I have written here some time ago that the orders for jets are still going strong and this is because of orders coming not within the United States but from the European and Asian buyers.  It seems that while jets are being purchased by international business tycoons, there is also a decline on charter demand in America plus it has become a PR problem for some.

Photo Credit: James Cridland

The private aviation in the United States are somehow affected by the economic crisis especially now that the supposed bail out plan did not push through. The aircraft manufacturers realized already that a huge chunk of their buying market is from the Americans and since it is apparent that there will be a prolonged economic problem in the U.S., they need to hope that more fresh minted millionaires from other continents will come and seek for private aviation luxury.

It is funny though that right now, there have been reports that those who are used to flying private are now hiding their luxury practice from the public.  Most of their PR spokesperson said that it is quite insensitive for them to talk about it because of the economic status that their country is in. If one is to compute how much fuel a private jet eats up in just one trip, it will sound so ridiculously high for an ordinary citizen to hear about.

Photo Credit: Dysanovic Photo Credit: Michael Davis - AirTeamImages

However, if we talk about those people who lent their private jets for charity in lieu of saving people’s lives, it is another matter. While we can’t help but accept that private aviation may be a luxury that only few people can benefit from, it is also a convenient way to help another human being. A concrete example is when Donald Trump let his Gulfstream G5 be used to deliver medicine to a save a life of a very sick boy last year.

Whatever the situation may be, may it be in a recession, private aviation is here to stay because as I have said many times in the past, once you fly private, you can never go back flying commercial. It will just take a hit as all businesses usually does, if its a high or low, we will just have to wait and see.

Queen Elizabeth II was recently reported to have decided to buy her own private jet with an amount of 7 million pounds or around US$13 million and it will be called Monarch Air.

Queen Elizabeth II on one of her previous trips

Her majesty requested four major aircraft manufacturers such as Gulfstream, Learjet, Cessna, Raytheon Hawker to submit designs for the said soon to be royal aircraft. The British Queen will choose the winning design by Christmas.

After around 50 years on the throne, it is only now that Queen Elizabeth II felt the need to buy her own private jet. Her majesty may be fed up with sharing the aircrafts with other British government officials.

Queen Elizabeth II inspecting a new airport

The 7 million pounds private jet will able to seat 13 passengers and will be for the exclusive use of the royal family. It is expected to make the royal traveling expenditures a little bit lower since it was reported back in 2007 that they spent 5.5 million pounds for chartering planes.

I can’t wait to see what kind of livery and interiors the Monarch Air will have.

Photo Credit: Daylife 1,2

Economic crisis is hitting the United States now but many billionaires from the other continents of the globe are not affected by it and apparently the demand on the so-called flying palaces are still very much on the picture.

Photo Credit: Ian Mynard

The problem now is that they are so impatient for the delivery and some will need to wait until 2018 just to get their hands on it especially if they order it today. At first, these ultra high net worth individuals wanted their own small private jets, 6 to 8 seaters will do for them but they wanted more.

The manufacturers then built a little bit bigger jets wherein passengers can stand on the cabin, have better comfy seats with entertainment portals. For awhile they enjoyed that but these days, they wanted a bigger plane where they can have a dining area, 8-seater dining table, lounge area, full height showers, bedrooms with huge beds, internet portals and practically everything they have inside their mansions on the ground.

Both Airbus and Boeing said that orders are still piling in. Reports say that most of them are coming in from the Middle East, Russia and Asia. Some orders are from the government who wanted to have their own version of the Air Force One but the most amazing thing is half of the orders are from individuals not companies.

These billionaires who are frequent travelers wanted to have everything with them when they travel and sometimes they hold important meetings on the aircraft itself rather than go to the hotel. They feel it is more secure, convenient and comfortable.

I wonder what is next for private aviation.

Photo Credit: FlightGlobal, StyleHouse

A huge order of US$1.5 billion worth of Bombardier Learjets were recently reported and this makes it the third largest order for business jets this year. Bombardier Inc., has yet to announce who specifically ordered it although they hinted that it is a new European private jet company.

It seems that the private aviation market is still very strong despite the instability of the jet fuel price in the past several months. With the American economy on danger of collapsing, the European private aviation business community is quite optimistic that the market in their region is stable and that business jets are here to stay as more and more executives believe that private jets are not just for recreation purposes but are efficient business tools as well.

While Bombardier is keeping mum who ordered the huge contract, there are several new private aviation companies that are trying to get into the market offering fractional programs and compete with established companies like Netjets.

