Very light jet

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The Eclipse 500, certified 2006-09-30.
The Eclipse 500, certified 2006-09-30.

A very light jet (VLJ), previously known as a microjet, is, by convention, a small jet aircraft approved for single-pilot operation with a maximum take-off weight of under 10,000 lb (4,540 kg). They are lighter than what is commonly termed business jets and typically seat between three and seven passengers plus one crew member.

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[edit] Development

A number of designs are currently in development, and will feature advanced avionics with glass cockpit technology. VLJs are intended to have lower operating costs than conventional jets, and will be able to operate from runways as short as 3,000 feet (900 m). In the United States, where the majority of these jets are being designed, NASA and the FAA have encouraged their development and foresee their widespread use in point-to-point air taxi service. The Small Aircraft Transportation System would provide air service to areas ignored by airlines.

These "on-demand" air taxi services depend on low cost projections and high demand to become a reality. The viability of these services is the subject of much debate among industry experts. Richard Aboulafia, an aviation industry expert and a self-described "VLJ agnostic", believes that the VLJ phenomenon may turn out to be one of the greatest disappointments in the aviation industry, due to the hype and economic infeasibility of large-scale air-taxi operations.[1][2]

In total, over 3,000 VLJs have been ordered from three manufacturers. Cessna Aircraft Company, based in Wichita, Kansas, delivered the first ever production VLJ, the six-seater Citation Mustang, to Mustang Management Group of Fresno, California on November 23, 2006.[3] Cessna has over 300 orders for the Mustang, mainly from owner-operators. Cessna received full certification for the Mustang on September 8, 2006.[4] Cessna received FAA certification to fly into "known icing conditions" on November 9, 2006.[5] Cessna received its FAA Production Certificate for the Mustang on November 23, 2006.

Eclipse Aviation, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has 2,500 of its Eclipse 500 aircraft on back order.[6] Eclipse received their full certification for their Eclipse 500 three weeks after Cessna's Mustang on September 30, 2006. Eclipse expects to receive certification for flight into known icing conditions in 2007. Eclipse has announced that they intend to deliver 515 airplanes in 2007 and eventually plan to have a production capacity of 4 airplanes per day. In a letter to customers and investors, Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn on Monday, November 26, 2006 addressed concerns that the company has not yet delivered its first aircraft. Raburn explained that the delay was caused because the FAA was concerned about the Eclipse not meeting conformity requirements, but he wrote that he still expected Eclipse to deliver the planned 10 aircraft in 2006.[7] Eclipse did not meet Raburn's delivery expectation, but they were eventually able to deliver a single copy of its VLJ on December 31, 2006. The official delivery ceremony and keys were handed over on January 4, 2007.[8] Eclipse still has not received a production certificate from the FAA, so each airplane coming off the line must be individually inspected and certified airworthy.

Adam Aircraft announced that they have an order backlog of 282 of its Adam A700 VLJ offering.[9] Adam Aircraft is located in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. The Company has over 80,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space in Englewood, Colorado, 22,000 square feet of manufacturing and testing space in Pueblo, Colorado and 22,000 square feet of assembly space in Ogden, Utah. Adam has a prototype plane flying now, with full certification expected in 2007. 101 copies of the Adam A700 were ordered by future air taxi provider, Magnum Jet.[9]

[edit] Interior amenities

A New York Times article from August 29, 2006 posed the question, "Will having a lavatory on board be the key factor in short flight success?"[10] A July, 2006 NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams broadcast also discussed the issue of the Eclipse 500's lack of a toilet.[11] Passengers needing to relieve themselves on the Eclipse 500 will be required to bring along a portable container. Eclipse Aviation's CEO Vern Raburn suggests that most of his company's customers will be using the VLJ for short flights from 300-500 miles in length in 40-80 minutes and that the lavatory issue is not going to be a problem for VLJ customers.[10]

Rick Adam, CEO of Adam Aviation, disagrees and says, "people are not going to get on a plane without a bathroom, at least they are not going to do it more than once". The Adam A700 has a 7 seater configuration with rear lavatory with a privacy curtain. The Cessna Mustang also has an emergency toilet, but it is located between the cockpit and cabin. The Embraer Phenom 100 offers a fully enclosed lavatory with a solid door. These toilet-equipped planes are considerably more expensive than the Eclipse, but they may be preferable for owners, especially those planning on using their jet's full range. The new air taxi service companies, which make up the bulk of the Eclipse orders, have done surveys that show that having a toilet is not a concern for most of their passengers. The CEO of DayJet says that even if his company outgrows the Eclipse 500 in the future, he will also have his company's larger planes configured without a toilet.[11]

