Posts Tagged ‘VLJ’
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
The name ‘Lear’ in business jet aviation rightly brings associations of innovation, elegance and sheer chutzpah. For, the fact is, Bill Lear started it all.
Lear was far from the first to design a jet. That honor (though there are historical disputes) may belong to Frank Whittle just before the days of WWII. But he was unquestionably the first to design and successfully market a small business jet.
And, not just any business jet, but one that would become the gold standard. Long before Bill Gates was a teenager (the Google guys weren’t even born yet), William Lear started Swiss American Aviation Company. The company evolved in the mid-1960s to bear his name and his imprint.
Young entrepreneurs would dream of owning one. They still do. Many are still in the air. After many mergers and much evolution the company was acquired by Bombardier, who have continued the tradition of making stellar aircraft.
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Tags: Bill Lear, Biz Jets, Bombardier 850, business jet, business jet aviation, cessna mustang, Eclipse 500, Frank Whittle, Lear, Learjet, Learjet 25, small business jet, stellar aircraft, Swiss American Aviation Company, Very Light Jet, VLJ, William Lear
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Saturday, June 6th, 2009
Air travelers, whether they know it or not, are used to flying in aircraft that are often 30 years old or older. Many commercial jets in use were manufactured in that era. A great many business and corporate jets are equally old. Hundreds of Learjets from the 1970s or older are still in service. Well maintained, that’s not a problem. They were designed to deliver good performance for a long time.
But it’s also true that technology has advanced tremendously over the same time frame. Computer controlled electronics and avionics, materials and much more have all reached a state of the art that the founders of jet design only imagined. Riding in a jet manufactured to the latest specs provides a speed, convenience and pleasure that older jets simply can’t match.
Fresh off the assembly line in June, 2007, for example, is the Dassault Falcon 7X.
As just one demonstration of its state of the art prowess, the Falcon 7X contains a fly-by-wire system. The leading edge of avionics, this system reduces weight and allows extremely stable and fine mastery of control surfaces. Computerized controls interact with the cables and electronics needed to direct angles of flaps and other gear. Near instantaneous adjustment to all flying conditions results.
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Tags: A700 AdamJet, Adam Aircraft, air travelers, aircraft, avionics, business jet design, business jet pie, Business Jets, commercial jets, computer controlled electronics, corporate jets, Dassault Falcon 7X, Falcon 7X, Flying, Learjets, smaller business jets, Very Light Jet, VLJ
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Thursday, May 14th, 2009
The waning years of WWII saw the introduction of the first jet fighter planes. Though the popular image is that Germany was the first to develop them, British pioneer Frank Whittle had drawing board designs of a jet plane as early as the mid-1930s.
After the end of the war, commercial airlines quickly realized the value of these faster planes. Everyone wants to get where they want to go sooner. Less time in the air means less jet lag, less stress from engine and wind noise, and more time on the ground to take care of business. For upscale business travelers, those goals were first approached in the mid-1960s.
Alongside the development of large, commercial airlines’ use of jets – the famous Boeing 727 and its later cousins – there grew up a cottage industry of smaller jets designed primarily for ultra-rich customers.
Learjet, Lockheed JetStar and the Gulfstream II were the ultimate expressions of those design goals at the time. Selling for around $1 million (a hefty price tag forty years ago), these hand-built air limousines were heavily used by oil-rich sheiks and the J. Paul Getty’s of the day.
For the younger crowd, J. Paul Getty was one of the richest men in the world from the 1940s until his death in 1976. The Bill Gates of his day – only his money came from oil not computers – he was the first individual to crack the $1 billion mark.
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Tags: B757, bizjets, Boeing 727, Business Jets, business jets history, business jets timeline, business travelers, Cessna Citation X, commercial airlines, Express Aviation, first jet fighter planes, fractional ownership, Global Express, Gulfstream II, History of Business Jets, HondaJet, Learjet, Lockheed JetStar, smaller jets, Very Light Jet, VLJ
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
You may not find a business jet in your driveway in the next few years, but how far away is the nearest small airport? If you’re like many around the country, the answer is fewer than 20 miles. There are over 5,000 small airports in the U.S. that the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regards as ‘underused’. That means they are used at less than normal capacity for an airport that size.
