The Very Light Jet market looks set to have huge appeal to the Middle East business jet buyers, especially the prospect for regional air taxis.
One company that is making the most of the potential is Parker Aerospace. It is stepping up its activities while getting leaner in its production processes.
“Lean design and manufacturing are absolutely critical to our ability to create low-cost products to meet the demands of the Very Light Jet market,” says Joel Benkie, Parker’s group vice-president for flight control and hydraulic systems.
Huge
The aerospace arm of the US conglomerate introduced lean manufacturing 10 years ago, and in the last 12 months it has also started to apply the philosophy to design and development.
“In the past the non-recurring costs of developing new systems have been huge,” says Benkie. “When the VLJs started coming through we quickly realised that we would have to do our design work much more quickly and at far lower cost.”
He believes Parker will gain “real advantage” from applying lean principles to design activities.
The decision is already paying dividends. “We’re fielding VLJ products in three areas – fuel quantity and gauging, brakes, and flight controls – and have contracts on the Embraer VLJ, the Cessna Citation Mustang and the Eclipse 500,” says Benkie.
Emerging
“We’re also aboard the ATG Javelin – though it doesn’t fall exactly into the VLJ category, it’s emerging as an aircraft that may have multiple uses.”
Benkie is convinced that Parker’s success on the VLJs so far is also built on its continuing broad range of programmes with the likes of Bombardier, Dassault and Gulfstream.
“The challenge in the VLJ market is to provide technically qualified, capable products for aircraft that are selling for $1.5-3.5 million instead of $20-50 million,” he says. “So we’re scaling our proven technologies for a market that is very, very cost-sensitive.”
Among Parker’s major programmes for the VLJs’ big brothers is the Falcon 7X hydraulic system, which has turned out a very impressive 40% lighter than the standard for an aircraft of that size.
“Flight testing is complete and we’re very close to final qualification,” says Benkie. “We’re pleased with the system’s performance and we expect a smooth entry into service just over a year from now.”
Assuming a 7X production run of 400 aircraft, the programme could be worth up to $100 million to Parker.
Meantime, Benkie and his engineers are looking towards a future in which hydraulics will gradually give way to electrics. “This will be driven by the need to obtain longer ranges and increased payload in the smaller aircraft that are now emerging,” he predicts. “That will demand simpler systems, which means more electrics.”
Hybrid
In practical terms, Benkie believes, the move to the all-electric aircraft will be an evolution rather than a step change, and it will be based on advances in three technologies: electric motors, computerised control of electromechanical actuators, and the actuators themselves.
“More motors are going to be needed, and there’s plenty of room for optimising them – reducing their cost, increasing reliability and improving heat management,” he says. “And the actuators will have to be cheaper and more efficient.”
Benkie expects to see any number of intermediate hybrid solutions before the all-electric aircraft finally takes to the air.
“We will see electromechanical technology migrating, with the use of hydraulics diminishing but not going away altogether for a long time,” he says. “A particular aircraft might have a hydraulic power pack for the landing gear, for example, and electromechanical actuators for the flight controls. It will be a system-by-system progression.”
BRENDAN GALLAGHER
Source: Flight Daily News
