Very Light Jets, Personal Jets, Personal Aircraft, Microjets, or VLJs

Very Light Jet News

2006-06-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

June 3, 2006: Europeans ponder Very Light Jets
June 2, 2006: Teal Group Counts VLJs
June 1, 2006: Jet Support Services, Inc and Adam Aircraft Announce Tip-To-Tail Care Program
May 31, 2006: Eclipse Is On Target For Certification
May 30, 2006: Come Again? How Many VLJs Are Coming?
May 29, 2006: Small Airports Await VLJs
May 28, 2006: Diamond D-Jet To Debut At Oshgosh
May 27, 2006: Eclipse Maintenance Facility Provides Jobs
May 26, 2006: MBAA Presents VLJ Day
May 25, 2006: Very Light Jets and History
May 24, 2006: Palm Beach County Lands Frequent Flyer
May 23, 2006: Esther Dyson Presents "Flight School" featuring the leaders of the VLJ Biz World
May 22, 2006: CASA- Consortium for Aviation System Advancement carries on work of SATS
May 21, 2006: Regional Airlines Await VLJs
May 20, 2006: VLJs Curry Favor In India's Press
May 19, 2006: Lofty Future For Very Light Jets
May 18, 2006: CharterMatrix To Sell VLJs Empty Seats
May 17, 2006: Excel Jet Accelerates
May 16, 2006: Point2Point Aims For VLJs
May 15, 2006: Travel Options To Include Very Light Jets
May 14, 2006: UKs Air Med Examines VLJs

News Updates Direct From Very Light Jet Magazine

2006-05-13T00:09:00.000-05:00

May 13, 2006: Adam Aircraft President Discusses A700 Progress
May 12, 2006: First Canadian Eclipe Owner Identified VLJs Interest Small Communities
May 11, 2006: Pratts Little Engine Could Bag Big Bucks FAA Budget Covers A380 To VLJs
May 10, 2006: Teal Group Forecasts Green Light For VLJs
May 9, 2006: Swiss JetBird Finds Embraer's Phenom Phenominal
May 8, 2006: Kiplinger's Mr. Kiplinger Signs In On VLJ's

Your Future Vacations- In Taxis!

2006-05-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

Your Future Vacations- In Taxis

By: Captain Bill Strait

Bill lives in Jupiter, Florida and is a worldwide and is a jet captain for a major airline. Mr. Strait and is CEO Palm Beach Airlines www.palmbeachairlines.com and Editor/ Publisher of Very Light Jet Magazine
www.verylightjetmagazine.com

Taxi anyone? Exciting new options are on the horizon! Imagine going on your next vacation or business trip and flying on your own private jet out of your small local airport instead of flying on a huge and impersonal plane out of the huge and impersonal major terminal!

The hub-and-spoke system of air travel has become outdated. Everyone has had quite enough of stopping over in Atlanta or some other hub to get to our final destinations.

It is dawn on the new day in air travel. The “new” aircraft making this possible are the stars of this travel reality show. They are called Very Light Jets or personal aircraft, personal jets, and microjets and correctly VLJs for short and have been in development for nearly ten years. VLJs are generally considered to be a new category of plane because of their smaller cabin size of four to nine passengers and their newly developed and smaller jet engines.

The progressive companies making VLJs include Eclipse, Adam Aircraft, and the familiar Cessna. Reporting advance sales of thousands of these new planes, their customers include air-taxi fleet and charter operators, private owners, and fractional providers. Estimates are that 5,000 to 10,000 of these aircraft will become a familiar part of our airspace by 2015!

VLJ Air-Taxi services plan to use many of the nearly 6000 small airports around the country. Many of these smaller airports throughout the country are being spruced up for their new lives as air-taxi ports.

Several groups are planning to compete for a piece of this new way to travel via air-taxi. POGO is headed by Donald C. Burr, founder of the former airline People Express. Burr says "our intent here is to bring the private-travel market down from CEO level to manager-level people." The reported pricing plan of iFly is to provide a $3 to $4 a mile travel experience. This fare structure compares to retail first-class on most flights.

