Cheap' microjets take to the skies

When it comes to high-performance aircraft, of course, inexpensive is a relative term. The Eclipse 500 very light jet, sometimes called a microjet, costs about $1.5 million but boasts the same performance as rivals that can cost two or three times as much to purchase and operate.

Translated, this means a remarkable backlog of orders. At a recent aviation expo at the airport here, a representative said the Albuquerque, N.M.-based company already has orders for 2,400 of the Eclipse 500 jets that won't be filled until August 2008 for deposits placed today.

"We've really identified five primary market segments," said Matt Brown, an Eclipse sales manager. Those include corporations that may not want or be able to afford a more expensive jet, pilot training and air taxi services.

The last category is the most interesting--and the most controversial. The Federal Aviation Administration has predicted that the use of private business jets will triple because of microjets' lower costs. In theory, at least, that could mean more crowded skies and increased delays at larger airports where microjets would share space with commercial carriers.

Even without microjets, delays are on the rise. "In the first quarter of 2005, arrival delays were up 17 percent over the first quarter of 2004, and affected more than 25 percent of all flights," Kenneth Mead, the Transportation Department's inspector general, told a U.S. Senate panel.

Video: Hey, wanna buy a little jet? 

Eclipse Aviation is selling ultralight jets for around $1.5 million. Here, sales manager Matt Brown shows off one of the planes.

Mead warned that microjets such as the Eclipse 500 have the "potential to further crowd dense airspace" and predicted that 4,500 of them will be in use by 2016.

One large user could be DayJet, which said last year that it had already ordered 239 Eclipse 500s with an option to buy 70 more. "This is a transportation system that adapts to your needs," Ed Iacobucci, founder of software maker Citrix Systems and the man behind DayJet, said at the time. "It is not about serving New York to Atlanta. It is more about serving the secondary and tertiary markets with a point-to-point network."

Microjet proponents dismiss concerns about congestion as unfounded, arguing that advances in technology will permit planes to depart airports in quicker succession and saying that small jets can land at general aviation airports that larger planes simply can't.

The Eclipse 500, for instance, is believed to be the first jet to fly into San Carlos Airport located just south of San Francisco, during a test flight in December. San Carlos' runway is 2,600 feet long and the Eclipse requires just 2,155 feet for takeoff and landing in normal sea level conditions--a fraction of what a 757 requires. (The Eclipse 500 is awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, which the company expects by the end of the second quarter of this year. Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn is a Microsoft alum and Bill Gates is a large investor.)

Eclipse is not alone in trying to find ways to tap the $1.5 million to $3 million market for very light jets, which generally means six to eight seat planes that can fly for about 1,400 miles without refueling, at speeds of 400 to 500 mph.

A production version of Adam Aircraft's A700 microjet made its first flight in February and is expected to cost $2.25 million. Embraer's forthcoming Phenom 100 jet will cost $2.85 million and have a range of 1,160 nautical miles.

Cessna, meanwhile, is testing a six-seat microjet called the Citation Mustang. Delivery is expected by the end of 2006 with a cost of about $2.4 million, and specifications include a cruise speed of 391 mph and a takeoff distance of 3,120 feet.

10 Fastest Jet Aircraft In The World

Jet Aircraft are powered by jet engines and move much faster as compared to the propeller-powered aircraft. You can see a jet aircraft at a certain place before your sound can even reach there! Yes undoubtedly some of the jet aircraft even move faster than the speed of sound. The concept of jet aircraft was first given by two engineers, Frank Whittle of UK and Hans von Ohain of Germany.

Top 10 fastest jets are as follows:

10: General Dynamics F-111 “Aardvark”

It was developed in 1960’s by US and it is in active use of the Royal Australian Air Force. Its max speed is 2.5 Mach/ 2.5 times faster than the speed of sound. Aardvark is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-100 afterburners turbo fans.

9: MIG 31 Foxhound

It is produced by Russia and is an advanced version of MiG-25 FoxBat. The max speed of Foxhound is 2.83 Mach or 1860 mph and it is driven by two SoloveivD-30F6 afterburners turbo fans. Foxhound has the capability to produce 34,172 lbf of dry thrust.

