tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post1632453034177512993..comments2023-09-17T04:46:20.879-07:00Comments on Eclipse Aviation Critic NG: The tail end of Eclipse?Shane Pricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07181451780244241883noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-11477102568174319432009-05-15T07:24:00.000-07:002009-05-15T07:24:00.000-07:00New post up.
It's kinda unique, in that it's a jo...New post up.<br /><br />It's kinda unique, in that it's a joint post, by both of 'us'.<br /><br />We hope you enjoy discussing it as much as we did writing it.<br /><br />ShaneShane Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07181451780244241883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-62839789607665455492009-05-15T05:51:00.000-07:002009-05-15T05:51:00.000-07:00ATM
I think Vern was only right about the money...ATM <br /><br /><I> I think Vern was only right about the money-raising part. That's about it... </I>no ATM , you are wrong ...<br /><br />He was right ...<br /><br />much too early for most to understand in what kind of a mess they were getting into before too late ...fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144753596502433091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-69974618594079542162009-05-15T05:39:00.000-07:002009-05-15T05:39:00.000-07:00"Vern was right. Just early."
Right about what? T..."Vern was right. Just early."<br /><br />Right about what? That many pilots would want a $1M twinjet instead of a more expensive prop or jet?<br /><br />This is so funny...<br /><br />I guess every snake oil salesman was right, too? Everyone wants the miracle potion for $10 a bottle.<br /><br />C'mon guys... its all about what you deliver, not what you promise.<br /><br />I would say Tony Fax was also right... as were some other folks promising affordable jet planes.<br /><br />Maybe Cessna is right too? It really cannot be done, for less than about $3M?<br /><br />So who ws right about what?<br />Who was too early?<br /><br />I think Vern was only right about the money-raising part. That's about it...airtaximanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977944795556689805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-11042523323704542222009-05-14T23:42:00.000-07:002009-05-14T23:42:00.000-07:00It really is as simple as that.
Long term strateg...<I> It really is as simple as that.<br /><br />Long term strategy sacrificed for short term greed. </I>Billy :<br /><br />i lower my hat (to the floor) in admiration to your post ...<br /><br />OFF-COURSE , i am pretty sure that Baron would prefer to drive a Ferrari or MB AMG made in USA ...<br /><br />NO i don't think Unions can be blamed alone ... <br />(as i pointed out , if Unions are a minority thing = to be heard they feel they need a revolution-like action ... this is the French-like problem , since almost no one is in Unions , who join unions = Extremists and peoples who cannot loose their jobs ...)<br /><br />Management ? :<br /><br />almost but not entirely !<br /><br />who put them in place and remove them ? <br /><br />the answer is quite obvious !<br /><br />at the same , WHY such firms as BMW , Peugeot , Mercedes , Porsche are in much better position ?<br /> Long term planning !<br /><br />funnily enough , a german car-maker got into troubles not long ago ...<br /><br />Wolkswagen !<br /><br />Stock-holders decided a coup !<br /><br />now , if you know that one of biggest stock-holder in BMW said not very long time ago that :<br /><br />"peoples buying our stocks for short-term profits should be crucified !" <br /><br />and one of the MB said : " we should not have any consideration for dividends on stocks , in fact it should be worked out this way :<br />no dividends to be paid for the first few years of ownership ! if dividends are used to improve the value of the firm , it would benefit everybody inside the firm , including the stock-holders WITHOUT all the gesticulations of the stock-markets ..." <br /><br />this is the type of guy ,i personally like !<br /><br />at contrario , in the other side of the pond ...<br /><br />when was the last refinery to be build ? <br />when was the last CEO of an electricity producing firm said " this year we WON'T pay any dividends , because we will use all our money , results and debts engagement to make our firm better so more valuable for its customers and owners ..." without being shorted in NYSE ? <br /><br />Billy in your post , you touched the USA main problem (IMO) = peoples would like to try to benefit of income , they didn't even started to work for ...<br /><br />short time policies replaced by shorter-time policies ...!fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144753596502433091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-82756906636755811152009-05-14T23:13:00.000-07:002009-05-14T23:13:00.000-07:00But I like it much better when they are assembled ...<I>But I like it much better when they are assembled in free country by free workers like Alabama or South Carolina USA.</I>baron , once again ...<br /><br />wake-up my little boy ...!<br /><br />who is "FREE" and who is not ?<br /><br />in a very personal view , i believe European are now much more "free" than our american friends ...<br /><br />anyone here can criticize his Govt without being look-at as "anti-whatever" , "anti-patriot" , that is one of the funny way of democracy and his "old buddy" ; "freedom of speech" ...<br /><br />it goes rusted ONLY if you do not use it ...!<br /><br />we never get arrested for anything , we don't go to jail if we don't pay tax , etc...etc...<br /><br />so be careful about use of words !<br /><br />at the same time IF the freedom you are talking about is only a consequence of the poorness or lack of development in a specific area : for me (still a very personal view) it is much closer to slavery than it is to freedom ...<br /><br />never actually came to your mind that IF they do not have Unions , may be it is because they "know" (feel or guess) that if they open a bit too much their mouths , they'll loose theirs jobs ??<br />and is there any possibilities to get an other job without having to move hundreds or thousands of miles away ? <br /><br />you see what you call "free" , to me sounds much less ...!fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144753596502433091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-40000714290456200202009-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:00Deep_Blue,
"Vern was right. Just early."
