The 85 plows a new market niche. Bombardier claims it will have 19 percent more cabin volume than its closest competitor. Indeed, for a midsize, the 85’s cabin is already capacious: 24 feet, nine inches long; six feet, one inch wide; and six feet tall, yielding 665 cubic feet of passenger space and 130 cubic feet of luggage stowage, including three large cabin closets with a combined 30 cubic feet of storage.

Several configurations will be available, including eight single executive seats in a double-club layout or six single seats and a three-place divan. The single seats are pitched at 30 inches and recline into full-berthing positions. The highly contoured single seats feature armrests that retract into the seat backs that can give plus-sized passengers bigger seat-bottom cushions. Seat pedestal stowage drawers that open into the aircraft aisle are significantly easier for passengers to access while seated. They are big enough to hold a laptop computer. The divan and the berthing seats reflect the 85’s 3,000-nautical-mile transcontinental/transatlantic range (with four passengers).

The overall cabin design is bold, even daring, for a midsize corporate jet, with splashes of aluminized interior surfaces, wild-patterned carpet, glossy black piano wood accents and cabinets, flowing oval and curved shapes and hand-stitched white leather seats.

Interior of the Learjet 85 Private Jet

This longer-legged, $18.25 million Learjet also features a full galley and an aft cabin lavatory with a vacuum toilet system. Like several other contemporary cabin designs, the 85 will feature larger cabin windows, 12 by 16 inches each, and more ­monolithic, streamlined headliners and sidewalls.

Using composites as opposed to metal eliminates much, but not all, of the aircraft’s substructure, saving weight while increasing available cabin volume. The 85’s wings will use composite skins and spars and metal ribs, similar to the design of the Bombardier C Series regional jet that is currently under development. The metal ribs are better able to absorb loads on the inboard section of the wing and manage tolerances more efficiently. The 85’s cabin is one-third larger than the smaller Learjet 60XR’s, yet slightly smaller than that in a true super-midsize.

While the 85 will weigh one-third more than the 60, it will need only 20 percent more thrust, fly 500 more miles on a load of fuel and have a slightly higher top cruise speed–all while offering better specific fuel consumption

Bombardier has carefully thought out this airplane, which could very well help rejuvenate its languishing Learjet brand. It definitely will be one of the most innovative and exciting airplanes to come charter in a long time.

For more information regarding the Bombardier Learjet 85, or any other aircraft model, please contact RYL’s Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

The A320 private airliner, which has been available for VIP executive jet charter since 2000, has been improved substantially over the years. The latest enhancements include better cabin sound insulation and electronics, LED lighting and a new-style winglet called a Sharklet that boosts fuel economy and increases the model’s already hefty useful load by 1,100 pounds.

Compared with the standard Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ), which is based on the smaller A319, the executive version of the A320 (called the Prestige) has a 12-foot-longer cabin and holds nearly seven times as much luggage. It can do that because it has a shorter range, 4,300 nautical miles compared with the ACJ’s 6,000 (assuming you have four crew members and eight passengers). The ACJ is able to achieve that range because it substitutes the additional baggage space one would expect on an A320 with auxiliary fuel tanks.

Affluent travelers continue to charter the Airbus A320, and it has stood the test of time. However, many Americans who charter VIP configured airliners opt for executive 737s, called Boeing Business Jets (BBJs), for nonstop travel from the continental U.S. to Asia. With the A320, you would have to land for fuel along the way.

Interior of the Airbus A320 Prestige Bizliner

What one can do to the interior of an A320 cabin is nearly limitless. With more than 1,030 square feet of cabin floor space, one can order stand-up showers, gourmet galleys, private offices, theater rooms and just about anything else you care to install. However, do to the overall size of the aircraft, one does have limits as to which airports you can utilize. An A320 at maximum takeoff weight tips the scales at 169,800 pounds and needs 6,640 feet of runway to get airborne with a full load and nearly 5,000 feet to stop. Certain U.S. airports (such as those in Sun Valley, Idaho, and Teterboro, N.J.) continue to ban private aircraft that weigh more than 100,000 pounds.

However, working with the right private jet charter specialist will ensure the use of all the appropriate airports and facilities during your trip, as well as ensuring that your overall experience is safe and enjoyable.

For more information regarding the Airbus A320, or any other aircraft model, please contact RYL’s Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

The appearance is unconventional, featuring over-wing engine pylons, thin natural laminar flow wings, porpoise-like nose and raked cockpit side windows. The design yields more speed; more luggage space; and a larger, quieter cabin with less vibration. The over-wing pylons reduce drag and eliminate the need to contour the aft fuselage. Honda is currently showing one cabin configuration: a single-place, side-facing divan opposite the entry door followed by club-four seating and an aft-cabin lavatory with privacy door. The aircraft’s interior features upscale automotive accents, such as high-tech plating that runs the length of the cabin.

Other possible configurations include substituting a small refreshment area, cabinets and a closet for the single, side-facing seat; and an all-forward-facing seat layout for air-taxi operations. The color/fabric palette for the interior will initially consist of four to five possible combinations. Honda is using high-performance computers and software to create virtual-reality, high-resolution pictures of the cabin in different colors and fabrics and is continuing to collect customer preference data.

Interior of the Hondajet Private Jet

Honda engineers worked with the theory that each passenger requires about 60 cubic feet and that the seat pitch angle needs to be such that passengers’ feet don’t overlap when they’re seated in the club-four facing seats. As a result, the passenger legroom is very generous.

Much like the way Honda sells automobiles, HondaJets will be sold through a network of dealerships that are expected to construct customer sales and service centers to company standards. Honda will open a $20 million maintenance, repair and overhaul center in 2013 on its North Carolina campus. The company also plans to put its complete HondaJet parts catalog on the Internet.

Many private jet charter companies are exciting to offer this new private jet for charter as soon as it rolls off the assembly line. Expect to see one at an airport near you in no time.

For more information regarding the Hondajet, or any other aircraft model, please contact RYL’s Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

While the 2000 is widely recognized as the first super-midsize business jet, it was really in a niche slightly larger than that. Its cabin, which uses the same fuselage cross section as the company’s larger model 900 and 7X trijets, is actually 10 inches wider and two inches taller than the tube of a large-cabin Gulfstream G450. In this regard, the 2000 was really more than a super-midsize and its price ($18.1 million in 1996) reflected this.

The 2000 also has a reputation for durability and has proven itself with high-use fractional and corporate operators. Customers could custom-order its cabins, which can seat up to 10. The highly individualized interiors, combined with the ongoing euro-dollar imbalance, helped to drive up the price, but buyers didn’t seem to mind because of the brand’s value proposition.

Interior of the Dassault Falcon 2000s

Alas, times have changed. The 2000S is Dassault’s recently announced, value-added entry into the super-midsize market. Slated for service in 2013, the $25 million model has shorter range (3,350 nautical miles) than the $32.1 million, 4,000-nautical-mile Falcon 2000LX. And unlike the 2000LX, it has standardized interiors.
The 2000S’s interior was standardized into three distinct color/fabric/material “harmonies” and one seating configuration: 10 passengers. The forward cabin features a traditional executive “club 4” seat grouping followed by six smaller single executive seats arrayed in a conference grouping around a “hi-lo” table. Dassault claims this is the most popular seating configuration.

The 2000S represents a serious challenge to the super-midsize market. In addition, it is the first aircraft to benefit from design and build efficiencies that could make Dassault’s future offerings very price competitive. The design of the fuselage tube on the 2000S may be old but the thinking inside of it definitely is not.

For more information regarding chartering a Falcon 2000, or any other aircraft model, please contact RYL’s Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

• Private Jet Charter service to and from any destination in the world
• Access to the most exclusive boutiques your destination has to offer
• Style consultation from a renowned celebrity stylist
• Private trunk shows showcasing rare and hand crafted pieces
• Chauffeur car service with refreshments at each shopping destination

And much more.

For a personalized luxury shopping tour, please contact RYL’s Lifestyle Management Division at inquiry@ryljets.com.

For that amount, you get a cabin about the same size as a Gulfstream IV’s. It is a comfortable 1,270 cubic feet and measures 39 feet long, seven feet wide and six feet tall-plenty of space for four club seats, another four seats in a conference grouping with a table and a divan or two. The galley and lav are located aft of the passenger seats. The 157-cubic-foot baggage compartment is accessible through the lav in flight. The compartment can be externally loaded. The cabin is awash in natural light, thanks to Gulfstream’s large, signature elliptical windows.

Cabin of the Gulfstream GII Private Jet

GIIs were originally delivered unpainted and without an interior to aircraft distributors who were responsible for the completions. In 1967, these “green” airplanes fetched $1.5 million each (like now, the cost of the completion depended upon how much the customer wanted to spend). Almost all GIIs have since had their interiors redone at least once, but you can still find a few flying around with eight-track stereo and primitive ice drawers.

Even though a GII is a guzzler and requires more maintenance, a new airplane with this kind of cabin space, range and speed starts at about $27 million, while a newer used one starts in the high teens. The $15 million to $23 million saved buys lots of gas and wrench time, particularly if you plan to fly less than 300 hours a year.

For more information regarding chartering a Gulfstream GII, or any other aircraft model, please contact RYL’s Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

The spacious, flat-floor main cabin measures 26 feet 10 inches long, 6 feet 10 inches wide and 6 feet tall. Customers can choose between a large, well-appointed forward galley opposite galley annex storage or a single, side-facing seat ideal for a cabin attendant. Or they can have a side-facing, two-place divan opposite a small refreshment center. The wet galley features hot and cold water, four gallons of potable water, crystal storage and an ice drawer, compartments for china and silverware, 110V power outlet and optional monitor and espresso maker.

Behind that is the two-zone main cabin with ¬seating for eight to nine more passengers.

Possible configurations include two club-four groupings of single seats or a forward club-four followed by a half-club with a three-place, berthing divan on either the right or left side.

Half club pairs of single seats can be rotated back-to-back and then reclined together to form a comfortable sleeping surface. With the seats positioned and folded down in this manner, the 500 provides sleeping accommodations for up to four passengers. Behind that is the lavatory, complete with solid door, vanity, basin and vacuum toilet–a luxury not usually seen in an airplane of this size.

The aircraft features Honeywell’s high-definition Ovation Select cabin-management system, which allows passengers to manage all cabin entertainment, communications, lights, temperature, galley and window-shade controls via drink-rail-mounted personal control units, wireless handheld remotes or a galley touchscreen. It can interface with high-speed satellite communications and a variety of consumer electronics, including iPods, MP3 players, Apple TV and gaming systems. Moreover, it is built on an Ethernet backbone and has extensive diagnostic and troubleshooting capability. Ovation’s media interface also hosts the optional JetMap3HD moving-map applications and the latest news, weather and sports updates. Ovation uses high-end Rosen HD monitors and Alto audio components. The aircraft pressurization system keeps cabin altitude at a comfortable 6,000 feet at the 500′s maximum cruising altitude of 45,000 feet.

If you want an airplane with transcontinental range, a comfortable and innovative cabin, the latest avionics and good operating economics, the 500 should make your list of finalists. This aircraft will become available for charter in early 2013.

For more information regarding the Embraer Legacy 500, or chartering any other aircraft model, please contact RYL’s Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

The 700-horsepower Rolls-Royce 250-C47 turboshaft engine has plenty of reserve power for getting out of tight spots. The 407 not only climbs higher than most other turbine singles. In 2010, Bell began offering 407 operators a “Plus Power” supplemental type certificate that allows them to carry up to 400 pounds of additional useful load to tap “the full capability of the engine.” In addition, Rolls-Royce is offering a “VIP” engine upgrade kit that also boosts power output. While “Plus Power” is largely a paperwork exercise, the Rolls kit does require replacement of certain components, typically during an engine overhaul.

The stock 407 takes the basic fuselage of a stretched Bell JetRanger called the 206L4, widens it, and mates it to an all-composite, four-bladed main rotor system similar to the one Bell developed for the Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout/attack helicopter. The rotor disc diameter is 35 feet. The 407 will fit into a standard small aircraft hangar–barely. The 407 also gets a carbon fiber tailboom that is lightweight and robust. The addition of two more rotor blades allows the 407 to climb higher and haul more than the two-bladed 206L4 and provide a smoother ride.

The Cabin of the Bell 407 Helicopter

The extra eight inches of cabin width in the 407 yield 54.8 inches across. Compared with the 206, that makes a big difference, providing enough room to enable the helicopter to be used for medevac operations and to accommodate larger pilots and passengers. The 407′s cabin still is not as wide as that on a Eurocopter AStar (65 inches), but for most applications it is good enough.

Because so few changes have been made to factory 407s over the years, most of the used ships out there have been highly modified to accommodate owners’ individual tastes and missions. One can obtain a very nice used one for less than $1.5 million (new and nicely equipped they still cost less than $3 million) and for that you get a lot: a service ceiling of 17,900 feet (fully loaded); the ability to carry the pilot and up to six passengers (five in executive configuration) 251 nautical miles; a cabin that is eight inches wider than that in a Bell 206; respectable 128-knot cruise speed; and better fuel economy than some smaller single-engine turbine helicopters offer. For multi-mission capability at a reasonable price, the 407 is hard to beat.

To learn more about this helicopter, or to charter your own Bell 407, please contact our Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

Compared with the super-midsize crowd, the Legacy’s cabin is 60 percent larger, measuring 1,410 cubic feet. It is 43 feet long, 6 feet high on later models (5 feet 10 inches on earlier ones) and 6 feet 11 inches wide with seating for 13, although 10 is more reasonable.

The typical executive cabin features a forward galley and closet; four large executive seats arranged in a facing group sharing two foldout tables; four slightly smaller seats with a conference table and an opposite-facing credenza; and an aft stateroom area with two more large single seats, a foldout table and an opposite-facing divan or couch. The divan is available with a berthing top that slides out to create a comfortable sleeping surface. The six large executive seats have 20-inch-wide seat cushions and 26-inch-wide backs. They recline to 75 degrees, track forward and aft and swivel.

Embraer Legacy 600 Interior

The Legacy’s 240-cubic-foot baggage compartment can hold 1,000 pounds and can be accessed in flight through the roomy 92-cubic-foot lavatory. The lavatory contains a generous wardrobe closet, ideal for in-flight clothes changing.

Payload with full fuel is an impressive 5,291 pounds (passengers and luggage at sea level). But if you want to take advantage of this capability, you should have at least 6,000 feet of runway (more runway and less payload in the mountains where the air is thinner). Fully loaded at takeoff, the Legacy tips the scales at 49,604 pounds. Although slightly slower than the Gulfstream G200, it can fly nonstop from New York to London or Singapore to Tokyo.

In 2005 the 600′s maximum service ceiling was raised from 39,000 to 41,000 feet, improving range and allowing the Legacy to travel above typical airline routes. The maximum landing elevation was increased to 9,500 feet, facilitating trips such as Teterboro, N.J., to Telluride, Colo. Shorter landing distances were approved, down to 2,685 feet. Thanks to the advanced Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics system, the Legacy is a true go-anywhere, all-weather airplane. Recent upgrades to the system include better weather radar reception, heads-up display and an enhanced vision system that facilitates better foul-weather landing capability. Embraer is offering an upgrade to the new Primus Elite system that offers even more capability.

To learn more about this aircraft, or to charter your own Embraer Legacy 600, please contact our Charter Department at 877.391.6161.

Enter through the five-foot-nine-inch-tall main cabin door and, in the standard layout, you’ll find a small forward galley with microwave, coffee maker, ice drawer and stowage cupboards opposite a small closet. Seating consists of five reclining slide-and-swivel executive seats and an aft, three-place divan that is large enough for snoozing. Behind that is the lavatory and a small baggage hold that you can ­access in flight. Compared with the ones on previous models, the lav cabinetry provides more functional stowage for toiletries and other personal items.

Hawker 750 Cabin

While the 750 isn’t as plush as the 900XP, it is more than adequate for most users. You can choose from five basic color pallets and order upgraded ­leathers and fabrics. Additionally, international customers typically order additional avionics, such as high-frequency radios and backup automatic direction finders. However, the Rockwell-Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system is adequate for most applications.

It features four eight-by-10-inch LCD displays and can show electronic navigation charts, turbulence-detection weather radar and map overlays for superior pilot situational awareness.

The 750 is only marginally faster than the XLS+ on most missions and considerably slower than a Learjet 60. Maximum cruise speed is 465 knots and long-range cruise speed is 30 knots slower than that. Going cross-country makes for a long afternoon. However, most Hawker flights are considerably shorter and on a trip from, say, Chicago to Atlanta, the speed disadvantage won’t cost you more than about 10 minutes.

Like all 125 series Hawkers, the 750 doesn’t force operators to choose between full passenger seats and full fuel tanks–this airplane allows for both. With full fuel, payload is an impressive 2,250 pounds. However, also like its predecessors, the 750 remains ­challenged when it comes to baggage capacity, to a point. Unlike previous 700-, 800- and 900-series ­siblings, the 750 has a separate, heated, externally accessed baggage compartment that holds up to 500 pounds and can swallow items as bulky as golf clubs. Combined with the traditional 47 cubic feet of ­in-cabin stowage, this gives the 750 a total of 79 cubic feet of baggage space.

The 750 can fly farther than any comparable airplane near its price point. It can travel non-stop from the northeast U.S. to Venezuela or from India to Singapore.

The performance and price of the Hawker 750 helps make this midsize-cabin model a strong contender within its category, and a favorite among many private jet companies.

Subject to some exceptions, an aircraft must be registered with an appropriate aviation authority before it may be legally operated in any country. To be eligible for U.S. registration by the FAA, an aircraft must not be registered under the laws of a foreign country; must be owned by a citizen of the U.S., a citizen of another country “lawfully admitted for permanent residence” in the U.S., or a corporation that is not a citizen of the U.S. but is organized and doing business under the laws of the U.S. or a state; and must be based and primarily used in the U.S.

The good news is that registering an aircraft in the U.S. is a relatively simple and straightforward process. But there are enough potential pitfalls and daunting details-including the new international aircraft registry-to suggest that every prospective buyer would be wise to review the basics of aircraft registration.

When you buy a private jet, an Aircraft Registration Application (FAA Form 8050-1) and evidence of ownership are filed. You retain the pink copy of the triplicate registration form to carry aboard the aircraft. This permits you to fly within the continental U.S. for 90 days, by which time you should have received the permanent registration certificate. Processing of the permanent registration reportedly takes an average of about 30 days.

To register an aircraft with the FAA, you must be a U.S. citizen or a resident alien, or meet alternative eligibility requirements. Partnerships and corporate ownerships must also meet citizenship or alternative eligibility requirements. These alternatives include properly configured owner trusts, nonvoting trusts, limited liability companies (LLCs) and non-U.S. citizen corporations. The latter alternative is also one of the more commonly used exemptions, BAPU (Based and Primarily Used), which enables corporations that do not qualify as a U.S. citizen to register aircraft at the FAA. To qualify, the corporation must be formed in one of the states of the U.S., the aircraft must be based in the U.S., and at least 60 percent of the aircraft’s flight hours must occur on flights that begin and end in the U.S. Title companies and aviation attorneys can help you navigate the rules for any of the registration alternatives for which you may be eligible.

Some buyers intend to use their jet for business or vacation travel outside the U.S. soon after taking possession. However, the pink copy is valid only for flights in the continental U.S. If you need to travel outside the lower 48 states before receiving permanent registration, you should file an International Declaration of Operation Certificate. You will state on the certificate where and when you anticipate flying internationally. This form accelerates permanent registration and also gets you a “fly wire,” a document evidencing registration that’s good for international flight.

For more information regarding private jet registration, visit the FAA website, or contact one of our aircraft acquisitions specialists at 877-391-6161. You can also call the FAA at 405-954-3116.

Warm Regards,

Andres Sistos
President

Here are the most common charges you should look out for when reviewing a quote:

Flight charges: The cost of the aircraft, the largest component on the charter invoice, usually reflects a per-hour figure and estimated flight time (including taxiing). Unexpected weather can alter flight length and the ultimate charges.

Landing fees: Landing fees vary greatly and can amount to several hundred dollars at some airports. Some charter quotes include flat-rate landing-fee estimates, though the final bill reflects actual charges; other charter providers ¬assess a flat rate whether a landing fee is paid or not, and whether the actual fee is more or less than the estimate.

Fuel surcharges: These surcharges reflect the difference between a benchmark price set by the operator and the actual fuel cost. They may be assessed as a per-hour figure added to the base cost of flight time or be derived as the difference between actual fuel costs and the price of fuel at the operator’s benchmark rate. If the operator calculates the surcharge from actual costs rather than from an hourly rate, the estimate may be based on preferred rates negotiated with FBO chains and fuel companies.

Overnight and per-diem fees: When the crew remains at a destination overnight during a roundtrip, charter operators typically charge an overnight fee-$600 domestic/$750 international is common-for their food, lodging and ground transportation. You may also be charged a per diem for day trips, often in the $75 range, to cover crew meals. If you’re thinking of changing a day trip into a multiday one, factor the overnight fee into your costs.

Federal excise tax and segment fees: Domestic charter flights incur a 7.5-percent federal excise tax, but not all charter quotes include it. Ask whether yours does. The government also imposes segment fees ($3.70 per passenger per flight) and, if you’re flying to Hawaii or Alaska, an additional tax of $8.10 per person.

Positioning fees: If the aircraft picks you up or returns you to an airport other than where it is based, you’ll likely be charged for the cost of moving the empty airplane. Not all charter providers list this charge separately, so ask yours to do so. Seeing this cost can help you plan-and economize. For example, if the aircraft is dispatched from an airport on one side of your city to pick you up at an airport near your office on the other side of the city, you may opt to drive to the base airport to save the positioning fee.

Unanticipated costs: Expenses that weren’t on the quote may appear on the final bill. In winter, the airplane may require de-icing. If the aircraft must be hangared overnight, you’ll be charged a hangar fee. If you soil the aircraft interior, you may be charged for cleaning.

International fees: These can include arrival and departure taxes, overflight and other permit fees, charges for flight-planning assistance, customs fees and fees assessed by host countries on foreign-registered aircraft using their airspace. Charges vary considerably, but flight-planning services can provide estimates to the charter company quoting the trip.

