Very light jet

A very light jet (VLJ), entry-level jet or personal jet,^[1] previously known as a microjet, is a category of small business jets that seat four to eight people. VLJs are considered the lightest business jets and are approved for single-pilot operation.

The Cirrus Vision SF50 was the first certified single-engine civilian jet and is the most-produced VLJ with 514 deliveries since 2016.

History

The first small jet-powered civil aircraft, the 1950s Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris, has been retroactively suggested as being the first VLJ, as it seats four with a single pilot and is smaller than modern VLJs. The production of MS.760 differs from modern business jets in having a sliding canopy for cabin access rather than a door; a six-seat version with an enclosed cabin and a conventional door was canceled after a single prototype was built.^[2][3]

Two unbuilt Cessna aircraft of the 1950s and 1960s would have met the definition of a VLJ. The first was the 407, a four-seat civil version of the T-37 jet trainer proposed in 1959; however, the 407 never progressed past the mockup stage due to insufficient customer interest. The second was the Fanjet 500, which had an MTOW of 9,500 pounds (4,310 kg) and a single pilot as originally envisioned in 1968; however, as the aircraft evolved into the Citation, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration demanded a second pilot and various design changes, resulting in an MTOW of 10,350 pounds (4,690 kg).^[3]

Other attempts to create small jet aircraft in this class in the 1970s and 1980s were the Gulfstream Aerospace FanJet 1500^[3] and the CMC Leopard.

The Cessna Citation Mustang was the first VLJ, produced from 2006–2017, and is the second most-produced with 479 delivered.

After a flurry of interest in the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) and air taxi markets in the early 2000s, the VLJ sector underwent significant expansion. Several new designs were produced, such as the Embraer Phenom 100, the Cessna Citation Mustang, and the Eclipse 500. However, following the late 2000s recession the air taxi market underperformed expectations, and both Eclipse Aviation and air taxi firm DayJet collapsed. In December 2010, AvWeb's Paul Bertorelli explained that the term very light jet has lost favor in the aviation industry: "Personal jet is the description du jour. You don't hear the term VLJ—very light jet—much anymore and some people in the industry tell me they think it's because that term was too tightly coupled to Eclipse, a failure that the remaining players want to, understandably, distance themselves from."^[1]

Single-engine designs were popular in the mid-2000s, before the Great Recession diminished the market appeal of the category. Most of those projects, which included the Piper Altaire, Diamond D-Jet, Eclipse 400 and VisionAire Vantage, were all shelved. As of 2016, the only maintained aircraft are the Cirrus Vision SF50, which was type certified that year and put into production, and the Stratos 714, which at the time expected certification in 2019. Single-engine VLJs are expected to compete with single turboprop aircraft.^[4]

Two VLJs in history have won the Collier Trophy, known as the most prestigious aerospace engineering award in the United States — the Eclipse 500 in 2006 and the Cirrus Vision SF50 in 2018.^[5]

Target market

VLJs are intended to have lower operating costs than conventional jets, and to be able to operate from runways as short as 3,000 feet (910 m), either for personal use or in point-to-point air taxi service.^[6][7] In the United States, the Small Aircraft Transportation System is aimed at providing air service to areas ignored by airlines.

Florida-based air taxi provider DayJet, which on October 3, 2007 began its Eclipse 500 service, planned to operate more than 1,000 of the VLJs within five years,^[8] and had stated in mid-2007 that it planned to operate 300 Eclipse 500s serving 40 regional airports in the Southeastern United States by the end of 2008.^[9] DayJet ceased operations on September 19, 2008.^[8]

Production

Still delivered, the Embraer Phenom 100 is the third most-produced VLJ and began production in December 2008.

