There are many new jets and a few new turboprops on designers’ drawing boards, but the volume of new aircraft making it to the entry-into-service point remains fairly low, considering all the projects in the hopper. Last year, only two new clean-sheet designs–the Quest Kodiak and Falcon 7X–joined the ranks of aircraft certified and beginning deliveries. A few derivative designs, which are basically upgrades of existing models, also entered service, including Bombardier’s Learjet 60XR and Challenger 605 and Hawker Beechcraft’s C90GTi and B200GT and 900XP.
The industry should see more new designs certified this year, if manufacturer projections remain on track, but ongoing problems with some new airplanes underscore the tremendous challenges aircraft manufacturers face. Sino Swearingen has managed to deliver just two SJ30s since certification in October 2005, despite having plenty of orders to fill. New investors have jumped in to help provide the money needed to ramp up the SJ30 production line, but no news about that deal having closed was available by press time.
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