Very Light Jets

Private jets have, since the 1980's, been the privilege of the super-rich. With price tags on basic models starting around 6 million dollars, it is not hard to see why they remain out of reach for everyday use. When you add to that the cost of maintaining, insuring, and hiring a crew for a plane of that size, it becomes even more costly. The Very Light Jet, or micro jet, market seeks to change that. Very light jets are loosely defined as any jet with a GTW, or gross takeoff weight, of less than ten thousand pounds. Small planes like this have a great many advantages over their larger siblings, not the least of which is a greatly decreased crew requirement. Whereas regular business jets require at least 2 crewmembers, very light jets are permitted to fly with one. Given the option between an aircraft charter that is bigger than needed to transport only a few people, or one of the compact private jets, it is easy to see why many choose this form of private transportation over the other options available.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

While it is a steadily increasing market, delivery of aircraft is behind schedule. This means that only a small fraction of the over three thousand very light jets that have been ordered have actually been delivered. There are many reasons for the delay in delivery, ranging from slower-than-anticipated FAA certification to delays in getting the component parts from their respective manufacturers. Since very light jets are created from an mix of parts from many different manufacturers, then cobbled together on an assembly floor, supply train delays can spell disaster for a delivery timeline. Due to the fact that these air charter jets have just recently grown in popularity the demand for them is much bigger than the supply available. Over time these private jets will replace some of their larger counterparts and provide those in need of an air charter with a cost effective option. Look for more of these jets to be produced in the coming years as their popularity continues to increase and the manufacturing process becomes more finely tuned.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

There are many different types of very light jets that are either currently being manufactured, or are in the process of receiving their FAA certification. The smallest of the very light jets is designed to seat only three passengers in addition to the one pilot. The larger versions of these private jets are designed to seat up to eight and are piloted by a crew of one. The need to maintain a proper maximum take-off weight has resulted in new manufacturing processes and new materials, such as carbon-fiber, being used in their construction. These carbon-fiber skinned aircraft are up to 50 percent lighter than their aluminum-skinned counterparts. By reducing weight and carrying capacity, the very light jets are set to fill a niche market with small aircraft charter companies. Using the latest in composite technology allows the newest of the very light jets to use up to fifty percent less fuel on a trip of the same length than a similarly-sized turboprop with aluminum skin.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

The cost of a very light jet varies depending on the model, and the amenities chosen. The smallest of the very light jets, which can accommodate 3 people plus the pilot, are being sold starting at 1.5 million dollars. When you consider that even the most basic of the business jets have a low-end price of around 6 million dollars, the good-sense approach tends to kick in. Many corporations that are currently leasing larger, costlier jets may choose to downsize for the sake of being able to control their own aircraft. In addition, with the cost being so low, it is not out of the realm of possibility that many private owners will take advantage of the very light jet. As a matter of fact, the private sector in North America is expected to be the largest segment of the very light jet market. Of course, air charter services are also very interested in the very light jet, and over 3,000 of the aircraft have been ordered to date.

When you start making your way into the costlier of the very light jets, however, you'll still note significant cost savings, both in the short-term, and on long-term projected expenses as well. The most expensive of the very light jets tops out at only 3.5 million dollars, which still leaves a major gap between these and their more expensive predecessors. Of course the price that you pay does buy more capability, as well. The costlier very light jets will have greater ranges, approaching two-thousand nautical miles at a cruising speed of over four-hundred knots, or approaching five-hundred miles per hour. The lower cost models, starting at 1.5 million, generally have shorter legs, reaching a limit of about 1,200 nautical miles.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

Very Light Jets are being used for a variety of tasks. Currently, the largest purchaser in the very light jet category is an air charter company based in Florida. This aircharter company plans to link several dozen mid-sized cities in the southeast that are underserved by commercial airlines. Their flights will be sold on a per-seat basis, allowing their customers to have the experience of traveling on private jets without paying several thousand dollars per trip. As a matter of fact, the cost per mile is expected to be comparable to that of a major commercial airliner, depending on the flexibility of the customer's schedule. Very light jets are able to do this effectively, because they are so much more fuel efficient and require a much smaller flight crew than their larger siblings. Very light jets are slated to be an integral part of the SATS system, which is currently being researched.