Many models are under development or awaiting certification, while others have failed.^[10] Six have so far made deliveries to customers:

• 2006–2017 : Cessna Citation Mustang
• 2006–2008 : Eclipse EA500
• 2008–present : Embraer Phenom 100
• 2013–present : Cessna CitationJet/M2
• 2014–2017, 2023–present : Eclipse 550
• 2015–present : Honda HA-420 HondaJet
• 2016–present : Cirrus Vision SF50

The Cessna Citation Mustang was the first production VLJ, first delivered in November 2006,^[11][12][13] and discontinued in May 2017,^[14] and the Cirrus Vision SF50 is the first single-engine production VLJ, beginning deliveries in December 2016.^[15][16]

Business jet sales suffered due to the late 2000s recession. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported in November 2010 that third quarter business jet sales were down 20.3% over the same period in 2009,^[17] with light jets suffering the most.^[18] In 2020, business jet deliveries slowed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 20% decrease over the previous year.^[19] However, the industry bounced back the following year, in 2021, with a 10% increase over 2020 and a single VLJ delivery more than in 2019.^[20] The Cirrus Vision SF50 is the most-delivered VLJ with 514 total from 2016 through 2023 and most-delivered per year since 2018, and the Eclipse 500 has the most deliveries in a single year with 161 in 2008.

Deliveries^[21][22][23]

Year	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	Total
Cirrus Vision SF50	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	22	63	81	73	86	90	96	514
Cessna Citation Mustang	1	45	101	125	73	43	38	20	8	8	10	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	479
Embraer Phenom 100	-	-	2	97	100	41	29	30	19	12	10	18	11	11	6	6	7	11	410
Cessna CitationJet/M2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12	46	41	38	39	34	34	24	34	33	25	360
Eclipse 500/550	1	98	161	-	-	-	-	-	12	7	8	6	-	-	-	-	-	2	295
Honda HA-420 HondaJet	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	23	43	37	36	31	37	17	22	248
Total	2	143	264	222	173	84	67	62	85	70	92	135	145	162	134	163	147	156	2306

Engines

Engine	Thrust	Weight	Application
PW610[24]	4.226 kN (950 lbf)	115.7 kg (255 lb)	Eclipse 500/550
PW615[25]	6.49 kN (1,460 lbf)	140 kg (310 lb)	Citation Mustang
FJ33-5A[26]	8.21 kN (1,846 lbf)	144.7 kg (319 lb)	Cirrus SF50
FJ44-1AP[26]	8.47 kN (1,965 lbf)	240.5 kg (530 lb)	Citation M2
PW617[27]	8.411 kN (1,891 lbf)	172 kg (379 lb)	Phenom 100
HF120[28]	9.32 kN (2,100 lbf)	211.3 kg (466 lb)	HondaJet

Interior amenities

When these smaller jets were first mooted, there was much interest in the fact that they would not have a lavatory on board, with articles discussing the matter in The New York Times^[29] and items on NBC Nightly News.^[30] Some manufacturers argued that for short flights of 300 to 500 miles (480 to 800 km) and 40 to 80 minutes' duration, the lavatory issue was not a problem^[29] and air taxi service companies said that it was not a concern for most of their passengers.^[30] Despite this, the Eclipse 500 had the option of an electric flush, remove-to-service lavatory with a privacy curtain - at the expense of one passenger seat, and the proposed Adam A700 design had a seven-seat configuration with rear lavatory with a privacy curtain. The Cessna Mustang also has an emergency toilet, but it is located between the cockpit and cabin. The Embraer Phenom 100 offers a fully enclosed lavatory with a solid door. The 2015 Honda HA-420 HondaJet has a full lavatory at the rear of the aircraft with flushing toilet, full sink and closing door.^[31]

