Very light jet

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A Very Light Jet ( VLJ , English for very light jet aircraft ; Minijet ) is a term used since the beginning of the 21st century for small jet aircraft that are approved for operation with only one pilot and can carry three to six passengers. With a maximum take-off weight of less than 4,535.9 kg (10,000 lb ), they are typically lighter than the types of aircraft traditionally known as business jets. The term Very Light Jet was mainly used by the manufacturer Eclipse Aviation ; other manufacturers, such as Cessna, on the other hand, avoided its use entirely or expressly no longer use it ( Embraer ). This is mainly due to the burden on the name due to the liquidation of Eclipse Aviation.

General

Several models of VLJs are currently being developed by various manufacturers or are about to go into series production. They will all have modern avionics and a glass cockpit . Very Light Jets are designed in such a way that they have lower operating costs than conventional jet planes and can use 900 meters of short runways .

The NASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) supported the development of these light jets and counted on to in the future in a big way as air taxis would be used for point-to-point connections. The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) - a joint research project carried out from 2001 to 2006 by NASA, FAA, small airfields and local aviation authorities - would enable flight connections to regions that have not yet been served by the airlines.

Such on-demand flight services would require low costs and high demand. The attempt of the US company DayJet (which ordered 1400 Eclipse 500) to prove its actual feasibility, however, failed with its bankruptcy in September 2008.

At the height of the euphoria in 2008, a total of over 4,800 VLJs had been ordered from various manufacturers. For the European market alone, around 800 of these were in the order books of the VLJ manufacturers. One of the first air taxi services in Europe based on VLJs was implemented by GlobeAir from Austria, among others.

Aircraft types

The numbers under “sold” correspond to the status of 2008, the peak of the VLJ euphoria.

Type Manufacturer Seats Engines Travel speed Range price sold Admission
in series production
Cirrus SF50 Vision Cirrus Aircraft 6th 1 × Williams FJ33-5A 556 km / h 2,222 km US $ 1.96 million 64 October 28, 2016
Citation Mustang Cessna Aircraft Company 6th 2 × PW615F 630 km / h 2,130 km US $ 2.766 million 240 November 23, 2006
Eclipse 550 Eclipse Aerospace 6th 2 × PW610F 630 km / h 2,130 km US $ 2.766 million 240 2013
Embraer Phenom 100 Embraer 4-6 2 × PW617F 705 km / h 2,100 km US $ 4.40 million December 12, 2008
Pilatus PC-24 Pilatus Aircraft 6th 2 × Williams FJ44 815 km / h 3,400 km US $ 9 million 84 07.12.2017
existing prototypes, test flight phase
Honda HA-420 HondaJet Honda Aircraft Company 6-8 2 × GE Honda HF120 780 km / h 2,040 km US $ 3.65 million 100 12/08/2015
In development
Self-made
Aerocomp Comp Air Jet CompAir 8th 1 × Ivchenko AI-25TL 595 km / h 2,320 km Discontinued in 2005
Viper jet Viper aircraft 2 1 × GE CJ-610 850 km / h 1,390 km approximately US $ 182,000 to 300,000
Maverick Leader III Maverick Jets 4th 2 × Williams FJ33-4 875 km / h 2,690 km
dormant or discontinued projects
Adam A700 Adam Aircraft 7th 2 × Williams FJ33 630 km / h 2,220 km US $ 2.28 million 282 Discontinued in 2008
ATG javelin Aviation Technology Group 2 2 × Williams FJ33 980 km / h 2,220 km US $ 2.8 million > 100 Discontinued in 2007
Avocet ProJet Avocet Aircraft 6th 2 × unknown 675 km / h 2,220 km US $ 2 million Discontinued in 2006
Century Jet Century Aerospace 6th 2 × Williams FJ33-1 685 km / h 2,780 km US $ 2.7 million rests (2001)
D-Jet Diamond Aircraft 5 1 × Williams FJ33-5A 583 km / h 2,500 km US $ 1.38 million 125 rests (2013)
Eclipse 500 Eclipse Aviation 5-6 2 × PW610F 685 km / h 2,408 km US $ 2.15 million 2,400 Discontinued July 26, 2006
2008
Eclipse 400 Eclipse Aviation 4th 1 × PW615F 611 km / h 2,316 km US $ 1.35 million Discontinued in 2009
Epic Jet Epic Aircraft 7th 2 × Williams FJ33-4 720 km / h 2,960 km US $ 2.1 million Discontinued in 2009
Piper PA-47 PiperJet Piper Aircraft 6-7 1 × Williams FJ44 -3AP 667 km / h 2,407 km US $ 2.2 million Discontinued in 2011
Sport Jet II Excel Jet 5 1 × Williams FJ33-4 630 km / h 1,850 km US $ 1 million set
Safire Jet Safire Aircraft 6th 2 × Williams FJ33-4 705 km / h 2,400 km US $ 1.4 million Discontinued in 2005
S-33 Independence Spectrum Aeronautical 9 2 × Williams FJ33-4 770 km / h 3,700 km US $ 3.65 million set
Vantage Jet Aviation jets 10 2 × Williams FJ44-1 785 km / h 2,400 km US $ 3 million Discontinued in 2013

VLJ Air Taxi Operators

The figures under “Fleet size” correspond to the status of 2008, the height of the VLJ euphoria.

country operator VLJ begin Fleet size Remarks
Germany NJK Aviation AG Embraer Phenom 100 2013 ?
United States DayJet Eclipse 500 2007 230 Bankruptcy 2008
United States Linear Air Eclipse 500 2007 30th
Austria GlobeAir Citation Mustang 2008 30th
United States MagnumJet Adam A700 and Embraer Phenom 100 TBD TBD renamed: JetSuite
Netherlands Bikkair Eclipse 500 2008 20th End of operation before 2013
Austria Mali Air Eclipse 500 2008 3

Publications

Web links