The Embraer E-Jet aircraft family initially went into production in 2002. Conceived to fill a niche market that exists between regional and mainline aircraft, the E-Jet line consists of mid-range narrow-bodied jet airliners mainly utilized today by regional air carriers all across the United States. The largest in the E-jet family and the leader in the series is the E195. From the time of their inception until the current date, the series is considered an overall success.

Despite this fact, it was announced in 2011 that Embraer had initialized the development of newer and improved variants of the E-Jet series aircraft. Appropriately named the E-Jet E2 family, the new line would feature several upgrades to the previous designs. For example, the new line would see fuel efficiency increase, a more refined and contemporary wing design, and state of the art avionics to name a few. The initiative was spurned by Embraer’s competitor’s attempts to develop their series of fuel-efficient jet airliners due to a globalized increase in fuel costs at the time.

Embraer E195-E2 ‘Profit Hunter’

Much like the former E-Jet family’s E195, its newer and improved upon counterpart, the Embraer E195-E2, will be the largest in the series. Intended to compete with various comparable aircraft in its class, the Embraer E195-E2 will have a seating capacity of approximately 144. Initial plans also included various other enhancements upon the original E195 concept including an expansion in wingspan to roughly 115 feet to achieve greater lift as well as an increase in maximum takeoff weight of 4,400 lbs, resulting in a total MTOW of 135,000 lbs. Its range was additionally extended to achieve 450 nmi at sea-level and 250 nmi in more arid environments. The aircraft’s range fully loaded with passengers extends to an impressive 2450 nmi.

The Embraer E195-E2 is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1919G turbofans while the flight deck incorporates state of the art fly-by-wire technologies. Additional optimizations to the indigenous concept include an onboard maintenance system that completes an automated audit of systems technologies which notifies maintenance stations before the aircraft’s arrival to expedite repairs.

The variant’s award-winning cabin design delivers passengers with an unrivaled level of spaciousness and comfortability rarely encountered in business class aircraft. Variations in seating capacity allow for the removal or addition of seats to accommodate between 120 and 146 passengers. There is no middle seat, therefore passengers are not expected to split the difference in personal space with others and the staggered seating conceptualization is as first of its kind in business class aircraft design.

Onboard connectivity allows for passengers to stream movies, connect to WiFi and seat backs feature sockets that allow passengers to securely mount their electronic devices. The idea to leverage passenger comfort over seat capacity is just one of the reasons the Embraer E195-E2 was presented with the Crystal Cabin Award in the Visionary Concepts and Industrial Design categories.

Embraer E195-E2 ‘Profit Hunter’

The first Embraer E195-E2 was rolled out in March 2017 with its maiden flight taking place later in the same month. The Embraer E195-E2 prototype was displayed at the Paris Air Show in June of 2017 suitably emblazoned with the image of a Golden Eagle. Industry insiders are anticipating the aircraft entering into service as early as 2019.

At the time of the air show, Embraer’s President and CEO of Commercial Aviation John Slattery talked about the innovations in design and objectives developers were hoping to achieve with the Embraer E195-E2 concept. He said that the Embraer E195-E2 is the largest jet ever constructed by Embraer and that, “It is very cheap to operate”, it is very light and we believe airlines will be able to generate extra revenue and that’s why we’ve called it the profit hunter.”

Since the aircraft’s launch in 2013 and until last indicated in 2017, Embraer has received roughly 65 firm orders for the Embraer E195-E2 despite its 60.4 million dollar purchase price. This could be because of the aircraft’s numerous innovations that make it an excellent prospect for regional airlines, especially regarding the fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and flexibility in performing either short hops or transcontinental flights.

In fact, it was previously reported that Embraer had indicated that Embraer E195-E2 trip costs are significantly lower than that of their competitor’s aircraft, with a fuel efficiency that exceeds that of even Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft and Airbus A320neo series jet airliners, making the Embraer E195-E2 a potential dark horse for entry into mainline markets as well. All things considered, it looks as if the Embraer E195-E2 may just live up to the legacy imparted upon it by its extremely apropos nickname, the “Profit Hunter“.