For those looking for an instant quote, I encourage you to visit our quote generator. It gives clients the option of quickly choosing their ideal aircraft and seeing the applicable cost for any upcoming trips. For immediate assistance, please contact our private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Though it might look like little more than a warehouse to the untrained eye, an aircraft hangar is a much more complex real estate entity. Some buyers may ask whether they really need a hangar for their private aircraft. After all, the only time an airliner sees the inside of a hangar is when it’s undergoing maintenance. But the effect of keeping airliners outside shows when you look closely at their cosmetic condition. And for private owners, protecting the finish is just one of many reasons to keep a roof over an aircraft. Others include convenience for light maintenance chores, interior cleaning, preflight preparation and temperature control. But the biggest reason, especially these days, is security.

The first hangar decision you must make is the airport where you will base your airplane. In some cases, you’ll have no real choice, but often two or more airports are within reasonable driving distance of your home base. As with all real estate, the closer an airport is to an urban center, the higher the cost for a square foot of hangar floor. So it could come down to a question of close-in convenience versus how much hangar you can get for your money. Some operators find it makes better economic sense to base their airplanes at an airport that is farther out and use the close-in airport as a pick-up station for the convenience of the passengers.

Once you determine which airport works best, it’s time to consider the various strata of hangar services, starting with renting space in a common hangar-sometimes called a “gang hangar”. As the name implies, you’ll be sharing the floor with several other aircraft. On the plus side, gang hangars are the least expensive option for most operators. In crowded geographical areas, they might be the only option.

The next step up is to investigate renting an existing hangar entirely for yourself. If you have more than one aircraft to store, you should hope to find a hangar that was built with your size fleet in mind. Otherwise, you might consider renting one side of a larger hangar, or building your own.

It can be difficult to actually acquire the land the hangar sits on, since some form of municipality-city, county or state-owns most airport real estate. So you’ll probably have to lease the property, if not the entire hangar. And because a property lease with an airport authority is a salable commodity, you may have to bid for it.

Long-term hangar and property leases can be complicated and you’d be well served to get a professional on board whom you’re confident understands the art of negotiating such leases. The best situation you can find is an owner who has been forced to sell his aircraft after investing unrealistically big bucks in a hangar at your airport of choice. The previous owner will have a hard time getting back what he invested in the hangar and his loss will be your gain.

Nextant will give the aircraft new engines, avionics and a refreshed interior for a base price of about $3.9 million (which includes the cost of acquiring a used aircraft for modernization). The upgrade will essentially increases range by approximately 50 percent, cuts climb times by one-third and decrease operating costs by 29 percent. It will also make the airplane marginally faster. The performance is comparable to that of new aircraft costing millions more and easily trumps other used models in its class.

Aside from the price point, several features of the 400A/XP made it an ideal candidate for conversion. Mitsubishi (who originally designed the aircraft in the 1970s) substantially “overbuilt” the airframe to the point that it does not have a life limit. Most conversion candidates have accumulated 5,000 to 7,000 hours; fly 400 or fewer hours per year; and could easily survive to 30,000 hours of flight time or even longer.

The 305-cubic-foot passenger cabin measures 4 feet, 9 inches tall and 4 feet, 11 inches wide and 15 feet, 6 inches long. Cabin pressure is equivalent to sea level up to 24,000 feet. External luggage capacity is a paltry 26.4 cubic feet but adding in-cabin closet space can increase storage room to 53.2 cubic feet. Overall luggage capacity is 800 pounds.

As part of the modernization program, the 400XT will receive a complete interior gut job. Nextant will retain and refurbish the existing seat frames, but will add new foam and re-cover the seats in leather. In addition, the headliner, window lines, drink rails, sidewalls, carpeting and veneer will all be new. Customers can choose from four floor plans, all with single seats for five to seven passengers. Interiors can be further enhanced with optional entertainment equipment and LED lighting.

Nextant expects each conversion to take 120 days to complete. Nextant is slated to deliver about a dozen 400XTs this year, reaching an average annual production rate of 38 by 2014.

In October 2010, Hawker Beechcraft announced its own conversion program for the 400A/XP, called the 400XPR. Nextant did not view the XPR as competition because the specifics of the program are substantially different. The $2.24 million XPR package requires customers to bring their own aircraft to a Hawker Beechcraft service center. Like the Nextant program, this one adds Pro Line 21 avionics and Williams engines (in this case the FJ44-4A-32), and a refurbished interior. It also adds winglets.

With two re-engineering programs out there, it is clear Bionic Beechjets will be flying deep into this century and remain popular with private jet companies around the world.

Below are the most popular private jet airports on the island of Saint Martin:

Saint Maarten International Airport (TNCM, SXM):
Princess Juliana International Airport, also known as Saint Maarten International Airport, serves the Dutch part of the island of Saint Maartin. In 2007, the airport handled 1,647,824 passengers and 103,650 aircraft movements. The airport serves as a hub for many commercial airliners, as well as many private jet charter flights. It is named after crown princess Juliana of the Netherlands, who landed there in 1944, a year after the airport opened.

L’Espérance Airport (TFFG):
L’Espérance Airport, also known as Grand Case Airport, is a public use airport located in Grand Case, on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. The airport is only used for smaller aircraft and private jets, where as Princess Juliana International Airport on the Dutch side of the island (known as Saint Maarten) is served by all major carriers and private jet companies.

Whether one’s flight is for business or pleasure, the island of St. Martin remains one of the most popular destinations for private jet travelers around the world. To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161

Nassau International Airport (MYNN):
Lynden Pindling International Airport, formerly known as Nassau International Airport, is the largest airport in the Bahamas, and the largest international gateway into the country. Nassau International Airport is one of two Bahamian Airports that has US Border Pre-clearance facilities.
The name of the airport was officially changed on July 6, 2006 in honor of The Right Honourable Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling (22 March 1930 – 25 August 2000), first Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Grand Bahama International Airport (MYGF):
Grand Bahama International Airpport is a privately owned joint venture between Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) and The Port Group. The facility also includes 741 acres of land that adjoins it to the Freeport Harbour Company Limited as they operate as one entity, known as the Sea Air Business Centre (SABC).Grand Bahama International Airport is one of two Bahamian Airports that has US Border Pre-clearance facilities. The airport has an 11,000 foot runway which is capable of handling the largest aircraft in service and is relatively close to all major cities of the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

Exuma International Airport (MYEF):
Exuma International Airport is a public airport serving the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas. It is located near Moss Town, northwest of George Town. The airport services mainly light aircraft and regional jets from the United States and The Bahamas. The airport resides at an elevation of 9 feet (3 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring 7,051 by 150 feet (2,149 × 46 m).

Marsh Harbour Airport (MYAM):
Marsh Harbour Airport is an airport serving Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.
In addition to being a major tourist attraction in the Bahamas, it is also home to propeller aircraft and regional airliners. The airport serves Nassau and a few Florida cities, and the government has been trying to expand the airport to allow larger, regional jets to operate in and out of Marsh Harbour.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

While originally designed for the parapublic market, police, air ambulance, coastal patrol and offshore-oil support, the AW139 is gaining popularity as an executive transport and more than 60 have been sold in this configuration. Spaciousness is obviously the main reason. The cabin offers 282 cubic feet and is nearly nine feet long, more than seven feet wide and almost five feet tall. That means it’s bigger than the cabin on some light business jets and much bigger than the one on the Bell 412 or Sikorsky S-76. The externally accessed baggage hold is 120 cubic feet, three times bigger than the one on a Hawker 800 business jet.

Most of the used AW139s on the market aren’t in executive livery, so you may need to find a completion center to transform the one you buy. Costs depend on the materials selected and the amount of engineering and certification required, but the average ranges from $400,000 to $500,000 for an executive completion and $1 million to $1.3 million for a VVIP finish. Completions typically take eight to 20 weeks.

Customers can choose from a wide range of cabinetry. The oval credenza option features a pop-up, swiveling flat-screen entertainment monitor. The monument also has storage space for satellite ­telephones; plug-in devices such as iPods and other MP3 players; and snacks and beverages. Passenger windows can be tinted to various degrees and/or equipped with manual or electrically actuated and controlled window shades. MAG also has developed an integrated, fully customizable in-flight entertainment and cabin-management system that’s ideally suited for the AW139. Called the In-Flight Entertainment Enhanced Lounge, it can control audio, video, communications, passenger settings and cabin function.

The helicopter’s five-blade main rotor design naturally minimizes noise and vibration, which helps to reduce pilot fatigue. Thanks to its highly automated cockpit, the AW139 can be flown single pilot. A new rotor-blade ice-protection system introduced last year ­facilitates IFR operations in some of the worst weather. AW also now offers a kit that increases the 139′s maximum gross weight from 12,800 to 13,600 pounds. Full-seats range is an impressive 460 nautical miles. The AW139 has nearly twice as much shaft horsepower as the Bell 412 and the S-76, giving it impressive high/hot and single-engine capabilities. However, with a main rotor diameter of 45.28 feet, its footprint is actually smaller than the 412′s 46 feet and only slightly larger than the S-76′s 44 feet.

For more information regarding the AgustaWestland AW139 Helicopter, please contact our private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Here’s a look at those airports and at the amenities they offer:

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (KMSP)
Northwest Airlines is responsible for 80 percent of the traffic at this airport and ground control frequencies at peak hours are regularly clogged. The airport is across the street from the Mall of America and the commercial passenger terminal is home to Ike’s, one of the country’s best airport restaurants. However with that said, if time is critical, you’d be wise to consider alternatives to this airport. If you can’t go elsewhere, at least plan to arrive and depart during nonpeak hours, when delays should be minimal.

St. Paul Downtown Airport (KSTP)
This airport is a mile south of St. Paul’s business district and 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. For convenience, that makes it hard to beat. Its runway can accommodate the largest corporate jets under most circumstances.

The airport is a busy place, with 100 based aircraft, many of them jets, and 125,000 annual takeoffs and landings. Because the facility backs up to the Mississippi River, development space is at a premium and, other than the FBOs, you won’t find many amenities on the field. However, St. Paul is so close that it mitigates almost any inconvenience this could cause.

South St. Paul-Fleming Field (KSGS)
Fleming is only six miles south of St. Paul Downtown and their traffic patterns can overlap.

This facility is home to a Commemorative Air Force wing with flying warbirds. The airport also hosts two significant businesses: Wipaire, the nation’s leading floatplane outfitter; and Sierra Hotel Aero, a firm that restores classic aircraft. Wipaire is known for its custom interior installations on Cessna Caravans and can service most turboprop and piston aircraft.

Flying Cloud/Eden Prairie Airport (KFCM)
The only thing keeping Flying Cloud from becoming a major magnet for corporate aircraft is its runways-the longest is just 3,900 feet and their maximum load is 30,000 pounds. Runway extensions are being considered. Flying Cloud is home to more than 400 aircraft and has 144,000 takeoffs and landings per year. Its location, 13 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis, puts it close to the city’s “first ring” suburbs. You’ll find many aircraft services on the field. Flying Cloud is ideal for larger turboprops and light corporate jets.

Anoka County/Blaine Airport (KANE)
Anoka County, serving the northern suburbs, is also a favorite for corporate operators. It features a contract control tower and a full instrument landing system. The airport, 15 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis, is host to 490 based aircraft and logs more than 90,000 takeoffs and landings per year.

Airlake Airport (KLVN)
Lakeville is a fast-growing suburb, about 25 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Airlake there has all the right elements to become a major corporate airport. Several major retailers, strip malls and restaurants are nearby and the airport entrance is just a few miles from a major interstate freeway, I-35 South. A full instrument landing system is in place and the runway can handle jets weighing up to 80,000 pounds.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Orlando International Airport (KMCO)
Orlando International hosts the city’s largest concentration of aviation companies. From 1962 to 1974, it was transformed from an Air Force base known as McCoy to the 13th busiest commercial U.S. airport.

The airport, which has some of the region’s priciest jet-A fuel, is home to two full-service FBOs: Signature and Galaxy. Signature facilities are known for being comparatively plush and the one here doesn’t disappoint. Galaxy, meanwhile, recently moved into new, state-of-the-art facilities.

Orlando Executive Airport (KORL)
From 1928 until Orlando International came of age in the 1960s, the city’s main commercial airport was Orlando Municipal, which was also known as “Herndon” and subsequently renamed Orlando Executive.

Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM)
While Orlando Executive remains the region’s dominant general aviation airport, new development to the south, at Kissimmee, aims to change that. Kissimmee Gateway is arguably over-served, with four FBOs for 206 based aircraft-most of them piston-engine singles.

Orlando Sanford Airport (KSFB)
Another former military airfield, this one-45 minutes to the north in Sanford-is also poised to play a potentially significant role as the Orlando area continues to develop. Orlando Sanford International already has domestic and international airline service and a growing number of aviation-related businesses on the field, including aircraft completions; avionics; and maintenance, repair and overhaul services. With a footprint of more than 2,000 acres, the airport has plenty of room for growth. Two FBOs serve corporate aviation at Sanford: Avion Jet Center and Starport USA.

Orlando’s importance as a corporate aviation center will continue to grow as facilities at all four of these airports expand and improve.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161

Tucson International Airport (KTIA)
Tucson International (TIA) is the largest of the three airports and has the longest runway (10,996 feet). It’s a busy place where you can find student helicopter pilots, F-16 fighters of the Arizona Air National Guard, jumbo jet freighters and airliners. The tower does a good job of keeping things separated, but your pilot definitely needs to be on his game.

TIA is where Learjets were once built and Bombardier still maintains a mammoth 847,000-square-foot maintenance and refurbishment center that employs 650 and works on everything from Learjets, Challengers and Globals to regional jets and water bombers. The place can hold 60 airplanes under roof and provide everything from a paint job or new interior to high-speed Internet and enhanced vision systems. Bombardier also maintains an FBO there, but its operation serves mainly as a courtesy to its customers.

Ryan Airport (KBTR)
The focus at nearby Ryan Airport is piston operations. The longest of the two parallel runways is only 5,000 feet long (fine in winter, not great during 100-degree summer days), but there is a full instrument approach. Plans are in the works to expand the runways but, meanwhile, most corporate operators are using TIA or Marana.

Marana Regional Airport (KAVQ)
Marana Regional Airport is northwest of TIA in a rapidly growing, affluent area and only 10 miles from the Galleria Golf Club, upscale ranch resorts and gated communities and a soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton resort. Marana is growing fast: In 1977, it encompassed 20 square miles; now it fills 110.

Tucson offers the executive business jet traveler a myriad of choices. The market has shown constant growth and the service and facilities, overall, are improving.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Here’s a look at your airport options for arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah:

Salt Lake City International Airport (KSLC)
Fourteen commercial airlines fly from Salt Lake City International. Overall, the airport processed 21.5 million passengers in 2006 and is the nation’s 22nd busiest, with 421,416 takeoffs and landings in 2006. The airlines accounted for about 75 percent of that amount. The airport is within 60 miles of 11 world-class ski resorts and adjacent to the Wingpointe Golf Course. It is also just a seven-minute drive into the heart of downtown Salt Lake City and there are ample hotels right next to the airport.

Salt Lake City Municipal 2 Airport (KU42)
Despite its unappealing name, Municipal 2 Airport is a gem of a facility, only 17 miles southwest of downtown. The ramp areas were recently strengthened and resurfaced, allowing substantially heavier aircraft to use the airport. The move has increased the amount of corporate-class traffic there. It offers a nonprecision GPS approach, but pilots can’t always get it from ATC because of airspace and traffic conflicts with the other area airports. Plans are in the works for a precision GPS approach.

Provo Municipal Airport (KPVU)
The Million Air FBO at Provo Airport is only eight years old and is owned by the same company that operates its counterpart at Salt Lake International. The first floor houses a spacious lobby and pilot shop and a new hangar next door will be able to house everything up to a Gulfstream IV. Although there is extensive flight training on the field, this location is attracting more corporate traffic whose passengers are bound for the South Basin or the Eastern ski resorts such as Sundance. The airport has both a control tower and a precision approach.

Heber City Municipal Airport (K36U)
East of the I-15 corridor and only 10 minutes from Sundance and Park City, the FBO at Heber City Airport, OK3, features higher prices that reflect this proximity. The facility is nice and new. OK3 is a Pilatus and Cessna service center and its technicians have worked on aircraft as large as commuter jets. The airport is only one block from some good restaurants, and flight crews receive complimentary gym passes to a nearby health club.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

The main advantage of Reagan National that you lose when you arrive at other Washington-area airports is direct access to the city’s subways, which can get you downtown in about 15 minutes. Passengers deplaning at Washington Dulles International, Leesburg Executive, Manassas Regional or Montgomery County airports should anticipate a 30- to 90-minute drive into the city.

The good news is that each of these airports offers the services, if not quite the convenience and scenery, you’d expect when visiting the nation’s capital.

Washington Dulles International I Airport (KIAD)
Located 24 miles west of Capitol Hill, Dulles is a huge international airport that is surprisingly accommodating to general aviation. Signature Flight Support and Landmark Aviation (formerly known as Piedmont Hawthorne) are the two resident fixed-base operators (FBOs) providing a variety of products and ground-support services to flight crews and their passengers. The newly renovated 8,000-square-foot lobby at Landmark’s Dulles facility features two flat-screen televisions, coordinating blue-and-maroon plush chairs and ottomans, wireless Internet access and a fireplace.

Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO)
Wedged between northern Virginia’s burgeoning suburbs and bucolic horse country is Leesburg Executive Airport. The facility opened in 1963 and was originally named Godfrey Field after local pilot and national radio and television celebrity Arthur Godfrey. The bright and welcoming public terminal was renovated in 2004 and features modest but ample sofa seating, free wireless Internet access, a conference room and café tables and chairs situated on a loft overlooking the runway.

Manassas Regional Airport (KMNZ)
Located 12 miles south of Dulles, Manassas Regional Airport is a bustling general aviation facility that has experienced tremendous growth since it first opened in 1964 with a single, 3,400-foot runway. A 5,700-foot parallel runway was later added, and in 1992 the airport erected a control tower. The main terminal building opened in 1996 for scheduled airline service that never materialized. The city of Manassas, which owns and operates the airport, enforces an aircraft weight limit of 150,000 pounds, though the facility’s 5,700-foot runway can accommodate heavier airplanes on an infrequent basis.

Montgomery County Airport (KGAI)
On most weekdays, the ramp at Montgomery County Airport in Gaithersburg, Md., is populated with an eclectic mix of aircraft, ranging from Cessna 150s to Citation Xs. Located 21 miles northwest of Capitol Hill, the facility and its main terminal building were built in the mid-1960s and have not changed substantially since then.

Whatever this airport lacks in curb appeal and corporate panache, it makes up for handily in convenience, especially for those doing business at the nearby National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institutes of Health or the many biotechnology companies based in Montgomery County-which gives Loudoun a run for its money in terms of per-capita income. The Shady Grove train station is only a five-minute drive away. The Metro can get you to National Institutes of Health in 20 minutes and to downtown Washington in 40 minutes, even during rush hour when the trip could take you much longer by car.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Here’s a closer look at each facility, and what they have to offer:

Miami International Airport (KMIA)
With 75 percent of its gates dedicated to international flights, Miami International is a handy place to deposit or retrieve global passengers, and getting into and out of it has been a lot easier since a fourth runway opened in 2003. With the shortest runway at 8,600 feet and the longest at 13,000, the airport can accommodate any airplane with any load in just about any weather. Downtown is about a 20-minute car ride over the refurbished and widened surrounding streets. However, due to expensive real estate, landing fees are steep and the rent forces tenants to charge high prices for goods and services.

Kendall-Tamiami Airport (KTMB)
Located on the southwest side of town, Kendall-Tamiami Airport is 13 miles from downtown and 24 miles from Dolphin Stadium. The area around the airport is booming and the growth of businesses in southwest Miami-Dade County has directly impacted the airport. A 2000 study by the Florida Department of Transportation estimated that the facility generated $57 million in annual economic impact and $16 million in salaries.

Part of that is thanks to the nearby Homestead Motor Speedway. Tamiami attracts more than 100 visiting corporate aircraft during major national races each November.

Opa-Locka Airport (KOPF)
Opa-Locka Airport is 10 miles from downtown, 16 miles from Miami Beach and seven miles from Miami International Airport. This was the hub of most corporate aircraft activity during the Super Bowl, and FBOs there served 500 to 700 additional aircraft that visited for the game.

The airport is normally home base to 313 aircraft, of which 52 are jets and 109 are multi-engine. It is also home to air wings for the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Customs Service. Jets tend to gravitate to Opa-Locka because the main runway is a healthy 8,002 feet long. Construction is slated to begin on a 225-foot-tall control tower later this year. When completed, it will be the tallest general aviation tower in the southeastern U.S. Extensive aircraft maintenance, modification and refurbishment businesses are also located on the field.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Here’s a look at those choices, and what they have to offer:

Van Nuys Executive Airport (KVNY)
With an average of 1,400 takeoffs and landings daily, this is the nation’s busiest nonairline civilian airport. It’s 25 miles north of Los Angeles International (LAX) and seven miles west of Burbank, and direct ground transportation to and from LAX is available via the Flyaway Bus. Van Nuys is really a small city on an airport. The $1.2 billion of annual economic activity here fuels 8,700 jobs, 100 businesses and five FBOs.

Burbank Airport (KBUR)
Burbank was the region’s largest commercial airport until LAX surpassed it in the late 1940s. Through the 1970s, Burbank was a thriving general aviation airport, but today it is home to only a few dozen private airplanes, mostly big-iron jets, with an estimated value of $700 million. Many A-list Hollywood celebrities still use the place because of its proximity to movie and television studios.

Santa Monica Airport (KSMO)
Santa Monica has been an airport since 1919 and is where the original DC-3s were built. It became a major production facility for Douglas Aircraft Company (which became McDonnell Douglas, which subsequently merged with Boeing) during WWII. But when the city fathers refused to extend the runway in the 1950s, Douglas took its jet programs to Long Beach.

In 1967 homeowners sued over jet noise, so the city imposed an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. departure curfew. A rash of discriminatory ordinances followed, some overturned in Federal court, that banned everything from helicopters and weekend touch-and-gos to all jets. During the 1980s, the city tried to have the airport closed altogether. In a settlement with the federal government, the municipality agreed to keep the airport open until at least 2015, but a 95-decibel noise limit remains in place, assuring that only “quieter” jets have access to the airport.