DayJet of Delray Beach, Florida www.dayjet.com , has placed a large order for these planes under the direction of system software expert Edward Iacobucci.

Ultimately competition in the marketplace will reduce the price of VLJ air-taxi seats and this VLJ air taxi travel option will become available to all air travelers.

Will we be comfortable in these Very Light Jet Air-Taxis? Will our kids miss running up and down the aisles and harassing the flight attendants? Pack light because Very Light Jet Air-Taxis are coming soon to a (small) airport near you! Taxi anyone?

Eight Huge Days Of VLJs!

2006-05-07T16:25:00.000-05:00

May 7, 2006: Which VLJ Did You Say?
May 6, 2006: Eclipse Certification On Track
May 5, 2006: Europe To See VLJ in 2006
May 4, 2006: Eclipse Announces Eastern Euro. Distributor
May 3, 2006: Embraer Sales Bonanza
May 2, 2006: VLJ's -What Every Pilot Needs To Know
May 1, 2006: Very Light Jets Reach For The Skies
Apr. 30, 2006: VLJs Are Big Boy Toys

Great VLJ Article

2006-05-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

Very Light Jets- What Are They And Are They Safe?, for the May /June issue of Managing The Skies (Page 14):http://www.faama.org/news/mts/MTS0506.pdf

Nine Days of Very Light Jets, Personal Aircraft, Personal Jets, and of course VLJs

2006-04-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

CLICK THE LOGO TO READ THE MAGAZINE

Apr. 29, 2006: OurPLANE To Host NYC's First Eclipse
Apr. 28, 2006: User Fees and VLJ
Apr. 27, 2006: Day Jet Produces Jobs
Apr. 26, 2006: Embraer Lagacy and Their Phenom 100
Apr. 25, 2006: Time For Eclipse!
Apr. 23, 2006: VLJs Ride The Wave
Apr. 22, 2006: VLJs Lure Airline Customers
Apr. 23, 2006: VLJs Ride The Wave Apr. 22, 2006: VLJs Lure Airline Customers Apr. 21, 2006: Diamond D-Jet Completes First Flight
Apr. 21, 2006: Diamond D-Jet Completes First Flight

TEN BIG DAYS OF VLJs

2006-04-21T05:23:00.000-05:00

Apr. 20, 2006: VLJ Parachutes Opening Later
Apr. 19, 2006: LaBarge To Build Eclipse Harnesses
Apr. 18, 2006: Adam Announces New VP Manufacturing
Apr. 17, 2006: VLJs in London
Apr. 16, 2006: Canadian Certification of PW615F- To Power Mustang
Apr. 15, 2006: Very Light Jets and Aviation Safety
Apr. 14, 2006: VLJ Growth
Apr. 13, 2006: Making The Leap From Pistons To VLJs
Apr. 12, 2006: Embraer Raises Phenom 100 Price
Apr. 11, 2006: Linear Air Strengthens Lead

Wonderful Week of Very Light Jet World News

2006-04-14T19:07:00.000-05:00

Apr.10, 2006:DayJet Cancels Rollout Announcement

Apr. 9, 2006: VLJs Only Way To Travel

Apr. 8, 2006: EBACE and VLJs

Apr. 7, 2006: ATA and Eclipse

Apr. 6, 2006: VLJ Success in Europe

Apr. 5, 2006: LINEAIR and VLJs

Apr. 4, 2006: Eclipse Breaks Ground on Mtc. Facility

Very Light Jets For The Week!

2006-04-02T23:51:00.000-05:00

Apr. 3, 2006: EBACE Draws VLJ Crowd
Apr. 2, 2006:Avocet Pro-Jet Out of the VLJ Game
Apr. 1, 2006: Very Light Jets Storm England
Mar. 31, 2006: Wal- Mart To Sell Eclipses
Mar. 30, 2006: Avidyne and VLJs
Mar. 29, 2006: Good For P&W, Good For VLJs
Mar. 28, 2006 The Sky Is The Limit in VLJs!

