Aircraft
VLJ Backers Take Their Case to Capitol Hill
Three of the major players in the very light jet (VLJ) arena appeared before the Senate aviation subcommittee to address concerns that the new breed of air

Three of the major players in the very light jet (VLJ) arena appeared before the Senate aviation subcommittee to address concerns that the new breed of aircraft will present insuperable challenges for the ATC system. Cessna chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton; Eclipse Aviation president Vern Raburn; and DayJet founder Ed Iacobucci took their case to Capitol Hill. Joining them were two top FAA officials and an aviation consultant.

All did their best to assuage concerns that the nation’s National Airspace System (NAS) will struggle to assimilate a fleet that has been variously estimated to consist of between 5,000 and 8,700 VLJs over the next 20 years. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has often referred to the influx of VLJs as a “mosquito fleet.”