Since the
dawn of the jet age the ultimate idea of luxury for many people has been to own
a private jet, but for almost everyone the dream has been far beyond financial
reach.
Now, however,
the dream of owning a private jet--or at least flying regularly in one--looks
achievable, thanks to innovative new airplane designs and technologies.
The price
may still raise eyebrows for many, but if you have about $1.5 million and
plenty of time for some pretty intense pilot training, a personal private jet
is well within reach.
You might
think that still sounds like a lot of money, but it's nowhere near as much as
you previously would have had to pay for a new, high-altitude private jet able
to fly you a thousand miles in just three hours.
Now, a new class of small jets
is coming to market. Most are designed for single-pilot operation, though to
qualify for solo flying, inexperienced jet pilots must undergo intensive
training followed by a period of supervised flying with a professional 'mentor
pilot.' The
mentor will advise on technique, monitor performance and recommend additional
training as needed.
The very
light jet--or VLJ, in industry-speak--is so cheap in business aviation terms that
it's affordable to the merely well-off and is not purely a very rich person's
plaything or the exclusive privilege of a big-company CEO.
About a
dozen companies are developing VLJs. New-aircraft
prices vary from the $1.36 million that Diamond Aircraft is asking for its
five-seat D-Jet to around $3 million for some seven-to eight-passenger VLJs.
While the Ontario, Canada-built
D-Jet is the cheapest VLJ, other models may become better known. One is the
Cessna Citation Mustang, the new baby of the Citation bizjet
range.
Cessna has
built thousands of Citations over the last 36 years but the Mustang is a new
design. The first customers are now receiving their Mustangs for around $2.6
million apiece.
Another VLJ
is the HondaJet, a seven-seat jet being built in North Carolina by the
big car maker as its first foray into the business aviation market. The
Brazil-based airliner manufacturer Embraer is
developing a seven-seat VLJ, the Phenom 100.
Even better
known is the Eclipse Aviation EA-500. Eclipse was only established in the late
1990s, but its founder Vern Raburn--an early-days
senior Microsoft executive close to both Bill Gates and Paul Allen--quickly
achieved cult-like status among private flyers with his promise to build a jet
costing under $1 million.
Raburn's
vision hasn't turned out quite that way, since his aircraft now costs over $1.5
million. Eclipse has also had teething troubles and delivered the first EA-500
in recent months, rather later than planned. (It isn't the only VLJ
manufacturer to experience early problems: The first Citation Mustangs suffered
from avionics software glitches.)
But Raburn is seen as the father of the VLJ. At Eclipse, he
created a formidable marketing machine that has garnered a wealth of publicity
for the EA-500 and the VLJ concept.
"Vern is
not the first person to build or even propose a light jet," said Nigel Moll,
editor of the monthly edition of business aviation bible Aviation
International News.
In 1977,
entrepreneur Tony Fox proposed the Foxjet 600
five-passenger jet and built full-scale models, Moll noted. But neither the Foxjet nor Ian Chichester-Miles'
four-seat Leopard (flown in England
in 1988) were produced.
"What Vern
is, is the motivator for the current crop of them," said Moll. "Various crucial
things converged ... and Vern figured it was time to take a big step."
Particularly
crucial were the development of small jet engines to power VLJs
and business travelers' increasing dissatisfaction with airline flying after
9/11.
Even if you
can't afford a private jet, you might soon be able to afford to take a business
trip on one. The affordability of VLJs has inspired a
clutch of new companies that plan to offer short-haul service linking local
airports throughout the United States
and Europe.
These
operators are trading on the idea that business travelers will pay first
class-plus fares for the convenience of avoiding long security lines at airline
hubs and flying to their meetings and back inside a day. They have developed
different business models that vary from whole-aircraft charters to booking
individual seats on nearly a scheduled-service basis.
The first, DayJet, plans to begin flying in June, offering on-demand,
per-seat service in Florida
aboard Eclipse EA-500s.
But take
note: Some of the smaller, less expensive VLJs such
as the EA-500 don't have toilets. Ask what plane you're flying before ordering
that cup of coffee at the airport.
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