Justin Martin
10/01/2005
Very light jets (VLJs) will soon be crisscrossing the skies above your local executive airport. Maybe. While a quartet of companies are vying to be the first to deliver a VLJ, perhaps as early as next spring, none has received FAA certification. Eclipse Aviation, Cessna, Adam Aircraft and Embraer are all seeking approval; Albuquerque-based Eclipse claims to be in the lead and wants to begin delivering its VLJ next March. The Eclipse 500 (pictured above and on next page) is slated to seat six, cost $1.3 million and travel 430 mph with a range of nearly 1,500 miles.
However, FAA certification is a turbulent process. It was just one year ago that Adam Aircraft crowed that it would be the first to market. Based in Englewood, Colo., Adam’s plane has specs similar to the Eclipse, although its A700 will be pricier: $2.1 million. The company will now say only that it expects certification sometime in 2006 and plans to begin delivering planes immediately thereafter. “Pinpointing FAA certification is like telling your wife you’ll be back from a round of golf in 4 hours, 26 minutes,” says Joe Walker, Adam’s president.
VLJs weigh in at less than 10,000 pounds
and cost about half the $4.1 million of even the least expensive executive jet.
They are also expected to use new materials and sport a host of technological
innovations, as well as beyond-state-of-the-art avionics, pilot-friendly
controls and other advances. Adam’s plane, for example, features a carbon
composite airframe propelled by Williams International engines that are based on
the ultra-lightweight engines used in cruise missiles.If all goes as planned, VLJs will open new markets, making jets available to a new segment of flyers. “This has the potential to be an air-travel revolution. The competition between the various manufacturers is intense,” says Jack Olcott, president of General Aero, a consulting firm in Morristown, N.J.
Many aviation analysts expect Cessna—which has also said it will deliver a VLJ sometime next year—to secure first mover advantage. Unlike Eclipse and Adam, Cessna is hardly new to the industry. The Wichita-based company has been in business since 1927, and over the past decade has successfully shepherded 11 business jets through FAA certification. Cessna’s VLJ, the Mustang, will seat six, cost $2.4 million and travel 390 mph with a range of 1,500 miles.
Embraer, the Brazilian aerospace
company, will bring its VLJ to market last, but might be well worth waiting for.
Its as-yet-unnamed VLJ, slated for release in 2008, will be the largest (seating
eight) and fastest (Mach .7), as well as the priciest ($2.7 million).
Economy Class
The VLJ innovations will allow a lower total cost of
ownership, about $2.69 per mile versus $4.79 for a light jet such as a Cessna
Citation CJ1, according to an analysis by Bill de Decker of Conklin & de
Decker, an aviation consultancy in Fort Worth. “These jets will be cheaper to
buy, but as importantly, they will be far cheaper to operate than anything
currently available,” he adds.
“This has the potential |
Industry analysts agree that the most likely
buyers will be owner operators—doctors or entrepreneurs who fly their own planes
for business and pleasure. This group now buys about 300 jets per year. Cessna,
in particular, plans to target this segment. Adam and Eclipse intend to not only
sell to owner operators, but also to pursue the unproven market for air taxis
(see “Hail a Plane”). In the end, however, the prospects for the four
manufacturers will ride on two classic factors: service and safety.
For
service, Cessna has the clear edge. It already has nine company-owned service
centers around the U.S. Both Eclipse and Adam seek to emulate the Cessna model;
Eclipse plans to open seven dedicated service centers, and Adam plans
six.
Safety remains a tricky question for a category of planes without a
flight history. “You can’t just look into a crystal ball,” says Robert Breiling,
a Boca Raton, Fla., expert on small aircraft safety. As a proxy for VLJs,
Breiling suggests the next step up—light jets such as the Cessna Citation CJ1.
They have an excellent safety record: 0.1 accidents per 100,000 miles flown in
2004—eight accidents, including one fatal. For a closer comparison, experts
consider two other variables. First, VLJs will be a new type of plane, employing
new materials. Second, many VLJ pilots will have upgraded from prop planes and
will be unaccustomed to higher speeds. Because of these factors, Breiling
expects the VLJ accident rate to be about 20 percent higher, at least initially,
than the rate for light jets.
Additional Information
Hail A Plane