The latest small private or business jets, VLJs (Very Light Jets), can land on runways as short as 3,000 feet (914 m). By contrast, mid-sized business jets like the Gulfstream G150 require almost 5,000 feet (1524 m) to land. They do have nice long ranges, though: more than 3,000 nautical miles. They can fly from LA to NY in a single hop.
Eclipse Aviation, with their Eclipse E500 can definitely take advantage of that. Using smaller airports means quicker take off and landing, and flights nearer to home for millions. Instead of fighting traffic, security and all the other commercial air travel hassles travelers can simply take a short drive or taxi ride to a local ‘air taxi’.
Fractional ownership arrangements, in which multiple individuals or companies own a part of the aircraft, make having one at your disposal on short notice feasible. At $1 million to $3 million, or even $10 million for the larger private jets, spreading the fractional ownership over as few as five makes the jet less than the average home in major urban areas.
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Tags: air taxi, business jet, Business Jet Air Taxis, Business Jets, commercial air travel, Eclipse Aviation, Eclipse E500, Federal Aviation Administration, Gulfstream G150, small airport, travelers, Very Light Jets, VLJ
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Monday, May 11th, 2009
The U.S. President and Air Force One may be the most well-known example of using a jet as a flying office. Nevertheless, there are thousands of others around the world who find this an efficient and cost-effective way to do business. Whether using an executive version of the Boeing 757 or the Gulfstream G150, there are thousands of actors, athletes, businessmen and other professionals who use jets to expand their options for doing business.
Using a business jet minimizes jet lag since sleeping accommodations are common interior add-ons. Separate private jet areas at airports also means less delay getting in and out of airports. Fewer security checkpoints and schedules tailored to the traveler’s needs rather than the airline’s reduces overall travel time. Take-offs and landings at smaller airports closer to the departure and arrival points also keep wasted travel time and distance to a minimum.
All that means more time for business, more relaxed travel and a more refreshed traveler ready for action at the journey’s end. Even a thirty year old Gulfstream GII can travel from Los Angeles to Paris in about 11 hours. Newer planes may not get there any faster, but many are getting there cheaper. Entry-level executive jets sell for between $3 million and $4 million. The VLJ (Very Light Jets), such as the HondaJet or the Eclipse E500 sell for as low as $1 million.
But these newer planes, thanks to advances in engine design and composite materials, have all the power and range anyone could need.
The Rolls Royce FJ44-powered single engine Century will support 6,000 lbs MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight). Ultra-light planes of that type could easily carry four passengers from LA to San Francisco or London to Paris.
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Tags: business jet, Business Jet Flying Offices, Eclipse E500, flying commercial airlines, flying office, HondaJet, planes, private jet, travel time, Very Light Jets, VLJ
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Monday, May 11th, 2009
Some of the things that have kept business jet use from reaching its full potential have nothing to do with technology or regulations. Like any business in order to be low cost and still profitable it has to be efficient. But that’s a difficult thing to achieve in the business jet arena.
Advertising for business jet travel isn’t exactly as common as, say, for iPods. Unfair comparison because of the huge cost difference? Ok, when is the last time you saw an ad for a Ford truck? Yet, leasing the top of the line model isn’t significantly more expensive than some business jet travel plans. But, you say, getting around in a Ford truck is a lot easier than getting into a business jet and hopping from city to city. Well, maybe, maybe not.
Those are exactly the two problems that fractional ownership plans try to solve: cost and convenience.
When you rent a timeshare in a condo in Colorado you plunk down a hefty amount of money. But it’s a lot less than you would pay to own the accommodations outright. You pay less because you don’t need the item all year ’round. You divide the costs with others who have similar interests. But then you have a (potential) scheduling problem. You may want to use the timeshare when someone else in the partnership does.
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Tags: airline, business jet, business jet travel, Expedia, flight, Fractional Jet Ownership, Fractional ownership plans, private jet, travel agency, vacation travel, Very Light Jet, VLJ
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