Yup, th...Deep_Blue,<br /><I>"Vern was right. Just early."</I> <br /><br />Yup, that's the REALLY sad part.<br />Because he knew he was early, but rushed to "get 'er done" before the technology was ready, just so he could be first.<br /><br />Wedge was concentrating on short term profit, instead of long term viability.<br /><br />(No unions involved. Just short-sighted greed).bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-64633671222378297982009-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00Gadfly,
"t would seem that an entry level “private...Gadfly,<br /><I>"t would seem that an entry level “private jet” would need to have most of the following...a <A HREF="http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/05/08/1fll/img/09b.jpg" REL="nofollow">“Model Tee”</A> wrench"</I> <br /><br />Just the thing for starting on those cold mornings!!<br />(As someone said, you can't "hand prop" those turbines- but this might help get around that problem !! :)bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-11514418427259104932009-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:00Hi Fred,
Thanks for the intriguing information abo...Hi Fred,<br />Thanks for the intriguing information about French and Germany unionization. I remember when Peugeot were sold here in the states. (I almost bought a <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_405" REL="nofollow">405</A>).<br /><br />(And you are right about the "man plug" thing !! .)bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-18617824994380490222009-05-14T19:58:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:58:00.000-07:00Hi Gadfly,
I agree about the 1940's being the mos...Hi Gadfly,<br /><br />I agree about the 1940's being the most exciting time in aviation (although I too marvelled at the 727 wing!). And Baron is right about the space program being pretty cool. Same with the F-14 (exotic swign wing and radical radar), F-15 ("zoom" climb !!), F-16 (fly By wire) programs, developed in the mid-1970's. <br /><br />And the light plane guys were really busy all though the 1970's with lots of cool things. 1940-1980, forty years of fun !! (Of course, it is no coincidence that ERcoupse reached their lofty pinnacle of development in that period!).bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-87550960894004309802009-05-14T19:57:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:57:00.000-07:00Baron,
"Same assignment that BEG got on tracing t...Baron,<br /><br /><I>"Same assignment that BEG got on tracing the percentage of worldwide auto production produced on UAW/CAW plants over the decades, to you (Fred)."</I> <br /><br />You will no doubt be giddy with the obvious answer- I trust you do not think it is a surprise to anyone here:<br />The percentage has been going down.<br /><br />Now- home work assignment for you-<br />What has the national debt been doing <br /><I>"in say 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 (est)."</I> <br /><br /><B><I>"See the trend?"</I></B>bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-37032807608653270222009-05-14T19:51:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:51:00.000-07:00Ken,
"am a little to busy to check in very often h...Ken,<br /><I>"am a little to busy to check in very often here right now, but the plane's been flying great"</I> <br /><br />Ken, thanks for stopping by- I'm glad your airplane is working out so well !!bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-6453399573846819602009-05-14T19:50:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:50:00.000-07:00Baron,
Good post on car dealers and brand associat...Baron,<br />Good post on car dealers and brand association. <br /><br />Rather than blame unions, I would point out, that at least where I live, the Honda, Toyota, and Ford dealers are criminals. They abuse the customers, gouge them on the showroom, gouge them on maintenance. I wish another Honda or Toyota dealer would come to town, and put them out of business with good service. <br /><br />But, the dealer's territories are protected- another monopoly enforced by the car companies- unions don't have anything to do with it.bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-44984162294726790822009-05-14T19:49:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:49:00.000-07:00Baron,
"So what is the problem?"