8: F-15 Eagle

A product of USA, F-15 Eagle is powered by double Pratt & amp; Whitney F100 axial-flow turbofan with an ability to produce 29,000 lbf of thrust. It has a max speed of 2.5 Mach.

7: XB-70 Valkyrie

It has a max speed of 3.1 Mach and is produced by USA. It is powered by 6 General Electric YJ93-GE-3 afterburning turbojet machines.

6: Bell X-2 Starbuster

This jet comes with a sad but successful history with it. It is produces by USA and was a research project with ability to cross Mach 3. Lt.Col. Frank K. “Pete” Everest in November 1955 was the first one to test this jet and he flew this thing above Mach 3 but unfortunately, this took his life as well. It was indeed a despondent incident. Starbuster is powered by two-chamber XLR25 sea level thrust throttle-able engine.

5: Mig-25 “Foxbat”

It is produced by Russia and is really pragmatic in functioning at high altitude above 80,000 feet. Its max speed is 3.2 Mach and is powered by twin Tumansky R-15B-300 afterburning turbojets.

4: SR-71 BlackBird

It was developed by Lockheed Corporation, USA in the 1960’s and is the upgrade version of U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. It is powered by 2 Pratt $ amp; Whitney J58-1 continuous –bleed afterburning turbojets with a capability to supply 32,500 lbf thrust each. It can fly as high an altitude as 100,000 feet with 3 times the speed of sound (3.5 Mach). It was in use by USAF for 40 years and was retired in 1998.

3: X-15

With the max speed of 6.72 Mach, X-15 is the 3rd fastest jet aircraft. Its engine is Thiokol XLR99-RM-2 liquid fuel rocket engine that uses liquid oxygen us fuel. It can fly as high as 354,330 feet.

2: X-43A

This jet is fueled by Hydrogen and can move at a speed of 9.8 Mach. The credit goes to the supersonic-combustion-ramjet. It is produced by USA.

1: Space Shuttle

The fastest plane in the world is powered by 3 assemblies that contain reusable Orbiter Vehicle or OV, the external tank or ET which is fueled by LOX/LX2, and 2 reusable solid rocket boosters or SRB which are powered by MMH/N204. Its max speed is more than 20 Mach.

Reasons for owing Jet Plane

How much does it cost to buy a private plane? 

If you aren't very particular, and don't need much of a plane, you can buy an old used but still flyable Cessna 152 for as low as $10k. Although if you want something safe, you'll probably spend more like 15k to 20k. 

If you want to be able to actually go places & take people with you, you'll need something along the lines of a Cessna 172. Which goes used for between 30k and 50k. 

A newish 172 or 182 with modern glass cockpit & all goes for over 80 to 100k 

One of the more popular 4-seaters right now is the Cirrus SR-22, it's all carbon composite & modern, I understand it goes for about $250k 

And if you want a new Beechcraft Bonanza, Cadillac of the sky, you'll speend around 700k 

And that's just the singles. 

At the other end of the spectrum, larger jets, such as the Gulfstream, can go for 40 million... And you could spend over 100 million for a decked-out BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) 

And don't forget maintenence, for every $100 you spend flying it, count on spending another $50 fixing it/licensing it/insuring it. 

The old adage is true... If it rolls, floats, or flies, its cheaper to rent than it is to buy. 

