

With great excitement enhanced by gustywinds and cool, clean crisp NorthCarolina spring air, I explored N420EX,the first production HondaJet, which hasnow flown well over 600 hours. If I couldsummarize the exterior and interior ofthe airplane, I would refer to it as not onlystunning but also highly intelligent. Theairplane tells you what to do.

For example, the latches for theexternal doors are orange on theinside, making it easy to spot onethat is not properly closed. I foundthe latches on the two exteriorluggage compartments and cabinairstair door easy to open and close,something pilots who value theirfingernails like me will appreciate.

AEROVOGUE

WE FLY: HONDA AIRCRAFTHA-420

XCUB: THE NEW

GAME CHANGERby Samantha McArthurPhotos by John Adams

XCUBPOSTMODERN.

Wenatchee NationalForest,

WASHINGTON

Washington-based

manufacturer

keeps up the Cub

tradition with the

newly certified

taildragger.I could smell the pine trees below as Iturned base and the nose of the littletaildragger I was piloting pointed toward asheer rock wall. When I turned final, therunway was still invisible. It was at the endof a narrow gorge that followed down themountainside.

Tracking that line, I continued my descent,skimming the treetops of the dense forest.Finally, it appeared — the beginning of thescenic 2,500-foot-long grass strip of TietonState Airport (4S6), located on theshoreline of Rimrock Lake’s Lonesome Covein the Wenatchee National Forest inWashington.

I monitored my airspeed closely, keeping itright at 50 knots, and continued thischallenging and exhilarating approach throughthe confining gorge.

As I dropped below the treetops thatsurrounded the runway, my hands and feetbegan the dance that is so critical in the finalstages of a tailwheel approach. Like a drummerusing the full drum set to accompany acomplicated jazz tune, I worked to coordinatethe throttle, stick and rudder pedals to makesure the big fat main tires and trailing tailwheelof the brand-new CubCrafters XCub touchedthe green grass surface at the same instant.

AERO  VOGUE     |       38

Straight down

the centre of the

runway. "This is

flying", I

marvelled.

aerovogue |

It feels just right, as any good Cub

descendant should. The same is true for the

rudder input. The angle of the pedals

provides a comfortable position for the feet,

and there is plenty of rudder authority.

Unlike older Cubs, which have heel brakes,

the brakes are on top of the pedals.

In addition to the pushrods, CubCrafters

decided to modify the aileron design. The

upper and lower surfaces of the ailerons are

now aerodynamically shaped, and the cove

was increased to maximize performance.

Another big modification that makes the

XCub easy to spot is a composite dorsal fin

that protrudes from the horizontal stabilizer

forward along the fabric-covered fuselage.

FEATURE | DECEMBER 2016

CubCrafterskicked thequality of theinterior wayup andaddedpockets andcup holders.

By the time the XCub design was finalised, no

more than about one-third of the XCub and

Carbon Cub parts were the same. Rather,

some of the new features will now trickle

down to the Carbon Cub models.

Unlike earlier CubCrafters airplanes, the

ailerons in the XCub are controlled through

pushrods, making control feel more direct

and providing a swifter roll rate.

However, CubCrafters stuck with cables for

controlling the elevator and rudder. A light,

fingertip grip is all that is required around

the stick, yet the controls are by no means

sloppy.

XCUB'S INSIGHTS

P E R F O R M A N C E

MARKET VALUE

With as much as 1,088 pounds of

useful load, a top speed around 150

mph, stellar climb performance and a

slew of creature comforts prior Cub

owners could only dream of, the

XCub is a terrific and versatile

airplane.

The culmination was the 180 hp PA-

18 Super Cub, an airplane that has

become so popular that well-

maintained ones 40 years old and

even older are selling for well over

six figures today.

The reason for the high resale value

is that Piper stopped producing the

popular airplane in 1994.

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COSTThe first 20 XCubs will depart Yakima for $297,500. These

airplanes will essentially be

identical with the same paint

scheme and leather interior.Two

float options, one amphibious

($69,995) and one straight seaplane

floats ($44,995), both built by

Whipline, are also available.

