Inside, Hawker cabins are beloved for sophistication, comfort, and productivity.
Often, Haute Living’s aviation pieces come with a caveat: the technological flying wonder presented is not available today; it’s a newly unveiled craft that’s a mock-up of the whole thing that won’t be built, certified, and delivered for another six years. But there’s no such catch this time, not with the hottest new biz jet in the wild blue yonder, the Hawker 4000, which celebrated its first two deliveries this past summer.
The Hawker 4000 is the perfect combo of tradition and technology. Based on the success of every preceding Hawker (it’s a direct descendent of some of the most successful midsized jets ever constructed) and carrying on the tradition of reliability, durability, and proven performance-with a host of aerodynamic, material, gizmo, and doodad improvements-the H4K is in a class all its own. It adds explosive new performance, improved payload capabilities, and enhanced range to an aircraft already celebrated for plush cabins and reliability. It also ushers in a new era for general aviation, due to a revolutionary composite construction that makes it the most advanced midsized business jet in existence. Designed to maximize productivity no matter where you are, whether you’re utilizing this puppy as a fully functioning office or as a restful retreat, you’re certain to enjoy every airborne moment.
The Hawker 4000 has the ability to easily carry eight passengers, travel 3,280 nautical miles (New York to Dublin; Mumbai to Moscow) at a top-out of Mach .84, and cruise at 45,000 feet. It can handle domestic jaunts, transcontinental flights, and trans-Atlantic blue water ops. So if you’re a global mogul who needs a jet with nonstop coast-to-coast flying range and enough room to for a whole exec team, the H4K is hands-down a near-perfect balance of performance, safety, and affordability (it’s $2 million cheaper than a Gulfstream G200 and $7 million less than a Falcon DX). Hawker Beechcraft CEO Jim Schuster says, “The appeal of the Hawker 4000 is easily stated: it is the most advanced, luxurious super midsized business jet in the world. Period.”
In order to achieve such a superlative, the firm had to take a massive risk. In a 20-year, $1 billion development process, Hawker Beechcraft became the first manufacturer to certify a composite-body jet with the FAA. What does this mean? Well, for one, that the Hawker 4000’s body is 70 percent stronger than aluminum. It also is much easier to repair and has no life limit. It’s flat-out a body like no other with a fuselage that’s only made up of three huge pieces. In comparison, the H4K’s competitors have more than 10,000 pieces (read: a heck of a lot more things to keep your indispensible business tool on the ground).
Complementing the H4K’s precedence-setting tech and performance advancements is a cockpit avionics suite that’s state-of-the-NEXT-state-of-art. Affording pilots the best view possible, at the heart of it all is Honeywell’s fantastic Primus EPIC integrated system. Highlighted by five 8-inch by 10-inch scalable LCDs, the system makes situational awareness second nature and easily gives the pertinent information needed for safe and efficient flight anywhere in the world. Two components of the system, the intuitive Integrated Navigation and patented Graphical Flight planning functionality, allow for rapid flight plan modification, which is mission critical when dealing with quick changing weather and air traffic issues. There’s also fully digital autopilot and auto-throttle for extra peace of mind.
The impressive performance improvements begin at takeoff. Boasting a blazing 20-minute climb rate from sea level to 41,000 feet, once at altitude the craft accelerates very quickly to its max cruise speed. You can thank the twin power plants that propel the bird-Pratt and Whitney PW308A engines. These bad boys are well respected for being among the most powerful, economic, and efficient thrusters available. To put it in perspective, these are the same engines Richard Branson has chosen for his Virgin Galactic WK2 spaceflight mothership. Rated at 6,900 pounds of normal takeoff thrust and equipped with full-authority, digital engine control, the PW308s provide a combo of cruise thrust, fuel consumption, and power-to-weight ratio considered best in its class. The H4K’s short takeoff and landing requirements makes more domestic and international destinations possible. And its attractive flight and performance characteristics provide greater fuel efficiency along the way.
Inside, Hawker cabins are beloved for sophistication, comfort, and productivity. This one is no different. Elegantly functional, the H4K cabin offers the utmost comforts, with the kind of space and amenities needed to travel, work, or relax-even for a super-mid, this is a large aircraft (much of this size increase is a result of the unique composite fuselage). The roomiest in its class, the H4K has a full six-foot-high stand-up cabin from front to back; how it’s customized is up to you. There’s an extensive selection of fine fabrics, leathers, woods, and finishes available, as well as advanced Collins Airshow entertainment electronics. Seating areas can be configured with fully reclining seats or divans, creating an inviting atmosphere in which to crunch numbers or chill out. The comfy chairs can be berthed in order to provide sleeping accommodations on long trips. This conference room in the sky promotes the kind of in-flight productivity that transforms international range into competitive advantage.
In form as well as function, the Hawker 4000 is a powerful new product of risk-taking design, precision engineering, and the elegance of efficiency. At virtually every altitude, it represents biz jet performance at its most exhilarating peak, with no caveats. Well, actually there is one asterisk: there’s already high demand, resulting in a waitlist of two and a half years. However, since many orders are from fractional ownership jet firms like NetJets (50 on order stateside and 32 in Europe), even if you can’t buy a 4000, you’ll still be able to jump aboard one sometime in the near future.
Haute Design
September 29, 2008Top of the Water World: megayachts