Hawthorne Municipal Airport (KHHR)
Located just four miles east of LAX and once the home of Northrop Aviation, Hawthorne has begun rebranding itself as “The New Los Angeles Executive Airport” and seeks to grab corporate business from Long Beach, LAX and Santa Monica. Hawthorne is adjacent to the 105 and 405 expressways; by car, it is only five minutes from LAX and 15 from Long Beach Airport.

Long Beach Airport (KLGB)
The last remnants of the Douglas plant may soon be gone, but the airport is still here and is thriving as a commercial passenger, cargo and general aviation hub. It remains relatively easy to get in and out of and that is its main attraction. There will be some taxiway rehabilitation done over the next year but most of that work is scheduled for the night hours so as not to disrupt operations.

To determine which airport best suits your needs, please contact RYL’s private jet charter department at 877.391.6161.

Aircell rolled out its GoGo highspeed Internet service to the airline market a couple of years ago. The service is now available on more than 1,000 airliners, and passengers say they love it.

Aircell’s GoGo service has been a homerun success for two simple reasons: the connection speeds are fast and the onboard hardware needed to connect is surprisingly affordable. Two black boxes and two small antennas (each is about the size of a Starbucks venti cup) list for $85,000 total. Installation brings the bill to somewhere around $120,000.

What you get for that price are maximum download speeds of about 3.2 megabits per second, rivaling what you’re probably used to on the ground. Aircell service plans include Ultraspeed Unlimited, Ultraspeed 100 and Ultraspeed 40. The Unlimited plan costs $1,995 a month with no restriction on data usage. Ultraspeed 100 is $895 per month for 100 megabytes of data transfer, with additional megabytes priced at $7.95 each. Ultraspeed 40 gives passengers 40 megabytes of data each month for $395 (about $13 a day), with additional megabits costing $8.95 each.

For worldwide connectivity after takeoff your best bet is Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband, a satellite-based service that offers slower connections than Aircell’s GoGo but is available almost everywhere. SwiftBroadband service providers offer several pricing options that allow customers to pay for the megabytes of bandwidth they use rather than the amount of time the system is turned on. That helps eliminate billing surprises at the end of the month that sometimes occurred with Inmarsat’s previous Swift64 service.

Prices for the SwiftBroadband service and hardware are higher than what you’ll shell out for GoGo access (SwiftBroadband costs about $8.50 per megabit and the hardware can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars), but the ability to log on worldwide (except over the poles, where there are coverage gaps) makes it a must-have service for international travelers.

If you want a faster connection you can have it… for a price.

Innotech Aviation, a Montreal installation shop, recently added the first ViaSat Ku-band satellite data system, aboard a customer’s Bombardier Global Express. ViaSat’s worldwide Yonder Ku-band service provides data connections in flight of up to 10 megabits per second, making it the fastest airborne commercial Internet service available. The onboard hardware and tail-mounted antenna cost about $800,000 and the monthly service fee is $6,000 for unlimited use.

Not to be outdone, Inmarsat has announced plans to introduce a Ka-band satellite broadband service by 2014 that will be far faster, cost less to access and require smaller antennas than competing Ku-band services. Offering a blistering 50 megabit-per-second maximum data rate in flight, Inmarsat’s Global Xpress service will link through the Inmarsat I-5 network, which will consist of three Boeing-built satellites, each with 89 fixed spot beams capable of satiating the needs of even the most Web-addicted passengers.

The big story to emerge from the launch of the I-5 satellite constellation will likely turn out to be Boeing’s involvement in the project after the highly publicized demise in 2006 of the Connexion by Boeing Ku-band satellite Internet service. That endeavor failed in the market largely due to economics. The hardware was bulky and expensive, the pricing was too high for most passengers’ wallets and the service itself cost more than $1 billion to develop.

Designers of the Global Xpress service are mindful of past missteps and say their offering will impress with comparatively small antennas and low prices. Given the speed advantage, and the pairing of Inmarsat and Boeing on a serious Ka project, the introduction of Global Xpress could put a crimp in plans of current Ku-band service providers.

Regardless of one’s service provider, one thing is for certain, flying privately just got that much more convenient and enjoyable.

The 747-8 is the fastest and largest upgrade of Boeing’s venerable 747 jumbo jet line. It can fly 495 nautical miles per hour and has 4,800 square feet of cabin space and a price tag of around $285 million. Boeing expects to deliver the first 747-8s for executive/VIP configuration in 2012. They will be delivered “green,” meaning that a completion center will subsequently have to install cabin furnishings and amenities.

The smallest of the next generation of widebodies is Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, from which the executive/VIP version will be configured. It has the same amount of floor space as the A350, a cruise speed of 487 knots and a price of $163 million. Boeing expects to deliver this model “green” (that is, with no interior installed) for executive/VIP use starting in 2019.

Designers are already creating proposals for cabin completions for these new widebodies.  The sooner you can decide on a layout, fabrics, seats, veneers and such, the sooner the completion center will be able to line up vendors and begin stocking materials so it can start work when the airplane arrives. Preliminary estimates suggest that it will take at least 18 months to outfit the cabin of one of the new widebodies, depending on the complexity of the plans.

The cost can vary considerably. For a corporate or government version of the 747-8 with a VIP section forward and first-class seating aft, the price might range from $50 million to $70 million. For a full executive/VIP interior with a lot of one-of-a-kind items, $120 million to $150 million wouldn’t be out of the ballpark. As for the A380, a completion executive who asked not to be identified said, “Nobody’s gonna know until the first one is delivered, but the far side of $200 million is perfectly possible.”

Is it worth it? Only you can decide, but if you have the money to spend, you could end up with a mini-mansion with wings that can transport you and a few dozen of your closest friends virtually anywhere in the world in comfort and style.

The turbine single-engine Model 206 JetRanger’s popularity in the Gulf testifies to its durable, rugged, no-frills design, which delivers respectable and reliable performance at a reasonable price. Such attributes financially resonate with helicopter companies servicing the “boom and bust” offshore world, even in today’s environment of rocketing energy prices.

Helicopters in the Gulf fly long, hard hours and offshore operations consistently post some of the highest rotorcraft accident rates. The average single-engine turbine ship there logs 662 hours per year while the typical civilian single-turbine helicopter flies less than 200 hours. With offshore flights averaging only 18 minutes, that’s a whole lot of up-and-down, which stresses both critical components and pilots. The JetRanger has excelled in this environment, and its reputation for doing so keeps existing owners loyal and attracts new ones.

The JetRanger is, in fact, the most ubiquitous turbine single-engine helicopter in the world. By the beginning of 2007, more than 4,800 Model 206B JetRangers and 1,700 of its larger engine, stretched seven-seat variant, the 206L LongRanger, had been delivered and the fleet had amassed more than 55 million operating hours. Two years ago, Bell reported that the highest time JetRanger had accumulated an astonishing 38,000 flight hours. JetRangers have set numerous distance records, including several around-the-world flights.

While more efficient and complex three-, four- and even five-bladed main rotor designs have emerged over the last 40 years, the JetRanger’s time-tested two-blade system remains one of the least burdensome to maintain. And because the blades can be turned parallel to the fuselage, Two-bladed systems are easier to hangar.

You can load up a JetRanger with lots of options but it is always good to be mindful of weight. With full fuel, the 3,200-pound (maximum loaded) 206B-3 can carry 888 pounds at moderate temperatures, cruise at 115 knots and climb at 1,280 feet per minute. The Rolls engine burns about 26 gallons an hour from the 91-gallon fuel tank and that translates into 4.5 hours of endurance when the helicopter is slowed to 50 knots. Realistically, it means three hours at normal cruising speeds with a prudent reserve or about 60 minutes longer than the MD 500E equipped with standard tanks.

One thing Bell hasn’t been able to do much about is the JetRanger’s cabin size, which belies the ship’s military heritage. Translation: It’s really tight. I’m six feet tall and if I were buying solely on cabin comfort-either in the front or the back-I might pass on the basic 206B-3. The cabin is a cramped 46.8 inches wide and, aft of the bulkhead behind the pilots, it is only 40 inches long. That includes the rear bench seat.

Cabin size has cost Bell some sales over the years, which the company tacitly admitted when it came out with stretched (and pricier) JetRanger variants, the LongRanger and 407 models. The extra cabin space in competitors’ helicopters comes with an even steeper price tag, however. For example, the Eurocopter AS 350B-2 AStar’s cabin is 65 inches wide and 79 inches long, but the model burns twice the fuel, costs twice as much to buy and is more expensive to maintain than a JetRanger.

While the used helicopter market is very tight now, you can acquire a good 10-year-old JetRanger with a mid-life engine for a little more than $500,000, about half the price of a new ship. Helicopter flights are relatively short, so those economics may argue in favor of putting up with occasional discomfort.

There are two more things to consider. The JetRanger has the lowest overall accident rate of any major single-engine turbine helicopter and Bell consistently ranks tops among helicopter manufacturers in customer service and support. Tight cabin aside, that makes the Bell JetRanger an endearing, and an enduring, value among many private jet companies around the world.

Nobody’s laughing now. Despite having entered the field almost a decade after several competitors, Cessna has made a third of the roughly 16,000 business jets in service worldwide today.

In 1968, Cessna announced the 400-mile-per-hour Fanjet 500 (later rebranded as the Citation). The aircraft featured simple systems and docile handling geared to single-pilot operation. Cessna built about 690 Citation 500s, Citation Is and I/SPs between 1971 and 1985 and 439 of those remain on the FAA registry. The manufacturer made major improvements over the years, including the addition of thrust reversers, higher gross weights, lengthened wingspans and more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada engines. Cessna delivered the first Citation 501/I/SP, certified for single-pilot operations, in 1977.

With the improvements announced in 1976, the company changed the aircraft’s name to Citation I. Maximum altitude increased to 41,000 feet and the 38-inch wing extension, combined with thrust reversers, allowed the airplane to land on much shorter runways. Your average 3,500-foot strip is no problem for this airplane, which can also land on turf.

Today you can find used Citation Is for as little as $400,000. Aircraft in this price range are generally early 500 models and have a service ceiling of 35,000 feet. You can buy a 1980 model in good condition for less than $700,000. That’s less than the price of a new single-engine piston airplane such as a Hawker Beechcraft Bonanza.

However, due to their dated technology and slow speed, Citation Is have comparatively high direct operating and maintenance costs and limited range , so they’re not worth buying unless you plan on using them infrequently or mainly on short hops. The engines have a time-between-overhaul interval of 3,500 hours. It costs $350,000 to overhaul the pair. A major inspection can easily run $125,000. Range with four passengers is only 970 nautical miles.

Other key metrics are also on the skimpy side. Payload with full fuel is just 820 pounds, for example. So unless the passengers and pilot are emaciated and without luggage, we’re really talking two to three passengers, not four. If you do have bags, there is room for 17 cubic feet of them in the nose and another 40 cubic feet in the cabin, which means the Citation I actually has marginally less luggage space than the new $3.2 million Citation Mustang entry-level jet. At 205 cubic feet, moreover, the Citation I’s cabin is on the small side.

On the other hand, the aircraft has a lower per-mile direct operating cost than contemporary, although faster, jets such as the Dassault Falcon 10 and Learjet 35A, and the acquisition cost is only 20 percent of what you’d pay for a similarly performing very light jet.

First-generations Citations have no airframe life limit. Properly maintained, they will fly virtually forever. This, combined with their relatively low price, makes them logical candidates for modification. For $1.6 million to $1.8 million–the price varies depending on the trade-in credit for your existing engines–you can buy a modification package that includes more powerful and fuel-efficient Williams FJ44 engines; auxiliary fuel tanks; and a modified wing. This can make these older Citations fly higher, faster and farther than any brand-new very light jet, and for less money. Kick it up a notch with a paint job, an upgraded interior and glass-panel avionics and you have an airplane that is virtually indistinguishable from new and a new favorite among many private jet companies.

The twin-engine Falcon 200–which Dassault first delivered in 1983 and manufactured until 1988–was a follow-on to the wildly popular Falcon 20, an airplane built to fighter jet tolerances with an unlimited-life airframe. During the 1970s, Federal Express began its rise using freighter versions of the Falcon 20, operating them at four times the frequency that designers had envisioned. Some of these aircraft remain in service with smaller freight companies. While the 20’s airframe was robust, its noisy, gas-guzzling GE CF700 engines limited the midsize cabin airplane to incredibly short legs. Hitting a headwind from Teterboro, N.J., to Chicago meant a fuel stop in Ohio. Under those conditions, you could fly home faster nonstop in a King Air 200.

So in 1973 Dassault began work on the Falcon 50 trijet, which used the 20’s fuselage but had three more fuel-efficient Garrett (now Honeywell) engines and range enough to cross the Atlantic or beat a headwind and fly nonstop from White Plains, N.Y., to Burbank, Calif. But it also began working on a much improved version of the 20 called the Falcon 200. The 200 shared the 20’s fuselage but had a redesigned and more comfortable cabin, more powerful and efficient Garrett ATF3 engines, a tweaked wing and first-generation glass cockpit avionics.

The ATF3s produced 5,200 pounds of thrust each, a 1,100-pounds-per-side improvement over the CF700s on the Falcon 20. More blow means more go. Compared with the 20, the 200 climbed faster, flew faster and farther, used shorter runways, handled better, had increased gross weight and burned much less fuel. Pilots noticed stunning performance improvements.

With the Falcon 200, you can fly Seattle to Miami nonstop with four passengers and a light tail wind and land with 40 minutes of fuel left; climb initially at a stunning 6,000 feet per minute; and use 5,000-foot runways all day–and still have plenty of safety margin. Push up the throttles to a sporty Mach 0.82 and you can fly a 200 with four passengers and lots of luggage 2,000 nautical miles unrefueled. The 200’s performance was so good that some Dassault customers interested in a new Falcon 50 ended up buying a 200–for nearly 40 percent less. In 1987 a new 200 cost $7.85 million while a Falcon 50 retailed for $12 million.

Today you can get a well-equipped, well-maintained 1987 Falcon 200 for around $1.6 million. That’s at least $3 million less than you’d pay for a similar-vintage Falcon 50 or Hawker 1000 and half what you’d spend for a 1984 Falcon 20 retrofitted with newer TFE731 engines.

Compared with a 20, the 200 still has the better cabin, with seats for eight or nine, a bigger galley, an aft lavatory and an externally loaded baggage compartment. The standard cabin layout features a forward club-four executive seat grouping followed by a half-club opposite a three-place, side-facing divan.

For those that fly 200 to 300 hours per year, many private jet companies recommend this aircraft to their clients without a single hesitation.

Like all the CJs, the Mustang is certified for single-pilot operation. The avionics are modern glass panel, but are a variation of the Garmin 1000 system the company has been flying in its piston-powered propeller airplanes for two years. While the system on the prop airplanes features two screens, however, the one on the Mustang has three: there are two primary flight displays (one for each pilot) and a common multifunction display that shows maps, weather, engine data and systems, traffic and terrain and checklists.

The avionics have the power to allow for precise GPS landing approaches and have a new feature called SafeTaxi that shows where other airplanes are on the ground at an airport. In theory, this helps guard against runway and taxiway collisions at night or in bad weather or if pilots or air traffic controllers make a mistake.

Aside from the Garmin panel, the Mustang’s Pratt & Whitney Canada engines are the aircraft’s most significant new technology. Variants of the engine have been selected to power competing VLJs from Eclipse and Embraer. The engines, which Pratt started developing in the late 1990s, incorporate a host of new proprietary technologies that enable them to be smaller yet deliver impressive thrust and good fuel economy. Cessna claims that on a typical 500-nautical-mile trip, the Mustang will burn a miserly 95 gallons per hour. Near the aircraft’s maximum operating altitude of 41,000 feet, fuel burns as low as 60 gallons per hour have been observed. Cessna estimates that a Mustang under warranty will cost $2.06 per nautical mile to operate.

While the Mustang may look like a small Citation CJ, inspection ports and systems layout have been done with ease of maintenance in mind, with digital equipment used instead of mechanical parts whenever possible for greater reliability. Only the brakes and landing gear employ hydraulics; everything else uses electric motors. Flight controls can be accessed without ripping up the floorboards, which you have to do on most other airplanes. An integrated diagnostic system allows a technician to access a troubleshooting screen on the multifunction display in the cockpit.

Passenger ergonomics rank among the best in class. The cabin is nearly 10 feet long and more than four and a half feet wide with a trenched center aisle that yields 54 inches of headroom. The oval windows have pleated manual shades and harken back to Cessna’s successful line of piston twin 300 and 400 series cabin-class airplanes. They provide ample natural light that is supplemented by LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. The seats, while small, make extensive use of sculpted foam to maximize lumbar support. Headrests are adjustable. The outer armrests on the rear-facing single seats fold up and out of the way while the two-seat rear bench incorporates a center console with fold-down center armrest, storage drawer and compartment, cup holders and a power outlet. The rear-facing seats have limited recline–about 25 degrees.

Baggage space is generous for a VLJ: 63 cubic feet between the nose, tail cone and interior baggage and storage areas for a theoretical total capacity of 718 pounds.

While the price of the airplane has crept up more than 20 percent since Cessna first announced it, the Mustang ranks among the strongest startup programs in the manufacturer’s history. In a sector of the market that has been clouded by what seems to be overly optimistic predictions about customer demand and aircraft price and performance, Cessna appears to be comfortably monopolizing the middle ground.

King Airs have been around since 1964 and the Model 200 debuted in 1974. Many people still consider it to be the best airplane Beechcraft has ever built.

The 200 was a remake of the 1960s’ Model 100 with a three-foot fuselage stretch, a new T-tail, four-foot-longer wings, larger fuel tanks, 1,000 pounds of additional maximum takeoff weight and more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-series engines. Compared with other pressurized twin turboprops in this category–all of which are out of production–the 200 has a larger cabin. It measures 16 feet, eight inches long; four feet, nine inches tall; and four feet, six inches wide. Entry is through an aft stair door opposite the single-place kibitzer that covers a chemical toilet. To the right you’ll find 55.3 cubic feet of netted cargo area; to the left, the cabin with six comfortable swivel-and-recline single seats and the cockpit.

The 200 quickly became a mainstay of business aviation, particularly in the Great Lakes and eastern U.S. There, its twin-engine redundancy, easy flying characteristics, ruggedness and economy made it a good choice for short hops across the big cold ponds separating what were then the nation’s industrial hub cities. Its tall, robust landing gear–especially when fitted with optional “high float” or larger tires that delivered better ground/propeller clearance–made quick work of short runways, even the uneven and unpaved variety. The aircraft also was a hit with the U.S. military and other government agencies, which ordered hundreds of them for use as spy planes, air ambulances, cargo haulers and executive transports.

At maximum weights, the 250 can take off over a 50-foot obstacle in 2,111 feet at sea level. At high-altitude airports, this airplane also shines. At a 5,000-foot elevation airport, it takes off in just 3,099 feet.

While this performance is impressive, you can enhance it even further by adding factory and aftermarket options. The high-float landing gear–basically larger main gear tires–is a must if you plan on using unpaved strips or snow/slush-covered runways.

Hang around King Airs long enough and you’ll notice that many of them have their engine nacelles and the bottom half of their fuselages painted dark colors to disguise soot stains from the engine exhaust. Stainless Frakes exhaust stacks can go a long way toward minimizing this problem.

While the 250 unquestionably performs better than its predecessors, Hawker Beechcraft missed a prime opportunity to refresh the aircraft’s interior with a more jet-like cabin appearance and amenities, along the lines of what it did with the King Air 350i in 2009. However, the aesthetics are adequate. And when you’re doing a virtual carrier shot over tall trees from a ridiculously short grass strip, is your child really going to notice that there is no monitor for his Game Boy?  Probably not.

In 2007, the manufacturer replaced the GT with the current C90GTi–the same airplane, only with jet-like Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 glass-panel avionics and a $3.3 million sticker price.

Compared with a typical VLJ, the GT gave you a larger airplane with a cabin big enough for six to seven adults sitting in comfortable, adult-sized seats and pressurized baggage space capacious enough for several full-size roll-ons, hat bags and many sets of golf clubs. You got a nice big airstair main cabin door aft of the wing. You got a twin that sat high off the ground on beefy landing gear and was built like an M-1 Abrams tank.

This is an airplane you can land on an insanely short and rough grass strip or a gravel bar without having to file an accident report afterward. And in 2006, you could get a GT for $2.9 million, about $500,000 more than you’d pay for a Cessna Citation Mustang jet but a cool million less than the price of a single-engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12 and about the same price as a new–and much smaller–TBM 700.

In 2006, its first year of full production, the GT outsold its slower predecessor, the C90B, by almost two-to-one. The GT’s new engines delivered more speed and better high-altitude/hot-temperature performance and cut climb-to-altitude times by 35 to 50 percent. At full power, the big Hartzell four-bladed propellers rotated slower than on the C90B, reducing component wear and tear and, just as importantly, the decibels in the passenger compartment. You can actually conduct a conversation back there now without shouting–even at takeoff power.

But the feature that continues to sell this airplane year after year is the big cabin and its large oval windows. You enter up the aft airstair door. The netted baggage hold and belted potty seat (enclosure optional) are conveniently on your right, a single-place side-facing kibitzer faces the door, and to the left is a club-four grouping of facing slide-swivel and reclining executive seats that share two large pull-out sidewall tables big enough for large laptops. The sidewall ledges contain two cup holders for each passenger in this area. The aft left club seat can be reclined to full berthing.

Cabin lighting and air gaspers are functional and within easy reach. The cabin has a variety of small storage nooks, cabinets and drawers and built-in hot and cold jugs for beverages. The four-foot, nine-inch-high cabin isn’t exactly stand-up, but it’s not munchkinland either. The list of available in-flight entertainment options is rather sparse, but popular items such as XM Radio and sideledge-mounted video monitors are available through Hawker Beechcraft service centers for after-purchase installation.