List

  In production

  In development

  Homebuilt

  Completed

  Dormant/canceled

  Demonstrators

Aircraft	Seats	MTOW	Cabin height	Engines	Max. cruise	Max. range	Specific range @ LR TAS[32]	Unit cost	Deliv.[21][22][23][33]	First flight	Status
Cirrus SF50	5-7[34]	6,000 lb	4.1 ft	1× FJ33	305 kn[35]	1,275 nmi[35]	0.863 nmi/lb @ 259 kn	$3.25M[36]	514	3 Jul 2008	delivered since 2016
Eclipse 550	6	6,000 lb[37]	4.2 ft[37]	2× PW610F	375 kn[38]	1,125 nmi[38]	1.040 nmi/lb @ 334 kn[39]	$2.9m[40][needs update]	35	March 2013	2014-2017 deliveries,[lower-alpha 1] resumed 2023
Honda HA-420	6-8	10,700 lb	4.8 ft	2× HF120	422 kn[41]	1,437 nmi[41]	0.663 nmi/lb @ 360 kn	$6.95M[42]	248	3 Dec 2003	delivered since 2015
Citation M2	6-8	10,700 lb	4.8 ft	2× FJ44	404 kn	1,550 nmi	0.626 nmi/lb @ 323 kn	$6.15M[36]	360	29 Apr 1991	delivered since 1993
Phenom 100	6-8	10,703 lb	4.9 ft	2× PW617F	406 kn[43]	1,178 nmi[43]	0.626 nmi/lb @ 340 kn	$4.995M[36]	410	26 Jul 2007	delivered since 2008
Flaris LAR01	5	4,080 lb	4.0 ft	1× FJ33[44]	415 kn	1,730 nmi		$2 m		5 Apr 2019[45]	sales started 2024
Stratos 714	4	8,421 lb	4.8 ft[46]	1× JT15D[47]	415 kn	1,500 nmi		$3–3.5m		21 Nov 2016	in development[lower-alpha 2]
FLS Microjet	1	659 lb		1× PBS TJ-100	278 kn	200 nmi		$0.1895m		Jan 2011
SubSonex	1	1,000 lb		1× PBS TJ-100	220 kn	300+ nmi		$0.135m		10 Aug 2011
Viper Jet	2	5,100 lb		1× J85	430 kn	800 nmi		$0.48-0.65m		Oct 1999
Citation Mustang	6	8,645 lb	4.5 ft	2× PW615F	340 kn	1,167 nmi	0.641 nmi/lb @ 319 kn[39]	$3.35m[48]	479	23 Apr 2005	2006-2017 deliveries
Eclipse 500	6	6,000 lb	4.2 ft[49]	2× PW610F	370 kn[38]	1,125 nmi[38]		$2.15m[50]	260	26 Aug 2002	2006-2008 deliveries
Adam A700	5-7	9,350 lb		2× FJ33	340 kn	1,200 nmi		$1.9 m	2	28 Jul 2003	2008 bankruptcy[51]
Comp Air Jet[52]	8	8,900 lb		1× AI-25	320 kn	1,250 nmi		$1.2 m		10 Jul 2004	2006 last update
ATG Javelin	2	6,900 lb		2× FJ33	530 kn	1,200 nmi		$2.995m		30 Sep 2005	2008 halt[53]
Diamond D-Jet	5	5,115 lb		1× FJ33	315 kn	1,350 nmi		$1.89m[54]		18 Apr 2006	2013 suspension
Eclipse 400[55]	4	4,480 lb		1x PW615F	345 kn	1,250 nmi		$1.35m[56]		2 Jul 2007	2009 bankruptcy
Epic Victory	3-5	5,500 lb		1× FJ33	320 kn	1,200 nmi		$1m		6 Jul 2007	2009 bankruptcy[lower-alpha 3]
Epic Elite	7	7,701 lb		2× FJ33	390 kn	1,600 nmi		$2.35 m		7 Jun 2007	2009 bankruptcy[lower-alpha 3]
AVCEN Jetpod	7-8	6,750 lb								16 Aug 2009	2009 crash[lower-alpha 4]
PiperJet	7	7,000 lb		1× FJ44	360 kn	1,300 nmi		$2.20m[57]		30 Jul 2008	2011 suspension[lower-alpha 5]
S-33 Independence	9	7,500 lb	5.0 ft	2× FJ33	415 kn	2,000 nmi		$3.945m [58]		7 Jan 2006	2006 crash[lower-alpha 6]
Sport Jet II[59]	4-5	5,250 lb		1× JT15D	380 kn	1,000 nmi		$1.20m		12 May 2006	2006 crash[lower-alpha 7]
Vantage	6	8,200 lb		1× JT15D	350 kn	999 nmi		$1.65 m		16 Nov 1996	2003 bankruptcy[lower-alpha 8]
Honda MH02	6	7,937 lb		2× JT15D	353 kn[60]					5 Mar 1993	1998 deregistration
Williams V-Jet II		3,800 lb		2× FJX-2	300 kn					13 Apr 1997	2001 donation
Aircraft	Seats	MTOW	Cabin height	Engines	Max. cruise	Max. range	Specific range @ LR TAS[32]	Unit cost	Deliv.	First flight	Status

