What is BizJet?

Almost all production business jets, such as General Dynamics' Gulfstream and the Gates Lear Jet (now built by Bombardier), have had two or three engines, though the Jetstar, an early business jet, had four. Advances in engine reliability and power have rendered four-engine designs obsolete, and only Dassault Aviation still builds three-engine models (in the Falcon line). The emerging market for so-called "very light jets" and "personal jets", has seen the introduction (at least on paper) of several single-engine designs as well.

Almost all business jets have rear-mounted engines, because the wing (mounted low for performance reasons) is too near the ground for engines to be slung underneath it.

Airliners are sometimes converted into luxury business jets. Such converted aircraft are often used by celebrities with a large entourage or press corps, or by sports teams, but airliners often face operational restrictions based on runway length or local noise restrictions.

A focus of development is at the low end of the market with small models, many far cheaper than existing business jets. Many of these fall into the very light jet (VLJ) category and are used by the air taxi industry. Cessna has developed the Mustang, a six-place twinjet (2 crew + 4 passengers) available for $2.55 million USD. A number of smaller manufacturers have planned even cheaper jets; the first was the Eclipse 500 from the now defunct Eclipse Aviation which was available at around 1.5 million USD. It remains to be seen whether the new jet manufacturers will complete their designs, or find the market required to sell their jets at the low prices planned.

There are approximately 11,000 business jets in the worldwide fleet with the vast majority of them based in the United States or owned by US companies. The European market is the next largest, with growing activity in the Middle East, Asia, and Central America.

Since 1996 the term "fractional jet" has been used in connection with business aircraft owned by a consortium of companies. Costly overheads such as flight crew, hangarage and maintenance can be shared through such arrangements.

Because of their low-volume productions and long lead times, new aircraft orders can take two to three years for delivery. This peculiarity fuels a large pre-owned marketplace, with aircraft for immediate availability.

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A Guide to Private Jet Ownership

Whether you're hopping around Europe on business, travelling to an important meeting overseas, or taking a private family vacation, having an aircraft ready and waiting to transport you can take the stress and frustration out of your journey. You will avoid the inconvenience of queues and checks at big airports and enjoy the privacy and productivity that comes with using your own private jet. Fractional ownership is a newer way to enjoy all these benefits without sacrificing quality or safety.

When it comes to travelling for business or pleasure, you have four basic options. You can fly with a major airline service; you can rent every kind of aircraft, from a jet charter to a helicopter charter; you can buy your own plane and hire a pilot to be on stand-by; or you can join a fractional aircraft ownership company and use an aircraft from its fleet whenever necessary.

Your costs are determined by the number of hours of flying time you wish to use. Such a company can sit down with you, analyse your data, and map out your current flying needs. Then you can purchase flight time with the company according to those needs, so that you only pay for the time you are using.
Everyone who has flown is well aware of the hassles that big airports offer. With the increased safety issues provoked by 9/11, it has become necessary to schedule extra hours of waiting time for security purposes. Sitting on the runway for even more hours could cause you to miss your important meeting. When it comes to a business jet charter, you will be able to avoid time-wasting baggage checks, delays and searches.

While owning your own private jet may sound glamorous, the initial purchase, maintenance, availability, fuel, insurance, and crewing costs can become prohibitive. Fundamentally, you will be paying whether you are flying or not. Fractional jet charters make it possible to hire a helicopter charter, a small jet charter, or even a bigger aircraft, with the cost in direct proportion to distance and size.

Fractional private jet ownership has many advantages over these other possibilities. There is no wasted money during downtime, and for less than the cost of a single aircraft you can enjoy the use of an entire fleet, from small 7-passenger jets for short European connections to 14-passenger Gulfstreams for transatlantic journeys. The economy, flexibility, and privacy that are assured through shared private jet ownership can make this a smart choice for the frequent traveller.

NetJets Europe offers individuals and businesses all the benefits of private aircraft ownership at a fraction of the cost.

Customers can visit http://www.netjetseurope.com for more information about your ideal business jet or how to charter a private jet.

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