One of them is a European company called Jet Republic with its top honcho, Jonathan Breeze who was a former British RAF pilot. His company is being backed by Euram Bank of Austria. They said that they just ordered around 25 Learjets with options for around 85 more of 60 XR’s.

Another private aviation company from Europe, VistaJet, said to have ordered a US$1.2 billion worth of Learjets. The popularity of business jets is still high as ever.

Learjets, the so-called ultimate runway models because of their sleek design and excellent performance continues to attract flying enthusiasts. They continue the vision of Bill Lear as he was the one who first introduced to the world the very first business jet.

Photo Credit: Bombardier

If fractional ownership and membership cards are not suited for your travel needs then charter an aircraft with an efficient aviation-booking firm or air charter companies.

Photo Credit: pm.raymon

There are several things you need to consider when chartering a private jet. Try to find the nearest airports to your place of origin and destination. There are few airports that are not very welcoming to speedy aircrafts or are not equipped to received them although most of them do accept private jets but it is still better to have that information with you.

Before booking, make sure you list down the reasons you want private aviation so that when you pick a certain aircraft or time or package you can easily choose from different travel options that those aviation companies will surely offer you.

First, the space you need. How many people will be going with you? Do you want more leg room? Do you want to be able to stand up in the cabin? A bigger luggage space?

Second, the range or distance. How far is your destination? There are certain jets that are for short distance travel and some are better equipped for a longer one.

Photo Credit: FlightManagement

Third, check the amenities. Is there a rest room or a portable toilet? Is there any entertainment system or Internet portal? How about food?

Fourth, the speed. Is speed a priority? There are some types of jets that are certainly faster than the others.

Fifth, funds to spare. Do you want to use the whole aircraft to yourself or you want to defray costs and just share the jet with a couple of strangers who also want to somehow save some money and still enjoy private aviation?

After doing your checklist, go and find aviation companies that offer jet charters. Most of them are available online. Check the following companies and compare the prices, services and perks: Avion Private Jet Club, JET Demands, Netjets, OneSky Jets, Bluestar Jets, TalonAir, RSVPAir, Elitejets, Virgin.

These days it is not that hard to have a private jet waiting for you at the runway. Gone are the days when you think it is so difficult to gain access to the exclusive toys of the rich and famous.

While it is true that jet fuel price are very unstable these days and it is quite expensive to fly private but the fact remains that there is no better way to fly than using a private jet. The airport security and baggage protocol not to mention the delays would not exempt you even you choose to fly first class.

 
Photo Credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

Buying your own aircraft is definitely the surest way to have a jet waiting for you on any airport you want but that is if you have millions of dollars to spare. I am not talking here only of the amount of the aircraft but the maintenance costs that comes with it such as parking space, cleaning crew, pilot and attendant staff to name a few. If you have the money then I do suggest that you buy one. The freedom that it will give you is quite phenomenal.

However, using a private aircraft does not mean that you need to purchase the aircraft itself. There are plenty of other ways in enjoying private aviation. 

Photo Credit: Netjets

Have you heard of fractional ownership? It is quite similar to buying time-shares. You just purchase a fraction share of a jet and you can have access to an aircraft whenever you need it provided you give the aircraft company a couple of hours to arrange it. It also means that you get to share the aircraft with other owners but you need not worry because most of these companies offer a large fleet of private jets so there are plenty to choose from. Enjoy the perks of owning one while avoiding the operational responsibilities. This is advisable to those fly a lot and in short notice.

To those who do not travel that much, but still fly on a regular basis, I highly recommend get a fractional card or the Marquis Jet Card. It works just like a debit card. Check the Netjets site, they are the leading aviation company that offers fractional programs.

Photo Credit: Sentient

While Netjets offer those types of program, Sentient on the other hand offers card membership. It works just like a credit card. 365 days guaranteed access to an aircraft of your own choice provided you give them a window of 10 hours to arrange it. They have different types of membership depending on your needs.

If you want just a one-time deal, just prepare the money and charter one with no strings attached. You can do it by either calling the company or charter online. It can be arranged for just one-way or round-trip. There are plenty of aviation companies that you can find online. Everything is just within your fingertips.

The very first private aviation show in Singapore will take place on September 26-27, 2008 dubbed as MillionaireAsia First Private Aviation Show at Singapore Seletar Airport.  This ‘by invitation’ only event will showcase various types of private jets and different types and ways of owning or chartering one.

