As you look around most airports today you will notice that there is a decreasing amount of large aircraft in the area, while at the same time the amount of corporate jets are flying in more and more at an extremely fast rate. The reason for this change is the dawn of a new age in commercial aviation, where small light jets are used more frequently than ever thought possible. New models of small jets, called Very Light Jets or VLJ’s, are being developed by several major aircraft manufacturers so that they can compete with the rising demand of these airplanes.
At first small jets were only reserved for the rich and famous, but now they are becoming more affordable and accessible for pilots to purchase and passengers to commute. Most pilots would agree that they would rather own and pilot their own aircraft and fly themselves around the globe wherever they please, than spend time hassling with the airlines. Any passenger would agree it would be better to have a direct route to their destination, rather than spending hours in layovers and security checkpoints. Many experts agree that VLJ’s are working their way up the corporate ladder in civil aviation.
One of the latest releases of the VLJ came with Cessna’s new Citation Mustang. Cessna surprised many people by releasing their new aircraft much later than some of their main competitors, but nonetheless it has the quality and service that Cessna built has off its eighty year old reputation. This aircraft features breathtaking performance at similar costs of most new twin piston airplanes. The company plans to make its first deliveries of the Citation Mustang by the end of 2007. What separates this design from all the other business jets that Cessna has manufactured is its new power plant, avionics, and reasonable price.
The biggest competitor to Cessna in the VLJ market is Eclipse Aviation. Over the past few years Eclipse is designing more models of small jets and many people give Eclipse credit for bringing the market to full swing. However, Cessna promises to make VLJ’s even more a reality for buyers. The Mustang is capable of carrying up to five passengers plus the pilot at speeds of 340 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles at a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. It is smaller than any other Citation that Cessna has built and is also the easiest to fly out of all the Citations. Most of the orders have been made to pilots with little or no turbine time, which makes this plane a perfect trainer for jet pilots and those just getting into the seat of turbine aircraft. Cessna is an example of how the VLJ phenomenon is expanding and beginning to make its presence at airports throughout all corners of the world.
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