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Boeing unveiled its rendering of the design for the hypersonic passenger jet, which would fly at an estimated speed of 3,800 mph, at an aerospace conference in Atlanta. The project has been supported by Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who wants Boeing to further explore the possibility of ultra-fast passenger jets.

“I think in the next decade or two you’re going to see them become a reality,” Muilenburg told CNBC at the Paris Air Show in 2017. “We see future innovations where you could connect around the world in about two hours.”

The design of a hypersonic jet would necessitate lightweight design materials for the fuselage and advanced engines that could reach hypersonic speeds. John Plueger, president, and CEO of Air Lease Corp. has expressed doubts. “It’s hard for me to see, at least in the next 15-20 years, that it’s going to be so cost competitive that it’s going to compel the airlines to take a stab at it,” he told CNBC.

Boeing is aiming to make the hypersonic jet a reality by the late 2030s, though the project could potentially take another decade to see the light of day. The aerospace company has recently increased its investment in hypersonic flight technology and has revealed proposals for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) military jets capable of reaching hypersonic speed in January.

The dimensions for the Boeing hypersonic jet are not yet known, though it is expected that it would be smaller than a 737, and seat an estimated 20 to 100 passengers. The jet would cruise at 95,000 feet, 30,000 feet higher than the supersonic Concorde, and 60,000 feet higher than the average passenger plane. The increased altitude would increase the efficiency of its engines and reduce turbulence.

Hypersonic jets would enter into competition with the suborbital rockets that are being developed by SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson, who stated their intention to adapt their rockets for international passenger flights that would take travelers from New York to Sydney in just one hour.

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What did they set out to do?

BlackJet offered clients the ability to charter private jets by way of requiring its clients to pay an annual fee. This, giving customers the access they needed to a network of jets and individual seats on predetermined routes. While this may seem like the typical idea for most charter companies, the major difference was that clients would only have to pay the one fee and be limited to the flight paths that were available for their reservations. These flight paths predominantly being between NYC and the West Coast, South Florida, and Las Vegas.

BlackJet Marketing Campaign

How did they fail?

BlackJet CEO Dean Rotchin blamed investment issues for the closure in an interview with Fortune: “We probably did more with less than anyone but it’s a critical mass business,” Rotchin said. “There’s a reason why ‘critical’ is part of ‘critical mass’.” Along with poor investment choices, Rotchin also noted that a premature announcement of the company’s closing in an article from TechCrunch may also have lead to the acceleration of the final cut. TechCrunch later updated the story with a correction.

However, for many in the industry, this could have been seen, long before the announcement, in the company’s business plan. For starters, the company did not have the access to the aircraft it needed to carry out the charters it claimed it could. The limited amount of routes was also an issue as they called for a specific type of traveler in need of last-minute travel only to and from those areas. Lastly, by offering the annual fee at a cost not conducive to what is needed for every aircraft out there, it ran itself out of money too fast. In essence, BlackJet was unaware that they weren’t just offering tickets for small aircraft, they were offering tickets for all aircraft.

A Now Closed BlackJet Hangar

For other companies in the industry, this is a lesson.

Most charter companies offer other means similar to those proposed by BlackJet to pay ahead and gain the same access to a varied fleet of aircraft. Flex Air is one of those companies. While we offer a pay-as-you-go charter option, we also offer our membership card programs that give our clients the ability to pay first and then use their credit to fly at their leisure. The difference in this and what BlackJet intended to do is that our network is guaranteed, meaning we will always have an available aircraft, we do not limit our clients to the routes they take in their travels and we only work with those Part 135 charter operators that are proven to be dependable and safe.

While we offer options for those flyers who travel more than 50 hours per year such as fractional ownership or leasing, our jet card program is the best option for clients needing last-minute flights throughout the year. Unlike BlackJet and the few other companies that sought to offer on-demand services by cutting price, we charge based on the aircraft and time of year clients are traveling, so they never pay for anything that they have not requested. For air charters done right, turn to the experienced and trusted account managers at Flex Air.

Flex Air provides on-demand jet charters and helicopter transfers to clients around the world, if you want an on-demand jet charter done right, give us a call at 1-888-722-0776 today.