Eight Days of VLJs!

2006-03-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

Click Magazine Logo for More VLJ News

Mar. 27, 2006: On With The VLJ Show News
Mar. 26, 2006: British Firm To Help Eclipse
Mar. 25, 2006: VLJs To Shake..
Mar. 24, 2006: Congress Goes to Wichita
Mar. 23, 2006: Ides of March and VLJs
Mar. 22, 2006: VLJs and User Fees
Mar. 21, 2006: Congress Studies VLJ Noise
Mar. 20, 2006:New Breed of Jet To Get Off The Ground

Eight days of VLJs...

2006-03-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

Mar. 19, 2006:Embraer Phenom 100 in Wikipedia

Mar. 18, 2006:FLUG Reviews Spectrum 33

Mar. 17, 2006: Epic VLJ in Utah

Mar. 16, 2006:Adam Announces Progress

Mar. 15, 2006:VLJ's and ATA

Mar. 14, 2006: Eclipse's Rayburn on ATA and User Fees

Mar. 13, 2006:Spaceships vs VLJs

Mar. 12, 2006: Eclipse Prepares For Delivery

Very Light Jets and Aviation Safety by Bill Strait

2006-03-11T20:23:00.000-05:00

Very Light Jets are coming! They will be arriving soon at an airport near you. Can they be safely integrated into our US National Airspace System (NAS)? The NAS is in charge of all aircraft that are in motion at any given moment, both U.S. civilian and military craft flying over domestic airspace.

Can the altitudes and airspace previously reserved for the exclusive use of our corporate jets and commercial airliners safely make space for these new planes? Can the system safely consolidate the VLJ pilots with their varying levels of experience? These questions are on our minds as aviators as we awaken to the dawn of this new day in air transport technology.

NBAA defines Very Light Jets (also known as Microjets, or VLJs), as "Jet aircraft weighing 10,000 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight and certificated for single pilot operations. These aircraft will possess at least some of the following features: (1) advanced cockpit automation, such as moving map GPS and multi-function displays; (2) automated engine and systems management; and (3) integrated autoflight, autopilot and flight-guidance systems." The definition is from the National Business Aircraft Association Training Guidelines for Single Pilot Operations of Very Light Jets and Technically Advanced Aircraft.

VLJs were spawned by the NASA lead Small Aircraft Transportation System or SATS program. This innovative initiative aimed to provide safe air travel in all weather, in new single-pilot aircraft, with advanced navigation systems. SATS proposed the utilization of 5400 smaller airports in the US so we could enjoy point-to-point travel in modern aircraft at affordable prices.

SATS observed that 75% of people and cargo passes through 29 hubs which were over- crowded. By using the public airports accessible to most everyone in the US instead of the hubs, the program promised many advantages:
Separation and sequencing of multiple aircraft operating at airports without ground based radar and communications systems resulting in higher system traffic volume.
Safer aircraft takeoff and landing operations in poor weather at minimal equipped airports and lower minimums for operations because of advanced avionics.
Make more single-pilot operations possible with improved technology.
Incorporate large numbers of small aircraft into the National Airspace System for better airspace utilization.

The long-term vision of SATS was “to enable a safe travel alternative that will free people and products from the constraints of today’s ground and air transportation systems.” Government funding of the five year $150 Million dollar program ended in June of 2005. The SATS funding combined with private investment and the promise of a new and profitable era of air transportation has made VLJ travel an eminent reality! Is the system ready?

The G/A community, corporate aviation, airline industry, and members of the flying public have expressed safety concerns about the rapidly approaching fleet of VLJs. The specter of their arrival placing unacceptable burdens on our air traffic control system is a growing concern.

