2006: The year of the very light jet | Aviation International News

2006: The year of the very light jet

Call them what you want–very light jets (VLJs), compact jets, minijets, microjets, personal jets or even Barbie jets–they’re no longer “paper” airplanes.

By Chad Trautvetter • Online Editor

January 30, 2007

Call them what you want–very light jets (VLJs), compact jets, minijets, microjets, personal jets or even Barbie jets–they’re no longer “paper” airplanes. First deliveries of certified VLJs are less than a year away, if Eclipse Aviation adheres to its plan to begin deliveries of its Model 500 next March. Two VLJ models–the Eclipse 500 and (as a nonconforming prototype) the Adam A700 AdamJet–are currently engaged in test flying, and four more (the Cessna Citation Mustang, Excel-Jet Sport-Jet, Tam-Air Epic Jet and Diamond D-Jet) are expected to ply the skies by year-end. Other possible contenders include the Avocet ProJet and Safire Jet.

The market for VLJs is largely an unknown. In its business aviation forecast published last fall, Rolls-Royce predicted that manufacturers will deliver some 8,000 “microjets” by 2023. Researcher Inflight Management Development Centre’s forecast shows that 847 VLJs will be produced between this year and 2013. Meanwhile, Forecast International foresees 3,476 of the small jets being manufactured by 2014.

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