"It can't be co...Baron,<br /><I>"So what is the problem?"</I> <br /><br /><I>"It can't be corporate culture or executives? GM kicks ass in Brazil. Ford is competitive in Europe."</I> <br /><br /><I>"It can't be the US worker. The non-UAW US assembly plants in the South have great productivity and quality."</I> <br /><br /><I>"The ONLY constant in the US auto operations that substantially underperform the market and lose market share are UAW/CAW plants."</I> <br /><br /><I>"Why is that?"</I> <br /><br />Saturn is "in the south", with non-union labor, and they are out of business.<br /><br />You want to know who is to blame for Detroit's problems:<br />The answer is simple. <br /><br />TRIVIALLY simple.<br /><br />It's not workers.<br />It's not management.<br />It's not unions.<br /><br />It's stockholders.<br /><br />Greed and demand for short term profit. <br /><br />CEO's make the BoD happy.<br />The BoD makes stock holders happy.<br />Short term profit makes stock holders happy.<br /><br />It really is as simple as that.<br /><br />Long term strategy sacrificed for short term greed.<br /><br />Too many stockholder's don't give a damn about the company- it's just a piece of paper to be "flipped" within a few months.<br /><br />Why are auto factories in the south, more successful?<br /><br />BMW and Mercedes are luxury products- just like Gulfstreams, so they are less affected by down-market conditions.<br /><br />Hyundai and Honda and Nissan- Asian ownership- with long term strategy. Not short term greed.<br /><br />Why are GM and Ford more successful in Europe? Because they have more competition. The fact is, there is no dominant brand in Europe. <br /><br />I would argue there should have been no dominant brand in the USA either, but congress let Detroit evade anti-trust legislation, and buy up competitors, and create monopolies. GM is Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Hummer.<br /><br />Better I should think, if those were all independent companies, rather than one conglomerate. More competition, better product.<br /><br /><I>"Aerospace corporations HAVE HAD to locate assembly sites AWAY from the concentration of skilled aerospace workers in order to seek:"</I> <br /><br />No, they HAVE NOT had to locate.<br /><br />That is SIMPLY NOT TRUE.<br /><br />THEY HAVE NOT HAD TO LOCATE.<br /><br />They have elected to relocate, to maximize profits.<br /><br />Just like refusing to make R&D investments for the sake of short term profits.<br /><br />It's as simple as that.bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-175256784824401372009-05-14T19:40:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:40:00.000-07:00Baron,
"There has to be something fundamentally wr...Baron,<br /><I>"There has to be something fundamentally wrong with Aviation projects as of late. They are not performing on par with other industries."</I>Good description of autos- sounds like you have a very nice one. (I've got an ash tray and a spoiler though!)<br /><br />I often lamented the difference between a Ford Tempo, and a BMW 325. Surely, not more than $1500-2000, to make the Tempo adequately competitive- not as good, but, dramatically more comparable. <br /><br />But, Ford went after mass market, minimum quality, and maximum volume. BMW took just the opposite approach- maximum quality (well, for that segment of car, anyway), and settled for lower volume. The profitable aircraft companies are doing the same thing- Gulfstream, Dassault, Learjet.<br /><br />The airplane companies that are struggling (just about all the others), are competing on volume, and price.<br /><br />Part of the reason the high end players remain profitable, is their clientele are less affected by downturn- still good market research by their sales depts.<br /><br />Boeing is focusing on volume with all their airliners. I'm glad they are, and I think it's a good call. The reason for their current trouble, is the old adage, to paraphrase- you can have two out of three for free:<br />quality, schedule, profit.<br /><br />But getting all three in some measure, is tough.<br /><br />I propose: Boeing was focused ONLY on profit.<br /><br />The other two suffered as a result.<br />And they wound up with none of the three.bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-6298962960952743972009-05-14T19:38:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:38:00.000-07:00Dave I,
"Kids these days! They never call, they ...Dave I,<br /><I> "Kids these days! They never call, they never write..."</I> <br />.)bill e. goathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258371211154585137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-61176514707844927672009-05-14T15:57:00.000-07:002009-05-14T15:57:00.000-07:00Whytech said:
"I have made a very similar point o...Whytech said:<br /><br />"I have made a very similar point on this blog more than once. Its all about utility. Until acft are as safe and easy to use as a car, there will not be a large market for any acft, piston or jet.(The propulsion system is mostly irrelevant - its required pilot skills that matter.) Mainstream folks will not and cannot maintain ATP standards. Only way to dumb it down is to take the "pilot" out of the loop."<br /><br />I'll say it again:<br /><br />Vern was right. Just early.Deep Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911017894082065385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-27188574104481650702009-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:002009-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:00"I know it is all a tall order, but until most if ..."I know it is all a tall order, but until most if not all of the elements are in place, personal GA/personal jet will be a miniscule and diminishing economic sector."<br /><br />It wont happen in our lifetime. Thank God! There are enough idiots out there flying way in over their heads as it is. <br /><br />"I know some of the old timers and experinced pilots think all of the above is BS."<br /><br />Not really. I have made a very similar point on this blog more than once. Its all about utility. Until acft are as safe and easy to use as a car, there will not be a large market for any acft, piston or jet.(The propulsion system is mostly irrelevant - its required pilot skills that matter.) Mainstream folks will not and cannot maintain ATP standards. Only way to dumb it down is to take the "pilot" out of the loop.WhyTechhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08316462511388173480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-56308375931126592252009-05-14T13:43:00.000-07:002009-05-14T13:43:00.000-07:00One other addition:
A man is never so serious as ...One other addition:<br /><br />A man is never so serious as when he seems to be speaking in “humor” . . . listen closely to what a man seems to be saying in “jest”, and you will understand the man, and read his very soul.<br /><br />And that is no joke!<br /><br />gadflygadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13191372920897029941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-23175139142658716742009-05-14T13:21:00.000-07:002009-05-14T13:21:00.000-07:00A footnote to the earlier comments:
In spite of t...A footnote to the earlier comments:<br /><br />In spite of the selection of the Williams engine . . . there is a silver lining to that selection. What is the normal life of a turbine these days . . . 3,500 hours? (I’m guessing, since I have been out of the loop for some time . . . and No!, I’m not “loopy”, as some of you would claim.)<br /><br />Suppose an engine were selected that had a safe life of only 1,000 hours . . . that was the old standard back in my day as an “A&P” for major overhaul of a piston engine. That is a lot of flying for any private pilot/owner . . . the distance from earth to the moon on average for my “pretend” jet. (Of course, you’d need to replace the engine on arrival, if you wished to get back in time for supper.)<br /><br />Drive around the country with your little jet for a couple or three years . . . pull in to your friendly “Albuquerque Jet Oasis”, . . . buy the “two pack”, pop out the old, plug in the new . . . and you’ll be back on the road before you have a chance to finish the “Car and Driver” in the waiting room . . . all mounted, balanced, and aligned with your “Warrantee” in hand, with the “$10,000" rebate coupon (don’t lose the thing) ready for the wife to fill out and send in the paperwork. (And they’ll even check the tire pressure.) <br /><br />(‘Just put a new set of Michelin’s on the wife’s Lexus, so I’m up on this sort of thing. ‘Had enough time to enjoy a good cup of coffee before I had to pay the bill, and get back to the shop. And, yeh, I gave the wife the rebate stuff . . . I don’t do coupons.)<br /><br />No, I have not lost it! . . . It’s time that we recognized the realities of differences between commercial aircraft, “true” business jets, “taxi service”, and just plain old “planes”, flown by rich folks that want the convenience of “all of the above”, without the restrictions.<br /><br />In my opinion, in spite of the ego thing (which is the major downfall of Eclipse), the other somewhat minor problems had to do with something I would term as a “blunderbuss” mentality . . . that ancient firearm that spit out “shot” like a trumpet, attempting to hit every target, and missing everything in the process.<br /><br />The disposable car has been part of our lives, since Honda told Congress, “Can do!” . . . and introduced the “Civic” with the three valve per cylinder CVCC. It was a revolution! And it’s time the aviation industry caught up with “ancient technology” (who would have thought!).<br /><br />‘Just some thoughts of the “gadfly” . . . begging your pardon!