Boeing Business Jets Launches Widebody VIP Airplanes

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 17, 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] Business Jets today announced it has won seven orders for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8.

Undisclosed customers have ordered one 787-8, three 787-9 and three 747-8 airplanes specifically designated for the VIP market. These orders are already reflected on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website. Boeing does not reveal the identity of private owners at the request of its customers.

"Boeing has a long legacy of providing jets to the VIP market," said Steven Hill, Boeing Business Jets President. "Boeing airplanes are renowned for their high reliability, comfort and advanced technology, and that reputation extends to the VIP market with the 787 and 747-8. We are thrilled with the continued success of the original Boeing Business Jets airplane family and the amazing market interest in our widebody jets."

The VIP-configured 787-8 offers 2,404 square feet (223.3 square meters) of cabin space and a range of 9,590 nautical miles (17,760 km), while the VIP-configured 787-9 offers 2,762 square feet (256.6 square meters) of cabin space and a range of 9,950 nautical miles (18,425 km). This capability allows owners of the 787 VIP jet to fly anywhere in the world nonstop while carrying up to 75 passengers.

The VIP version of the 747-8 provides a cabin with 4,786 square feet (444.6 square meters). It can carry 100 passengers and fly up to 9,260 nautical miles (17,150 km). The airplane also is the fastest large-cabin business jet, capable of cruising at Mach 0.86.

Boeing delivers VIP airplanes in so-called "green" condition, meaning the airplane does not have interior furnishings or exterior paint. Customers then work with designers and interior completion centers to install an interior that exactly matches the owner's preferences and needs. Typical interiors could include staterooms with ensuite bathrooms, dining areas, lounge areas, meeting rooms and private offices.

With the previously announced orders of 12 BBJs and the new widebody orders, the Boeing Business Jets sales team has won a total of 19 new airplane orders within the last 11 months -- business valued at $2.25 billion at list price

Airbus Beats Boeing!
Tue, 17 Oct '06

Airbus Corporate Jetliner Outsells Boeing Business Jet
by ANN Associate Editor James Aronovsky

Airbus Vice President of Executive and Private Aviation Sales, Richard Goana, is perhaps the one executive at Airbus who is quite optimistic about his prospects.

The Airbus Commercial Jetliner (ACJ) is outselling its Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) counterpart two to one in the highly rarified world of business jets that are as big as an airliner. Boeing has sold ten this year but Airbus confirms selling twice that number. Goana hinted that he was hoping to bring that total up to 22 before the end of the NBAA convention.

Goana, along with several other Airbus officials, spoke Monday at the press day preceeding the start of the NBAA Conference in Orlando... and said that Airbus commercial sales are skyrocketing due to what he says is the widest and most spacious cabin available to customers and the greatest amount of customization available.

The ACJ family consists of three variations of the Airbus A320. The A318 Elite, the standard ACJ, and the A320 Prestige all share the same cabin, which is seven inches wider than the Boeing 737- based BBJ. All are certified in the European 3B autoland category.

To illustrate Airbus's commitment to the American market, the French-German plane builder has named Gore Design Completion of San Antonio, TX to be an approved completion center for Airbus corporate jetliners and is the second US-based outfitter among several world wide. Because of the highly personalized needs of customers, the aircraft are flown "green" (without interiors) usually to a completion center nearest the buyer, who can then visit the aircraft and specify all the details as the interior comes together.

In what may be the most amazing revelation of all, Goana confirmed that he is in serious talks for an Airbus Corporate Jetliner that is just a little bigger than the A320 family. The often-delayed, giant superjumbo A380 is being considered as bizjet for what he would only say is a head of state. Further questioning only brought a sly smile.

Goana says that his research shows there is a market for approximately 12 to 15 executive airliners a year, though he admitted that this year was uncommonly good.

When pressed on exactly how many ACJ's he really wanted to sell, Goana said, in his thick French accent, "I would be happy with any number that is more than 50% of the market."

How many years out into the future is th 400'th A380 going to be delivered? Boeing has a proven production line that can easily produce up to 5-6 747's a month if they wanted to ramp up production. It will be years before Airbus exceeds one A380 per month down its line. By the time Airbus gets to the break even point, Boeing could announce the Y-3 using technology developed for the 787 and 737 replacement programs. The Y-3 would be sized between the 777-300ER and 747-800I or maybe even the A380-800 but would have twin engines with about 150,000 pounds of thrust each. A twin engined composite very large aircraft would be have much better fuel economy and CASM than the 747 or A380. Considering the 747 program paid out decades ago and has made tremendous profits for Boeing, being outclassed by another Boeing product wouldn't hurt Boeing. For Airbus it would be a disaster as the A380 would be obsolete by the time it begins to earn a return on the investments made to develop it.

This is what I call living!

A lot of neighborhoods don't allow the owners to park Boeing 707s outside
their homes, which is why actor John Travolta moved to Jumbolair, near
Ocala.

It's not just another housing development, as you can tell by the

1.4-mile airstrip and the Boeing 707 parked next to one of the houses.

Located in the Central Florida town of Anthony, just north of Ocala, it's
called Jumbolair, and it's the new home of John Travolta -- '70s TV
phenom,film superstar, Oscar-nominated actor, sex symbol, accomplished
pilot, doting husband and father.

After several years of whispers about his building a house here, the
49-year-old actor has taken up residence in his nearly completed mansion.

Travolta is flying daily from Ocala to Tampa to shoot "The Punisher," an
action movie based on the comic book, set to be released next summer.

A lifelong love of aviation holds the key to Travolta's decision to build at
Jumbolair.

Travolta owns at least two jets, a Gulfstream and a huge Boeing 707B.

Simply put, there aren't very many non-commercial airstrips where planes of
that size can take off and land. Jumbolair, with its long landing strip and
massive jet wash berms at either end, is one of them.

About a decade ago, Travolta had a home in a fly-in community near Daytona,
but was sued by neighbors who claimed his jet airplanes were too big and
noisy for their facility.

The very layout of his new house is testament to Travolta's love of flying.

It's located immediately off the main airstrip, and is designed so his jets
can taxi right up to two outbuildings connected to the main structure, which
is shaped like a squat air-control tower. Travolta literally can walk out
his door, under a canopied walkway and into the cockpit, open the long
mechanized gate and be airborne in a matter of minutes.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration pilot database, Travolta is
qualified in several types of single- and multi-engine aircraft, and has the
highest pilot medical certification possible.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.