The hope is to get small-jet travel down to a cost on-par with taking the family on a 300 mile round trip in a car. The hope is to equalize the cost for a 300 mile round trip plus hotel stay in a standard automobile, with the cost of flying the family on a very light jet. This will open up jet travel to a completely new demographic. Traditionally, families with young children have shrugged off travel in commercial airliners, because of the hassle of wrangling children in an airport terminal, and trying to usher the family through airport security. With the advent of the very light jet, however, air travel becomes far more accessible to families, who would be allowed movement room, and of course flexible scheduling to accommodate their younger members.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

The SATS, or Small Aircraft Transportation System, is a research project taking place within the FAA and NASA. They are researching the viability of using small aircraft to fill the gaps and ease the congestion in a post 9/11 security environment. With increased security measures, and an ever-increasing demand for air travel, the FAA and NASA have realized that the delays that have been experienced over the last 2 years are only going to get worse. However, with approximately 98 percent of the population of the United States living within 20 miles of a general aviation airport, those two agencies see a future for small aircraft "taxi" services. Of course, it is not just people that they propose to transport in this way.

The NASA research documents also show that they are researching the viability of small same-day package delivery services, and same-day cross-continental medical transportation services, as well. The SATS system is designed to facilitate transport between small airports using little or no terminal radar coverage and ground control. With the latest in "glass-cockpit" technology being offered in the very light jet category, pilots have access to more information than ever before. The very light jets that are being developed and tested today are hoped to be the backbone of a universal transportation system that will allow greater than ever access to communities around the country.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

Of course, before a very light jet can enter into any service, they must be certified by the FAA. The FAA is painstakingly thorough in their certification process, and must certify not only the aircraft, but the production processes, as well. This has led to the delay in production of a large number of very light jets from companies such as Eclipse, and Cessna, though these companies have, for the most part, cleared all of the hurdles and begun production on their aircraft. The first company to complete the certification process was Cessna, in 2006. They were followed by Eclipse a few short weeks later. Both companies are on-target to complete several hundred of the small jets by the end of 2008.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

In addition to the many cost-savings advantages of the very light jets, there are certainly others, as well. Perhaps the most important of these is the small jet's ability to land and take off from airports having runways as short as three thousand feet. Traditionally, much longer runways are required for heavier aircraft, greatly limiting their effective area. Very light jets will allow much greater access to the less developed areas of the world. Now when choosing an aircharter executives can have the option of landing closer to their destinations rather than having to travel greater distance by vehicle. We cannot completely dismiss the cost-savings of these small jets, however, since maintenance and fuel are two of the largest ongoing expenditures in the business jet category.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653

The very light jets being produced today are some of the most advanced aircraft in the world. They made of revolutionary materials, including carbon fiber, fiberglass, and other composite materials. One of the things that kept the very light jets from being produced years ago, though, was the engines. Engines, until as recently as the late 1990's, were very heavy. However, with new engine pods being developed from major suppliers like Pratt & Whitney, and Williams International, the weight of many aircraft engines has been reduced by as much as 50 percent. The engines used on several of the very light jet offerings offer in excess of 1,600 pounds of thrust, with very little added weight to the airframe.

Of course we cannot forget the cockpit displays and avionics systems. The very light jets being offered by the top manufactures come standard with a "glass-cockpit" setup. This means that the old analog dial gauges are being replaced by the lighter, more efficient Liquid Crystal Display. The pilot is present with an interactive screen setup, which allows the pilot to customize the look and location of his or her gauges. This level of personalization allows pilots to become more and more familiar with their aircraft, and allows a greater than ever level of awareness between the pilot and their plane.

Perhaps one of the most unusual pieces of technology is the advent of a parachute for some of these airplanes. While whole-airplane parachutes have been around for a number of years, and have been used to some effect in the event of an engine failure very few, if any, have been employed in a jet aircraft. However, the very light jets, because of their limited weight, are able to use a parachute. The planes that are using the "ballistic recovery system" have them mounted in their noses. These parachute systems allow an executive jet to lower itself to the ground in case of an emergency, albeit with some structural damage to the aircraft. Over 300 people have been aboard aircraft that used a ballistic recovery system in a crash since 1983, and their lives may very well have been saved by it.

Call now for your finest private charter aircraft. 1.800.732.1653