A GTi with pilot and four passengers can fly from Chicago Midway to Teterboro, N.J., nonstop in two and a half hours, but this isn’t really a long-haul airplane. However, Hawker Beechcraft is increasing its range and payload capabilities in 2010 with the debut of the C90GTx, basically a GTi with winglets and better weather radar, for an extra $300,000. Compared with the GTi, the GTx will fly 200 miles farther and carry 350 pounds of additional payload with full fuel. The winglets will be retrofitable to all existing C90 series aircraft. Thanks to these kinds of technology upgrades, even 45 years after it was first delivered, the 90 series King Air remains a top performer. In the opinion of many private jet companies, King Air construction is about as bulletproof as an airplane gets.

The Mitsubishi MU-2’s chief defect is that it is terribly misunderstood. Yes, there may be propellers on this airplane, but your pilots and mechanics really need to fly and maintain it with the same discipline, resources and respect they’d give a high-performance jet. For years, Mitsubishi has tried to drive this message home and has even asked the FAA to mandate special pilot training for the aircraft (which finally took effect in 2008). Unfortunately, numerous pilots have died trying to fly the airplane without proper experience and training.

Of the 703 MU-2s built between 1966 and 1986 at Mitsubishi’s plant, only 400 are still flying and more than 270 people have died in MU-2 accidents. These naked statistics have caused the airplane’s resale value to drown in factless folklore and made it the darling of tort attorneys. The MU-2 presents an easy target for craven politicians and lazy reporters as well. Over the last five years, the MU-2’s accident rate has fallen below those of other popular turboprops, including the Cessna 441 and the Turbo Commanders.

Despite an extensive public relations campaign by Mitsubishi and two thorough FAA studies that exonerated the aircraft’s design, a cloud still hangs over the MU-2. But that tarnished reputation makes it the best bargain among all turbine-powered business aircraft–jet or turboprop. Depending on the model, MU-2s hold six to nine passengers; they also cruise at 315 knots, land on very short and rough fields and have a range of 1,100 nautical miles. Prices vary from $160,000 to $800,000, depending on model and condition. For the cost of a new four-seat, single-engine piston airplane, you can get a turboprop that performs almost as well as a very light jet and has a larger cabin.

Used MU-2s also cost less than half as much as comparable used turboprops, are built like a tank and enjoy the best product support of any used business aircraft.

The MU-2 was in a state of constant evolution over its 20-year production run, but it basically comes in two flavors: short-body, which seats six or seven; and long-body, which seats seven to nine. The long-body models have a six-foot-longer fuselage and give up 10 knots of airspeed (down to 305 from 315). The most recent versions of the short and long bodies are referred to as the Solitaire and Marquise, respectively, and these are the most desirable MU-2s on the market. Power comes from a pair of Honeywell/Garrett engines that are compact and incredibly durable, with long intervals (5,400 hours) between recommended overhauls, which cost about $175,000 per engine. Most used MU-2s have accumulated 5,000 to 10,000 hours.

The MU-2’s massive main cabin door is aft of the wing and propellers. An optional toilet can be located back there and there is also a cargo net for baggage that can be accessed in flight. While far from a stand-up cabin, the MU-2’s passenger area boasts a flat floor that makes transiting between seats easier than in trenched-aisle aircraft. Foldout sidewall tables can be deployed between the facing “club four” seats and also from the front-cabin bulkhead in the long-body models. Taking into account the engine’s distinct high-pitch and the proximity of the propellers to the fuselage, interior cabin noise, while certainly noticeable, is less than you might expect. There is room for a small coat closet, beverage drawers and built-in CD/DVD players.

Most of these airplanes will need a refreshed interior and the average price runs around $60,000. Add top-notch exterior paint and an MU-2 can be cosmetically made over for around $100,000. You can even buy remanufactured MU-2s for between $1.1 and $1.2 million. Even at that price, the MU-2 is an unequaled bargain and value in the eyes of many private jet companies.

Up front, you’ll find room for two pilots, although the 902 can be flown easily and safely by one. In back, in VIP configuration, there is space for four to six passengers and a 48-cubic-foot luggage hold. Thanks in part to MD Helicopters’ proprietary No Tail Rotor (Notar) technology, the $5.875 million 902 can outperform many “newer” designs, is quieter and has good operating economics.

Originally conceived for the medevac and law-enforcement markets, the model is growing in popularity as an executive transport. Since 1998, more than 100 Explorers have been built.

The design features extensive use of composites; a quiet, bearingless, five-bladed main rotor set up “walk under” high so patients and passengers can “hot load” with the rotor spinning; and a trapezoid-shaped door under the tail boom for fast stretcher loading. Dual oversized sliding side doors make passenger entry and egress quick and easy. The tall, 130-cubic-foot cabin ameliorates claustrophobia and the low-slung instrument panel and panoramic windshield give pilots a superior view. In addition, the helicopter has a comparatively small footprint for a light twin, allowing it to be easily and safely maneuvered into and out of tight landing spots and parked in smaller hangars than some of its contemporaries. The Explorer also boasts integrated engine and systems monitoring instruments that were considered extremely advanced for their time.

All of these things are nice, but what really sets the Explorer apart from the competition is the aforementioned Notar system.

On most helicopters, the torque of the main rotor is counteracted by opposite thrust from the tail rotor. Power to the tail rotor is transferred from the engine, or engines, via a main transmission and a drive shaft that runs the length of the tail boom. If that shaft, the attendant tail-rotor transmission, gears or the tail rotor itself fail, anti-torque is lost and the helicopter will likely spin out of control without quick pilot action. (This generally requires a maneuver called an autorotation, which involves an immediate steeper-than-normal descent and landing.) More benignly, under heavy loads, in hot temperatures, at higher altitudes or in certain wind conditions, conventional helicopters can suffer a lack of tail-rotor authority resulting in restricted maneuverability and, in rare circumstances, loss of control. These are bad things. Proper aircraft maintenance and flying technique generally prevent them, but the possibility is always there under the above-mentioned conditions.

Notar uses a high-speed, transmission-driven fan to move a high volume of low-pressure air through the tail boom. The air exits through slots on the right side of the tail boom, creating up to 70 percent of the anti-torque forces generally provided by a tail rotor. With foot pedals, the pilot can control the pitch of the blades on the Notar fan and a jet thruster at the end of the boom to modulate the Explorer’s yaw. Adjustable fins on the boom–the vertical stabilizer control system–are automatically driven by onboard gyros to smooth out turns and limit a helicopter’s natural tendency to occasionally fishtail in forward flight.

Notar consumes plenty of engine power while the Explorer is in a hover, but uses less for cruise flight and climb. That means the Explorer can climb faster and higher and haul more weight than similarly powered ships. It also contributes to a smooth ride.

MD’s new stability has breathed fresh life into the Explorer and the helicopter’s order book is building. It’s not hard to see why this helicopter’s popularity is growing among many private jet companies and helicopter enthusiasts.

Quite simply, if you need to depart from or land in an area where you can’t operate an airplane or you need to hover someplace in between, you need a helicopter. Time adds another reason. In large metropolitan areas, for example, travelers can take a helicopter from the suburbs to a center-city heliport and save hours that would otherwise be lost on congested roadways.

Nonetheless, most helicopters fly utility missions. The manufacturers know this, of course, so most helicopter models, unlike business aircraft, are designed with non-corporate roles as their primary functions. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since utility operators tend to put more wear-and-tear and flight time on their aircraft than executive and charter operators do, and the manufacturers build to accommodate this higher and tougher usage.

So it is with the twin-turbine Bell 429, which the Bell Helicopter Company has targeted primarily for emergency medical services (EMS) and offshore-oil and law-enforcement operations. But Bell has designed its new light twin in ways that make it particularly well suited for executive use, too.

Compared with other Bell helicopters, the 429’s most noticeable features are its large, open cabin and flat floor–two attributes that EMS operators demanded and VIPs will appreciate. All other Bells have partitions and structures separating the cockpit from the cabin or obstructing the cabin. Not so in the 429. Along with six fuselage doors–one hinged and one integrated sliding door on each side of the cabin (providing openings almost five feet wide) and one for each pilot–the cabin configuration offers flexibility and spaciousness that is unmatched in other Bells and that rivals what you’ll find in similarly sized competing helicopters.

The 204-cubic-foot cabin (including the 74-cubic-foot baggage area) has room for six passengers in seats that are 15.5 inches wide. With slightly wider 18.5-inch seats and even wider 21.5-inch VIP seats with armrests and a console between them, the cabin can carry four. Seats in the front row may face forward or rearward (to create a club-seating arrangement). A removable partition behind the back row isolates the baggage compartment, which can be accessed externally through a small door on the right side. An optional 40-gallon fuel tank can be mounted in the baggage area, adding to the 368-nautical-mile range (no reserve) that the 429’s standard 215 gallons provides.

As for the quality of the ride, live-mount vibration dampers on the helicopter’s main gearbox do an efficient job of reducing vibration so that flying at 140 knots is almost as smooth as riding in a jet. Even at 150 knots, which is the 429’s maximum cruising speed, the ride is acceptable. While one can fly some knots faster in a few other helicopters, 150 knots is about the upper limit for a comfortable ride in any of them. The noise level in the 429’s cabin, while requiring headsets, is noticeably less than the level in the cockpit. The field-of-view from the cabin windows is superb.

The long list of kits for the 429 allows for additional seating options; air conditioning; floats; wheeled landing gear; rear fuselage “clamshell” doors; dual controls; four-axis autopilot; a third Rogerson Kratos display; GNS 530; weather radar; and an auxiliary fuel tank.

While the Bell 429 inherited many parts and systems from earlier Bells, as well as a distinct resemblance to the Bell 206 Jet Ranger, the 429 is different enough to require a new type certificate (TC), as opposed to being grandfathered onto a predecessor’s certificate. Since Bell’s civil helicopters are designed, assembled and flight-tested at its Montreal, Quebec facility, Transport Canada issued the TC, which other aviation authorities then must validate. Transport Canada and the FAA both issued their respective approvals for the 429 in July of 2007 and European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) issued its validation in September.

At the time of certification, Bell reported letters of intent (LOIs) for 301 Model 429s. Of these, 71 were tagged for air-medical operations, 49 for utility/offshore and 17 for law enforcement. Bell grouped the other 164 LOIs as corporate, other or unspecified. The list price for the Model 429 was $4.865 million (2007 dollars), and for many private jet companies and owners, it was well worth the price.

The Bell 429 Helicopter Specs:

Price (basic*): $4.865 million
Direct operating costs (fuel $3/gal, labor $75/hour): $664 per hr
Passengers (VIP/max): 4/6
Crew: 1-2
Range (mtow, SL, ISA, no reserve): 368 nm
Endurance with IFR reserve (mtow, SL, ISA): 2.26 hr
Max/long-range cruise speed (mtow, SL, ISA): 150 kt/130 kt
Fuel capacity (standard/w. aux tank): 215 gal/255 gal
Max gross weight: 7,000 lb
Cabin Width: 5.0 ft
Cabin Height: 4.1 ft
Cabin Length: 9.8 ft
Cabin Volume (includes 74-cu-ft baggage area): 204 cu ft

Customer deliveries of the $895,000 Model 441 began in September 1977. Just two months later, the sixth airplane off the production line came apart over Greensboro, Ala., killing all seven aboard. The engines were working fine and weather wasn’t a factor. That crash triggered the FAA’s grounding of the entire 441 fleet–twice–between 1977 and 1979. Cessna ended up redesigning key tail-section components, retrofitting the entire fleet and providing customers with loaner aircraft. The program affected nearly 100 airplanes and still stands as one of the largest and most expensive factory field modifications of a business aircraft ever.

The 441 went out of production in 1986–the year of general aviation’s modern nadir–after 362 were built. By then, the price of a new one had risen to $1.795 million. Of the approximately 320 still flying, the average accumulated flight time is 8,000 hours. The average operator flies about 294 hours a year.

Used 441s hold their value well. In good condition, they still command $1.2 million to $1.7 million and many operators lavish their 441s with all the latest bells and whistles, including new paint, interior, video monitors, soundproofing and glass-panel avionics. Those upgrades can easily boost the investment past $3 million–about the price of a new (but smaller) Cessna Citation Mustang entry-level twinjet.

When it comes to the propellers, if your 441 hasn’t been converted to four-blade Hartzell propellers already, consider it. The four blades yield 2.5 inches more ground clearance, reduce cabin noise, improve the climb rate by 200 feet per minute and add four to five knots of airspeed. Two new props, installed, run about $65,000.

Next come avionics. The factory-installed Cessna autopilots on this airplane are, to be blunt, junk–and about 70 percent of the 441s still flying have them. They are unreliable analog dinosaurs prone to failure, and parts are hard to get. Most 441s are flown single-pilot and you need a good autopilot to reduce pilot workload. Cessna figured this out eventually, installing Sperry SPZ500s on the last 20 airplanes out the door. Retrofits are primarily the Rockwell Collins APS-65 or the S-Tec 2100.

Making a big investment in a 30-year-old airplane is not without risk, and operators must adhere to a rigorous, recently mandated inspection program for all 441s. The initial inspection under this program is pricey, anywhere from $120,000 to $180,000 or more, depending upon what is uncovered. The engines, propellers, de-icing boots, tail and landing gear must all be removed. Once the boots come off, you cannot put them back on–you have to buy new ones.

The interior also comes out of the airplane as part of this initial inspection. This is a good time to refurbish. Turboprop cabins are generally noisy places and the 441’s is no exception. However, a 50-pound Flight Environments sound-dampening package can cut noise by up to nine decibels. In conjunction with an inspection, it takes a week to install and costs about $25,000. New paint and interior averages $75,000, unless you go crazy with cabin electronics.

The initial inspection takes four to eight weeks. Less intensive recurring inspections are required over the aircraft’s life and will add $50 an hour to direct operating costs. Cessna is also limiting the life of a 441’s airframe to 22,500 hours (about 77 years of average use), but that limit applies only to aircraft flown commercially–although some insurers will also apply that standard to private-use aircraft.

Most 441 owners have taken the new inspections rules in stride and are using them as an opportunity to refurbish and add equipment. In the opinion of many private jet companies, no twin-engine turboprop is more efficient in terms of cost per seat mile and cost per hour.

But at $2.84 million (that darn Euro), the TBM is priced on par with entry-level twinjets with more capacious cabins, such as the Cessna Citation Mustang and Embraer Phenom 100. It is only marginally less expensive than bigger turboprops like the single-engine Pilatus PC-12 and Beechcraft King Air C-90GT twin, and it costs $1 million more than the Eclipse 500 and Adam A700 very light twinjets.

Largely due to the efficient way it takes power away from the engine to run the cabin pressurization and heating systems, the TBM 850 is 28 knots faster than its predecessor and boasts a top speed of 320 knots–only about 20 knots slower than a Mustang. But to reach maximum fuel economy, a jet needs to climb to the higher altitudes–in the 30s or low 40s–with all the faster airline traffic. The TBM zips along in the relatively less congested 20s, where the odds increase for more direct routing and, conversely, for running into more rotten weather.

With the 850, Socata missed a prime opportunity to convert to an integrated all-glass cockpit avionics system, simplify engine power management and further refine the cabin. Nevertheless, thanks to the low TBM production rate–some 400 units over the last 17 years (an average of 23.5 per year)–the model has enjoyed relatively consistent demand. Socata has increased the production rate over the last few years and says it will step up TBM 850 production to 52 this year. The airplanes are largely flown by owner-pilots, who are very brand loyal.

Indeed, the basic TBM airframe has been unchanged for 20 years. Aside from the Piper Malibu, it is the most cramped six-seat turbine cabin in the sky. The cabin cross-section is just under four feet wide. This really is no surprise when you consider the aircraft’s germination.

Over the years, Socata has modestly improved the design, with better environmental controls; vapor-cycle air-conditioning; avionics upgrades; a small beverage cabinet; wider main cabin entry door well-suited for loading outsized cargo; and optional ($75,000) separate forward pilot’s door.

Passengers sit in facing club-four seats and there is room for two pilots (although the airplane is certified for single-pilot use and most operators fly it that way). The passenger seat bottoms are 18 inches wide and have 22-inch-high backs. That leaves a really narrow 11-inch wide aisle. A single club table deploys from the righthand sidewall and there are power outlets for laptops. The cabin is quiet for a turboprop, but still noisier than a jet. The aft-located main door measures 3.5 feet high and 3.9 feet wide and swings up and out of the way on a pair of gas-charged springs. An electric motor drives it back down. If you require a bathroom, you need to ask the pilot to land.

Most baggage is stored in back of the rear-most row of seats behind a cargo net. A small baggage compartment with an external door in the rear fuselage will hold 77 pounds and is big enough for a pilot’s overnight bag or a tool kit. An even smaller forward storage compartment, also with an external door, typically holds the tow bar and the engine inlet and exhaust stack covers.

Even as more VLJs come on line, the TBM is likely to hold an audience. As a result, many private jet companies believe that it’s just hard to beat the efficiency and speed of this aircraft.

Compared with the now 40-year-old King Air, though, the Cheyenne was short-lived. Frequent ownership changes and bankruptcy at Piper led to erratic production, marketing and product support and the model never gained real traction. By the time Piper was back on track, the bottom had fallen out of the new twin turboprop market. The company delivered only 149 of the IIIs and IIIAs, the higher-altitude and slightly faster variant, and only from 1980 to 1993. The most popular King Air model, the B200, is still going strong, with more than 2,100 delivered to date.

The Cheyenne’s relative lack of popularity means it can be had at bargain prices: from under $1 million to $1.2 to $1.5 million for airplanes with updated instrument panels, fresh paint and interiors and the most popular modifications.

With a single pilot and four passengers, the aircraft has a range of 1,300 nautical miles (with 230-mile reserve). With seats full and 300 pounds of baggage, the airplane can still take on almost 300 gallons of fuel, giving it a range of 600 to 700 nautical miles with reserves. It is certified for single-pilot operation and almost all owners fly it this way.

The Cheyenne’s twin Pratt & Whitney PT-6A engines generate 720 shaft horsepower per side. At 29,000 feet, that translates into a miserly 77 gallons per hour and 270 knots. Down at 22,000 feet, speed can increase to 290 knots but hourly fuel burn jumps to 109 gallons (total usable fuel capacity is 578 gallons). The Cheyenne IIIA, with its slightly modified Dash 61 engines, can cruise up to 35,840 feet and achieve slightly higher cruise speeds. But any increase in efficiency is negated by the IIIA’s higher maintenance costs–up to $200 an hour more than you’d pay with the Dash 41s on a straight Cheyenne III.

From the tip tanks, elongated nose and monstrous tail, there are hints that the Cheyenne III is an evolutionary aircraft, but it is also one that flies surprisingly well. Unlike its shorter, older siblings, the Cheyenne I, II and IIXL, the III (which is five feet longer than the II) is light on the controls and has a better-balanced feel. But that long, narrow fuselage makes balanced loading critical. Fortunately, baggage weight can easily be distributed. That big nose can swallow up to 300 pounds and so can the aft baggage hold. The wing lockers behind the engines can take an additional 100 pounds each.

The genius of the Cheyenne was also its downfall, at least aesthetically and perhaps ergonomically. It uses the same basic fuselage cross section, albeit at different lengths, that Piper has employed on all its cabin-class twins and pressurized singles, pistons and turbines, since the mid-1960s: Navajos, Chieftains, Malibus and Mirages.

The Piper fuselage is narrower than the King Air’s. Getting into a Cheyenne isn’t quite like doing a limbo dance, but with a full load the quarters can get a little tight. Of course, most operators don’t fly the airplane anywhere near full seats on a regular basis. And the passenger seats track laterally into the aisle, yielding more shoulder room. But this is not the ride of choice for a claustrophobe. There is seating for seven passengers (if you count the belted potty) and two pilots.

Popular upgrades and modifications for the aircraft include flight instruments and radios ($110,000 to $200,000); engine exhaust stacks ($10,000); upgraded wheels and brakes ($6,200); exterior paint ($20,000); and interior refurbishment ($30,000 to $60,000). Owners can also install four-bladed propellers ($55,000 to $60,000), which result in better climb and takeoff performance and increased ground clearance but no increase in speed.

A Cheyenne III will cost $50 to $100 less per hour to maintain than a King Air and that is the real key to its value. It’s a lot of bang for your buck, which is why these turboprops are still around, and popular among many private jet companies.

With full fuel (251 gallons), the Eclipse cruises at 370 knots and has a range of 1,125 nautical miles. But full tanks knock the available payload (pilots, passengers and bags) down to 700 pounds. You can get the airplane with six seats, but you’d be hard-pressed to fill them on a trip lasting more than an hour.

The Eclipse’s cabin is cramped: four feet two inches tall, four and a half feet wide and just over 12 feet long. It’s OK with two adult passengers, maybe even three. But four? No way. You can also forget about bringing a lot of stuff, unless you pile it in the passenger area. The baggage compartment is only 16 cubic feet.

The environmental control system (ECS) features independent zones for cabin and cockpit but the pilots, not the passengers, control the cabin zone. Cabin pressure altitude is 8,000 feet at 41,000 feet.

You can order options that make the cabin more stylish and comfortable. You can add an entertainment package that features XM radio and an MP3 player ($15,000), a refreshment center (a glorified ice drawer for $6,000), an electric-flushing toilet with privacy curtain ($10,000) and metal plating ($10,000). The quality of the fit and finish is acceptable for an airplane at this price point, but nobody is going to confuse it with what you’d find in a Gulfstream.

Power comes from a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofans that produce 900 pounds of thrust each and enable the airplane to take off and land in well under 3,000 feet–paved or not. The engines are more powerful–and suck more fuel–than the Williams EJ-22s that Eclipse initially planned to use. Those engines failed during flight test and caused the switch to Pratt and a rather long delay in bringing the airplane to market. They also caused the 500 to grow wing-tip fuel tanks. Thanks to modern aerodynamics, the tip tanks on the 500 blend well into the wings and give the airplane a more “muscular” look.

The few Eclipses that have come onto the used market seem to be holding their value well. Granted, the airplane had a rocky start, but the market seems to be growing more confident and comfortable with it as time progresses. This aircraft has also started to become popular among many private jet charter companies looking to move 1-2 people short distances (i.e. Los Angeles to Las Vegas).