Photo Credit: Global Jet

The global aviation industry seeks potential Southeast Asian buyers as the private aviation market in Singapore is on the rise.  This event caters to the business tycoons and ultra rich people in Singapore and the Asian region who prefer to fly via private jets. Well, talk about the ’essentials’ of being rich…so more Singaporean jetsetters coming up.

Aviation industry watchers believe that there would be around 12% increase on corporate jet usage in Asia in the next 8-10 years and this is the best way to start introducing different aircrafts ranging from USD$5-30M. Statistics shows that aside from China and India, Singapore has been producing more millionaires recently and this is just the right time to give them the effective tools in their businesses.

Photo Credit: Marcin Wichary

There are so much potential in Singapore that there are more people who are planning to build FBO’s soon just like the Singapore Seletar Airport.

The House Committee hearing on the safety issue concerning Eclipse 500 ended without reaching any kind of resolution. There were several questions that were asked from different aviation officials both from Eclipse, DOT and FAA but I believe that there are just two important questions that should be answered. One:  Is Eclipse 500 safe to fly. Two: Did the Federal Aviation Administration managers rush Eclipse 500’s certification?

Photo Credit: Oberstar

The first question was asked of Calvin Scovel. He is the Inspector General for the Department of Transportation and he answered that his office found no evidence that it is unsafe. However, he was also the one who believed that FAA officials gave Eclipse 500 the much-needed certification even after FAA own inspectors said there were known issues concerning the aircraft’s software, aviation functions, displays, etc, which answers the second question.

Photo Credit: msprague

The FAA inspectors also testified that they were under some pressure to rush in the certification. One inspector by the name of Maryetta Broyles said that when she saw some discrepancies, she requested to see more documents but somebody told her that she was inspecting more than an inch deep meaning she was inspecting deeper that she should have. She said she was shocked because her escort said the very same words she heard when they had a briefing inside a private FAA meeting, which is only privy to them.

On the other hand, Eclipse 500 management also explained their side and denied all the allegations. The FAA officials also denied the allegations and still maintains their stand, which is, they will not certify any aircraft that would be unsafe to fly and reiterated that there are times in the past where in the certification process that the officials would overrule their workers conclusion or recommendation.

When and how will it end? Only Rep. James Oberstar knows the answer. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.  I bet that the existing certification process would be amended soon.

Every single major city in the world is reorganizing their airports and is making changes to allot more space for private jet travelers and Cape Town in South Africa is one of them.

Just like in Thailand, the South African government knows that to generate more money for their city, they need to attract more affluent tourists and one way in making sure it will happen is to develop a new fixed base operation or FBO which will have a private terminal and private hangars solely for the use of those who fly via private jets and choppers.

One private company such as the Nedbank Corporate Property Finance is helping local developers to finish the project. They already have confirmed tenants for the building like the Execujet Aviation, Agusta and Sikorsky which left only around 20% available space. They will also construct a private hangar with ample space for different types of private jets.

FBO Sample Images

This FBO will include several facilities that will be dedicated to a crowd of ultra high net worth individuals and in doing so, those affluent travelers will be encouraged to go back and include South Africa on their top 10 vacation destination.

Photo Credit: GlobalAir, JetHarbor

Private Jets are getting bigger, faster and fancier. Therefore, to be included to the list of the most expensive in the world is truly an achievement.

It was Boeing who first introduced to the flying public the very first VIP-configured commercial airliner to be used for personal use. When the social elite and business tycoons welcomed the Boeing Business Jets with much appreciation, other aircraft manufacturers followed suit, thus, a number of well-engineered jets with lavish interior furnishings and state-of-the-art amenites were produced.

Here are some of the most expensive private jets in the world and their est. price in US dollars:

• Airbus A380, $360M and Boeing 747-8, $285-$300M

Photo Credit: Ian Mynard  Photo Credit: Boeing

• Boeing 767, $154-$169M
• Airbus ACJ, $80-$90M

Photo Credit: Airbus

• Boeing Business Jet, $68-$80M

Photo Credit: Boeing

• Gulfstream G550, $59M and Bombardier Global Express, $45-$49M

 
Photo Credit: Jef Poskanzer  Photo Credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

• Embraer Lineage 1000, $42-$46M
• Dassault Falcon 7X, $40M

Photo Credit: Wiki

The amount of the aircraft varies depending on the kind of interior an owner would like to install in his plane. According to aviation regulations, as long as it will only be strictly for personal use and not to be rented out then an owner can definitely put practically anything in it.