Story ID: 409
Bombardier's Global 6500 Enters Service
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption:  The first Bombardier Global 6500 to enter service will be used as a demonstrator.
Word Count: 685
Bombardier’s first Global 6500 has entered service, a milestone reached just a week after the ultra-long-range model and its sibling, the Global 5500, received Transport Canada approval on September 24, the Montreal-headquartered aircraft manufacturer announced.

Bombardier unveiled the 5500 and 6500 during the 2018 EBACE, building on its successful Global 5000 and 6000 jets with redefined wings, new flight deck features, a redesigned interior, and new 15,125-pound-thrust Pearl 15 turbofans, the first of a new family for engine-maker Rolls-Royce.

The first Global 6500, one of about a handful expected to be delivered this year, is leased back to Bombardier for use as a demonstrator. Bombardier is showcasing the aircraft during this week’s NBAA convention on the static display at Henderson Executive Airport.

EASA approval was anticipated any day as NBAA approached, while the FAA has been expected to follow soon after that. EASA flight-testing was completed as of last month, and the FAA effort was nearly complete, said Julien Boudreault, v-p of program management for Bombardier. Bombardier had further been working through approvals for the pilot-training process.
Flight-test Fleet
Bombardier has seen an extra level of examination during the certification process as regulatory agencies have come under increased scrutiny in the aftermath of the Boeing Max accidents, Boudreault conceded, but said the process was not “overly burdensome….It was a bit more communication.” That extra layer has varied by agency, he added.

Certification followed a flight-testing program at Bombardier’s test center in Wichita, Kansas, that involved three aircraft representing both models. The first flight test vehicle (FTV 1) had completed its flight test work by last month, save any last-minute residual FAA flight-test requests. FTV 3, used for engine testing and maturity, had been on lease from a customer. Bombardier last month was in the process of returning that aircraft to the customer. FTV 2, meanwhile, also had completed flight profile testing, and was turning toward continued avionics testing.
Flight Deck and engines
Still to be completed are plans for adding true combined vision to the flight deck—in which enhanced vision is overlaid with synthetic vision in a single view on the head-up display. Currently, both enhanced and synthetic vision are on the models but not yet available as a combined feature.  Noting the true overlay would be a first, Boudreault was not ready to outline a timeline, but said,  “It’s coming very soon…We’re extremely active on it.”

Other avionics features still in test are airport moving maps and certain other updates that are already on the Global 7500, he said.

Transport Canada nod for the newest Globals was announced the day after Rolls-Royce announced Canadian approval for the Pearl 15 engines. Rolls-Royce also has obtained EASA approval for the Pearl 15. The engines were designed to fit within the same nacelle as found on the predecessor Global 5000 and 6000 models, but provide 7 percent better specific fuel consumption, 9 percent more thrust, 30 percent lower NOx, and 48 percent lower smoke emissions.

Combined with the reprofiled wing, the new Globals offer 13 percent better fuel efficiency and a top speed of Mach 0.90. With the enhancements, the Global 6500 flies 6,600 nautical miles, with the ability to connect New York to Dubai and Hong Kong to London. The 5500 reaches 5,700 nautical miles. Meanwhile, the changes also dramatically improve hot-and-high performance, boosting range from Toluca, Mexico by 1,300 nautical miles. The redesigned interiors offer new high-end elements, including features borrowed from the flagship 7500 such as the Nuage seats

Bombardier has folded the Global 5500 and 6500 into the production line of the Global 5000 and 6000. Plans call to build all four variants as long as orders support them, and Bombardier executives say the company still has orders for the predecessor 5000 and 6000 for foreseeable future. Deliveries of the 5500 are expected to begin next year.

David Coleal, president, Bombardier Aviation, called the first delivery a “significant milestone,” adding. “We’re proud of the work our team and our suppliers have done to deliver a technologically advanced aircraft that exceeds our customers’ expectations in terms of unparalleled comfort, superior performance, and an incomparable smooth ride.”
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