The words business jet may seem like an all encompassing term, but that is not the case. The air travel industry breaks down this large classification of aircrafts into five loosely defined categories: heavy, super mid-size, mid-size, light, and very light.
Choosing one's own plane is not as simple as choosing a favorite color. There are many questions you have to ask yourself before purchasing one. Are my needs private or commercial? Am I planning on traveling overseas? Am I more concerned with speed or comfort? These are all very important things to consider.
The good news is there is bound to be a plane that suits your exact needs !
Everyone from private citizens to the armed forces benefit from this mode of transportation. Below is a list of the five business jet categories, as well as general descriptions about each.
- Heavy: These planes are typically the most expensive type of private jet. Their enormous sizes are either modeled after, or completely converted from commercial airliners. Due to this fact, they can house a large number of occupants and carry more weight than the other four categories.
- Super Mid-Size: These planes are known for their wide body cabin space, which provides greater comfort than that of heavy jets. They are also known for their high speed, high altitude capacity, and long range of travel. Their transatlantic capabilities are quite desirable.
- Mid-Size: Mid-size planes vary little from their super sized counterparts. They are more suited to longer-range travel, and trips with larger passenger capacity requirements. Their ability for transcontinental travel gives them an edge over other, larger aircrafts as well.
- Light: As you can imagine, these private planes are much lighter than anything mentioned above. This allows for more efficient air travel. They are often used for business oriented means rather than commercial, which consists mostly of parcel deliveries. Access to smaller airports makes these perfect for quick and easy deliveries of a small amount of goods.
- Very Light: It should come as no surprise that out of the three business jet categories these jets are the lightest. They are also known as Micro jets or VLJs. Their maximum weight at takeoff is not designed to exceed 10,000 pounds, meaning they are hardly suited for any major commercial use. Their benefits lie in the fact that they have access to very small community airports, and can be quite efficient.
So as you can see there is plenty of variety when choosing a private plane. Sizes, speeds, and uses are the three main concepts that make up these five categories. If you are planning on transporting a large number of people across the ocean, you may want to consider a heavy plane. However, if you only need to transport yourself and one other person to the next state over, you would be better off buying a light plane. Not all planes are created equal, and it is important to consider your needs before purchasing one.
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