Very light jet
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
- The VLJ (Very Light Jet) Market 2006-2016
- Klaus L. Schulte: Very Light Jets. (E-Book) KLS Publishing Verlag, Cologne 2008. ISBN 978-3-9811404-5-3 , http://klspublishing.de