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Airbus has indicated their Harmony design is the result of the team’s efforts to break with the traditions of what had previously been regarded as the standard for corporate jet designers. The Airbus Harmony is supposed to convey the practicality of extended flight functionality with the comfortability and spaciousness that wide-body airliners impart upon their passengers.

Airbus Harmony developers know that often those engaged in corporate travel make use of their time in the air to work, catch up on some sleep or socialize. Harmony was developed to enable travelers to revel in any one of these singular pursuits or all of them at once. This, in turn, allows for the traveler’s entire world to be brought onto the flight with them, thereby delivering a seamless transition between work, home, and travel.

Originally intended to be offered exclusively on the A330neo family of aircraft, developers opted to make the inclusion available on various other Airbus wide-bodied aircraft like the A350XWB variant.

A holographic globe showing aircraft position greets passengers in the new Harmony cabin design concept created by Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ)

Upon entry on an aircraft featuring the Harmony design, travelers will be introduced to a holographic image of the globe that displays the plane’s real-time position. Travelers will be left with a choice of which direction to go next. A quick turn to the left will treat them to the luxurious design of the master bedroom, bathroom, and executive space. A right turn will present to travelers an elegant social space featuring seating that surrounds a round table in hopes of inspiring social interaction amongst the travelers.

The layout of the design is centered around the integration of concentric circles throughout the entirety of the cabin meant to signify the harmonious effects of ripples in a pond.

Slightly beyond the social space and lounge are an executive meeting space with a conference table and four executive suites, each consisting of an office that converts into a bedroom and an adjoining bathroom.

The Harmony aft cabin features adaptable seating for support staff and a fully functional galley. Airbus prides itself on its modern approach to connectivity and has integrated technology to maintain travelers’ ability to stay connected throughout their time in flight.

Generally speaking, prices range from roughly $200-300 million for the Airbus family of corporate jet aircraft the Harmony is available as inclusion for. Pricing for the integration of the Harmony interior layout will be supplementary to the purchase price of the aircraft and has not been indicated as of yet, customers will need to contact Airbus directly to learn more about how to place an order for it.

Flex Air Charters can arrange exclusive private jet access to many destinations, on a national or global scale. If you require corporate jet charters on luxury aircraft like the Airbus family of business-class jets, then give our agents a call. They are available 24/7 to coordinate your business travel pursuits for you.

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The objectives overall serve to benefit not only the airline industry as a whole but also travelers who could see airfares slashed by up to 10 percent or more as a result of needing few crewmembers to operate an aircraft. Additionally, owners and operators would see their investments in these technologies leveraged against the need for fewer numbers of crew members and therefore could start reaping the rewards earlier than anticipated which could offset costs.

Not everyone is thrilled at the prospect however, opponents of autonomous of single-pilot planes say that the need for more than one crew member, pilots especially, far outweighs the risk associated with singularly piloted aircraft. They argue that if there were to be an incident, for example in the case of a pilot becoming incapacitated due to medical emergency, etc, who would pilot the plane. Proponents say that they have considered this and are working toward developing remote pilots to assist in the event of an emergency.

Currently the autonomous aircraft being developed are for short hops and proximity travel, Airbus is in the process of working on an urban taxi type of aircraft they call Vahana. The muli-propeller Vahana can fly up to 50 miles before needing a recharge on its battery. The aircraft is expected to take off on test flights this year and potentially be ready for launch in 2021.

Boeing unmanned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) cargo air vehicle (CAV) prototype.

On the other hand, Boeing is counting on developers to turn out technologies that make it possible for self flying interfaces that could potentially pilot passenger planes and airliners. They will begin testing their technology on flight deck simulators before testing it on an actual plane in 2019.

As for the impact autonomously piloted planes could have on the aviation industry and the ease of use for owners and operators of self-flying aircraft, the implications are relatively unknown at present, however, the benefits and drawbacks could both prove endless. At this stage, only time will tell. Industry insiders are predicting that this self-flying or autonomous types of travel could be integrated into the flight industry sooner rather than later.

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