Archives

September 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30            

Recently in ISTAT 2012 Category

Hazy Pane

SCOTTSDALE -- A busy first day at ISTAT is currently in the book and we had an opportunity to sit down with Air Lease CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy, who weighed in on a variety of topics. For a year-by-year comparison, make sure to re-read our interview with Udvar-Hazy from ISTAT 2011.

Air Lease Corp chief executive Steven Udvar-Hazy, a vocal advocate for Boeing's now-shelved New Small Airplane concept, says the airframer's strategy to develop the CFM International Leap-1B-powered 737 Max is intended as a bridge to a clean sheet design arriving in the middle of the next decade and "not a long-term solution".

A fierce battle is brewing between GE, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney to supply as many as 3,000 engines to power the re-vamped Embraer E-Jet family.

Steven Udvar-Hazy, Air Lease Corp chief executive describes the three-way contest as "a real dogfight". He anticipates as many as 3,000 engines could be at stake through a sole-source contract to power the Embraer 198, the moniker given to the conceptual aircraft by ALC.

Lufthansa and Air Lease Corp (ALC) are vying for launch customer status on Boeing's proposed stretched 787-10X.

If Boeing moves ahead to "launch the airplane, we could be a definitive launch customer for the -10, in tandem with [ordering] some -9s. So that's in the oven," says Steven Udvar-Hazy, chief executive of ALC.

Photos Credit Boeing & Embraer
CSeries FTV1

SCOTTSDALE -- Bombardier released today the first photo of the forward fuselage structure of FTV1, its first CSeries CS100 flight test vehicle, currently under fabrication at its facilities in Mirabel, Quebec. The aircraft is expected to fly in late 2012 or early 2013.

Photo Credit Bombardier
SCOTTSDALE - The International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading has significantly cemented itself as the closest thing the industry has to a US air show. The two-day conference avoids the static aircraft displays and sprawling exhibition halls, opting for a cattle auction-style format that sees airframers, engine-makers and lessors addressing the assembled delegates. 

With nearly all of commercial aircraft purchases financed in one form or another, the importance of third-parties in how the industry funds itself makes the gathering one of year's most news-worthy events. Like any big aerospace industry gathering, each tends to be a measure of instantaneous speed, not a barometer of future events. 

2011 was no different.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh in March 2011:
While we haven't ruled out a re-engine, but it's very difficult for us to put together a very compelling business case to do it. And right now, we're looking at a number of different options and we're working with many of you, our customers, we're looking at things like, what are the complexity issues are as we would introduce a new airplane to a fleet. One thing Southwest has taught us the last few years is: do not add complexity to what we do. And if we do do a new airplane, we have to be very cognizant of not requiring a lot of new training, investment of capital to make things as repeatable as we can and make this airplane as transparent in terms of introduction into service as we can.

I think the other thing we'll be looking at very hard is the residual values. Let's not do anything to make what out customers investment in worth less than it is today. Our customers tell us what they want is a game-changing airplane. They want an airplane that will give them a fuel burn that is twice as good as what they might get with a re-engine. They're telling us they want a cash operating cost reduction of well in the double digits and we're working on that, but I think we'll be producing the 737 NG for another 15 to 20 years, I really believe that.
Airbus vice president of Marketing Andrew Shankland in March 2011:
The aircraft is on time, the -900 enters service in 2013, the -800 in 2014 and the -1000 in 2015. And the engine thrust that we have available from Rolls-Royce today is certainly sufficient to power the A350-1000. There are always, let's say, discussions with customers regarding potential changes to any aircraft in the future, but when you haven't yet hit the detailed definition phase, so that's not the case, we are there with the -900, we're not yet there with the -1000. But I would like to dispel any rumors regarding, sort of: is the -1000 capable of doing the mission as advertised for not, and the answers is "it certainly is" with the current airframe design and the current engine from our engine partner Rolls-Royce.
What a difference a year makes.

Cookies & Privacy