A New Revolution In Aviation Or Another
Dot Com Bust? Submitted By: John White
A number of years ago several groups of individuals decided that
the world of aviation was ready for another revolution - the introduction
of very light jets. These jets would weigh less than 10,000 pounds,
be operated by one pilot, carry 4-5 passengers at 41,000 feet
over 1,000 nautical miles, and operate off of small municipal
airports with runways only 3,000 feet long.These new aircraft
are known as very light jets - vljs and are expected to be purchased
by air taxi operators and owner/pilots making the transition from
piston
turboprop aircraft to turbojets. Depending
upon whom you listen to this market will explode producing thousands
of aircraft over the next ten years, or it is just a new way for
investors to lose millions of dollars in another dot com bust.Some
worry that the air transport system in the United States will
not be able to accommodate all of these new aircraft, a fact which
is probably untrue. While these new vljs will operate at the same
altitudes as commercial airliners, few will venture into the major
airports. After all, the advantage of these new small jets is
their ability to operate out of the smaller satellite
airports in many communities throughout
the United States. Further, there is still a lot of sky out there,
and it is unlikely to overburden the present system.A more significant
concern is whether or not there really is a market for these aircraft.
One manufacturer, Eclipse Aviation, is manufacturing a new aircraft
recently certified by the FAA using new technology which allows
assembly line construction of the aircraft with fewer employees
than the traditional manufacturing method
of riveting aluminum. Despite these projected efficiencies, Eclipse
will still need to produce at least 500 aircraft per year to break
even. But Eclipse is not the only player in this game. Cessna
Aircraft Company has certified its Cessna Citation Mustang, and
others are getting close. Adam Aircraft's A 700 jet is close,
and Honda will manufacture the Honda Jet, Embraer the Phenom 100
and now Piper Aircraft has introduced its new Piper Jet. There
are presently some twelve manufacturers pursuing this market.
To understand the issue it should be noted that in 2006 a total
of 629 business jets were manufactured in the first three quarters,
which works out to an annual rate of 840 business jets for 2006.
For Eclipse to sell 500 new very light jets per year would clearly
be a major accomplishment, Click here
for the rest.
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