1. One Aviation announced in March 2017 that production would phase out as it prepared development of the Eclipse 700, which never entered production for the company before it went into bankruptcy in 2018 and whose Eclipse assets were purchased by a new company in 2021.
2. Slightly stretched into the Stratos 716X, first flight July 2, 2020, sold in kit before type certification which would need at least $100-150 million
3. Epic Aircraft went into bankruptcy in 2009 and its assets were bought in April, 2010 by Aviation Industry Corporation of China who are restarting Victory production and certification as of July 2010^[update]. However, as of 2024, production had not been resumed.
4. owner and founder died during first flight crash
5. Development suspended indefinitely on October 26, 2011
6. No update on certification date from company. In 2009 Spectrum announced that new S-40 Freedom project will be first for certification and production
7. Second Pre-Production Aircraft was being built in production 2011, accepting orders.
8. VisionAir bankrupt and liquidated 2003, design developed into EV-20 Vantage Jet project

Notes

1. Paul Bertorelli (December 2010). "Can Eclipse Make It?". AvWeb.
2. Jerram, Mike (October 2010). "Morane-Saulnier Paris: the very first Very Light Jet" (PDF). General Aviation. International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations. Retrieved 17 April 2020. Think the VLJ is a modern phenomenon? They've been around for almost 60 years, says Mike Jerram
3. Olcott, John W. (5 May 2006). "Turbine Pilot: VLJ Deja Vu". aopa.org. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 17 April 2020. More than 50 years ago, before Eclipse Aviation President and Chief Executive Officer Vern Raburn was born — and obviously decades before he envisioned the Eclipse 500... — the concept of relatively light aircraft powered by jet engines and flown by a single pilot emerged.
4. "Getting personal with single-engined jets". Flight Global. 21 July 2016.
5. "Collier Trophy". National Aeronautic Association. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
6. Croft, John (May 2006). "Very Light Jets: Boom or Blip" (PDF). Aerospace America. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
7. Aboulafia, Richard (13 March 2006). "March 2006 Newsletter". Retrieved 27 February 2007.
8. "Very Light Jets Enter Fractional Market". Halogen Guides Jets. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
9. David Noland (20 May 2007). "Mini-Jet Revolution, or Dot-Com with Wings?". Popular Mechanics.
10. Cox, Bill. "The Day Of The Personal Jet" Plane & Pilot Magazine, 1 May 2008. Retrieved March 2015.
11. Trautvetter, Chad (23 November 2006). "Cessna Beats Out Eclipse In First VLJ Delivery". AVweb. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
12. "Smaller, faster, cheaper new jets may transform flying". USA Today. Associated Press. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2006.
13. "Cessna Citation Mustang Cleared for Flight Into Known Icing Conditions" (Press release). Cessna Aircraft Company. 9 November 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2006.^{[permanent dead link]}
14. Stephen Trimble (11 May 2017). "Cessna rolls out last Mustang after genre-defining run". Flight Global.
15. "Cirrus Earns Vision Jet Certification". AOPA. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
16. "Cirrus delivers first Vision jet, unveils new facility". 20 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
17. Grady, Mary (November 2010). "Report: GA Sales Continue To Drop". Retrieved 9 January 2011.
18. Garvey, William. HondaJet flight testing is underway Aviation Week, 30 December 2010. Accessed: 9 January 2011.
19. FlightGlobal - Business jet deliveries sink 20% in 2020
20. General Aviation Aircraft Shipment Report 2021 Year-End - GAMA
21. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (2020). "2019 Databook" (PDF). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
22. General Aviation Manufactures Association - 2020 Annual Data