The Eclipse 500 Specs:

Price (typically equipped): $2.15 million
Passengers: 4
Crew: 2
Range (4 pax, 2 crew): 1,125 nm
Maximum cruising speed: 370 kt
Maximum takeoff weight: 5,995 lb
Fuel capacity: 251 gal
Cabin Width: 4.8 ft
Cabin Height: 4.2 ft
Cabin Length: 12.4 ft

The Caravan is a true go-anywhere Cessna. While it does travel a little faster at lower altitudes, it can be flown at up to 23,700 feet, provided passengers and pilot are breathing supplemental oxygen. A built-in oxygen system is an $11,000 option.

Going into a short gravel strip in the middle of Alaska? No problem. The airplane sits high on fixed, spring metal main landing gear and a strutted nose wheel, giving its propeller ample ground clearance and allowing it to handle primitive, uneven and unpaved landing strips. Even if you roll into a big rut a tad fast and collapse the nose wheel strut and blow out the front tire, the propeller sits up high enough that it will not convert into a garden tiller. With full fuel, a Caravan can still hold more than most medium business jets. With lighter loads, the airplane can take off in less than 1,500 feet and land in less than 1,000.

The Garmin G1000 integrated glass-panel avionics system is standard on new models. A variety of partial-glass and full-glass options are available for retrofit from several manufacturers, including Chelton, Sandel and Garmin, at prices ranging from $70,000 to $300,000. Electronic flight bags and other portable, plug-in devices that contain charts and flight performance data also are available for around $2,500.

Likewise, you have plenty of choices when outfitting a Caravan’s cabin. Cessna typically will not sell this airplane with a finished interior, largely because so many buyers choose to customize it. The airplane has the same interior volume as a Beech King Air 200 and the cabin is actually a bit wider, at about 5 feet, 4 inches. (Height is 4 feet, 6 inches; length is a bit more than 16 feet aft of the cockpit.) There are four exterior doors–one at each pilot position plus an air-stair passenger door aft right and an oversized, fold-up and fold-out cargo door aft left.

In executive configuration, the airplane seats six to eight passengers, plus one or two pilots. The executive interiors of Caravans are virtually indistinguishable from those found on business jets. The single seats have the same swivel and recline features and similar rich veneers and fabrics. You can install in-flight entertainment systems that almost match those in the priciest business jets, too.

The one big difference is the lavatory. On most executive Caravans, this consists of a flip-up part of the rear bench seat and an underlying–and dreaded–chemical bowl. However, some Caravans have been equipped with electric flushing toilets, full vanities and sinks and even exterior plug-ins for showering (outside of the airplane on the ground) and generator power. Some have also been outfitted with elaborate bars and microwave ovens. Portable Iridium satellite phones can also be plugged in to use an aircraft antenna.

All in all, a nice executive interior will run $150,000 to $330,000 depending on the components you select.

You can certainly buy faster and more expensive single-engine turboprops. However, the Grand Caravan delivers a unique combination of dependability, economy, style and utility, albeit at the speed of leisure.

The Learjet 45 has the direct operating costs of a light jet, like a Cessna Citation II (around $1,800 an hour); flies a lot higher (51,000 feet), faster (534 mph) and farther (2,032 nautical miles with four passengers and IFR reserves); and has a more comfortable cabin (410 cubic feet). Payload with full fuel is a respectable 1,600 pounds, and up to 500 pounds of baggage can be split between nose and aft compartments. In fact, the Learjet 45 is more like a midsize-cabin jet such as a Raytheon Hawker 800XP or Citation VII. In other words, it delivers the performance and comfort of an airplane that costs millions more–and for that, most operators are willing to overlook a little inconvenience from time to time.

Work began on the airplane in 1989 as a replacement to the wildly popular Learjet 35 series. The Model 45 was a clean-sheet-of-paper design that made extensive use of customer focus group data, computer modeling and lean manufacturing design. The aircraft’s roomy, flat-floor cabin was designed first, and then the rest of the airplane was built around it.

For a model in this category, that cabin is quite comfortable. The eight reclining passenger seats are arranged in a double-club configuration and have both in-base and floor tracking and slide and swivel motions. Outboard seat arms can be raised and lowered. Fold-out tables deploy from the sidewalls. A large lavatory with sink, belted flushing commode and wardrobe is in the aft cabin. A small closet and refreshment center is opposite the main entry door.

The designers outfitted the front office with the most cutting-edge avionics of the day. The system is built around Honeywell’s Primus 1000. All flight and navigation information is displayed on four large screens that incorporate engine instrument and crew alerting system data. The system allows maintenance crews to download diagnostic information directly to laptops, greatly speeding troubleshooting of the avionics and engines.

Power comes from a pair of Honeywell TFE731-20-AR turbofans rated at 3,500 pounds of thrust each at up to 88 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level. The recommended overhaul interval is 5,000 hours. A digital electronic computer controls the engines and manages critical inputs and settings.

Balanced field length at maximum gross takeoff weight (20,200 pounds) is 4,405 feet, while runway length required at maximum landing weight (19,200 pounds) is 2,660 feet. With typical loads, this makes the airplane a good short-field performer. The electronic braking system, trailing link main landing gear and massive Dee Howard thrust reversers combine for soft landings and sure-footed and smooth stopping power.

Bombardier began delivery of a longer range variant, the Learjet 45XR, in 2004. The aircraft features a 1,000-pound increase in maximum takeoff weight, slightly more fuel capacity and a pair of Honeywell TFE731-20-BR engines that reduce balanced field length at higher temperatures, improve time to climb and deliver better high-speed cruise. Under certain circumstances, the Learjet 45XR’s performance improvement is dramatic. For example, out of Aspen, Colorado, the XR with eight passengers aboard will fly almost 1,000 nautical miles farther than a standard Learjet 45. The XR also has a restyled cabin with more comfortable seats, additional legroom and better lighting.

Through the third quarter of 2006, Bombardier delivered 312 Learjet 45 series aircraft. About 40 of these are XR models.

Almost a decade after it was introduced, the Model 45’s value proposition remains unchanged. Once in a while, operators need patience and persistence when seeking parts and support, but most continue to believe that the airplane’s benefits outweigh the occasional pain of ownership.

At least on paper, the eight- to 10-passenger Galaxy/G200 looked like a winner. It has the operating-cost structure of a mid-size jet like a Hawker but offers a large-jet cabin. On the performance side, the G200 has a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.85, a ceiling of 45,000 feet and a claimed 3,400-nautical-mile range with four passengers at Mach 0.8. Theoretically, at least, that means nonstop trips, such as Los Angeles to Caracas, Seoul to Singapore, Berlin to Delhi and Detroit to London. But you’ll be taking very thin people with almost no luggage. Maximum payload with full fuel is only 650 pounds.

The G200 was the second super-midsize aircraft to hit the market, Dassault’s Falcon 2000 was first in 1995, and it quickly garnered attention for several reasons. For one thing, the stylish 24.5-foot-long cabin, created by the New York design firm Henry Dreyfuss & Associates, is roomy, light and airy.

Three possible cabin layouts are available: double club four; single club four with conference grouping opposite a berthable divan; and club four with half club and divan. You’ll find master cabin controls at the VIP seat location, three 110-volt outlets throughout the cabin with adjacent data ports and a 15-inch LCD monitor embedded in the forward cabin bulkhead. The standard entertainment setup includes two DVD players, a CD player and Airshow 400. G200s can be fitted for satcom, XM satellite radio and high-speed Internet.

The G200, which has a spotless accident record, sold new for $18.75 million in 2001 and today can be had for around $14 million (typically equipped, a new one goes for $22.07 million). Used-market competitors include the Cessna Citation X and the Dassault Falcon 2000 series. The G200 holds its value on par with the Citation X, but nothing matches the Falcon 2000’s ability to retain value.

The changes made to the G200 were not cheap or easy, but they paid off. Today, G200 owners generally give Gulfstream’s industry-leading product support high marks. Properly retrofitted and maintained used G200s, while not perfect, are good values and remain popular among many private jet charter companies.

Compared with its predecessor, the GII, the III could fly farther and faster and posted 15- to 20-percent better fuel economy. The speed improvement shaved an hour off east-to-west transcontinental flights. The GIII had more aerodynamic wings and nose, a sleek wrap-around windshield and a fuselage that was two feet longer.

It was also the first business jet to break through the $10 million price barrier–way through. By 1987, it was selling for $16 million, and despite better fuel economy, it still burns substantially more fuel than other aircraft in its class. While the GIII’s Rolls-Royce Spey engines (11,400 pounds of thrust each) were somewhat quieted with redesigned exhaust nozzles, they are still plenty loud and suck down 550 gallons per hour, easily a third more than the fuel consumption of a Falcon 900A.

This airplane also costs a lot to maintain and requires almost six hours of maintenance per flight hour.
Maintenance and fuel requirements drive the airplane’s variable cost per hour to nearly $5,000, annual fixed costs to almost $700,000 and a cost-per-mile to nearly $20. While you can find a good used late-serial-number GIII for less than $6 million, compared with $33 million for a new G450, make sure you have plenty of cash reserved for operations. This is an old airplane and components will break. The older models have an electrical system that is DC-based and non-VSCF (variable speed, constant frequency), as opposed to an AC, VSCF system on the newer ones.

The good news is that Gulfstream/General Dynamics still supports the GIII with parts and service that are best-in-class. Conversely, these high operating costs have driven GIII resale values substantially below those of comparable aircraft.

The right completion center can refurbish the interior of a GIII to the point that it is virtually indistinguishable from a new G450, though the price generally starts around $1 million and can go a lot higher. If you are going to pull out the ceiling and the sidewalls anyway, look seriously at acoustic sound-dampening options ($50,000 to $100,000). As for cockpit avionics, glass-panel retrofits will make your pilots happier, but at prices approaching $1 million, they may give you and your accountant heartburn. Considering the GIII’s resale value, most owners are reluctant to over-invest in upgrades beyond new carpet and recovering the seats. This is particularly true of earlier-serial-number models with the old electrical system.

GIII production stopped in 1987 after 206 were made. Because of its low acquisition cost, the GIII continues to fill a popular niche within private jet charter companies. If you can stomach the cost of ownership, it is a lot of airplane for the money.

Two main things make the Global a better buy in the eyes of its owners: cabin comfort and speed.

A Global’s passenger compartment is 10 inches wider and one inch taller than a Gulfstream GV/G550‘s, yielding 471 more cubic feet of cabin space, even though the Gulfstream’s cabin is a foot and a half longer. That translates into more shoulder and headroom and better aisle clearance–little things that mean a lot on a 12-hour flight.

Typical cabin configuration isn’t all that different from what you’ll find in other jets in this category: entryway, forward lav, crew rest area and galley followed by a club-four grouping of large executive seats, four smaller seats arrayed around a conference table, a divan opposite two facing seats and an aft lavatory. Basically, the cabin is laid out in three zones with seating for 11 to 14 passengers.

The typical Global chartered flight lasts about 2.5 hours. So why do people charter a Global Express when they rarely use it to its full potential (12 hours)? Because they can. And no matter where you’re flying, a Global will get you there quickly. At fast cruise of Mach 0.88, the aircraft easily reaches 5,000 nautical miles. Back off the throttles and you can stretch it to 6,500 and still post reasonable speeds and block times: Tokyo to Teterboro in less than 12 hours. The Global’s wing delivers fast speeds without making landings feel like a carrier trap. Typical touchdown speeds are around 110 knots–much slower than an airliner’s–allowing safe stops in less than 2,700 feet of runway without giving passengers neck sprain from the deceleration.

The Global was the first business jet that pulverized the paradigm that arriving quickly meant ducking, squeezing into a seat and staying there. The current model, the Global XRS (introduced in 2005), features a restyled cabin and improved avionics. The recently unveiled Global 7000 and 8000, which are scheduled to enter service beginning in 2016, will fly even faster and farther, with ranges from 7,300 to 7,900 nautical miles. The 7000 will have a 10-foot longer fuselage, yielding a more capacious cabin. Like all Globals, both new models will be built for comfort and speed and will remain the long range aircraft of choice for many private jet companies.

The Global Express Specs:

Price New: $45.5 Million
Passengers: 11-14
Pilots: 2
Range (4 PAX): 5,960 nm
Maximum cruising speed: 499 Knots
Cabin Volume: 2,140 cu ft
Cabin Width (centerline): 6.9 ft
Cabin Height: 6.3 ft
Cabin Length: 48.3 ft

In 1996, when the manufacturer unveiled its plans for the Hawker 4000 (initially called the “Horizon”), the twinjet super-midsize market was ripe for the taking. Since then, Bombardier, Cessna and Gulfstream have all fielded models in this segment. The Hawker 4000 was simply late to the party.

While the 4000’s tortuous development timeline has yielded only a modest-sized order book, company executives are confident that demand will build as the market becomes familiar with its price advantage and good value equation. The 4000 sells for $19.6 million, can typically seat two pilots and eight to nine passengers and can fly more than 3,300 nautical miles at 495 miles per hour (four passengers) or about 3,040 nautical miles at 541 mph (six passengers).

Like its Premier I stable mate, the 4000 features a wound-carbon-fiber fuselage mated to aluminum wings. Fuji Heavy Industries, a partner in the venture, fabricates the wings in Japan. The composite fuselage is made in Wichita. It saves weight as well as fabrication, assembly and labor time; is five times stronger than aluminum; won’t corrode; and yields more cabin space.

While the composite fuselage has many advantages, its rigidity can increase vibration-induced cabin noise. Relying on sound suppression insulation alone would simply add weight back into the aircraft. So Hawker also uses special “isolators” to mitigate noise and dampen vibration. Cabin sidewalls, headliners and furniture are mounted on these devices, which absorb fuselage vibrations before they can be transmitted to the cabin and passengers. Specially designed acoustic cabin panels also suppress noise.

The results have been impressive. Cabin noise, as measured in decibels (lower numbers are quieter), is in the low 70s and the “speech interference value”–a measure of how well speech can be heard–is in the low 60s. By comparison, interior noise in a 2006 Lexus GS430 automobile is 63 decibels at 70 mph.

The flat-floor cabin is capacious and comfortable. Passenger seats are available with full recline, manually adjustable lumbar support and optional leg rests. A typical cabin can be configured in either a double “club four” layout with eight individual executive seats or with six individual seats and a three-place couch or divan. The latter is standard, as Hawker’s research has shown that most of its customers prefer the flexibility of having a divan.

A forward cabin galley, two forward closets and rear cabin lavatory and walk-in baggage compartment with external access complete the layout. Both the lavatory and baggage compartment are generous for an aircraft in this category. You can actually stand up and move around in the lav, which features a potable water system, gravity-fed flushing toilet with external servicing and a wash basin. A belted lav seat is available as an option.

The 100-cubic-foot baggage compartment can be accessed only when the Hawker is flying below 41,000 feet. Entry is through a hinged door at the rear of the cabin. The cabin windows are fitted with an electrically charged film for demisting and anti-icing. The window shades are manually controlled.

The 4000 was the first business jet designed around Honeywell’s Primus Epic integrated electronic flight and cabin management system. Integrating Epic into the 4000’s design required a learning curve and caused some development delays.

Unlike the Hawker 850XP, the Horizon started as a “clean sheet of paper”. However, now that the wait is over, many private jet companies, including Hawker, will get a better sense of how the marketplace accepts the Hawker 4000.

From Middle America, the airplane can hit either coast, most of the time without taking on fuel. The Ultra’s maximum cruising speed is close to 430 knots. At maximum weights, it can take off in less than 3,200 feet and land and stop in less than 2,200. It will climb to 45,000 feet at a blistering 4,100 feet per minute and carry two pilots and six passengers 1,960 nautical miles (no wind) and a full load of eight passengers somewhat shorter distances.

For many private jet companies, the Ultra offered the longest cabin in its class–17.3 feet, or four feet longer than a Learjet 31 or 35 and almost two feet longer than a Beechjet or a King Air 350. Slide, swivel and reclining executive passenger seats are arranged in a facing, double-club configuration. Adding a forward closet/refreshment center cuts the number of seats to seven. The 14 cabin windows provide adequate natural light and the five-inch drop aisle yields 55.3 inches of “standing” room. The belted potty has privacy doors, a relief tube and a chemical toilet that must be emptied from the inside by carrying the basin through the passenger cabin.

The airplane’s 63 cubic feet of baggage space will swallow up to 1,450 pounds–850 in the nose and 600 in the aft compartment. That’s triple the luggage space of a King Air 350, according to Cessna.

The Ultra is an evolved design with few bugs and a deserved reputation for versatility and utility. Because of this, it holds its value better than other aircraft in its class. A 1997 Ultra that sold new for $6 million will still fetch close to $5 million. Its high resale value is a testament to the power of evolution.

Cessna announced the Model 560 Ultra in 1993 and during its five-year production run, from 1994 to 1999, the company delivered 278 of them. When new in 1994, the aircraft retailed for $5.495 million. The Ultra was an updated version of the Citation V, which Cessna manufactured from 1988 to 1993.

The main differences between the V and the Ultra concern the engines, avionics and interior. For the Ultra, Cessna went with the Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5D turbofans, which produce 145 more pounds of thrust per side and are slightly more efficient than an earlier generation of the same engine on the Citation V.

On the Ultra, the company replaced the cluttered instrument panel of the V with the sleek, large three-screen layout of the Honeywell Primus 1000. The Primus features two primary flight displays, one for each pilot position, and a multi-function display in the center of the panel.

Interior amenities in the Ultra were stepped up a few notches from those in the V. The former offers better passenger controls, higher quality leathers, a new air stair, cleaner looking interior panels and cabinetry and improved fit and finish throughout.

Cessna has made more changes to the basic design since 1999 with the Citation Encore and Encore+. Recent innovations have included the addition of better landing gear; increased fuel capacity and payload; and upgraded engines, engine controls and avionics. The current price of a new Encore+, typically equipped, is $8.4 million.

The 328JET (Model 328-300/310) poses a unique value: a modern, fuel-efficient aircraft with a large Gulfstream IV-sized cabin for a price equal to or in some cases less than what you’d pay for a new turboprop. You can find fully refurbished, ready-to-fly 328s for less than $6 million. Configured for airlines, the aircraft can seat 33; in executive commuter or charter configuration, typically 19; and in executive VIP cabin layouts, eight to 14.

The 328 climbs fast (3,690 feet per minute) and has great short-field performance. With that said, it’s not perfect. The aircraft was designed as a turboprop and morphed into a commuter jet, so it’s slow–400 knots, only slightly faster than a very light jet–and has a range with maximum payload of less than 1,000 nautical miles (though four passengers and extended-range tanks boost that to 2,059).

During its production run from 1998 to 2002, new 328JETs sold for about $14.5 million full price. Besides being durable, the 328 is fun to fly. The cockpit is very clean, well laid-out and roomy. The 328’s cockpit features modern Honeywell Primus 2000 glass-panel avionics, but watch out for display failures on aircraft that have been placed in protracted outdoor storage.

In either commuter or executive VIP configuration, the 328 cabin is a standout. It is 85.5 inches wide, 72 inches tall and 34 feet long. The baggage hold is a massive 275 cubic feet. There is ample room for a large galley in the forward cabin and the aft lavatory is capacious. There is more than enough room for installation of all manner of entertainment systems and forward and aft closets, as well as couches and large, overstuffed and fully reclining single executive passenger seats. Cabin noise is exacerbated by the twin Pratt & Whitney engines hanging from pylons off the high wings and proximate to the cabin windows, and the belly-mounted landing gear. Let’s just say that when the gear doors open, you’ll know it. Acoustic blankets placed behind the cabin panels add weight but can ameliorate some, but not all, of these excess decibels during takeoff and landing.

This executive jet company finds that the large cabin, good operating economics and low acquisition cost more than compensate for the 328’s shortcomings and make it one of the best bargains in the sky. If your typical flights are 1,000 to 1,600 (depending on the number of passengers) miles and you want a really comfortable cabin, this is one airplane you should not overlook.

The Hawker 700 is unquestionably a workhorse. The Hawker’s passenger compartment is bigger than that of competitive airplanes, such as the Learjet 55 and Citation III. It seats up to eight (plus the two pilots up front) and is 21 feet long, six feet wide and almost six feet tall. The standard cabin layout features five single slide-swivel-reclining executive seats and a three-place side-facing divan. You’ll also find small forward and aft closets, a minimalist forward galley and an aft lavatory through which you access the baggage hold (legally you can put a ninth passenger on the belted potty–perhaps a passenger you really dislike). While the 604-cubic-foot cabin is spacious, the baggage compartment, at 40 cubic feet, is woefully inadequate for today’s take-it-all-with-me jet setter.

The Hawker 700 can fly almost 2,000 nautical miles with seats full. Available payload with full fuel is 1,350 pounds. Hawkers have been around since 1962 and perhaps no business jet has a longer history of evolutionary performance improvement. Over the years, the aircraft has received significant upgrades in airfoils, engines and systems. Today it remains one of the best-selling business airplanes of all time, with more than 1,000 produced across all models. The Hawker’s rugged and simple systems have created an enduring market for the line.

There are other reasons why the 700 remains popular. Unlike some vintage business jets, Hawker 700s can satisfy Stage III anti-noise requirements without costly modification, thanks to their Honeywell TFE731-3RH turbofan engines (3,720 pounds of thrust each, together burning 263 gallons of fuel per hour at cruise altitude). The 731 engine is fairly ubiquitous. Parts are plentiful and most shops know how to work on them. Engines must be overhauled at 4,000 hours and the average cost is $250,000 each. Not great, but not awful.

You can buy a good 1984 700A with less than 10,000 hours on the airframe for as little as $1.5 million (average $1.7 million), a real bargain when you consider that a new Hawker 900XP runs $14.3 million and even a late 1980s vintage Hawker 800 can cost $4 million. Of course, those airplanes have more modern systems, better cabin ergonomics and more range, and fly slightly faster. But you can purchase older 700s–say, a 1977 model–for as little as $1 million.

While you can buy a plethora of things to modernize the cockpit and cabin, the airplane’s price point dissuades most owners from diving into big-ticket items, lest they become financially “upside down” in the aircraft. Regardless, the Hawker 700 will remain the aircraft of choice for private jet companies looking for a safe and economical aircraft for their clients.