<br /><br />(Ain’t this fun!)gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13191372920897029941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-60370794562357442962009-05-14T12:09:00.000-07:002009-05-14T12:09:00.000-07:00It would seem that an entry level “private jet” wo...It would seem that an entry level “private jet” would need to have most of the following:<br /><br />Four place/750 payload, plus full fuel . . . twin engine . . . 30,000 ft ceiling/ 330knot cruise/900 nm range . . . Garmin plus Steam gages . . . under $1.2 million . . . “potty” . . . oversize landing gear/anti-lock braking/rivet construction . . . comes with a roll of bailing wire/a “Model Tee” wrench/ and a first aid kit . . . and guaranteed not to rip, run, or bag at the knees. Oh yeh . . . leave it “shiny” aluminum . . . looks great, easy to spot in the mountains, and (most important) easy to inspect . . . and a lot cheaper to produce.<br /><br />In other words, as simple and safe as possible . . . and do what the “J3" or “Cessna 150" did to get folks safely into the air in the 1940's and 1950's.<br /><br />gadfly<br /><br />(And don’t attempt to make it a replacement for the “Checker Marathon” of taxis.)<br /><br />(Don’t nit pick over details . . . you get the idea . . . fill in your own numbers, but keep it simple and safe. And forget the economy stuff . . . no entry level pilot/owner is going to fly the thing enough to save any fuel costs versus investment . . . that’s a myth!)gadflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13191372920897029941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-88345817125898850772009-05-14T10:49:00.000-07:002009-05-14T10:49:00.000-07:00BAron... seems like you pretty much left the real ...BAron... seems like you pretty much left the real issue by the wayside...<br /><br />How much does the plane need to cost and cost to operate, so that folks will really prefer a jet to a prop?<br /><br />Payload range?<br />Price?<br />Op cost?<br /><br />Once you settle this, you can determine if a wholesale modification of the opspec and safety/training aspects of the industry are worthwhile...<br /><br />My sense is, a prop is fine for the personal jet mission, except for some minor issues of inconvenience... as yu pointed out.<br /><br />At what price does it make sense to have wholesale modification of the "mindset"... a $1M twinjet? HOw many would be sold? $2M? etc...<br /><br />I think jets are for a certain mission, and think so are props... same for pricing... and who drives...<br /><br />IF you want a lower priced jet, the best way is find a huge market - this is my only point. It probably comes from more as opposed to less utility. Another point.airtaximanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977944795556689805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-13979305485692306672009-05-14T10:39:00.000-07:002009-05-14T10:39:00.000-07:00Billy :
being from both sides :
i can give you s...Billy :<br /><br />being from both sides :<br /><br />i can give you some data to be amazed about (in baron's view !)<br /><br />do you know why france is so messy when it comes to work related things ?<br /><br />do you know why in germany the same topics are almost always treated and resolved in a peaceful atmosphere ?<br /><br />simple to understand :<br /><br />in france less than 10% of working population is in unions ...<br /><br />in germany about 14% of working population is NOT in unions ...<br /><br />so it is a bit like "Man 's plug" story : the one who talk the most about is always the one to have the smallest one ! ;-)fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144753596502433091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-91006113724041612052009-05-14T10:01:00.000-07:002009-05-14T10:01:00.000-07:00Fred said...MB is still making the BIGGEST part of...Fred said...MB is still making the BIGGEST part of its production in Germany ...<br />----------------------<br /><br />Operative word - STILL. I'm glad you phrased it properly. ;)<br /><br />But don't take me wrong, I have absolutely no problems with IG-Metal or unions in general. My issue is when the "few" that are in, make such uncompetitive demands, that the whole enterprise is destined to fail.<br /><br />That was absolutely true with the UAW/CAW the second competition came in.<br /><br />It is NOT yet true with IG-Metal and the Boeing unions for example, for the most part. I think they are more productive, better informed, less militant, but most importantly subject to less competition.<br /><br />And I do love those German, British and Italian (some) cars. They are awesome. And I am on the side of anyone involved on designing and building them.<br /><br />I support them every year or two with my hard earned money, and will likely to continue to reward them in the foreseable future.<br /><br />But I like it much better when they are assembled in free country by free workers like Alabama or South Carolina USA.