Lear 45XR Retrofit

Beginning in the early months of 2004, Bombardier offered owners of the Learjet 45 the option of upgrading their aircraft to the Learjet 45XR. All Learjet 45s manufactured after the retrofit became available are automatically equipped as a Learjet 45XR. For those aircraft already in service before the retrofit became standard, a series of service bulletins could be completed to classify it as a Learjet 45XR. Dozens of private jet owners have opted to retrofit their aircraft since the option became available – but what does the XR retrofit really add to the aircraft?

New engines: TFE731-20BR
Better runway performance
Climb to 37,000 feet in 15 minutes
Slightly faster cruise speeds and shorter trip times

Retrofitting a Lear 45 to become the Lear 45XR costs about $575,000.

Cessna CJ3

Flies 1,761 nautical miles with four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves
Climbs to 37,000 feet in 15 minutes
Seats 7-9 passengers
Uses two Williams International FJ44-3A engines
High speed cruise of 415 ktas
Price tag: $7 million

For more information on the CJ3, or on other private jets, visit:

Cessna Citation CJ3
CJ3 Analysis

Short Leg Charges

Fractional owners of private jets, particularly owners that frequently take trips less than an hour long, should know the details of short leg contracts. Short legs are flights which total less than an hour (this calculation may or may not include taxi time -- an important detail). Any flights that take less than an hour are automatically charged as at the minimum flight time rate. Contracts differ by company, but generally each company allots a certain number of short leg waivers per year. These waivers exempt you from being charged for the full hour. The number of waivers provided in the standard contract varies by company, so be sure to ask before signing the contract.

Visit our website for more information about Short Leg Waivers.

Challenger 605 Replaces Challenger 604

The Challenger 605 debuted early this year as the newer, better Challenger 604. Bombardier made relatively few changes to the already-successful Challenger 604. The cabin has been completely redesigned, with slightly more headroom, better lighting and design, and more entertainment systems. The cockpit is the other area of change: the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 found in the Challenger 604 was replaced by the Pro Line 21 avionics suite.

Other major systems remained constant, so the Challenger 605’s performance does not deviate from the Challenger 604’s. The Challenger 605 sells for about $27.38 million, at least $3 million below the sale price of its closest competing long-range private jet.

GULFSTREAM G150 OR HAKWER 850XP?

Both the Gulfstream G150 and the Hawker 850XP are high-performing, reliable business jets. But in a head-to-head competition, which jet comes out ahead?

The biggest difference is cabin size: the Hawker 850XP's cabin is longer by 3 ft, 8 in, and has the larger volume by 139 cubic feet. The G150 wins in terms of baggage volume: it holds 80 cubic feet of baggage, which the 850XP holds only 50 cubic feet.

Both jets use the Honeywell TFE731 engines, but each use a different model. The TFE731-5BR model used on the G150 produces less thrust but has a longer inspection interval.

Furthermore, the G150 has a longer range by about 320 nautical miles, and a faster climb time by 2 minutes.

The Hawker 850XP wins in terms of max cruise speed and fuel burn, but when actual flight histories of the two jets are compares, the Gulfstream G150 takes significantly less time to complete missions.

The last area of comparison is cost. In 2006 figures, the Gulfstream G150 costs $13.50 million new, and the Hawker 850XP costs $13.79 million.


Want more details? Take a look at a related article on the Gulfstream G150 and the Hawker 850XP.

Fuel Surcharges: How Much Is Too Much?

When it comes to fuel surcharges, it's hard to know if you are being charged the right amount for fuel. Calculating fuel costs from your monthly invoices can be tedious. Worse yet, errors in fuel surcharges are a very common phenomenon: we often catch errors when auditing our clients' invoices. These errors are often due to inaccurate fuel adjustment factors or unclear contract agreements. Be sure to ask about fuel surcharges before signing into a fractional contract. If you are still uncertain about the accuracy of your fuel charges, you can always use our Auditing Service. Visit our website for more information on Fuel Surcharge Errors.

Improved Takeoff Safety Measures Now Available To Private Jet Owners

Vital safety and operational information is available to pilots for every minute that the aircraft is airborne. Pilots have access to data in-flight about wind speed and direction, weather patterns on their route, and mid-air traffic. GPS and other navigation systems guide the aircraft from the moment it reaches cruising altitude until its final descent. Until now, however, data for the most critical phases of flight, takeoff and landing, has been in short supply. At most, pilots have been able to see maps of their destination airports and have had little assistance in planning ascent and descent flight paths.

A new option is available to pilots that provides them with the same detailed, up-to-date data about takeoffs, approaches, and landings that they have been accustomed to having in mid air. Aircraft Performance Group, Inc. (APG) is a company that has provided flight planning, takeoff and landing analysis and airport data to the aviation industry for more than 25 years. Their service assists business aircraft in optimizing their takeoff and approach flight paths, resulting in greater flight safety and higher maximum allowable payloads . . .

To read the complete article about Aircraft Performance Group, see the July segment of the Private Jet Buyer’s Guide.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: FLIGHT MANAGERS

There's a lot to take into account when choosing a company to manage your aircraft:

-size: personalized service vs. reliability, experience

-staff experience
-pilot training standards

-maintenance standards and procedures

-fuel and parts discounts (usually only offered at large companies, but it's worth inquiring about) -extra fees and charges (startup fees, positioning fees, training fees, etc). Monthly fees are the same across the board, so the charges are what make the difference.

Check out our website for more details on Choosing a Manager.

Fuel Flow Overview

How much does fuel consumption vary? Below are some quick comparisons, based on the average fuel burn of the private jets in each specified category. "New" designates that the jet was in production at least 10 years ago, or that is currently in production. "Older" designates jets that have been out-of-production for 10 years or more.

New Light Jets......................... 194 gph
Older Light Jets........................219 gph
New Midsized Jets....................239 gph
Older Midsized Jets..................325 gph
New Large Jets.........................379 gph
Old Large Jets.......................... 444 gph
New Ultra-long-range Jets......616 gph