The Hawker 700 Specs:

Price Used (2011): $1.7 Million
Passengers: 8 to 9
Pilots: 2
Range: 2,000 m
Maximum cruising speed: 483 mph
Cabin Volume: 604 cu ft
Cabin Width (centerline): 5.9 ft
Cabin Height: 5.8 ft
Cabin Length: 21.3 ft

On shorter trips, you can take more passengers and stoke the twin Rolls-Royce engines to go even faster–up to Mach 0.885. The G550 has good speed in the climb, too. A sea-level takeoff to 37,000 feet requires just 18 minutes and only 5,950 feet of runway with a full load–a fairly impressive performance for a 91,000-pound (maximum takeoff weight) jet. A transcontinental fuel load shortens the required runway to a mere 3,500 feet, and at maximum landing weight, the G550 will stop in just 2,770 feet.

Gulfstream introduced the G550, a more aerodynamically efficient version of its GV, in 2003. Since then, corporate chieftains, heads of state, various secret three-lettered government agencies and private jet companies have lined up to buy it.

The airplane boasts a comfortable passenger cabin that measures more than six feet tall, seven feet wide and 50 feet long. Cabins are available with either forward or aft gourmet galleys, storage credenzas, walk-in baggage area, dual forward and aft lavatories with flushing vacuum toilets, crew rest areas, conference groupings, executive “club-four” seating areas and divans with berthing tops that convert to sleeping areas. The individual seats have full slide and swivel motions and footrests; can be reclined to the full berthing position; and can be modified with optional full or partial electric function. Cabin dividers with pocket doors can be installed for privacy. If these options aren’t enough, Gulfstream will work with you to craft an even more customized environment.

The cabin maintains a sea-level altitude through 29,000 feet and has a maximum cabin altitude of 6,000 feet. A 100-percent fresh-air system frequently replaces cabin air, eliminating the health risks posed by recycled air systems. Ample ambient light brightens the cabin through the G550’s 14 large oval signature windows. LED reading and cabin lights reduce eye fatigue. The lower cabin altitude, fresh air and lighting combine to create a highly comfortable environment and substantially reduce the impact of jet lag.

During the mad rush to the airborne Internet five years ago, some system manufacturers and aircraft OEMs were making outrageous claims about how well their systems worked, only to disappoint customers under actual conditions. Gulfstream took its time methodically developing and testing a system called broadband multi-link (BBML) that delivers DSL-like performance of 3.5 megabytes per second–10 times faster than single-channel systems and five times faster than dual-channel systems. While other providers concentrated on providing a system comparable to dial-up or home use, Gulfstream knew that its customers would settle for nothing less than the same speed and convenience they enjoyed via cable or landlines in their offices. With BBML, you can move huge files over a secure wireless cabin LAN, conduct live video conferences and use VoIP networks, all for per-minute charges that are 50 to 75 percent less than with other systems. Just open up your wireless laptop and you’re there.

Fully laden with options and custom interior, a G550 can easily cost more than $55 million. One 2005 model recently hit the resale market at $59.5 million.

At that price, you would expect the G550 to do just about everything well… and it really does.

The Gulfstream G550 Specs:

Price (early 2003): $47.95 million
Passengers: 14 to 18
Pilots: 2 to 4
Range: 5,991
Maximum cruising speed: 498 mph
Maximum takeoff weight: 91,000 lb
Cabin Volume: 208 cu ft
Cabin Width (centerline): 7.40 ft
Cabin Height: 6.20 ft
Cabin Length: 50.10 ft

At $3.18 million, the Phenom and the Mustang have virtually identical pricing and both can be flown single-pilot. But the Phenom is 50 knots faster, topping out at 390 knots, thanks to more powerful engines and a more aerodynamically efficient wing.  The 100 also weighs 1,000 pounds more than the Mustang (maximum takeoff weight). At 1,178 nautical miles, it has about the same range. It holds slightly more luggage (71 cubic feet) and has a larger, more flexible cabin. It can be configured to seat four or six, while the Mustang is limited to four. In the four-seat configuration, the Phenom also has a true aft lavatory.

To create the illusion and an overall clean and spacious look, Embraer used upscale automotive-style accents, LED lighting and single-piece sidewalls and headliners. It also employed a few visual tricks on the floor–specifically, a pair of chrome strips that run the length of the cabin into the cockpit and that make the cabin look longer and emphasize the extended space into the cockpit.

The 100’s cabin also features enclosed, pleated window shades; Ultra-leather upper sidewalls; carpet or wood floors; laminate, gloss or veneer cabinet finishes; and carpet or fabric lower sidewalls. A diverse choice of color palettes is available, including agate, citrine, obsidian, onyx, quartz, topaz and tourmaline.

The seats are unusual. The headrests are offset from center slightly, designed in a way that provides support when a passenger naturally tilts his head toward the sidewall while napping or looking out the window. The seat cushions are 18 inches wide, have longitudinal tracking, recline from eight to 20 degrees and have integral three-point seatbelts and inboard armrests. For an aircraft this size, they are very comfortable.

The 100’s engines and avionics are designed for ease of maintenance and are made by tried-and-true manufacturers. Power comes from a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW617F-E engines rated at 1,695 pounds of thrust each. This is the most powerful variant of the same family of engine that is used on the Citation Mustang and the Eclipse 500. The PW600 series incorporates numerous engineering and manufacturing advances that make it cheaper to build and easier to fix than engines on older light jets such as Cessna’s CJ series.

Embraer, while not revealing exact numbers, claims a robust order book for the 100 and says production is sold out into 2012. The Brazilian manufacturer does report that total orders for the 100 and its larger sibling, the Phenom 300, top 850. While some of those may not survive the current economy, the 100’s combination of speed, space, range and economy suggest that it will remain popular among many private jet companies.

The Embraer Phenom 100 Specs:

Price (early 2009): $3.18 million
Passengers: 4 to 6
Pilots: 1 or 2
Range: 1,178 nm
Maximum cruising speed: 390 kt
Maximum takeoff weight: 10,472 lb
Fuel capacity: 2,804 lb
Cabin Volume: 208 cu ft
Cabin Width (centerline): 5 ft 1 in
Cabin Height: 4 ft 11 in
Cabin Length: 11 ft

Cessna Aircraft has delivered more than 5,100 business jets and the Citation Sovereign (CE-680) is one of its current top-sellers, with more than 160 handed over since the FAA certified this midsize model in 2004.

From the cruciform tail to the trenched center aisle in the passenger cabin, the Sovereign harkens back to the first transcontinental business jets of the 1960s, such as the Rockwell Sabreliner 65. Cessna claims the aircraft falls inside the super-midsize category. Well, that’s stretching a point. OK, more than stretching a point. The Sovereign has nowhere near the cabin volume, wide floors or headroom of a true super-midsize such as a Gulfstream G200 or a Falcon 2000, but then it costs millions less, too.

The Sovereign has the same 66-inch tube width at the shoulders as the smaller Citation XLS and the faster and longer Mach 0.92 Citation X. The trenched drop-floor center aisle provides 68 inches of headroom. The passenger cabin is just over 25 feet long. Eight individual slide, swivel and reclining passenger seats are arranged in two facing “club 4” configurations. You can substitute two- and three-place couches for some of these seats at additional cost, but that’s not a listed option. Room exists for an additional single side-facing seat opposite the aircraft entry door.

The standard right-hand refreshment center is located forward of the main entry door. It is 31 inches wide and holds two hot-beverage tanks, an ice drawer, a trash receptacle and storage. Unless you really need that side-facing forward seat, junk it in favor of the optional extended refreshment center. The eight-cubic-foot coat closet opposite the refreshment center can hold 140 pounds. A 27-cubic-foot hanging closet in the aft cabin (inside the lavatory) can accommodate 415 pounds. The main 100-cubic-foot baggage hold is in the tail cone and can accommodate 1,000 pounds; it is heated but not accessible from the passenger cabin. Sliding divider doors separate the functional, but not plush, lavatory from the main cabin. The lavatory features an externally serviced flushing toilet, sink, vanity and some storage. Overall cabin noise is low for an airplane in this category and lighting and ventilation are excellent.

Cessna instituted an innovative maintenance program for the Sovereign that makes extensive use of fault analysis in determining service and replacement intervals. The program has significantly reduced downtime and costs when compared to previous models. That simplicity is what makes the Sovereign the mid size jet of choice for many private jet companies around the world.

The Hawker 800 first flew in 1983 and featured major performance improvements over previous models. Between 1983 and 1995, the company produced 275 Model 800s. Deliveries of the Hawker 800XP began in 1995 and a major block change occurred on the model in 1999, when oval window frames, sidewall lighting, redesigned sidewall table access and restyled seats were added to the cabin. The new lighting, window treatments and seats resulted in a brighter, softer, more flowing look and were an immediate hit with customers.

The manufacturer introduced the $14.3 million, 28,000-pound 900XP in 2007. It sports winglets and slightly more powerful engines than the model it replaces, the 850XP. The new engines also have a longer recommended time between overhauls–6,000 hours. The new engine/winglet combination boosts range by a modest 4 percent under most circumstances, to 2,950 nautical miles. The winglets merely create the illusion of speed, as the airplane is still one of the slowest midsize jets around, with a maximum long-range cruise speed of just 400 knots.

A cross-country excursion in the Hawker makes for a very long afternoon–almost seven hours. From Tampa, a Citation X will beat a Hawker to Van Nuys by over an hour–with the same fuel burn. But the 900XP’s tweaked engines give the airplane better hot-weather performance and faster climb speeds–a main contributor to the modest range gain. Simply put, the airplane climbs higher, faster; and the faster you get up there, the less fuel you burn and the farther you go. Time to 41,000 feet in the 900 is 25 minutes.

The cabin remains remarkably unchanged from the Hawker 850. The cursed submarine-hatch-size airstair door has not been improved and the average guy still has to hunch over in the 5-foot-9-inch-tall cabin. That headroom comes only when you stand in the trenched center aisle. In-cabin storage is still notably absent. The standard layout features five single executive seats and one three-place divan. The comfortable single seats, perhaps the best in any airplane in this category, slide and swivel and have limited recline.

Up front, pilots benefit from a modern, four-display Collins Pro Line 21 digital avionics suite, but the trademark ram-horn control yokes, onboard since the aircraft line’s inception almost 50 years ago, leave little doubt that this is still a Hawker.

Though the Lineage is large, its price tag is relatively small. While the ACJ costs $75 million and the BBJ sells for $57 million, the latter without passenger cabin, the new Embraer model hit the market at $46 million (2008 dollars) with the cabin installed. Smaller than the ACJ and the BBJ, slower than the Bombardier Global Express XRS and the Gulfstream G550 and shorter-legged than all four of them, the Lineage is a product of compromise. With it, Embraer is aiming at a new set of variables squarely at the middle of the ultra-luxury jet market in the hope of carving out a unique niche.

The Lineage has a range of 3,967 nautical miles, seats 19 passengers, 622 square feet of passenger cabin floor area and 4,085 cubic feet of cabin volume. That is more than twice the volume of both the Gulfstream (1,669 cubic feet) and the Global (2,022 cubic feet), but about 75 percent that of the Airbus (5,300 cubic feet) and Boeing (5,390 cubic feet).  Yet the Lineage can still carry eight passengers directly from New York to Moscow at speeds up to Mach 0.82. Because of its low noise signature, steep approach angles and shorter wingspan, it will also be able to operate from airports where some other “heavy iron” business jets cannot, like Aspen, Colorado and New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport.

Embraer announced its E-Series E-190/195 large regional airliner in 1999. It has delivered more than 300 and forecasts a world market for more than 1,400 by 2016. At the time of its launch, the main customer base for the E-Series was seen as commercial airlines, and the aircraft has gained wide acceptance with carriers that include JetBlue and US Airways. A shorter variant of the E-190/195–the E-170/175, which Embraer began delivering in 2004–has become popular with regional carriers. The models share numerous components, including fuselage barrels and avionics (Honeywell’s Primus Epic system). The 190/195 can seat 100 in airline configuration.

When it comes to interior layouts, Lineage customers have a wealth of choices, thanks to a modular scheme that divides the main cabin into five zones plus the lavatory and walk-in baggage compartment. The modules maximize flexibility and utility, simplify installation and hold down costs. Customer-specified interiors are available for an additional charge.

The cabin-management system controls all in-flight information and entertainment components–as well as lighting, window shades, temperature, water and waste–through a master control unit in the galley or through individual passenger control units. The aircraft can be equipped with all the latest in-flight entertainment options, including Wi-Fi.

Embraer hopes to gradually ramp up Lineage production over the next three years and eventually deliver one aircraft per month. So the next time you need to transport a large group of people, on a tight budget, consider chartering an Embraer Lineage 1000, it’s a new favorite among private jet companies, sport teams, and global corporations.

The cabin, which is typically configured for nine passengers, provides lots of flexibility. You can equip it with extra-wide, fully reclining single-seat executive chairs or side-facing three-place couches without sacrificing aisle clearance or making the space appear cramped. The double divan configuration is especially popular with private jet charter clients who regularly make transatlantic crossings. The big cabin also eases placement and installation of large bulkhead video monitors and other entertainment equipment as well as furniture monuments such as side rails, credenzas and conference tables.

The Challenger 600 series (600, 601, 604) was revolutionary for its time, but it hadn’t seen a major cabin update since 1995. In subsequent years, cabin technology has made quantum leaps. The goal with the 605 was to employ the latest technology without adversely affecting the aircraft’s certification basis or adding weight. This last point is critical, as owners have been using Challengers on progressively longer flights.

The Challenger 605 cabin features a redesigned headliner and softer contours and borrows elements from the Global 5000, including extensive use of LED lighting. The headliner provides an additional 2.5 inches of headroom for seated passengers. The sidewall tables deploy flush with the sidewall ledge, yielding cleaner lines and more continuous work surface. The sidewall, side ledge and dado panel were moved outboard to increase cabin width by 1.1 inches. The overhead passenger controls were redesigned to provide more headroom and cabin volume while integrating all systems into one location.

The galley and lavatory underwent major redesigns as well. The new galley allows more space for food storage, garbage stowage, place settings and glassware. Bombardier relocated the cabin management system (CMS) touchscreen to the upper right-hand side of the galley, eliminating the need for the flight attendant to peer around a corner when resetting cabin lighting, environmental and entertainment controls.

The digital, Ethernet-based CMS is modeled on architecture developed for the Global 5000 and features 17-inch bulkhead monitors, master seat LCD power control unit, a dual DVD/CD player, digital media distribution, a cabin local area network, integrated in-flight mapping and integrated control panels at each seat location. Options include Airborne Office with voice, fax and data (speed of 834 kbps); 32-inch TV and surround sound in the aft cabin; and audio/video library on demand. Passengers are also able to plug gameports, iPods and laptops into the system as well.

The 605’s refreshed cockpit features four large glass-panel displays with 55 percent larger viewing area and sharper clarity than the 604’s. The basic avionics package includes the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 system and Integrated Flight Information System, which provides pilots with full access to electronic maps and charts. In 2007, Bombardier announced that it would be making an infrared enhanced-vision system (EVS) available for the 605 beginning in 2009. EVS allows pilots to see airports, runways and terrain features in times of darkness or limited visibility

With the Challenger 605, Bombardier has shown how upgrading aircraft systems and cabins can keep older airframe designs competitive for years to come. So the next time you need to charter a large aircraft on a budget, the Challenger remains the aircraft of choice for many private jet companies.

The G350′s prime appeal is simple: When it comes to aircraft cabins, size really does matter. Realizing this, Gulfstream introduced the G300 in 2002. It was admittedly a niche player, a large-cabin business jet with slightly reduced range and a lower price than its G400 sibling. The G350 was first delivered in 2005. It is basically a G300 with the PlaneView avionics system. This allows pilots to fly it and other PlaneView-equipped Gulfstreams, such as the G450, G500 and G550, with the same type rating.

From the outside, the $32 million G350 and $37 million G450 are almost indistinguishable. The sole external visual cue is the small window on the G450’s nose. It covers the infrared camera lens of that air-plane’s standard infrared enhanced-vision system (EVS), which helps pilots identify runways, taxiways and surrounding terrain sooner when they’re flying instrument approaches in limited visibility. Buyers can also choose to add synthetic vision, giving the pilots a 3-D virtual view of the world on the flight displays that includes terrain, obstacles and runways. These technologies can be lifesavers in places like Vail and Aspen. Under certain circumstances, EVS allows aircraft to land when the ceiling and view down the runway are minimal. Both technologies are available as options on the G350.

Behind the cockpit, the G350’s 40-foot-long cabin is every bit as opulent as the one you’d find in a G450. Typical layouts feature executive seating for 12 to 16 across six main available floor plans. Gulfstream’s 100-percent fresh-air system makes for a more alert cabin environment and its maximum 6,000-foot cabin altitude provides for a more comfortable one. Twelve large signature oval windows provide ample natural light. The latest in-flight information and entertainment systems, including satellite television and Internet access, are available at additional cost.

With a normal cruising range of 3,800 nautical miles, the G350 will fly from Washington, D.C., to Alaska, from Rio to Miami and from Sydney to Singapore–with eight passengers, two pilots and a flight attendant. At its maximum takeoff weight of 70,900 pounds, the G350’s twin Rolls-Royce Tay engines (13,850 pounds of thrust each) allow it to use runways as short as 5,050 feet (sea level) and climb to 41,000 feet in less than 20 minutes. The updated Tays are about as indestructible as jet engines come, with a recommended time between overhaul of 12,000 hours–about 30 years of average use. The engines also have been fitted with digital controls and tweaked to produce slightly more power and fuel efficiency. Big thrust reversers help bring the G350 to a quick stop, generally in less than 3,000 feet.

As any executive jet company will tell you, the G350 won’t get you to China on a single load of fuel.  But if all you need is a comfortable large-cabin, transcontinental jet, it does virtually everything well… and it does it for less.

Bombardier acquired Learjet in 1990 and immediately began to address some of the Model 55’s perceived shortcomings: cramped cabin, insufficient power for some operations, undersized brakes and limited range. By 1993, it had the answer: the Model 60. The airplane is a derivative of the Learjet 55C with an 18-inch-longer cabin, redesigned seats and an extra passenger seat, more powerful engines, better climb performance, slightly faster cruise speed and a range of nearly 2,500 nautical miles. More than 300 Model 60s have been produced.

In 2005, only one year after Model 60SE deliveries began, Bombardier announced the 60XR, and deliveries began in early 2006. The XR features new cockpit avionics built around the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 four-screen glass panel system, which provides pilots with better situational awareness, integrated weather radar and warning systems for ground proximity and wind shear.

Those are important updates to be sure, but the redesigned cabin is where this airplane really shines. Changes include more curvaceous cabinetry, single-seat structure and upholstery, a cleaner looking headliner with recessed air gaspers, LED lighting, more illuminating window surrounds and a redesigned lavatory with a larger vanity cabinet.

The new galley is the cabin’s most impressive monument and it has been relocated to the left side of the cabin next to the passenger door. This positioning conveys a more spacious atmosphere and accentuates the cabin lines, creating a lengthier appearance. It also provides a noise buffer between most of the passengers and the cabin door, which has an improved seal. Overall, interior cabin noise has been reduced by “several” decibels over the Learjet 60, according to Bombardier. The unconventional galley tower houses hot-liquid containers and glassware and provides 6.5 more inches of workspace with natural lighting via an over-the-counter window.

Improved natural and artificial lighting is a big part of the 60XR cabin’s appeal. The lavatory has an extra window and the new window surrounds allow a significant amount of additional natural light inside.

The 60XR’s cabin management system has fewer and more user-friendly menus than the 60 and features inputs for iPods and other equipment, such as laptops and DVD players. Content from these devices can be transmitted throughout the cabin via headphone jacks and displays. While high-speed Internet isn’t available, options include Iridium satellite phones, the Airshow 410 or 4000 moving map and flight information/entertainment system with network package, a 15.1-inch forward monitor, a 10.4-inch aft monitor, single or dual DVD systems, passenger AV inputs and XM radio. Such improvements give the Learjet 60XR’s cabin much of the look, feel and function of a super-midsize business jet–for $6 million to $7 million less.

As an executive jet company, RYL highly recommends the Learjet 60XR if you need to get somewhere fast, and with an hourly rate of approximately $3,300.00 an hour, you certainly get the biggest bang for your buck.

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This one of the most exclusive and sought out invite after the Oscars. The biggest names in the business will be there. Clients must be pre-screened and approved before purchase.

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Operators who fly out of shorter runways or airports at higher elevations, or who need unrestricted over-water routing, traditionally have gravitated toward Dassault’s signature three-engine design. The 7X gives them more reasons to do so.

The aircraft, which has a long-range cruise speed of 0.80 Mach, has an unrefueled range of 5,950 nautical miles (6,842 statute miles). That means you can charter a private jet nonstop between New York and Riyadh, Paris and Singapore, and Los Angeles and Rome.

While the aircraft may appear from the outside to be a Falcon 900 on steroids, with its stretched fuselage and longer wings, there are substantial differences. The wing is more swept and more aerodynamically efficient on the 7X than on past Falcons; it also incorporates winglets to improve performance and composites to save weight and add stiffness. Overall, Dassault claims, the 7X wing offers a “double-digit” performance improvement over previous models.

For the 7X, Dassault selected the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A engine, which offers a generous 7,200 hours between overhauls and is anticipated to meet new Stage 4 anti-noise standards. The 7X also boasts a much quieter interior than its predecessors. The Lord Corp. designed engine mounts and cabin isolators for the aircraft that substantially reduce cabin noise and vibration. Noise-dampening surfaces were also designed to ride between the cabin floor and carpet.

The 7X’s cabin is six feet longer than the Falcon 900’s. The extra length provides room–depending on which of the nine major cabin configurations a customer selects–for forward and aft lavatories, a third flight-deck seat, a crew rest area, more closet space, passenger legroom or a 50-inch-long galley/work area. The forward galley, lav and crew rest areas can be closed off from the main cabin by deploying a pocket sliding door in the forward cabin divider.

