Learjet 40

The Learjet is quite a contender in the competitive private jet market. Its cruise speed, cabin space, and technological advancement are greater than other light private jets. It has excellent range/payload flexibility and climbs quickly to elevations far above most air traffic and bad weather. Its range allows for nonstop flights from Chicago to San Francisco or from Singapore to Hong Kong -- trips that few other light private jets could complete.

The Learjet 40’s cabin is, to the pleasure of its marketing department, the biggest of its class. It stretches to a length of 17.7 feet, a width of 5.12 feet, and a height of 4.92 feet, which works out to a total cabin volume of 363 cubic feet. There are seats available for seven passengers, and baggage compartments that can store 65 cubic feet of baggage.

The Learjet 40 also outperforms the competition while in the air. Its average cruise speed is 457 ktas (.79 Mach), but can cruise as fast as 464 ktas (.81 Mach). It can fly up to 2,248 miles (1,954 nautical miles) nonstop and take off in 4,285 feet at high altitudes. Its runway capabilities at sea level are less than 3,400 pounds. Even when loaded to its maximum takeoff weight of 20,350 pounds it can take off in just 4,250 feet from a sea level runway.

Despite the high speeds of the Learjet 40, it has relatively economical fuel consumption due to its aerodynamic design that cuts down on drag and its two fuel-efficient Honeywell TFE731-20AR-1B engines.

The Honeywell Primus 1000 digital avionics suite certainly keeps up with the high-performing jet: its four cathode ray tube screens are located at logical positions on the control panel. The designers of the Learjet 40 paid a lot of attention to arranging the avionics in an easy-to-use, logical layout, ultimately making the pilot’s job easier – and each flight safer.

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Questions about the Learjet 40? Interested in finding one, or need help selling yours? Call Kevin O'Leary at 303-410-1900 or e-mail him at koleary@jetadvisors.com

Boeing Business Jet (BBJ)

The Boeing Business Jet is a member of the venerated 737 family. The 737s collectively have over 60 million hours of flight time and are still in high demand in the commercial aviation market. The BBJ sold more than a hundred planes in just four years of production, and orders continue to come in. No other private jet offers as much cabin space or reliability. After all, the BBJ is a descendant of commercial aircraft, designed to last decades.

The Boeing Business Jet’s full name is the BBJ 737-700 IGW. IGW stands for “Increased Gross Weight,” much of which is due to its massive cabin. The total cabin volume is 5,390 cubic feet and can be configured almost any way desired. Most configurations divide the cabin into four compartments (in addition to a crew rest area). The four compartments generally consist of a board room, a lounge, a VIP bedroom (with a queen-sized bed, if desired), a business office, and two lavatories with showers.

The BBJ, despite its size and its maximum take off weight of 171,000 pounds, can take off from a sea level runway in 5,885 feet. At an altitude of 5,000 feet and a temperature of 77˚F, the required runway distance increases to 9,645 feet. For comparison’s sake, the average takeoff distance of heavy private jets at sea level is 5,500 feet. The average MTOW of these private jets is 52,000 pounds, 30% of the BBJ’s MTOW.

Another area in which the massive BBJ performs like one of the smaller heavy private jets is in its climb rate. It climbs directly to 37,000 feet in 25 minutes. At this altitude it achieves its high speed cruise of 470 ktas. At 39,000 feet it gets optimal long range cruise performance of 451 ktas. Its range, with eight passengers and required NBAA IFR reserves, is 6,098 nautical miles. It can easily complete trips from Denver to Tokyo or from Los Angeles to Frankfurt – distance is no limitation. Its required amount of runway for landing will not be a limiting factor, either: when carrying four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves, the BBJ needs only 2,330 feet to land.

The Boeing Business Jet is pretty economical as far as ultra-long-range jets go: on a 6,000 nautical mile trip carrying eight passengers, such as New York to Beijing, it will use 10,000 gallons of fuel and reach the destination in 50 minutes. On a shorter trip of 1,000 nautical miles with eight passengers, such as from Denver to Detroit, 1,600 gallons of fuel would be used and the flight time would be 30 minutes.

The flight controls themselves are designed to be extremely easy to use, so that even pilots from third world countries with little flight training could use them. Even though any pilot qualified by FAA standards to fly a Boeing Business Jet will have ample experience, the thought is nonetheless comforting. The plane lacks no piece of guidance or system awareness technology that could be added to a commercial or private jet.

Truly, the BBJ lacks nothing. For those that can afford it, it is the epitome of everything that could be desired in a private jet.

for more information on the Boeing Business Jet, contact Kevin O'Leary at koleary@jetadvisors.com or 303-410-1900.

Learjet 40

The Learjet is quite a contender in the competitive private jet market. Its cruise speed, cabin space, and technological advancement are greater than other light private jets. It has excellent range/payload flexibility and climbs quickly to elevations far above most air traffic and bad weather. Its range allows for nonstop flights from Chicago to San Francisco or from Singapore to Hong Kong -- trips that few other light private jets could complete.

The Learjet 40’s cabin is, to the pleasure of its marketing department, the biggest of its class. It stretches to a length of 17.7 feet, a width of 5.12 feet, and a height of 4.92 feet, which works out to a total cabin volume of 363 cubic feet. There are seats available for seven passengers, and baggage compartments that can store 65 cubic feet of baggage.