Gulfstream G550 Aircraft 

Price: $60,000,000 

Cessna 150 aircraft ready for takeoff

Price: $12,000

Inside a Piaggio P180 Avanti II Twin-Engine Turboprop Business Aircraft

Price: $22,000,000

Two aerobatic planes flying over Washington DC 

Price: $400,000 each 

The 8 principal reasons why you should buy a private plane 

                                                  1. Flying for pleasure 

                                                  2. Flying for business trips 

                                                  3. Using a plane for crop-dusting 

                                                  4. Aerial photography 

                                                 5. Adventure, becoming a bush pilot 

                                                  6. Skywriting 

                                                  7. Airplane aerobatics 

                                                  8. Aircraft racing 

How to Buy Fractional Ownership of a Jet Plane

Instructions

Step1 Contact a fractional program provider. Fractional ownership in an aircraft employs similar provisions to time-share companies. You buy stakes in an aircraft and the vessel is available to you for a portion of the overall time. There are several companies that offer the service, but they do so with differing rules and policies. It is important to customize an ownership plan with a company that works for you and your needs.
Step2 Decide what your flight requirements are. Before you can choose an aircraft or a company, you must first decide upon the type of flying you will be doing, when and where, and how many passengers you anticipate on an average flight.
Step3 Choose an aircraft. The size of an aircraft determines not only its passenger capacity but also its speed and travel distance between refuels. Light jets are the smallest, with the fewest amenities, a typical 4-8 person capacity and a 3-4 hour range; Mid-size crafts can travel 4-5 hours or up to 2,500 miles, usually offer a small galley and fully enclosed lavatory and have a capacity between 5-9, and Heavy Jets are the largest, with the most amenities, a travel range of up to 7,500 miles and a capacity up to 19 passengers. The well-known Gulfstream is of this category.
Step4 Ask about safety and track record. Before you sign with a fractional provider ask to which organizations they and their pilots belong. Ask about pilot training and requirements on all of the planes in their fleet. Choosing a firm that offers only one type of aircraft is limiting, but it assures pilot familiarity with the plane. Among the other questions to put forth are whether they are monitored under Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR); if they subscribe to maintenance organizations such as Wyvern, Q-Star, and Argus; if the planes are equipped with Traffic Collision Alert Systems (TCAS) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS), and whether the pilots are trained in basic first aid and CPR.
Step5 Select a level of fractional ownership: 1/8, ¼, 3/8, or 1/16. The fraction translates to hours of flight time in a year. The number from which they base the fraction varies with the company. For a sample chart and rates, look at the below Plane Smart website where a ¼ share represents 150 flight hours at a base cost of $151,800.
Step6 Sign a contract, commit to a tentative calendar and make payment.

The Best Private Jet Charter Company

Apollo Jets, the premiere Private Jet Charter company, is dedicated to providing you with exceptional customer care for your next private charter flight, worldwide access to virtually every size and type of private jet aircraft, and the Private Jet Charter Flight industry's most flexible, client-oriented Private Flights arrangements.


Private Flight
We offer our clients the luxury, convenience, safety and security that only a Private Jet Flight can offer. In this age of increased security procedures, flying private ensures the absence of extended security and boarding delays that inconvenience commercial passengers. Private flights also provide luxurious seating, exceptional service and full privacy in full contrast to commercial flights lacking those amenities.

Private Jets utilize over 5,000 private airports, as compared to the only 500 used by commercial flights making getting to and from the airport far less time consuming and far more convenient. Boarding and security delays at private airports are minimal and instead of you waiting for you flight, your Private Jet is waiting for you for takeoff.

Private Jets enable you to fly where and when you want, making your trip direct and fast. Your Private Jet flight is totally private to allow you to have confidential business discussions or private family time with only the people you chose to share you flight with. Privacy, security, safety, luxury, convenience and efficiency make Private Jet Flights the best way to fly.


Costs of Flying Private
Flying Private incurrs costs in addition to the ownership of aircraft itself, such as licensing, maintenance, certification, pilot and crew salaries, hangaring costs, take-off and landing fees, to total a substantial without even leaving the ground. Private Charters eliminate all those costs and you only pay for the exact aircraft you need and the trip you take, nothing more.


Private Jet Charters
Private Charters are the most cost effective and convenient ways of flying on a Private Jet, and the experts at Apollo Jets have all the connections and the business relationships with the operators of Private Jets all around the World and are able to make arrangements for the most cost-effective Private Jet Flight on short notice. With private aircraft charters you do not pay for owning the airplane, but you fly as if you did.

Your dedicated private travel concierge, available 24/7/365, will locate and arrange for flights on jets that are best positioned for the Private Flight you are looking for and are able to negotiate the best Charter Flight costs for your flight for the most desirable aircraft at the best prices, so the Private Aircraft chosen is the most suitable for the distance to be flown and the number of passengers to be carried.