A typical cabin configuration includes the forward and aft lavs, galley and three seating areas, including a club seating section with four facing larger executive seats and foldout sidewall tables; a conference grouping with four narrower seats and an electrically activated, folding hi-lo table and opposite sidewall credenza; and an aft stateroom with one or two divans that fold out into beds and/or executive single seats. These three zones have separate climate controls. The environmental system maintains a maximum cabin altitude of 6,000 feet and provides for more even heating than on earlier models.

Dassault also took a fresh approach to cabin lighting in the 7X. Its 28 passenger windows are two inches higher and 20 percent bigger than the windows on the 900, enabling a significantly better field of view and more natural illumination. Emteq LEDs replace traditional fluorescent lighting.

The 7X was the first all “fly-by-wire” (FBW) business aircraft. FBW, first popularized on jet fighters such as Dassault’s Mirage 2000 and Lockheed’s F-16, employs a sophisticated network of computer-controlled, electrically actuated flight-control systems, as opposed to many of the old-style mechanical linkages and hydraulic systems. FBW aircraft respond faster and more precisely to pilot and autopilot inputs, with crisper handling and increased reliability.

To charter a Dassault Falcon 7X, contact RYL’s charter department at 877-391-6161.

The $36.75 million aircraft, which Bombardier conceived in 1999 and began delivering to customers in 2005, is a slightly shorter version of its long-range Global Express XRS. The Global 5000’s cabin is bigger than that of either of the aforementioned competitors, with the widest cross section (just over eight feet at centerline), longest seating area (about 27 feet) and most headroom (six feet, three inches) in its class. The cabin is divided into three 109-inch-long zones with enclosed forward and rear lavatories, a large galley that can support two in-flight meals and an optional rear stateroom. A generously sized baggage compartment is accessible in flight through the rear lavatory.

With its 4,800-nautical-mile range, the 5000 can reach the central U.S. from anywhere in Europe. It can also fly unrefueled from New York to Brazil or from Tokyo to Sidney–and, thanks to its Mach 0.85 cruise speed, it can do this an hour faster than either the Falcon or the Gulfstream. The swift speed comes courtesy of a pair of Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR710A2-20 engines (14,750 pounds of thrust each), from the same family of beefy blowers that power some airliners and business jets, including the Boeing 717 and the Gulfstream 550.

With a ceiling of 51,000 feet, the 5000 can cruise above almost all of the worst weather. The airplane will also likely be able to reach its destination in any but the foulest of conditions, thanks to sophisticated avionics that include the Honeywell Primus 2000XP system and the Thales Heads Up flight guidance system. And while no aircraft is immune from downtime due to mechanical or electrical faults, the Global 5000 has innovative systems that will minimize the impact, including a central aircraft information and maintenance system (CAIMS). This system provides real-time data and can even automatically order replacement parts and provide maintenance personnel with instructions on how to install them.

Then there are the windows. An esoteric sore point for Global Express owners has been the small windows inherited from Bombardier’s regional jet. The 5000 uses these same windows but has a new window that increases the direct line of sight up to 40 percent. Unless you are under age 10, however, you still have to crane your neck down to see anything.

Light-emitting diodes supply the artificial lighting throughout the cabin. The standard installation features white, amber and red for wash lights while red, green and blue mood lighting is an available option. You can control lighting for the entire cabin from a galley touchscreen or from controls at the VIP passenger seat. Reading-light controls are at each seat.

The Global 5000 cabin incorporates the upgradeable Rockwell Collins Airshow 21 system with all the latest bells and whistles, including digital Ethernet and on-demand audiovisual distribution to laptops, high-speed data capability, onboard firewall and dedicated channels for Inmarsat and Iridium satellite communications.

All-in-all the Global 5000’s cabin is comfortable, flexible, innovative and a favorite among many private jet companies. The airplane poses serious competition to Dassault and Gulfstream.

The A319 ACJ fuselage measures 111 feet long, or six inches longer than a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). The passenger compartment is 78 feet long and up to 12 feet 1 inch wide and offers 7 feet 4 inches of headroom. By way of comparison, the cabin on a Gulfstream G550 is 50 feet 1 inch long and on a Bombardier Global Express it measures 48 feet 4 inches. The ACJ cabin is nearly twice as wide as those of a Gulfstream G450 or a Falcon 900EX. However, all of those airplanes are slightly faster than the ACJ, which typically cruises at 460 knots.

The ACJ’s impressive cabin dimensions translate into 850 square feet of floor space and 5,900 cubic feet of volume–more than ample space for any designer to run amok. Showers, master suites, media rooms with giant plasma screens, gourmet galleys–if you can think of it, it probably will fit. For the A319 ACJ, $55 million buys you the basic airframe and a no-frills 18-seat cabin. Anything more comes down to a question of how long you want to wait, and how much you want to spend.

Typically, ACJ cabins are outfitted to seat 18 to 50 passengers. The baggage hold is cavernous and accessible through two giant belly doors that swing open and up. A built-in airstair allows the aircraft to be used even at airports that lack appropriate ground-handling equipment. Optional auxiliary belly tanks can increase full fuel capacity from 6,300 to 10,740 gallons, allowing the ACJ to carry 18 passengers 6,100 nautical miles without refueling.

And Gulfstreams and Globals are the next market that Airbus may chase with the ACJ. In 2005, the company announced a smaller version, the $45 million A318 Elite, which will seat 14 to 18 passengers and have a range of 3,800 nautical miles (4,100 with one auxiliary tank). On the other end of the spectrum, a larger ACJ, the $65 million A320 Prestige, can be configured to seat 18 to 80 passengers and offers up to 1,100 square feet of cabin floor space.

Airbus’ myriad product choices and new North American focus may mean more ACJs will be coming to the market soon. Only a handful of private jet companies can actually grant clients access to these palaces in the sky, and rest assured, RYL is one of them.

To charter an Airbus corporate jet, please contact our charter department at 877-391-6161.

Technologically, the airplane was (and still is) very impressive. It featured a six-screen Honeywell digital avionics system that was extremely advanced for its time. The BMW/Rolls-Royce BR710 engines were lighter and more fuel-efficient than the engines on the GIV, yet generated more thrust. The BR710 was also one of the first engines within the corporate jet market with “full authority digital engine control” (FADEC), a computerized control system that precisely regulates power and fuel consumption. The GV’s 93-foot-long wing holds its entire maximum fuel supply of 41,300 pounds, a large contributor to the aircraft’s 90,500-pound maximum takeoff weight. Even with all that heft, a fully loaded GV can lift off in less than 6,100 feet (in standard conditions) and land to a stop in less than 2,800 feet.

Compared with the GIV’s cabin, the GV’s (at 50 feet) is six feet longer. Overall cabin volume is a capacious 1,669 cubic feet and there are 226 cubic feet of baggage space. GV cabins can be configured in a variety of layouts that generally seat 12 to 14 passengers. Ample natural light comes into the cabin from 14 of Gulfstream’s large signature oval windows. The cabin is 88 inches wide and–at 6 feet, 2 inches high–has true stand-up headroom.

The FAA certified the GV in 1997 and by 2000 Gulfstream had delivered 100 of them. Production continued at an average annual rate of 30, ending in 2003 with the introduction of the G500 and G550 models. These were essentially the same aircraft/engine combination with upgraded avionics and slightly different weight and range numbers (The G550 has a maximum range of 6,750 nautical miles).

But even with these refreshed models and new competition from Bombardier and Dassault, the GV remains the standard by which all other ultra-long-range business jets are judged.

Consider chartering a Gulfstream GV for your next executive jet charter, especially if you are flying long distances with a large number of passengers. This aircraft will get you there safely, and in style.

With a variable cost per hour of $2,221, a range of 1,480 nautical miles, and a normal cruise speed of 462 knots, Bombardier built 262 Lear 31s during its production run. Even though this aircraft appeared in several versions, the bulk of production was the Model 31A, which began appearing in 1991.

Believe it or not, the difference between a Learjet 31 and a 31A is pretty significant. The 31A’s improvements include electronic windshield de-icing and a digital Bendix/King avionics suite that continues to garner pilot praise and has stood the test of time. A year 2000 block change further improved the aircraft, adding full authority digital engine control (FADEC), much needed two-zone climate controls and increased takeoff and landing weights. The 31A is very much a pilot’s airplane that can cruise at 51,000 feet and dominate short runways.

Even though it can usually only accommodate 6 passengers (with executive seating), and has a baggage compartment big enough for just a couple of briefcases (30 cubic feet), the 31 is one tough private jet. So much so that for a better part of two decades, Wal-Mart operated 14 Lear 31s and 31As (most of them used) and put an average of 750-1,000 hours per year on them. During that time, the company’s earnings-per-share tripled, its revenues quintupled and its net income increased tenfold. In 2009 it had revenues of $408 billion and is now the world’s largest company.

Can you credit its Learjet fleet for this performance? Probably not, but having these aircraft at their disposal certainly didn’t hurt.

If you need to get somewhere fast, consider chartering a Learjet 31A, or reaching out to a reputable private jet company that can suggest and secure the ideal aircraft for your trip.

The thin wings and smallish engines gave the aircraft good fuel economy for its size. However, they also gave the G200 poor takeoff performance when heavily loaded, gave it useful-load problems and required some fuel to be stored in the fuselage. However, for the G200 to be a market leader, the aircraft would need a major redesign. Four years ago, therefore, Gulfstream and Israel Aircraft Industries began working on a successor aircraft, the $24 million (2008 dollars) G250. Gulfstream unveiled the design in October 2008. The model is currently being flight-tested and certification is expected in 2011. The G250, which is also largely built and assembled by IAI, retains the G200’s positives and discards all the rest. As expected, the engines, wings and avionics are all new and are predicted to enhance the aircraft’s performance.

Gulfstream is replacing the engines with more powerful Honeywell HTF7250G high-efficiency turbofans, rated at 7,445 pounds of thrust each. Quieter and more fuel efficient, they will power the G250 up to 41,000 feet in just 20 minutes and reduce cabin noise. The redesigned transonic wing considerably shortens the G250’s required takeoff distance under full load. The aircraft will now be able to comfortably use 5,000 foot runways.

While the fuselage is unchanged from that on the G200, Gulfstream optimized it by moving all the fuel into the wings, which created more usable cabin space as well as in flight access to the 154 cubic foot baggage compartment.

Natural lighting comes from 19 cabin windows and LED lighting. In-flight entertainment packages include Iridium satcom system with three headsets, high definition television and larger, 17-inch flat panel standard cabin displays. The G250 employs Gulfstream’s Cabin Essential architecture: All major cabin systems are redundant so that no single-point failure will compromise functionality. Gulfstream says this means “the cabin lighting always illuminates, water is always available and an entertainment source always works”.

Gulfstream made extensive use of various customer advisory teams that operate a broad cross-section of aircraft in the mid-to large cabin categories. Such a meticulous solicitation of customer input during the design phase significantly improves the G250s chances when it comes to the market next year. The bar for super-midsize business jets just got a little higher.

So if you find yourself wanting to charter a Gulfstream G250 across the country, or to your favorite golf course or VIP Hollywood event, give us a call, sit back and enjoy the ride.

The design began in the 1980s by Germany’s legendary Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) and continued through the early 1990s after MBB merged with France’s Aerospatiale to form Eurocopter. The EC135, which received U.S. certification in 1996, is the most popular light twin helicopter ever produced for civil use, with 832 delivered through June of 2010. Contrast that with slightly more than 100 MD 900-series helicopters sold during roughly the same period and 123 Bell 430s produced from 1996 to 2007. As you can see, the market has spoken.

It is a solid single pilot IFR platform, capable of traversing all but the worst weather. The models also comes with a choice of engines, Turbomeca Arrius 2Bs or Pratt & Whitney 206s (the choice of engine dictates the helicopter’s suffix; T for Tubomeca and P for Pratts). Both feature Full Authority Digital Engine Control, a computerized system that makes engine starting easier, improves fuel economy and can reduce maintenance.

With a total variable flight cost per hour of $869.64, an average speed of 120 knots and a range of 262 nm (with all seats full), this $3.3 Million dollar helicopter packs a lot of bang for your buck. Today you can find a used EC135 for around $2.5 Million, which is $300,000 more than your equivalent MD900. The reason? The EC135 has a very big cabin. Measuring 173 cubic feet, the EC135’s cabin is nearly 50 cubic feet larger than a MD902, and almost 72 cubic feet larger than the Bell 427. In EMS configuration, this presents obvious advantages such as having room for two patients or being able to attend to a patient in flight. For executives it means room for five passengers behind the cockpit.

One of the biggest perks to this helicopter is the fact that it’s very quiet. You can land the EC135 on the front lawn without quantifiable complaints from neighbors or an army of lawyers clearing your path. The unique Fenestron anti-torque rotor (10 blades that rotate inside an enclosed housing) gives the EC135 a low noise signature because the sound is distributed over different frequencies. How low? An EC135 has about the same noise profile as a commercial leaf blower!

So the next time your need to rent a helicopter, or charter an air ambulance, keep this EC135 in mind, it could save your life.

Safety is a moving target, and aircraft operators recognize that an accident-free history is no guarantee of future results. The aviation industry has recently taken steps to mitigate the risk of flying even further. Under the new Safety Management System (SMS), the operator of an aircraft creates a formal process to evaluate, minimize and prevent risk exposure. Essentially, SMS helps operators create a feedback loop for preventing small risk-taking actions from turning into incidents and accidents. Many airlines, flight departments, charter and fractional-share operations have already adopted SMS programs, and the FAA is planning to make SMS mandatory in the United States. Not surprisingly, SMS is already required in many other countries.

You can help minimize your exposure to risk my becoming more involved with your flights and by following these recommendations:

• Communicate your desire that safety be the top priority. Let your flight crew know that you’d rather arrive late than take undue risks.
• Implement an SMS in your flight department or fly with charter operators that have implemented one.
• Investigate a specific company’s accident history by using the National Transportation Safety Board’s query tool (www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp) and type the name of the operator in the word string field.

When working with private jet companies, it’s important that you align yourself with a broker or aviation specialist that truly has your best interest in mind. However, it’s essential that you do your own due diligence to ensure that everything is being done to keep you and your loved ones safe.

First delivered in 1987, the GIV followed the wildly popular GIII (which debuted in 1976), and essentially cemented Gulfstream’s reputation as the leading business jet provider of the 1980s. It set speed and distance records in its category, could be configured to seat 15 passengers and was the first business jet to feature winglets as standard equipment. Even though the was great for jumping the pond, Gulfstream customers wanted even more range, more fuel efficient engines and better operating economics.

As a result, Gulfstream began designing a four-engine follow up aircraft to the GIII in the early 1980s. The GIV would be the first business jet to feature an all-glass digital cockpit and a digital flight-management computer. When certified in 1987, the aircraft had a top speed of 500 knots, a range of 4,220 nautical miles and a ceiling of 45,000 feet. Between 1987 and 1993, 213 were produced.

The GIV remains one of the thirstiest jets in its class. A fully loaded GIV weighs 73,000 pounds, and 29,000 of that is fuel! Overall, the airplane weighs 30,000 pounds more than a Dassault Falcon 900 or Bombardier Challenger 601.

GIV customers were able to have completely custom interiors installed, but most featured seating for 12 to 16 with forward or rear galleys, a forward crew lavatory and a main executive lavatory in the rear of the aircraft. A stateroom, complete with one or two berthing divans, can be created in the rear of the aircraft forward of the main lavatory. The generous 169 cubic foot baggage compartment is externally accessible, and the galley can be equipped with a microwave, high-speed/temperature convection oven, two coffeemakers and refrigerated storage.

The current G450 may look similar, but it offers more range, new avionics and digital engine controls, a larger cockpit and redesigned cabin entryway, improved cabin altitude and environmental controls, and lower fuel burn. Of course you’ll pay a lot more for these incremental improvements: new G450s start at $49 million and even an average used GIV-SP can command $15 million.

Ultimately, the GIV delivers solid, predictable performance and is considered by many pilots to be a great workhorse. It’s no wonder why this long range, standup cabin aircraft is a top charter pick for many private jet companies around the world.

To charter a Gulfstream jet, please contact RYL by emailing inquiry@ryljets.com or calling 877.391.6161.

With more passenger legroom and 20 percent less fuel burn than a Beechjet, the Phenom 300’s only downside is the fact that at the moment, the aircraft lacks thrust reversers and the full flap setting is limited to 26 degrees. This means that if you want to take your Phenom 300 into mountainous airports, your pilot needs to bring his A game. The reason: the flap-setting limitation, combined with the aircraft’s slick wing, makes it a pain to slow down and renders approaches into places like Aspen a bit tricky.

The 300 comes in two basic floor plans that accommodate six to nine passengers and allows customers to choose between a full wardrobe or a sink in the externally serviced lavatory. In addition, the galley can be equipped with a hot jug and a wine rack, and the storage compartment can carry golf clubs and skis.

Despite its BMW influence, the 300’s cabin isn’t as refined as the one you’ll find on Cessna’s CJ4, perhaps belying Embraer’s lineage as a commercial airline builder . However, despite this criticism, Embraer is in a great position to ensure their dominance within the light jet market and shake things up within the private jet charter industry.

Whether you’re flying commercially or privately, keep these suggestions and precautions in mind when you travel:

• You should always talk to your primary physician before flying. If you are more than 36 weeks pregnant, many airlines will not let you fly for fear that you’ll deliver on board.
• Try to do the majority of your traveling while in your second trimester (weeks 14-27). Not only will you be more comfortable, but the risk of a miscarriage and preterm labor greatly reduce.
• If you are flying commercially, try to get seats with more leg room, plan to walk in the aisles, schedule several potty breaks, and drink plenty of water.
• You should also avoid traveling to countries that would require immunization.

In addition, here are the answers to the two most common questions I receive:

Will cabin pressure harm my unborn baby?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all commercial airlines and many noncommercial planes to maintain a standard level of cabin pressure (equivalent to 5,000 – 8,000 feet). If you’re a healthy woman with no serious medical problems, you and your baby should have no trouble in a pressurized cabin.

However, if you have severe anemia, sickle cell disease, a history of blood clots, or placental insufficiency, you and your baby may have trouble adapting to the cabin pressure and should probably avoid flying.

Are airport screening machines safe for pregnant flyers?

In most airports, passengers walk through metal detectors, which use a low-frequency electromagnetic field to look for weapons. At such low levels, exposure from a metal detector is considered safe for everyone, including pregnant women.

There are now two new types of body scanning machines being installed in U.S. airports. Both create an image of the surface of your body in order to detect objects hidden under clothes. One, the “backscatter” machine, which uses low-level X-rays, has raised health concerns (the other, the “millimeter wave” machine, which uses electromagnetic waves, is less controversial).

The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) claims the potential for dangerous radiation exposure from the backscatter machine is low and that it doesn’t pose a significant risk to pregnant passengers. The agency says each scan emits less than 1/1,000 of the radiation given off in a standard chest X-ray, or the equivalent of two minutes of high-altitude flight.

So when you are planning your next private jet charter, feel free to reach out to one of our experienced private jet charter specialists who can provide you with the peace of mind that you deserve.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows each airline to decide for themselves which policy they would like to enforce when it comes to accommodating pet air travel. If you use a commercial airline that allows pets, you should always try to bring your pet into the cabin using a pet container or cage. The carrier would be considered carry-on baggage and should be small enough to fit underneath your seat (approximately 10x15x20 inches and weighing less than 40 pounds). Airlines can only allow a certain number of animals in the cabin area at a given time, so you should contact the airline in advance to secure your reservation.

The alternative, which usually applies to larger dogs, involves storing the animal in the cargo hold underneath the aircraft. This option is strongly opposed by humane societies and veterinarians alike because the cargo holds are usually poorly ventilated, loud, and the airlines often neglect to provide the animal with food and water. In addition, the lack of human contact often results in traumatic separation anxiety. However, sometimes this is the only way to economically transport large pets long distances.

If cost is not a discouraging factor, consider chartering an aircraft that can easily accommodate your pet travel needs. When you charter a private jet, inform your broker that you will be transporting pets at time of booking so that the broker can secure an aircraft that is approved by the owner to transport pets. When transporting large dogs, they are counted as a passenger and are either seat-belted in during take-off and landing, or placed in a pet carrier during these times to ensure the animal’s safety. It is imperative that your pet is well trained when pursuing this option because the cost to repair damaged seats, upholstery and carpets is considerable.

Regardless of the method used to transport your pets, the American Veterinary Medical Association strongly discourages the use of sedatives and tranquilizers prior to the flight for cats and dogs. An animal’s natural ability to balance and maintain equilibrium is altered under sedation, which can be dangerous when the animal is moved in flight. In addition, since these animals are exposed to increased altitude pressures, they can succumb to respiratory and cardiovascular problems when sedated or tranquilized.

Being an informed traveler, especially when it comes to pet air transport, is essential when ensuring their health, and your peace of mind.

Warm Regards,

Andres Sistos
President

However, the old adage “every cloud has a silver lining” would serve to be true. Two years after the crash of 2008, the market is slowly returning to a healthy, sustainable level. Inventory of used jets continues to drop, implying that now is the time to buy a private jet, and private jet charter has peaked to cater to the demands of the holiday season.

In my opinion, one of the most significant positives to arise from the crash was that it essentially wiped out a lot of corrupt brokerage firms out there trying to take advantage of private jet travelers by compromising their safety, security and comfort to earn a quick buck. Even though grey chartered flights still exist (almost 50% of chartered flights in the world are chartered illegally), awareness has certainly increased to more and more travelers are learning to spot key red flags when working with a new jet charter company or management firm.

I am proud to say that as other brokerage firms are downsizing, RYL continues to expand its influence around the world. I look forward to a prosperous new year and we at RYL wish you all the best this holiday season.

When it comes to flying domestically, you can fly from coast to coast in just under 5 hours while transporting as many as 14 passengers at a time. The two most frequented private jet airports in the United States include Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in Van Nuys, California, and Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey. When you charter a private jet to Los Angeles or New York, chances are you will take advantage of both of these airports, as they are the most private jet friendly airports in their respected regions.

In regards to cost, when you factor in the amount of time you would spend waiting in line at a commercial airport for both check in and security, and the probability of a delayed or cancelled flight, you would most likely save money flying privately when you factor in the hourly rate of an executive officer, lawyer or consultant. Moreover, when you fill up a jet to its capacity, the cost per seat usually rivals the cost of a first class ticket.