The Learjet 40 also outperforms the competition while in the air. Its average cruise speed is 457 ktas (.79 Mach), but can cruise as fast as 464 ktas (.81 Mach). It can fly up to 2,248 miles (1,954 nautical miles) nonstop and take off in 4,285 feet at high altitudes. Its runway capabilities at sea level are less than 3,400 pounds. Even when loaded to its maximum takeoff weight of 20,350 pounds it can take off in just 4,250 feet from a sea level runway.

Despite the high speeds of the Learjet 40, it has relatively economical fuel consumption due to its aerodynamic design that cuts down on drag and its two fuel-efficient Honeywell TFE731-20AR-1B engines.

The Honeywell Primus 1000 digital avionics suite certainly keeps up with the high-performing jet: its four cathode ray tube screens are located at logical positions on the control panel. The designers of the Learjet 40 paid a lot of attention to arranging the avionics in an easy-to-use, logical layout, ultimately making the pilot’s job easier – and each flight safer.

For more information about the Learjet 40, contact Kevin O'Leary at 303-410-1900 or koleary@jetadvisors.com

Hawker Horizon

The goal of the design team from Raytheon that made the Hawker Horizon was not to design the fastest private jet, or the jet with the longest range, or the most economical mid-sized private jet. Their goal was to strike a balance between all of the things aircraft owners value: cabin size, speed, operating cost, and range. This goal was met in the Hawker Horizon, a private jet that is strong on all fronts.

The Hawker Horizon’s cabin can carry between eight and fourteen. It is 29.5 feet long, 6 feet high, and 6.5 feet wide. There is 110 cubic feet of baggage space available in an unpressurized external compartment. All of the typical amenities are available as well: a fully enclosed lavatory, appliances for hot and cold food preparation, and power plugs.

The Hawker Horizon is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308A engines, which provide 6,900 pounds of thrust each on takeoff. They are similar to the PW305 engines used on the Hawker 1000, but produce more thrust, are more economical, and have better temperature margins than the 305s.

The runway requirements for the Hawker Horizon are impressive for a private jet of its size. It can take off in 5,088 feet on a sea level runway, or in 7,598 feet on a runway at an elevation of 5,000 feet. It can climb directly to 41,000 feet in twenty minutes at its Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) of 36,000 pounds. When loaded to its maximum fuel capacity, it can fly 3,570 miles (3,100 nautical miles) at a speed of .80 Mach.

For an optimum range cruise, the Hawker Horizon can fly at 430 knots at its maximum flight level of 45,000 feet. Its high speed cruise is 470 knots at 41,000 feet. The aircraft’s pressurization system is rated to 9.8 psi, meaning that the Hawker Horizon can maintain a 6,000 foot cabin altitude while flying at 45,000 feet.

Raytheon selected the Honeywell Primus Epic Avionics Suite for use in the Hawker Horizon. It integrates and controls many of the vital functions of the aircraft. It comes standard with a GPS sensor, an FMZ-2000 FMS (Flight Management System), dual autothrottles, and dual automated flight control systems. Five 8 by 10 inch flat panel LCDs show all of the necessary flight information. Two serve as the primary flight displays, two as multi-function displays, and one as an EICAS (Engine Indication and Crew Alert System), which cycles through seven pages of systems information. The electronic system displays will allow the pilot to control all shown functions directly from the display.

Sino Swearingen SJ 30-2

The Sino Swearingen SJ 30-2 is a little-known private jet from an almost unheard-of company. It is an anomaly among light jets: it has transcontinental range and a maximum cruise speed of .83 Mach. The SJ 30-2 is very fuel efficient at high speeds, burning just over 100 gallons of fuel per hour

The cabin extremely small, even for a light private jet. It is 12.6 feet long, 4.3 feet wide, and 4.7 feet high, which totals a cabin volume of 191 cubic feet. It fits five seats, and since the SJ 30-2 will generally be flown by a single pilot, an additional passenger can ride in the cockpit. Some cabin amenities include an Iridium satcom phone, power outlets, two-zone temperature control, and cup holders by each seat.

The SJ30-2 uses two Williams International FJ44-2a fanjet engines, the same class of engines used on the CitationJet series and the original SJ30. Each are flat rated to 2,300 pounds of thrust each. They are controlled partially by two Electronic Control Units (ECTs) that are comparable to an FADEC (Full Authority Digital Electronics Control), which automatically limits takeoff thrust, schedules climb and cruise thrust levels, and distributes fuel. Backup hydromechanical fuel control is available if the ECU fails.

One of the most surprising attributes of the SJ 30-2 is its range of 2,870 miles (2,500 nautical miles). Fortunately, its cruise speed is up to par with the uncharacteristically (for a light private jet) high range. Its maximum cruise speed is .83 Mach (486 knots), and its long range cruise speed is .78 Mach (447 knots). The SJ30-2 is very fuel efficient, burning 150 gallons of fuel per hour, 40 gallons less than the average fuel consumption for light private jets. This is surprising, considering the fact that no other light private jets come close to the SJ 30-2 in range or speed. The SJ30-2 can be even more fuel efficient when performing for optimum range, burning only 102 gallons per hour.

The fully integrated Honeywell Primus Epic CDS avionics system centers on two 8x10 flat panel liquid crystal displays. The cockpit comes equipped with the Primus 331 weather radar, the Dual Primus II radio system, and can be configured to include a lightning sensor system, TCAS 2000 (Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System), GPS, and other flight control systems. The SJ 30-2 can be operated by a single pilot.