<br /><br />I gave them a shot with the Alabama built R500 for the kid-mobile. Came close to replacing it with the Alabama built G550, but found it too boring. The AMG got downsized to an Ian Callum designed Tata car.Baron95https://www.blogger.com/profile/01421355643916832199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-3920879955085093652009-05-14T09:49:00.000-07:002009-05-14T09:49:00.000-07:00ATM, the characteristics of a personal jet and, mo...ATM, the characteristics of a personal jet and, most importantly the "personal jet enabling environment" are:<br /><br />1 - Ease of Operation, by non-professional pilots, that may fly as low as 25-50 hrs per year, which seems to be the new non-professional yearly average.<br /><br />2 - Training programs tailored for busy, but driven individuals. E.g. Marathon weekend sim sessions, Marathon weekend actual approaches to 15 different airports, mentoring.<br /><br />3 - Support environment including a/c mgmt, insurance, recurrent training, dispatching sonsulting (e.g. international flying, personalized route briefing including altitude selection around winds, weather).<br /><br />4 - A ready pool of fractional, partnership mgmt, leasing and financing to make different forms of ownership easy.<br /><br />5 - All in price with much longer warranties (e.g. 5 years+ with everything but fluids included on price or based on annual + by the hour).<br /><br />6 - Lexus stile FBOs with ready rental car, etc at more "personal" destinations.<br /><br />7 - FAA approval for 100hrs ZERO to IFR training with heavy SIM use, with all training on jets.<br /><br />8 - Elimination or simplification of type rating for jets under 6,000 lbs and a few other conditions.<br /><br />So, you see, it is the environment and industry mind set.<br /><br />I think the planes need to be much simpler still. There should be a single-engine, fixed gear training and sub-600mile jet. A single engine 1000 nm 4 pax jet, and so on.<br /><br />These jets should have single page normal and emergency procedures checklists. Option for always on A/Ps, synthetic/enhanced vision, GPWS, traffic, probably auto flap configuration, and hopefully FBW with control law preventing out of envelop operation, auto depressurization descent, etc.<br /><br />I know it is all a tall order, but until most if not all of the elements are in place, personal GA/personal jet will be a miniscule and diminishing economic sector.<br /><br />I know some of the old timers and experinced pilots think all of the above is BS.<br /><br />Thing is, if you walk up to the average airline captain and ask him to "go get that 757 that is parked over there and fly it to Brussels on your own", they'd have no idea how to do it.<br /><br />They are used to have a whole department in charge of maintaining the planes, another one making sure it is legal, another one making sure payments are currents, another one in charge of making sure it is fueled and paying for fuel, another one analyzing the weather and winds, filing flight plans, securing landing and over flight permits, etc, etc, etc, another one in charge of scheduling recurrent training, line checks, etc.<br /><br />If an airline captain needs that much help to fly a jet, shouldn't a personal flyer have AT LEAST that much backup if not a whole lot more?Baron95https://www.blogger.com/profile/01421355643916832199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817101653623448889.post-3846777300451417202009-05-14T09:10:00.000-07:002009-05-14T09:10:00.000-07:00"Personal jets are "trying to appear", but, in my ..."Personal jets are "trying to appear", but, in my view, they need another round of engine, avionics, systems tweaking."<br /><br />the definition of "personal jet" is curious - to me anyway...<br /><br />Is a personal jet one that is by definition affordable for persaonl acquasition and use? As opposed to a professionally pilotted jet?<br /><br />Is a personal jet on that is tailored for a personal mission?<br /><br />Seems like, we'd do well to examine this issue, because perhaps we already have "personal" jets. just not affordable (enough) ones...<br /><br />Does the plan really need to be miniaturized?<br /><br />Does the plane really need to be payload range limited?<br /><br />Or<br /><br />Does it just need to be cheaper?<br /><br />How much cheaper?<br />Does anyone know?<br /><br />If perhaps, say a real OEM came to the table and said, I am going to produce 1000 of X model that we ususally make 100 of - next year and sell them for 1/3 the price? Would this work?<br /><br />Or do we really need another round of new technologies to bring the cost and weight down in order to have a personal jet?<br /><br />This whole rationale is suspect to me... if its about price... there are probably easier ways to get to the "persoanlly-priced" jet... and its by increasing its utility (and corresponding market size), not decreasing it...<br /><br />IMOairtaximanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977944795556689805noreply@blogger.com