[edit] Aircraft

Design Manufacturer Seats Engines Max. Cruise Max. Range Cost Orders Certification
Delivered production aircraft to first customer
Citation Mustang Cessna 6 2× PW615F 340 knots (630 km/h) 1,300 nm $2.62m 250 September 8, 2006
Eclipse 500 Eclipse Aviation 6 2× PW610F 370 knots (695 km/h)[12] 1,125 nm [12] $1.52m 2,500[6] September 30, 2006
Prototypes built and undergoing flight testing
Adam A700 AdamJet Adam Aircraft Industries 5-7 2× Williams FJ33 340 knots (630 km/h) 1,200 nm $2.28m 282[9] 2007
Diamond D-Jet Diamond Aircraft 5 1× Williams FJ33-4 315 knots (583 km/h) 1,350 nm $1.38m 125 early 2008
ATG Javelin ATG & IAI 2 2× Williams FJ33 530 knots (982 km/h) 1,200 nm $2.80m ~100[13] Early 2008
Spectrum S-33 Independence Spectrum Aeronautical [1] 9 2× Williams FJ33-4 415 knots (770 km/h) 2,000 nm $3.65m 2009
Excel-Jet Sport-Jet Excel-Jet [2] 5 1× Williams FJ33-4 340 knots (630 km/h) 1,000 nm $1.00m early 2008
Honda HA-420 HondaJet Honda Aircraft Company 6-8 2× GE Honda HF120 420 knots (778 km/h) 1,100 nm $3.65m 130+[14] 2009
Currently under development
EV-20 Vantage Jet Eviation Jets [3] 10 2× Williams FJ44-1 424 knots (785 km/h) 1,300 nm $3.00m mid 2007
Epic Jet Epic Aircraft [4] 7 2× Williams FJ33-4 390 knots (722 km/h) 1,600 nm $2.10m early 2008
Embraer Phenom 100 Embraer 6-8 2× PW617F 380 knots (704 km/h) 1,320 nm $2.85m 50+ mid 2008
PiperJet Piper Aircraft 6 1× light turbofan 360 knots (667 km/h) 1,300 nm $2.199m ~180[15] early 2010?
Cirrus jet Cirrus Design 4 1× Williams FJ33-4 ? ? ? ? 2010
Spectrum S-40 Freedom Spectrum Aeronautical, LLC 1/7-9 2× GE Honda HF120 435 knots (805 km/hr) 2,200 nm $6.2M 2010
Homebuilt designs
Aerocomp Comp Air Jet Aerocomp 8 1× Ivchenko AI-25TL 320 knots (593 km/h) 1,250 nm < $0.87m
Viper Jet Viper Aircraft [5] 2 1× GE CJ-610 460 knots (852 km/h) 750 nm
Maverick Leader III Maverick Jets [6] 4 2× Williams FJ33-4 472 knots (875 km/h) 1,450 nm
Dormant or cancelled projects
Avocet ProJet Avocet Aircraft [7] 6 2× unknown 365 knots (676 km/h) 1,200 nm $2.00m cancelled 2006
Safire Jet Safire Aircraft 6 2× Williams FJ33-4 380 knots (704 km/h) 1,300 nm $1.40m canceled 2006
Century Jet Century Aerospace [8] 6 2× Williams FJ33-1 370 knots (685 km/h) 1,500 nm $2.70m dormant 2001

[edit] References

  1. ^ Croft, John. "Very Light Jets: Boom or Blip", Aerospace America, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, May 2006. Retrieved on February 27, 2007.
  2. ^ Aboulafia, Richard. "March 2006 Newsletter", 2006-03-13. Retrieved on February 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Trautvetter, Chad. "Cessna Beats Out Eclipse In First VLJ Delivery", AVweb, 2006-11-23. Retrieved on November 29, 2006.
  4. ^ "Smaller, faster, cheaper new jets may transform flying", Associated Press, USA Today, 2006-01-19. Retrieved on September 26, 2006.
  5. ^ Cessna Aircraft Company (2006-11-09). Cessna Citation Mustang Cleared for Flight Into Known Icing Conditions. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-11-29.
  6. ^ a b Huber, Mark. "Eclipse targets hefty initial production run", Aviation International News, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
  7. ^ Raburn, Vern. "Eclipse Aviation Customer/Investor Update 11-27-06", AVweb, 2006-11-27. Retrieved on November 29, 2006.
  8. ^ "Company second in U.S to deliver light jets", Associated Press, 2007-01-05. Retrieved on January 16, 2007.
  9. ^ a b c Adam Aircraft Industries (2006-10-16). A700 Adam Jet Chosen by Magnum Jet. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  10. ^ a b Sharkey, Joe. "Big Battle in Small-Jet Skies" (PDF), The New York Times, 2006-08-29. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
  11. ^ a b Di Piazza, Karen. "No Throne Room on Eclipse VLJ: Real Issue or Media Hype?", CharterX. Retrieved on November 29, 2006.
  12. ^ a b Pew, Glen. "Eclipse Addresses Delays And Performance Guarantees", AVweb, 2006-12-06. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
  13. ^ Aviation Technology Group, Inc (2005-05-03). Javelin Introduced to European Market. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  14. ^ Filipponio, Frank. "Honda sells 100 jets in 3 days", Autoblog, 2006-10-20. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
  15. ^ "PiperJet Orders Near 180", Business & Commercial Aviation, 2007-02-19.

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