Light Jets Comparison

Comparing the benefits, prices and values of jets with the articles of Mike Chase, the Biz Av benchmark for jet comparisons.

Heavy-duty turbo-props vs. light aircraft

At lower than anticipated purchase and operational cost, very light corporate jets compete directly with powerful single-engine turbo-props. Comparison of the best combinations of velocity, reach, payload and propellant consumption of each plane is critical in selecting a type that best fits the missions profiles of its occupants. To compare power, especially velocity and distance, the operator should consider actual numbers of actual users.

Tip for research: Ask regular airplane flyers about the pilot's actual data in comparison to the manufacturer's calculation. Others agreed, some quoting the benefits of 15 and 25 knots over the text. Identical drivers say that their powerful single-engine turbo-props would only achieve the released top speed under the right circumstances - on a very chilly night when the powerplant runs super-hard with only half a fuel pod.

Similarly, some flyers are amazed by the cruising distance of their new plane because they have expected that due to flight safety, jets have seldom flown at height and therefore have not been able to take advantage of a longer cruising distance and better propellant consumption. That' not so according to Mark Gardner, Textron Aviation Regional Sales Director.

Citation Mustang Canadian carriers often travel high altitudes from Toronto to Florida for much of their route, says Harald Maron, senior vice president of operations for Execaire*'s aviation distribution department in East Canada. Here, too, for the most precise cruising distance of an airplane, potential purchasers should ask the actual owner what they have seen in this area.

Comparison of figures about how much a plane can transport involves a few quizzes and some fundamental mathematical knowledge to make a real comparison between apple and apple. Use a turbo prop that can hoist 895 lbs with full gasoline, and an entry-level jets that can hoist 600 lbs. By asking a few question to both vendors, you may find that the net jets include the net weights of a 200-pound pilots, while the turbo prop is not.

For this example, in order to come to a rigorous comparison, you must take the 600 pound full fueled aircraft load and replenish in the 200 pound pilots. This will bring you to 800 lbs, which is not far from the available load capacity of theurboprop. It is also important to challenge hypotheses such as propellant consumption and other operational expenses that are dependent on several determinants, such as the mean length of a normal trip.

Powerful single-engine turbo-prop planes believe that the long-held legend that their plane is burning two-thirds of a jet's propellant is only flying 20 kn more slowly. However, the reality is that it's more like 45 knot - which makes it targets 12 and 14 per cent quicker than the turbo prop. As jets are flying at higher altitude, the pilot tends to schedule longer flights, which also affects consumption.

Switching from a powerful turbo -prop to a light weight turbo prop is much simpler than most riders think. People who have gone before have insisted that the rewards are really valuable and call the workout the simplest plane change they have ever made. This is because both planes generally have the same electronics, Garmin G1000 Garmin? G1000 and ? system.

" Cessna' s authorized sales representative is entitled Instruaire.