The FAAs own recent estimate of aircraft entering the NAS is 4,500 additional aircraft over the next 10 years. FAA also predicts a 300% increase in system demand by 2025!
Some of the air traffic control equipment still in use is from the 1950s. In June of 2005, House Report 109-153 recommended over $1.5 Billion for new air traffic control facilities and equipment. Full report: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/R?cp109:FLD010:@1(hr153). This funding may be the key to gate of safety in future air travel.
The burden of additional aircraft on the system is real. The arrival of the VLJs is not the cause. They only represent a small portion of the forecast exponential growth in air traffic. Many of the VLJs will be arriving as replacements for obsolete aircraft which results in no net gain of air traffic. They are also not arriving all at once. Many of the larger orders to charter operators of the VLJs actually have staggered delivery dates. These controlled-growth factors should provide sufficient opportunity for the air traffic system to respond safely.
The safety of the NAS with the infusion of pilots with large variations in flight experience levels is another area of concern. The pilots of these innovative machines will be transitioning G/A pilots and pilot owners, or the pilots for the corporations, fractionals, and air taxi operations. This mix of pilot experience has demanded a new standard in flight training to balance the air safety equation.
The National Business Aircraft Association, in cooperation with NBAA Safety Committee issued their recommendations in their “NBAA Training Guidelines for Single Pilot Operations of Very Light Jets and Technically Advanced Aircraft.” Their report was compiled in association with:
NBAA Safety Committee
FAA/Industry Training Standards
Adam Aircraft
Cessna Aircraft Company
Eclipse Aviation
Insurance underwriters
Training providers
This NBAA guideline offers minimum pilot qualifications to include a Private pilot license, multi-engine rating, and instrument rating. Skills and prior knowledge of basic autoflight procedures, basic FMS (Flight Management Systems), and weather radar were also recommended. Full NBAA report is available at http://web.nbaa.org/public/ops/safety/vlj/1.php#1.2
Training plans disclosed by the manufacturers will be type-rating based. Cessna has signed with long-time partner FlightSafety International for their Mustang training. Eclipse is using United Services, a division of United Airlines, for their Eclipse 500.

The NBAA also recommends that upon completing the training program, the pilot, training provider, and the insurance underwriter determine the need for a mentor pilot.
The report further states that “mentors should be selected from experienced pilots that have ATPs and are type rated in jet aircraft that have technically advanced systems similar to the VLJ in which they will mentor. The prospective mentor needs to be recognized by both the aircraft manufacturer and the insurance underwriter as meeting these criteria. In addition, it is recommended that a training program on the specific aircraft in which they will mentor be completed.”

Many of the Part 135 Very Light Jet operators have expressed an interest in hiring pilots form the cadre of mandatory retired former airline pilots. Their expectation is that the high levels of maturity, airline based training and flight experience will add an element of safety. These progressive operators plan to use this group as a possible advantage as they build experience with insurance underwriters.

It appears that the NBAA and VLJ manufacturers, FAA, training organizations, and the insurance industry have converged to formulate a plan to insure the safety of this next wave in aviation. They have taken definitive steps to assure that the mix of pilots flying the new entrant VLJs will be trained to the highest standards available. They have collectively forged solid training programs based on NBAA guidelines to assure the collective safety and successes of the fledglings called Very Light Jets.

The Very Light Jets are almost outside our pressurized and polarized windows. Standby…

VLJs Are The Rage!!

2006-03-11T20:20:00.000-05:00

Mar. 11, 2006: Adam Appoints Craig Johnson COO
Mar. 10, 2006: Sir Richard Branson Eyes VLJs
Mar. 9, 2006 : FAA Forcasts For VLJs

Very Light Jets DOMINATE The News!

2006-03-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

Mar. 8, 2006: College Makes room For VLJ Studies

Mar. 7, 2006: VLJs Pay The Way

Mar. 6, 2006: VLJ Use To Match Fractionals

Mar. 5, 2006: Very Light Jets Poised

Mar. 4, 2006: You Don't Have To Be Rich...

