Very Light Jets- The New Air Transport Technology
Bill Strait
Founder,
www.palmbeachairlines.com
Planning our vacations and business travel will likely include another exciting option in the near future.
National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) Fact Book 2004 reports that 30 out of the 550 commercial airports account for 70% of all air travel. Our skies are crowded around major airports and the air traffic control system is strained. NBAA also reports that there are 5300 available satellite airports in the US that could be used by small jets. "Microjet" air transport technology is on track to solve many of these problems.
Very Light Jets (VLJ's) go by many other names including Microjets, Personal Jets, and Minijets. Their manufacturers are scheduled to begin deliveries worldwide within the next eighteen months. Reporting advance sales of thousands of these new planes, the customers are air-taxi fleet and charter operaters, private owners, owner/ pilots, and fractional providers.
Thanks to the entrepreneurial efforts of airline veterans including a team headed by Donald Burr, founder in 1980 of People Express, we are all headed for a new way to travel between the smaller satellite airports. On March 29, 2004 Burr and son Cameron along with some powerful friends, made a Securities and Exchange Commission filing for iFly.
The on demand air-taxi business is presently the exclusive domain of the extremely upscale traveler. iFly plans to offer VLJ air-taxi services throughout the country. The reported pricing plan of iFly is to provide a $3 to $4 a mile travel experience. This fare structure would compare to retail first-class on most flights.
The aircraft at the heart of this breakthrough technology have twin engines, glass cockpits, and seats four to nine passengers. Their range is 1000 miles or more and they fly at a speed of 340 to 380 knots and up to FL410. Most manufacturers are seeking single pilot operational certification but all of them will likely be flown with a crew of two.
VLJ's are considered a new category of plane because they are all powered by a newly developed, small power plant. The new turbofans produce 700 to 1700 pounds of thrust and weigh 100 to 200 pounds. These engines were developed in response to NASA's General Aviation Propulsion Program (GAP) program. GAP ran from 1996 until 2002 and promised to deliver an array of vastly improved performance-to-price ratio General Aviation engines.
NASA and Williams International participated in the turbine portion of the GAP cooperative agreement and developed the FJX-2 turbofan. This prototype engine weighed 85 pounds and ultimately produced over 700 pounds of thrust with a thrust-to weight ratio over 8.2, the highest in commercial turbofan history! The FJX-2 engine program inspired the development of the GE/ Honda HF118, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F, and Williams International FJ33-4 which are the production models for the Microjets.
The aircraft are in various stages of construction. Adam Aircraft Industries A700, Cessna Mustang, Eclipse 500, Honda Jet and others are at the starting line. Which manufacturers will win the high-stakes race?
What about our future vacations and business travel? Will we be comfortable in these small Microjets? Will our kids miss running up and down the aisles and harassing the flight attendants? Will our spouses complain about the size of the bathroom? Stay tuned!