Aircraft
Safety issues a hot topic at VLJ forum in London
Delegates at the Very Light Jet (VLJ) conference, held March 26 and 27 at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, warned that unless a range of measures

Delegates at the Very Light Jet (VLJ) conference, held March 26 and 27 at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, warned that unless a range of measures are put in place, the widespread introduction of this new “phenomenon” could prove a commercial disaster. Capt. Randy Phillips of the UK’s Aviation Training Associates spoke of an accident involving a Cessna Citation CJ1 on February 13 (N102PT), in which an Internet entrepreneur and her son were killed. He referred to the accident to illustrate the potential risks of pilots being underprepared for such aircraft (even though the CJ1 is not a VLJ).

The conference included some of the top names in the VLJ industry, and “stakeholders” in areas such as regulation, insurance and air traffic control who have been trying to gauge the potential impact of thousands of VLJs poised to enter service over the next few years.