Mar. 3, 2006: Brits Buy Very Lights

Very Light Jet Reports

2006-03-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

Mar. 2, 2006: Embraer in the news!
Mar. 1, 2006: VLJs Cause Airline Turbulance
Feb. 28, 2006: Tiny Jets May Usher In New Era: FAA
Feb. 27, 2006: VLJ Fleets on the Way..
Feb. 26, 2006: Whisper Jets are the VLJ BUZZ

Very Light Jet Dsitributorships Available

2006-03-03T21:08:00.000-05:00

$400,000 Initial Deposit Required
Call for areas of availability.
Bill Strait
CEO
Palm Beach Airlines, LLC
561-714-6272
strait@palmbeachairlines.com

VLJs WEEKLY UPDATE

2006-02-25T00:19:00.000-05:00

Feb. 25, 2006: Small-Jet Market Heats Up
Feb. 24, 2006: Cessna's Pelton and VLJs
Feb. 24, 2006: MCATS and Very Light Jets
Feb. 23, 2006: Airport Expansions For VLJs
Feb. 22, 2006: Aviation Composites for Very Light Jets
Feb. 21, 2006: ST Engineering and Adam Aircraft in Strategic Alliance
Feb. 20, 2006: VLJs Come to Town
Feb. 19, 2006: Betting BIG on Small Jets

BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR TRAVELOCITY FRIENDS...
CLICK HERE FOR COMMERCIAL TRAVEL! AVIATOR TRAVEL PORTAL

Very Light Jets Move and Shake...

2006-02-19T00:06:00.000-05:00

Feb. 18, 2006:Very Light Jets Are Set ...

Feb. 17, 2006: Eclipse Aviation Wins Collier Trophy

Feb. 16, 2006: Airport Spruces Up For Very Light Jets

Feb. 15, 2006: NTSB Chairman's Comments Include VLJs

Feb. 14, 2006: Embraer Bets On Private Jets

VLJs ARE THE NEWS!

2006-02-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

Feb. 13, 2006: Aviation Set To Soar...With Very Light Jets!

VLJs Make The News

2006-02-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

Feb. 14, 2006: Aviation Set to Soar...with VLJs

So You Don't Need The Whole Very Light Jet? By Bill Strait

2006-02-12T23:09:00.000-05:00

Many of us are searching for the most cost effective way to own our VLJ. Very Light Jet Magazine called in the experts to help us with this. Randall P. Sanada and his company, Jet-Alliance, have found the formula to make that dream a reality for many of us. Jet-Alliance is the company with a very innovative and cost effective way to enjoy the benefits of VLJ ownership at a fraction of the cost of an entire aircraft.

We are interviewing Jet-Alliance Chairman Randall P. Sanada: In August 2000, Mr. Sanada co-founded Jet-Alliance. and has been serving as its Chairman. He has also started a number of businesses in the areas of aviation, financial services, real estate, storage services, and wealth management. Each mature venture has delivered positive returns to investors as a result of his selection of experienced team partners to manage the operations of each business. Randall is a licensed pilot and his business education includes two bachelor degrees, two master's degrees and three professional credentials. ...

VLJM: Randall please explain your concept of fractional ownership:

RANDALL: We refer to our concept as a “Fractional Alliance.” It is similar to other fractional jet ownership programs, but without so many fingers in the pie. We formed our program around the needs of our own family and the other families we serve in our wealth advisory businesses. We simply share in the actual costs of ownership and operations of the aircraft that we own together. Included in these costs is a modest administrative fee to Jet-Alliance. As a result, others can now join our Alliance and actually experience “affordable jet ownership.”
The purchase price starts at $81,000 for a 1/16th ownership in an Eclipse 500 Jet. Ongoing ownership fees start at $15,000 per year to cover the costs of insurance, taxes, pilot salaries and other fixed expenses. Finally there are usage fees amounting to $650 per occupied hour of aircraft operations to cover fuel and engine reserves. There are no charges for aircraft repositioning or “deadheads.”
For those who need a refresher on the concept of fractional jet ownership, it is simply based on the principle of sharing costs with others. For those of us who still pay attention to our finances, it is difficult to justify the sole ownership of an aircraft that we can’t possibly find time to use but a fraction of the time. It makes better sense to partner with a few others and keep the aircraft flying a higher percentage of the time at a much lower cost to each owner. The only problem occurs when one of your partners has the aircraft in use, just when you need it. The solution is simple; instead of a few owners partnering around a single aircraft, a large number of owners partner around a fleet of identical aircraft. Thus, when the aircraft you own is in use by another owner, another one from the fleet is made available to you whenever you need it, 24/7.
When you combine the above concepts with the pricing efficiencies now available with the revolutionary Eclipse 500 Jet, more people can finally afford travel by private jet and avoid the hassles of public transportation. Eclipse Aviation is the first manufacturer to offer equipment in the new Very Light Jet (VLJ) category of aircraft. Jet-Alliance is acquiring a fleet of Eclipse 500 Jets to accommodate its Members’ transportation needs.