Aero vogue

The AirbusMilestone

SIA A350 marks 10,000 Airbus deliveries

KEVIN MARTIN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

AEROVOGUE

Airbus has formally handed over

a Singapore Airlines A350­900which marks the completion of

10,000 aircraft deliveries for the

European manufacturer.

The airline has been beavering away on its next-gen

suite design for three years, with the final concept

due to be signed off by December. "I hope we will be

looking at the final product towards the end of this

year and go into production for October of next

year" revealed Emirates CEO Tim Clark during a

press conference following the release of the

airline's 2015/16 financial results.

Clark has previously described the suite as being

even more private than the current closed-door

cabin, saying "we’re talking fully enclosed rooms,

with all the touches and amenities that you’d expect

in hotel or a private bedroom on a luxury yacht,

room service and so on."

Although previously expected to be launched this

year, Clark was adamant that the project was on

schedule.

"There’s no delay," he said. "It’s an extremely

complex project that we have designed ourselves in-

house with a contractor and a couple of other

designers, and when it comes to market it will be

very interesting."

Emirates exec revealing thedesign will be "more like a

private railway cabin."

AFTER nearly 50 years as a pilot, retiring Qantas Captain PhilOgilvie knows the power of that famous uniform.

“I used to come home and hang up my clothes and change intomy daggy old shorts and a T-shirt,” he said.

“No one notices you at the shops. But in a uniform people nodand smile as they walk by.”

The Bilgola Plateau resident, who’s flown celebrities such as theSpice Girls, did his final run on Thursday

It was fittingly heralded with the traditional water cannonsalute and a ceremony put on by Qantas to mark his stellarcareer.

He began working for the national carrier at the age of 17, as acadet and completed his training to become a pilot in July 1969.

“When the Americans were landing on the moon I was flying aBoeing 707 to London and back,” he said.

"I'm Proud to be a part of thatHistory and the Qantas Family"

He was all of 21 at the time. In 1986, he became a Captain onthe Boeing 767.

“I’m a Boeing man, and I flew 707s, 747s, 767s,” he said. “Iretired from international flying in 2013 and spent the last fewyears flying domestic in the 737.”

Mr Ogilvie said he was extremely proud of being a part ofQantas.

“I’m very proud to be part of that history, and part of the Qantasfamily.”

Aero vogue  | Story

Captain Phil Ogilvie steps down

After 50 Years aloft

- Capt. Phil Ogilvie

RR Seletar Campus

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, todaydelivered the first Trent 900 aero engine produced in Singaporeto Airbus in Toulouse, France.

Paul O’Neil, Rolls-Royce, Director of Seletar Campus, said, "Thedelivery of the first Trent aero engine produced in Singapore isa significant milestone for us. It represents a huge collaborativeeffort with colleagues in the UK supporting our team here toensure that the engine, produced to our exacting standards, wasdelivered on time."The Trent 900 aero engine was developed for the Airbus A380family and delivers the lowest lifetime fuel burn in addition toits excellent environmental attributes. The Trent 900 has beenselected by 11 of the 17 airlines who operate the aircraft.

Key facts about the Rolls-Royce Seletar Campus

The 154,000 square metre Rolls-Royce Seletar Campus is thelargest aerospace facility in Singapore. Opened by the PrimeMinister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong in February 2012,the Campus includes a Trent Aero Engine Assembly and TestUnit; a Wide Chord Fan Blade manufacturing facility; anAdvanced Technology Centre; and a Regional Training Centre.

The Seletar Assembly and Test Unit is a state of the art facilitydesigned to allow simultaneous assembly and testing of Rolls-Royce Trent engines under one roof.

