RI830

Maybe I'm too pessimistic. I hope this happens for Flex! It would be great for us.

I think this is a sales ploy to gain sales on the large cabin airframes.
They drop a few million on a "non refundable" deposit to gain the attention of the wealthy travelers. They buy into large cabin fractional with the intention to buy into the SST. Few years later, the SST never happens , but they already have your business.

Flex/FLOPS doesn't have a large intl presence and you can only truly utilize an SST's capability on oceanic legs.

Just my .02

Tiggerpilot

More importantly, get that union on campus. Otherwise those jobs will go to the good ole boys with no regard to seniority or skills.

David Puddy

This is a huge marketing coup for Flexjet. They can use the Aerion in their marketing to project innovation and market strength. As far as non-US customers, they will approach Flexjet if they want access to this aircraft. Plus, there are plenty of US billionaires and Fortune 500 companies who will want access if they don't want to individually spend $120+ million per copy. It is a big marketing win even if it never flies... However, given the people involved (I reviewed their website and board of advisors), I think they have a decent chance of making it happen. Flexjet's involvement also adds credibility for potential investors. I guess we will see if it flies in 4-5 years.

Dutch1

That is the truth!

kingairfun

building it is the easy part....making it cost effective so that those few minutes you save over the X or G650, that's the hard part.

But there will certainly be those ego guys who will want to be the first owners to get one..or buy into one via fractional...

Fetzervalve

Which aircraft would egomaniacs like Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian or a Qatari Prince rather show up in on the ramp at LAX - a G650 or a SSBJ?

David Puddy

Very interesting add on about how the Aerion could be used between specific international city pairs and a hub-and-spoke type operation for connecting flights to smaller US cities (from AIN Online):


Flexjet Outlines How Supersonic AS2s Will Be Integrated

Like its Gulfstream G650s that will enter service next year, Flexjet’s supersonic Aerion AS2s—slated for delivery starting in 2023—will be part of the fractional provider’s Global Access program, Flexjet chairman and parent company Directional Aviation Capital principal Kenn Ricci told AIN. This means that Flexjet will not be selling shares in either of these long-range aircraft.

Instead, existing Flexjet share owners would pay an additional monthly fee to get access to the G650 and AS2, in addition to hourly occupied charges. The company said these hourly charges will be “dynamic,” with members paying lower rates for the hours spent in long-range cruise.

According to Ricci, the AS2 will be relegated to flying international city pairs—likely coastal cities that would allow nearly the entire flight to be flown overwater at the aircraft’s top speed of Mach 1.5. Another reason is the jet will be 170 feet long, requiring specially built hangars, and also need longer runways than traditional business aircraft. Customers using the AS2 would then need to transfer to a subsonic Flexjet aircraft to complete the rest of their trip, essentially a hub-and-spoke system.

Thus, the company will need to have aircraft based outside of its core U.S. market. On this front, Ricci said Flexjet plans to expand into the European market next year, with operations bases likely added in other world regions in the following years.