VLJM: Randall, how can we contact Jet-Alliance to purchase our fractional share or for additional information about your innovative Fractional Alliance program?

RANDALL: For more information about Jet-Alliance, go to http://www.Jet-Alliance.com. (don’t forget the - ), or email us at info@Jet-Alliance.com. Contact person.. Lee Falberg, LFalberg@Jet-Alliance.com, Katie Lien, KLien@Jet-Alliance.com, and Randall Sanada, RSanada@Jet-Alliance.com, are the primary contacts for now. Our phone number is 866-Jet-Alliance (866-538-2554). VLJM: Thanks Randall for your time, interest, and participation in Very Light Jet Magazine!
(For those of us looking to make entire aircraft or fleet purchases of Very Light Jets, links are provided directly to the sites of the manufacturers competing in the Very Light Jet arena.. CLICK HERE!)

2006-02-12T22:56:00.000-05:00

Feb. 12, 2006: Can A Taxi Fly..
Feb. 11, 2006: Eclipse Scores In Wikipedia

ADAM A700 GAINS ORDERS!

2006-02-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

Feb. 10, 2006: Adam A700 Very Light Jet Soars!

Feb. 10, 2006: VERY LIGHT JET MAGAZINE OFFERS ADVANCE SIGN-UP FOR PRINT EDITION !!
Very Light Jet Magazine Online Edition is a FREE aviation publication. CLICK HERE for e-mail notice of print subscription availability! Why subscribe? Very Light Jet Magazine Print Edition will include in-depth interviews with the people who move and shake the world of VLJs!

VLJ DAILY News Updates

2006-02-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

Feb: 9, 2006:Spectrum 33 Makes Second and Third Successful Test Flights.

Feb. 8, 2006:Spectrum Chooses Cutting-edge Composite for Spectrum 33.

Feb. 7, 2006:VLJ Manufacturers Choose Materials Carefully: The VLJ manufacturers have the choice of using metal- aluminum and alloys (like aluminum and lithium) - in their construction or the newer composite materials. The advantages of the metal construction are ease of manufacture and the availability of tools for maintenance and an abundance of skilled craftsmen. The major disadvantage is the weight penalty and it's resultant fuel consumption. Composite construction is becoming the choice of VLJ and many other aircraft manufacturers because it offers substantial weight reductions.This comes with increased cost and temperamental construction. The decision of which material to use in VLJ construction is complicated by considerations for projected fuel price increases. More on aviation use of composites? Click here.

Very Light Jet News and Views!

2006-02-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

Feb. 6, 2006: First Adam Production-Spec A700 Flies!

Feb. 5, 2006: Cessna Mustang Pratt & Whitney VLJ Engine receives Transportation Canada Type Certification.

Feb. 4, 2006: Very Light Jets Seen As Future!

US Air Force Calls VLJ Manufacturers To Arms

2006-02-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

The Air Force has taken note of the emerging VLJ technology and has invited their manufacturers to formally fall in and present their wares. This is no surprise. Engine manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney and Williams don't often commit development funds to strictly civilian projects.

This recent military interest also goes a long way toward explaining the upper echelon funding the world of VLJs has garnered.

We reported the obvious military applications of Very Light Jets in early 2002 in our VLJ News column. Stay tuned for more developments in VLJs military applications.