23. "Quarterly Shipments and Billings – GAMA". gama.aero. Retrieved 21 November 2020..
24. "TCDS No.: IM.E.028". EASA. 12 March 2007.
25. "TCDS No.: IM.E.025". EASA. 1 March 2007.
26. "TCDS No.: IM.E.016". EASA. 21 July 2021.
27. "TCDS No.: IM.E.125". EASA. 19 May 2017.
28. "TCDS No.: IM.E.054". EASA. 31 January 2022.
29. Sharkey, Joe (29 August 2006). "Big Battle in Small-Jet Skies". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
30. Di Piazza, Karen. "No Throne Room on Eclipse VLJ: Real Issue or Media Hype?". CharterX. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
31. "HondaJet Lavatory - Toilet". Retrieved 25 April 2015.
32. "Purchase Planning Handbook 2019" (PDF). Business & Commercial Aviation. Aviation Week Network. June 2019.
33. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
34. "Cirrus Jet Specifications PDF" (PDF). Cirrus. 22 October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
35. "We Fly: The Generation 2 Cirrus Vision". 11 August 2020.
36. "Purchase planning handbook - Jets table". Business & Commercial Aircraft. Second Quarter 2023.
37. "Eclipse 550". 21 February 2016.
38. Pew, Glen (6 December 2006). "Eclipse Addresses Delays And Performance Guarantees". AVweb. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
39. "Purchase Planning Handbook 2016" (PDF).
40. "Eclipse Aviation aircraft for sale at GlobalPlaneSearch.com". www.globalplanesearch.com.
41. "Introducing HondaJet Elite" (PDF).
42. Anglisano, Larry (17 October 2022). "Honda Announces HondaJet Elite II". AVweb.
43. "Phenom 100EV" (PDF).
44. "FLARIS LAR 1 | Installing the engine in the Flaris". www.flaris.pl. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
45. "FLARIS LAR1 took off".
46. "Stratos 714 Light Business Jet".
47. "Stratos 716 Cutaway". www.stratosaircraft.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
48. "Controller.com - Can We Help You Find Something?". www.controller.com.
49. "Eclipse 500".
50. Niles, Russ (May 2008). "Eclipse Goes Ahead With Single, Hikes Price Of Twin". Retrieved 2 June 2008.
51. "A700 Adam Jet Chosen by Magnum Jet" (Press release). Adam Aircraft Industries. 16 October 2006. Archived from the original on 12 December 2006.
52. "Comp Air Jet in Limbo". 18 April 2007.
53. "ATG Halts Javelin Program". AVWeb. 19 December 2007.
54. "Diamond D at GlobalPlaneSearch.com". www.globalplanesearch.com.
55. "Eclipse ECJ". Airventure. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
56. "Eclipse Aviation aircraft for sale at GlobalPlaneSearch.com". www.globalplanesearch.com.
57. "Piper aircraft for sale at GlobalPlaneSearch.com". www.globalplanesearch.com.
58. Spectrum S-33 Independence, retrieved 27 September 2022
59. Sport-Jet, Ltd (2013). "Sport-Jet, Ltd: Official Site of Sport Jet II". sportjetair.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
60. "Honda MH02". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012.

See also

• Environmental impact of aviation – Effect of emissions from aircraft engines

References

• The VLJ (Very Light Jet) Market 2006-2017
• Evaluating the Efficiency of a Small Aircraft Transportation System Network Using Planning and Simulation Models (2006)
• Nationwide Impacts of Very Light Jet Traffic in the Future Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) (2006)
• A Transportation Systems Analysis Model (TSAM) to study the impact of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) (2005)
• An Integrated Model To Study The Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) (2003)

External links

• EBACE 2006 Show preview (series of articles), Flight International, April/May 2006
• Time for an Eclipse?, Aviation Week, April 2006
• VLJs fly in the face of critics, Aviation International News, March 2006
• Flight Interview: Vision of Eclipse Aviation's Vern silences the sceptics, Flight International, March 2006
• Dawn of the VLJ, Flight International, May 2005
• NBAA
• Transportation Systems Analysis Model - TSAM is a nationwide transportation planning model to forecast air taxi demand in the United States.