P&W Canada, Eclipse and DayJet Outline Technology
Advances Set to Redefine Regional Transportation
Executives from DayJet
Corporation, Eclipse Aviation and Pratt & Whitney Canada told
attendees at the "SATS 2005: A Transformation in Air Travel"
demonstration, this week, that a favorable confluence of technology
breakthroughs will radically improve jet service for travelers who
must go between small, outlying regional markets. Sponsored by the
National Consortium for Aviation Mobility (NCAM) in conjunction
with NASA and the FAA, the SATS 2005 demonstration was held June
5-7 at Danville Regional Airport in Danville, Virginia.
The panel, titled "Enabling On-Demand Transportation" described
in detail the progress on propulsion systems, airframes and
scheduling/operations that are rapidly creating a new industry of
point-to-point jet travel, available demand.
Members of the panel included Jack Harrington, vice president of
business affairs at Eclipse Aviation, which has pioneered the very
light jet (VLJ) market and currently has three conforming aircraft
in flight testing; Tri Pham, manager of strategic research at Pratt
& Whitney Canada, which makes powerful new small engines for
very light jets; and Ed Iacobucci, founder and CEO of DayJet
Corporation, a company that has created the powerful realtime
operations system needed to run the new "per-seat, on-demand" jet
service made possible by the new planes. The panel was chaired and
moderated by Dr. Bruce Holmes, director, strategic partnerships,
planning and management, NASA Langley Research Center.
"Industry is poised to launch new services in the marketplace
that will fundamentally change the way we travel in America,"
stated Holmes. "Over the next several years, we will see
individuals making more widespread use of local community airports
with point-to-point public transportation using a new-generation of
small jets to meet their demands for better management of their
time and better management of their mobility."
Key Advances in Three Areas
During the session, the aviation experts described significant
economic shifts through technology that are helping to make
"per-seat, on-demand" jet services like DayJet broadly available
and affordable, as well as the benefits to general aviation
provided by safe, reliable jets that cost just over $1 million.
This represents a reduction of more than a third compared to the
current, least-expensive general aviation jets.
Key advances described include:
- High-performance, six-seat jet at greatly reduced price
point. Mr. Harrington described how Eclipse Aviation is
applying advanced electronics systems, manufacturing and business
practices to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of
today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier
to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of
ownership ever achieved in a jet. Harrington also provided an
update on the flight testing with three conforming aircraft in
flight testing that will culminate in FAA certification in March
2006.
- Power, fuel consumption and cost for compact jet engines.
Mr. Pham of Pratt & Whitney Canada, pointed out that "low
aircraft direct operating costs including fuel, labor and aircraft/
engine maintenance are crucial for Jet Taxi operators to achieve
financial success. Our new generation PW600 engine family for the
very light jets provides several cost advantages related to its
modular concept. Fewer parts allow for a lighter engine that is
less costly to operate and maintain, allowing on-demand travel
pricing to be competitive."
- New, efficient scheduling and operations software. Iacobucci
(below, right) described how DayJet has pioneered the industry's
first real-time operations system to enable a new option in
regional business transportation that the industry calls "per-seat,
on-demand" jet services. DayJet will make what was once an elite
mode of transportation (on-demand jet travel) broadly affordable
and available, on a "per-seat" basis. DayJet's real-time operations
system facilitates point-to-point operation of VLJs for passengers
on demand, optimizing unscheduled operations between dozens or
hundreds of cities in the most efficient way.
The panelists also
described price/performance breakthroughs now available in cockpit
instrumentation through companies such as Avidyne and Garmin. As
these technology breakthroughs converge, they said, within the next
year to 18 months travelers will be able to book flights on very
light jets, dictate their own schedule, and make 500-mile trips
routinely in a single day.
The SATS project is funded by the NASA Airspace Systems Program
and is responsible for research, development, integration,
evaluation, and demonstration of four operating capabilities and
the enabling technologies that are believed to be critically
important in enhancing the accessibility of small aircraft to the
many small underutilized airports in the U.S. in near all-weather
conditions. SATS research has focused on four operating
capabilities that may help permit people and goods to travel faster
and farther, anywhere and any time. These technologies would
allow:
- Higher volume operations at airports that don't have control
towers or terminal radar
- Pilots to land safely in low visibility conditions at minimally
equipped airports
- Increased single pilot performance
- SATS aircraft to integrate seamlessly into the complex national
airspace
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