Private jets remain an indispensible component of running a successful nationwide or global company, and its advantages become more and more apparent as the quality of commercial aviation continues to decline.

Agusta merged with Britain’s GKN Westland Helicopters in 2000 and the entire company became a subsidiary of Agusta’s parent firm, the Italian Finmeccanica Group, in 2004. Over the years, Agusta has made many refinements and improvements to the 109, culminating with the introduction of the stretched-cabin 109S “Grand” in 2004.

The A109 quickly became one of the most popular rides for the rotor-borne executive set. A U.S. distributor took out an option for 100 units, and, for a time, Britain’s RAF even used it to transport the royal family and other VIPs. Law enforcement, search and rescue, military and air ambulance variants were also developed over the years. Today more than 540 A109s are operating worldwide.

With a price tag of $3.45 million dollars, the Agusta A109 can have an executive configuration that features a pair of facing benches with room for five passengers. With a total variable flight cost of about $1,075.69 per hour, the Agusta A109 has a range of 260 nautical miles (with a full cabin) and has a maximum cruise speed of 154 knots.

Pilots generally love the way the helicopter handles, and passengers seem enamored with its style. While not inexpensive to operate, it is 20 knots faster than anything else in its category, which makes it perfect for quick trips. So the next time you need to charter a helicopter, serious consider the Agusta A109, as it will certainly get you there in style.

Essentially, the body’s internal clock becomes out of sync with the destination time, as it experiences daylight and darkness at times that are contrary to what it’s used to. Since the body’s internal clock dictates times for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and body temperature, long distance travel upsets your body’s natural rhythm, and as a result, leaves you feeling jet lagged.

As everyone experiences jet lag differently, the speed at which the body adjusts to the new schedule varies greatly. However, crossing only one or two time zones rarely results in the traveler experiencing jet lag.

The symptoms of jet lag vary, but typically include the following:

• Headache
• Fatigue, irregular sleep patterns, insomnia
• Disorientation, grogginess, irritability
• Mild depression
• Constipation or diarrhea

Managing the affects of jet lag during your flight is always advised. Dehydration amplifies the affects of jet lag, and as a result, I encourage my client’s to drink lots of water and stay away from alcohol and caffeine during the flight. In addition, I recommend stretching your legs about every 2-3 hours to help circulate the blood throughout your body.

When it comes to trying to find a remedy, unfortunately there is no magic pill (at least approved by the FDA) that can instantly acclimate your body’s clock to your new environment. However, gradually adjusting your sleeping schedule so that you still get between 7-8 hours of sleep can help reduce fatigue and prevent depression. When the goal is to catch-up with local time, some people recommend avoiding afternoon naps and eating an early and carbohydrate-rich, low-protein dinner.

It is important to note that most chemical and herbal remedies, including the hormone melatonin, have not been tested nor approved by the FDA. With mixed results, few studies have actually tested the use of melatonin for jet lag, so be cautious of distributors advertising the use of this hormone to treat or cure jet lag.

Furthermore, this format is offered within the industry by brokerage firms and the aircraft management companies themselves. Each source has its own distinct advantages. When you charter a private jet from a management company, or more commonly referred to as an Operator, you can anticipate the specific aircraft that will be used, the crew and the preferred FBO. If consistency ensures your peace of mind above all else, especially price, then this may be the appropriate match for you.

However, using a reputable and insured (very rare thing) brokerage firm can provide you with exceptional value and far more options. Unlike Operators, brokerage firms are not limited to any particular fleet, manufacturer, or aircraft category. When you utilize a brokerage firm like RYL, an aviation specialist will reach out to a network of prescreened providers that meet the highest safety standards and negotiate the best rate possible on your behalf. The best part is that brokers will always get special rates that they can pass directly along to the end consumer. This is because the majority of an Operator’s business comes from brokers, and it’s in the best interest of the Operator to provide that broker with a unique rate not available to the general public.

So the next time you want to charter a private jet, think carefully about what you value most, and then start reaching out accordingly. When you decide to align yourself with brokerage firm, make sure you qualify then by reviewing these important tips and facts: Being a Knowledgeable Private Jet Traveler.

1 – 25 hours: On-Demand Private Jet Charter

25 – 400 hours: Jet Card Membership/Fractional Shares

400+: Outright Aircraft Ownership

For Jet Card Membership, this category is then broken down into denomination and hour based Jet Cards. Within the denomination (or debit model) Jet Cards, prepaid amounts are applied to any aircraft category or model, and funds are deducted per-flight based on aircraft category, jet availability, and routing. Members are guaranteed access within a call-out period of 4-12 hours for domestic flights, and have the flexibility to charter any aircraft model in the world.

Hour Jet Cards, also called Fractional Jet Cards, are typically structured as a sublease of a fractional jet share. They are sold as prepaid hours of occupied flight time ranging from 25-35 hours (in 5 hour increments). Even though these Jet Cards grant their members access to various types of aircraft, there are often restrictions as to what days you can actually utilize those hours (i.e. peak travel days).

In today’s economic climate, many companies offer enticing incentives in order to buy your business. It is important that you do your own due diligence to ensure that the company earns your business by providing uncompromised value, comfort and safety.

Compared with its predecessor, the 900EX, this new model will use less fuel and have an extra 300 nautical miles of range, equaling a grand total of 4,800 nautical miles. Due to the Falcon’s unique three-engine design, no other heavy jet has the same safety margins when departing short runways or traversing protracted stretches of water. While that third engine means the Falcon will need more maintenance than a twinjet, a 900 will burn considerably less fuel than the longer and heavier Gulfstream and get you in and out of runways you wouldn’t dare try on a hot day with a Challenger. Ultimately, pilots praise the Falcon’s brisk climb rate, agility and low-speed handling.

Like most new jets, you can outfit the cabin with many in-flight entertainment and information goodies, including sitcom, high-speed internet and mini-televisions. For your next business jet charter, consider chartering a Falcon 900LX, especially if you expect short runways like the ones in Aspen, Colorado and Toluca, Mexico.

1. Cost:  Compared with purchasing, leasing typically improves cash flow over the short term. With leasing you pay only for what you use of the asset, versus outright ownership, where you would pay the full amount.

2. Tax issues:  One of the best reasons for choosing ownership over leasing is the tax benefit that buying outright provides. You can depreciate the value of the aircraft in as little as five years, helping to offset other income and lowering your taxes. However, if profits decline, you might not have much income for a depreciation allowance to offset. This is where leasing might make more sense.

3. Residual Valuation:  Leasing reduces concerns about residual value. Remember, lessors take residual-value estimates into account when writing your lease, and spread the risk over multiple aircraft and a large time span to average out their right and wrong calls on any one lease. Also, it’s important to know current values and ensure that the cost of your lease represents fair market value.

4. Walking away:  Since lease periods are somewhat negotiable, you can lease an aircraft for the amount of time you know you will need it, and at the end of the term walk away without the hassle of disposing of the aircraft.

5. The leaseback:  If you already own an aircraft, you can sell it to a financing company that will lease it back to you. This can be a good way to free up capital and remove an asset from scrutiny, while preserving access to the airplane.

Ultimately, whether you plan to buy or lease, it’s important to do your own due diligence on the matter. After you have formulated a couple of great questions, seek the advice of a private jet company with the experience you need to help you come to an informed decision that truly is in your best interest.

• As an informed flyer, you should understand FAA requirements with regard to child safety and make sure the crew meets them.
• If the child is under the age of two, confirm in advance that the aircraft operator can supply an approved child restraint system. Better yet, bring your own if you can.
• Use a rear-facing child seat for children under 20 pounds and a forward-facing system for larger children and ensure that your child’s weight doesn’t exceed the system’s approved limit.
• Make sure your child is properly restrained for takeoff, landing and during the flight. Turbulence can happen any time and is responsible for most injuries in-flight.
• Confirm that emergency oxygen masks are onboard for every child. Find out where the masks are and how to access them.

This may seem like a scary undertaking, but if you align yourself with the right private jet charter company, they can help ensure a safe and pleasant flight for you and your family.

Coincidently, its unattractive design has made it an ideal aircraft within the aeromedical market because of its low door, which facilitates easy patient loading, range, and attractive price point. One can buy a mid-1980s model for less than $1 million and many are fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks that can boost its range to 2,900 nautical miles. That makes the Westwind the only light jet that can cross the Atlantic or the continental U.S. without refueling. As a result, this aircraft is ideal for those who need to charter a private jet long distances on a tight budget.

The Westwind has other advantages which include a baggage compartment that can hold nearly 1,000 pounds, good short-field landing capabilities, and a maintenance schedule that is based on how many hours you actually fly the aircraft rather than on calendar intervals. In addition, the Westwind’s engines are 13 feet behind the rear cabin bulkhead, making for a quiet interior and a more pleasant experience.

For those thinking of purchasing a Westwind II, the only thing I would be wary of is the fact that this aircraft has a tendency to corrode between the deicing boots, the leading edge of the wing and along the aircraft’s belly. As you can imagine, this can be pretty expensive to fix. However, overall, whether you are looking to buy or charter, this aircraft’s roomy cabin and range make it a valuable option, even if it turns heads…the other way.

Even for those looking for the best of the best, a major cabin upgrade can make more sense than buying a brand new private jet. The wait for a new aircraft, even today, might take two years, during which the definition of the “best of the best” could evolve, prompting work-order changes and delivery delays. If you were to purchase a great used jet, for which the upgrade isn’t likely to take more than six months, the technology you have added will still be relatively new when the airplane is finally delivered.

However, some things to consider is the fact that the availability of good used jets is starting to dwindle, and prices for some models are starting to rise. Also, the recession has driven at least six reputable refurbishment companies out of business. This means that with demand rising, the cost of the work needed to upgrade one’s cabin will also increase.

At the end of the day, refurbishment will undoubtedly cost you less, and provide you with the most value. But there is nothing quite like buying a brand-new jet with the help of the right private jet company, especially for the kind of buyer that just wants to say: “I transferred the money, hand over the keys.

The private jet magazine Aviation International News conducts an annual survey of more than 1,000 FBOs around the world and has compiled a list of the top FBOs you should look out for the next time you charter a private jet.  According to them, here are the top 10 FBOs in the United States:

1)      City of Sugar Land: Sugar Land, Texas at Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR)

2)      Wilson Air Center: Memphis, Tennessee at Memphis International Airport (MEM)

3)      Tampa International Jet Center: Tampa, Florida at Tampa International  Airport (TPA)

4)      AirFlite: Long Beach, California at Long Beach Airport Daugherty Field (LGB)

5)      Pentastar Aviation: Pontiac, Michigan at Oakland County International (PTK)

6)      Meridian Teterboro: Teterboro, New Jersey at Teterboro Airport (TEB)

7)      Banyan Air Services: Fort Lauderdale, Florida at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE)

8)      Million Air: Dallas, Texas at Addison Airport (ADS)

9)      Jet Aviation: West Palm Beach, Florida at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

10)   Business Jet Center: Dallas, Texas, at Dallas Love Field (DAL)

Some notable international FBOs include Skyservice in Toronto; UVavemex in Toluca, Mexico; Irving Aviation Services in Gander, and Tag Aviation in Farnborough, England.

Even though private charter jet service and business aviation in general had a commendable safety record last year, most insurance companies cover both private and commercial aviation aircraft, which means that commercial carriers can severely impact the insurance environment for both business and general aviation.

While the airline’s fatal accident rate has improved dramatically over the last two decades, in the past two years, numerous accidents – including the US Airways A320 that landed in the Hudson River, and Air France A330 that crashed in the South Atlantic and the Yemenia Airways A310 crash near the Cosmoros Islands – have certainly done a number on aviation underwriters. Industry watchers expect 2009 losses to exceed premiums paid by more than $500 million. Ultimately, the return to a hard insurance market seems inevitable. However, there are some strategies to dealing with this:

• Focus on safety:  Insurance underwriters will continue to fight for the business of premier flight departments that embrace a top-level safety culture.
• Shop around:  Make sure your broker is shopping the market for renewals and ask to see what each insurance company quoted on your account.
• Prepare for higher rates:  Make sure you ask your insurance broker for a projection of next year’s premium so that you aren’t hit with a big surprise at renewal. Also keep in mind that the market cycles back and forth from soft to hard, so as long as you plan for rate changes you should be fine.

As one can imagine, lenders today are extremely cautious about financing, and as a result, have become exceptionally mindful of two very important things: the true value of the aircraft, and the qualifications of the buyer. This caution is exemplified by an increase in the amount of due diligence financial institutions require to make sure the airplanes they finance are worth the prices their clients are paying.

Probably the biggest challenge in today’s market is arranging 100 percent financing. It’s not impossible, and many financial institutions claim to offer it for clients with “strong” credit, but in fact most transactions involve 10 percent down or more (lenders will routinely request 15 percent, but will accommodate 10 percent if the customer’s credit warrants it). Also, many lenders will want you to have enough of your own money in the deal to cover any damages to which the aircraft manufacture might be entitled to if you default on a factory new corporate jet.

Interest-rate spreads are also much larger than before the 2008 market crash, but the rates themselves still represent a pretty good deal. To date, 30-day LIBOR is well below 50 basis points, so even though the spreads are many times their pre-crash figures, the overall interest rate remains relatively low (somewhere between 300 and 700 basis points, depending on credit and whether the deal is fixed or floating).

With financing becoming more challenging to obtain, it’s wise to solicit proposals from several institutions. I would also consider contacting a private jet company and seeking a consultant, such as myself, who can help you find the best rates and terms out there. It helps to have someone on your side that not only has experience working with corporate aviation lenders, but that also knows the business from the inside. Ultimately, rest assured that with a little effort, you should be able to find the financing that’s right for you.

The 2011 Citation CJ4, which received FAA certification this past March, is the newest addition to Cessna’s popular CJ series of light twinjets. With a price tag of $8.75 million and a maximum takeoff weight of 16,950 pounds, this aircraft is much more than just another stretched out and updated CJ.

Cessna has introduced a myriad of new design features and technologies into this eight to nine passenger aircraft. It borrowed the slicker wing geometry from its big brother, the Citation Sovereign, and the bigger passenger door from the Citation Mustang. The more powerful William FJ44-4A engines are derivatives of those on the CJ3 and in combination with the improved wing design, allow the aircraft to cruise at 453 knots and climb directly to 43,000 feet.

While these performance upgrades undoubtedly make the CJ4 a better jet, the redesigned passenger cabin is where you are apt to see the most dramatic perks of this new aircraft. The passenger electronics have been upgraded with the Rockwell Collins Venue cabin management system, which allows for iPod connectivity, Blu-ray player, moving maps, a 100-gigabyte hard drive for personal media storage, and 10.6 high-definition monitors.

Want to charter a private jet to Las Vegas from San Francisco, or from Los Angeles to Houston? This business jet can certainly do it with relative ease, and in great style.

Something to keep in mind, however, is that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the office that is in charge of selling surplus government aircraft, makes no guarantee on the quality of the private jets for sale. These aircraft are auctioned off much like the merchandise on eBay, with minimum bids and price reserves. However, spotting a lemon or junker is fairly easy to do, as the sale typically does not command a minimum bid, or the description states that the aircraft is missing a major component you would rather not do without, like an engine.

A new policy within the GSA allows the agency selling aircraft to use the proceeds from a sale, whether from another government entity or to the general public, to acquire replacement property.  Unfortunately, this basically encourages all government agencies to buy new equipment as opposed to seeking out and reusing donated or transferred aircraft from other agencies. However, on the bright side, the sale of the aircraft usually pays for the GSA’s expenses and overhead associated with selling these jets, and as a result, a potential buyer often gets a pretty great deal.

In 2005, Boeing announced the even larger BBJ3, based on the Next-Generation 737-900ER model. The BBJ3 has 1,120 square feet of cabin space and can fly 5,200 miles without refueling with 25 aboard at speeds up to 541 miles per hour. The BBJ3 has 35 percent more cabin volume, weighs 16,700 pounds more at takeoff and is 28 feet longer than the original BBJ introduced in the 1990s. At $69 million, the BBJ3 also costs more. And that’s before the eccentricities of a custom cabin that can cost anywhere between $8 million and $30 million, or much more, depending if you want to add a swimming pool or a bowling alley into the design… seriously, its been done.

Boeing has sold seven BBJ3s to date and delivered three to completion centers.  Want to charter a Boeing Business Jet around the world? This aircraft is probably one of the most expensive jets available for charter, costing anywhere from 10 to 15 thousand dollars an hour (depending on its age and the upgrades inside). But as you can imagine, this private jet charter experience is one you will never forget.

1)         Have a business meeting: people take advantage of the fact that they are in a secure environment away from nosy neighbors ease dropping on sensitive topics or trying to pick up proprietary information.  High ranking employees can discuss openly and safely about an upcoming venture or revolutionary idea.

2)         Shopping: Now that more and more business jets are coming equipped with Wi-Fi and satellite phones, clients can now surf the web looking for that next great deal, or place the winning bid that gets them the classic car they’ve been monitoring on eBay for weeks. In addition, I’ve even arranged to have a tailor accompany a client during his flight so that he could get measured and fitted for a couple of new suits.

3)         Relax: There really is no better place to just sit back and relax than on your own private jet. People find that being ostensibly unproductive for a couple of hours during their flight is exactly what they needed to recharge their batteries and be a lot more productive after they land.

So the next time you find yourself on a private jet rental, rest assured that you truly have the luxury to be as productive (or unproductive) as you want.

The Gulfstream G650 is an ultra long range, high speed business jet that is arguably the new gold standard in private-aviation. As the new flagship of the Gulfstream fleet, it flies faster and farther than any other traditional private jet.

Introduced in 2008, the G650 will carry eight passengers (but can be configured to accommodate up to 18) and a crew of four on nonstop legs of 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km). Want to charter a private jet to Saudi Arabia from New York? Or from London to Buenos Aires? This aircraft will make the trip that much more pleasant and efficient.  With its powerful Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, the G650 will cover shorter distances at a speed of Mach 0.925, beating the Citation X (Mach 9.13) as the fastest business jet available for charter.

In addition to speed and distance, the G650 is the most technologically advanced business aircraft in the sky. The G650 comes standard with many advanced safety features such as Enhanced Vision System (EVS) II, the Head-Up Display (HUD) II and the Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD).

This aircraft will certainly revolutionize the private jet charter industry when it debuts in 2016. With a price tag of $64.5 million, and 200 units already booked, great things are in store for private jet flyers and enthusiasts all over the world. QJMCHD7BH7W9

It’s true that when you buy bulk hours, you usually get a better rate per hour as opposed to traditional on-demand private jet charter. However, with bulk hours, you are usually responsible for fees, taxes and charges that you normally would not have to pay for. A supplier will present you with an hourly rate for the jet, plus a crew cost per hour, and then multiply that number by the number of hours you want to buy. This amount is referred to as the Operational Deposit and should be refundable in the event your plans change. In addition to this amount, you will most likely be responsible for the following fees:

• All Crew Accommodations (Hotel with air conditioning and Internet Access)
• Crew transport between place of work and Accommodation
• Landing and Handling Fees
• Parking and Navigation Fees
• Fuel, or additional fuel if required
• Royalties and commissions
• All taxesand Levies
• Additional Hull War Risk Premiums
• Additional Passenger War Risk Premiums
• All Passengers related cost
• All other crew  positioning (if required)
• Positioning for  scheduled maintenance
• Additional crew
• Crew visas or work permits

The most significant cost from the list above will be fuel. It’s about 10% of the total cost of the trip for Small and Midsized jets, and 15% for Heavy and Ultra Long Range Jets.  Try to negotiate a low fixed cost for fuel, as it usually fluctuates dramatically and can result in insanely high fuel surcharge fees.

Pay very close attention to all the additional out of pocket expenses you are responsible for after the Operational Deposit. These charges will usually make or break a deal.

Finally, the other thing to keep in mind is that when you buy bulk hours on a particular jet, you lose the flexibility of upgrading or downgrading to a different size jet if the need arises. Some suppliers can accommodate this request, but at a high fee.

My recommendation: A denomination based Jet Card. You get the flexibility to charter a private jet on-demand, and prices that are comparable to buying bulk hours. With a debit model Jet Card, prepaid amounts are applied to any aircraft category or model, and funds are deducted per-flight based on aircraft category, jet availability, and routing. Clients are guaranteed access within a call-out period of 4-12 hours for domestic flights and have the flexibility to charter any aircraft model in the world.

RYL recently syndicated a press release that was intended to enlighten private jet travelers as to what to look for when chartering a private jet and choosing a private jet company to represent their best interest. Receiving a great price for a chartered flight should not come with any strings attached, or sometimes, even unknown to the client, a pretty significant disclaimer.

As such, there are several basic features to consider when reviewing and comparing quotes from different jet charter companies:

• Review the quote to see the year of the aircraft being quoted. The year of aircraft can significantly affect the cost of the trip.
• Watch out for recently refurbished aircraft claiming to be entirely new jets. The interior may be immaculate, but the mechanics may need servicing or replacing. And when it comes to flying, safety is paramount.
• Ask if the quoted price includes taxes, specifically a federal excise tax (FET) of 7.5%. Many brokers omit this aspect of the quote when they know the consumer is shopping around with other brokers. This makes their quote seem lower, when in fact it’s probably the same (or even a little more).
• Be cautious of brokers that claim that they own or use their own fleets, or use the term “our jets”. Only those with operational control, such as Operators or Air Carriers have fleets.
• Make sure that as soon as a flight is booked that you receive a third party safety report confirming that the aircraft is in good standing. The report should also state that the aircraft is fully insured.

When working with any private jet broker, it is important to be informed about the choice being made. We at RYL aim to supply information to the private aviation field to better serve our own discerning clientele and any individual looking to charter a private jet for business or personal travel.

I welcome any feedback you may have.

After spending the majority of my life in academia, I have always had a strong affinity towards teaching others about how to achieve peace of mind. And from my experience, this comes from making an informed decision about what’s truly in your best interest. I hope that RYL’s newly launched website and this blog gives you the confidence and security you need to be a safe and efficient private jet traveler.