Galaxy Aerospace's new Galaxy "super mid-size" business jet is on target for combined US Federal Aviation Administration and Israeli Civil Aviation Authority certification by the end of December and first deliveries in the second quarter of 1999, says the company.
Two Galaxy test aircraft (003 and 004), built by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), have flown a combined total of more than 400h of flight testing over 140 flights. "We anticipate that the aircraft will fly about 1,000 flight test hours [combined]," says Galaxy president Brian Barents. The final test aircraft, which will be used for function and reliability testing, was planned to have made its first flight on 18 September, as Flight International went to press.
The aircraft is the first production representative version to fly. If the flight tests go according to plan, it will be presented at the National Business Aviation Association convention, due to be held in Las Vegas next month. To date, the twin-engined Galaxy has flown up to Mach 0.93 and 46,000ft (14,000m), "-exceeding its flight envelope of Mach 0.85".
Galaxy Aerospace, a joint venture between IAI and the Pritzker family, which owns the Hyatt Hotel chain, will ship the first $16.9 million aircraft to its Forth Worth, Texas, completion centre, now under construction, in early 1999. "We will perform all aircraft completions from this factory, but, if a customer insists on taking the aircraft somewhere else we will make a concession," says Galaxy.
Although the company declines to reveal the size of its orderbook, it admits that the backlog is large. "The sales pace is brisk. We now have an 18 month backlog and, by December, this should increase to two years, and be worth around $350 million," adds Barents.
Galaxy plans to produce eight aircraft in its first year of production, increasing to 15 in 2000, and between 18 and 24 aircraft a year thereafter. Although Barents acknowledges that Bombardier will launch a "super mid-sized" aircraft later in the year, he does not believe that it will threaten Galaxy sales. "Other manufacturers have super mid-sized jets on the drawing boards, but we already have an aircraft that you can see, touch and experience," he says.
Source: Flight International