Here is the link to the Air Force request to the manufacturers:
http://www.pixs.wpafb.af.mil/pixs_solicitation.asp?id=4263

Very Light Jets The Emerging Travel Technology

2006-02-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

Very Light Jets! The Emerging Air Transport Technology

By: Bill Strait
Captain Bill is CEO of Palm Beach Airlines at www.palmbeachairlines.com and Founding Editor of Very Light Jet Magazine at www.verylightjets.com. In his spare time he flies international in the the MD-11 for a major freight carrier.

Exciting new options are on the horizon for our future commercial air travel vacations and business trips! The hub-and-spoke system of air travel has become outdated. Flying through Atlanta to get to anywhere on the planet is routine.

National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) Fact Book 2004 reports that 30 out of the 550 commercial airports in the U.S. account for 70% of all of our air travel. Our skies are crowded around many major airports and the air traffic control system is rapidly approaching capacity. NBAA also reports that there are 5300 available satellite airports in the U.S. Many of these underused airports could be used by small jets to relieve this situation. "Very Light Jet" air transport technology is on track to make this a reality.

Very Light Jets are identified by other names including VLJs, Microjets, and Personal Jets. Their manufacturers are scheduled to begin deliveries worldwide within the next twelve months. With manufacturers reporting advance sales of thousands of these new planes, their customers are comprised of owner/ pilots, air-taxi fleet and charter operaters, private owners, and fractional providers.

Very light jets are considered to be a new category of plane because of their smaller cabin size compared to other business jets and they weigh less than 10,000 lbs. They are also powered by a group of newly developed and smaller jet engines.

Many groups are planning to compete for a piece of this new way to travel. These entrepreneurial efforts include a team headed by Donald C. Burr, founder in 1980 of the former airline, People Express. On March 29 Burr, his son Cameron, and associates made a Securities and Exchange Commission filing for their Very Light Jet Company, iFly Air Taxi. The name has been changed to POGO.

Burr says "our intent here is to bring the private-travel market down from CEO level to manager-level people." The reported pricing plan of POGO is to provide a $3 to $4 a mile travel experience. This fare structure compares to retail first-class on most flights.

The commoditization of these Very Light Jet air-taxi seats will make this travel option available to progressively larger segments of air travelers.

The aircraft at the heart of this breakthrough technology will have one or two engines, glass cockpits, and seats for four to nine passengers. Their range will be over 1000 miles and they will fly at a speed of 340 to 380 knots and up to FL410. The turbofans that power these rockets produce 700 to 1700 pounds of thrust and weigh 200 to 300 pounds!
The VLJs will be certified and equipped to fly with a single pilot but most of the planes will likely be flown with a crew of two.

NASA's General Aviation Propulsion Program (GAP) ran from 1996 until 2002 on a mission to deliver a selection of vastly improved performance-to-price ratio General Aviation engines.

NASA and Williams International participated in the turbine portion of the GAP cooperative agreement and developed the FJX-2 turbofan. This prototype engine weighed 85 pounds and ultimately produced over 700 pounds of thrust with a thrust-to weight ratio over 8.2, the highest in commercial turbofan history!

The FJX-2 program inspired the development of the GE/ Honda HF118, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F, and Williams International FJ33, which are the production engines for the Very Light Jets. There are also many military applications for these new engines beyond their use in commercial aviation.

The aircraft are in various stages of manufacture and certification. Adam Aircraft Industries, Avocet, Aviation Technology Group, Cessna, Diamond Aircraft, Eclipse, Embraer, Epic, Eviation, Excel-Jet, Honda-Jet, Maverick, Scion, Spectrum, and others are at the starting line. Which manufacturers will win the high-stakes race?

What about our future vacations and business travel? Will we be comfortable in these small Very light jets? Will our kids miss running up and down the aisles and harassing the flight attendants? Will our spouses complain about the size of the bathrooms?

Stay tuned!

Comments To:
strait@verylightjets.com
©2006 Palm Beach Airlines, LLC