Rolls-Royce delivers the firstTrent aero engine produced inSingapore

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19

At full capacity it can produce up to 250 engines per year.Initially Trent 900 and Trent 1000 aero engines will be builthere.The Group’s Wide Chord Fan Blade (WCFB) manufacturingfacility is the first outside the UK to manufacture hollowtitanium WCFBs, a unique capability and technology which hasplayed a key role in the success of the Trent aero engine family.At full capacity, this facility will produce over 6,000 blades peryear.The Advanced Technology Centre is an important part of theGroup’s global network of research & technology centres whichdevelop advanced technologies to support core business areas.Four key areas of research will take place in the ATC: materialssupport technology; computational engineering; electricalpower and control systems and manufacturing technologyresearch.The Regional Training Centre is the first Rolls-Royce trainingfacility in Asia. Its purpose is to develop high-value skills andnurture talent for the future.

THE GULFSTREAMCOLUMN

VICTORIANS AREFINALLY BUSHFIRESAFE

Brexit stalls jet salesThe Brexit vote put a damper

on Gulfstream sales at the

end of the second quarter,

but prospects are still good

—“better than any [other]

time so far this year”.

Second-quarter revenues at General Dynamics

aerospace division, which includes both Gulfstream

and Jet Aviation, fell $124 million year-over-year, to

$2.134 billion, as completed Gulfstream deliveries

dropped by seven units, to 34. This includes 27

large-cabin and seven midsize jets, compared with

33 large-cabin and eight midsize in the same

quarter last year.

G500, G600 ProgramsAccelerating

In two new buildings at

Savannah Hilton Head

International Airport,

Gulfstream’s assembly

lines for its newest jets,

the G500 and G600, are

already packed with

action.

Two of the world’s biggest firefighting aircraft will be back in Victoria

this summer to support our fire fighters and keep communities safe

from bushfires.

Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino and Minister for

Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today

announced $11.1 million to secure two fixed wing large air tankers,

an extra Helitak chopper and a support plane for the coming

bushfire season.

The extra firefighting aircraft will bolster Victoria’s aviation fleet,

which was critical in stopping the spread of devastating bushfires at

Wye River, Scotsburn and Barnawartha last summer.

The large air tankers dropped 72 loads – almost 850,000 litres of fire

retardant – in just over a month between December 2015 and

January 2016, providing crucial support at some of the state’s biggest

fires.

The tankers are the most effective way to drop fire retardant to stop

the spread of bushfires, with each tanker carrying more than 12,000

litres of water, retardant or foam.

A Helitak is more agile and can pick up water from lakes, reservoirs

and the ocean, removing the need for it to fly long distances back to

airports to reload.

By Jacob WalkerFour G500s are in flight-test, and the first flight-

test G600 will be handed over soon in preparation

for first flight early next year or possibly sooner.

Gulfstream hasn’t published any backlog numbers

for the G500/G600 yet, but there are two launch

customers, Qatar Executive Airways and Flexjet

Gulfstream Sees LatinAmerican Uptick

It’s not that aircraft aren’t

being sold in Brazil and other

parts of Latin America, but

that transactions are taking

longer to conclude,

according to Gulfstream

Aerospace,

“We haven’t seen a big decrease in discussions

about [new] aircraft, the difference has been

that customers are taking longer to make a

decision,” said Fabio Rebello, regional senior

vice president for sales in Latin America.

“There are still factors that make it

uncomfortable to make a decision [to

purchase] but we are now looking at a better

horizon that will allow us to move on.”

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aero vogue33

The Best Private Jet$US65 Million CanBuy

AERO VOGUE

34

For $US65 million, you get more than a

well-equipped cockpit. The G650's

cabin is totally luxurious.

There's room on board for eight

passengers and a crew of four.

The seats are a lot bigger than the ones

travellers get to enjoy in economy class.

During the day, the huge windows (16%

bigger than those on the Gulfstream

G550) let in lots of light.

On top of the luxury amenities, the

G650's structure and engines are

designed so the cabin can be

pressurised to a higher level than

normal.

The result is that passengers feel like

they're breathing at an altitude of

3,000 to 4,000 feet, not about 8,000,

like on commercial jets. That makes

flying less tiring and even more

comfortable.

"The G650 is the best valuejet in its class."

AERO VOGUE

The G650 will remain the goldstandard, and it’s easy to see why.

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