Today’s Top Pick is a 2008 Eclipse 500.

During the early 2000s a number of aircraft companies were busy developing small jets, often called very light lets (VLJs) that were aimed largely at pilot-owners who were expected to use them as personal aircraft.

Part of the industry segment’s strategy included giving customers the realistic expectation that they could save travel time by flying their own small jets. Eclipse was generating lots of excitement in the general aviation market, which  veteran journalist and author James Fallows covered in his 2002 book, Free Flight: Inventing the Future of Travel.

The economic downturn of 2008 and 2009 was poorly timed for Eclipse and slowed production of the aircraft. The small jet, however, developed a following including pilots who have acquired them on the used market. If you have dreamed of owning a personal jet and are particular about aircraft styling, the Eclipse 500 could be the right airplane for you.

This 2008 Eclipse 500 has 1,052 hours on the airframe and on its two Pratt & Whitney PW610F engines. Its panel features an Integrated Flight Management System v2.08 from IS&S Standard with dual PFDs, one 15-inch MFD, color weather radar, Sirius XM Downlink Weather, geo-referenced Jeppesen approach plates, and fully coupled autopilot.

Additional equipment includes a BEI Gold engine management program, FIKI, 110-volt power outlets, 40-cubic-foot oxygen tank, Skywatch traffic alert system, Class B TAWS, Iridium satellite telephone, and air conditioning.

Pilots who saw the Eclipse’s potential when, more than a decade ago, it helped form the wave of VLJs preparing to enter the market should consider this 2008 Eclipse 500, which is available for $1.4 million on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: One Aviation Eclipse 550
• FLYING Magazine: FAA Approves Structural Life Limit Increase for Eclipse 500/550
• FLYING Magazine: Eclipse 500 Avionics Upgrade Sells Out
• FLYING Magazine: First New-Build Eclipse 550 to Appear at NBAA Show
• Plane & Pilot: Eclipse 550
• Plane & Pilot: New Eclipse Jet in the Works
• AVweb: AEROCOR Logs 150th Eclipse 500 Training Event

The post This 2008 Eclipse 500 Is a VLJ Pioneer and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2023 Cirrus SF50 G2+ Vision Jet.

While revolutionary when introduced, the Cirrus Vision Jet has become a common sight on general aviation ramps across the country due to its popularity with private pilots and a range of commercial operators. Much of the aircraft’s appeal stems from the way it was designed around a single pilot, with the goal of making their workload easily manageable.

Many GA pilots are accustomed to flying aircraft with a range of advanced features, including autopilots and GPS navigation systems. In the Vision Jet, pilots transition to a cockpit with fully integrated automation that is several steps ahead of the retrofit technology that many have flown with for years. The difference is palpable.

Cirrus also had passengers in mind when developing the Vision Jet, which has an especially spacious, airy cabin that allows occupants to stretch out and enjoy pressurized comfort. The experience is akin to a personal airliner with first-class-only seating. If you take your family on a long vacation trip in this aircraft, they may not be willing to ever fly at low altitude with piston power again.    

This Vision Jet has just 14 hours on the airframe and its Williams FJ33-5A turbofan engine, which has a 4,000-hour TBO.

The aircraft’s panel features the Garmin G3000-integrated flight deck with the Cirrus Perspective+ Touchscreen interface and Safe Return emergency Autoland system. The avionics package includes synthetic vision, altitude and heading reference system (AHRS), Garmin Class B terrain avoidance warning system (TAWS), traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), and triple digital transponders. The airplane has a ceiling of 31,000 feet and is certified under Part 135 to operate in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace. 

Pilots interested in owning a well-equipped very light jet (VLJ) that is nearly new should consider this 2023 Cirrus SF50 G2+, which is available for $4 million on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Cirrus Vision Jet G2+
• FLYING Magazine: Cirrus Vision Jet Gets Auto Radar, Cirrus IQ
• FLYING Magazine: The Cirrus Life: Three Remarkable Days at the Cirrus Vision Center in Knoxville
• Plane & Pilot: Cirrus Vision SF50 to Add Garmin Autoland
• Plane & Pilot: Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet Wins Collier Trophy
• The Aviation Consumer: Vision Jet: The Safest GA Airplane?

The post This 2023 Cirrus SF50 G2+ Vision Jet Is a Fully Integrated ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2006 SOCATA TBM 850.

Many pilots will tell you how much they love their aircraft and that they were meant to be together. But when a fast, pressurized, and beautiful TBM 850 taxis by on the ramp, some will instantly want to put their old machine out to pasture.

This model appeared on the market around the same time people were buzzing about the pending arrival of the very light jets, or VLJs, that were set to shake up general aviation and change the way large swaths of the population traveled. Quite a few folks who flew the TBM 850 questioned whether anyone really needed a VLJ when this turboprop could cruise at more than 300 ktas. This and subsequent TBM models stand alone in their combination of performance, comfort, efficiency, and great looks.

This 2006 TBM 850 has 1,780 hours since new on the airframe, Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engine, and four-blade propeller. The updated panel includes the Garmin G600 TXi avionics package with dual PFD/MFD displays, GSU 75 ADAHRS and engine indication system, GMA 35c remote audio panel, GI 275 electronic standby, dual GTN 750 Nav/Com/GPS, GSB 15 USB charger, GTS 825 traffic advisory, GWX 75 weather radar, GFC 600 autopilot, and dual GTX 335DR/ GTX 345DR transponder. The aircraft received new paint in 2021.

Pilots looking for a single that is fast enough to keep its owner from envying small jets and comfortable enough to put smiles on the faces of family, friends, and business associates should look into this 2006 TBM 850, which is available for $1,975,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: TBM 850: A Jet With a Prop
• FLYING Magazine: TBM 850: Cargo Hauler?
• FLYING Magazine: TBM 850 Elite Goes All Glass
• Plane & Pilot: DAHER-SOCATA Delivers 40 TBM 850s In 2013
• Plane & Pilot: TBM 850 Scorching The Airways With Style
• Plane & Pilot: Hartzell‘s Composite 5-Blade Swept Prop For TBM 700/850 Recording Brisk Retrofit Sales
• AVweb: Daher Delivers Its 1,100th TBM-Series Turboprop Single To U.S. Pilot-Owner

The post This 2006 SOCATA TBM 850 Is a Handsome, Airway-Prowling ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2008 Cessna 510 Citation Mustang.

The development and market debut of the Cessna Citation Mustang caused a sensation in the early 2000s as very light jet (VLJ) concepts began to proliferate, often touting ambitious performance goals and prices that seemed impossibly low.

Cessna designed the Mustang to compete with small jets from the likes of Embraer, Cirrus, Piper, and Eclipse. Some of those models took longer than expected to enter service while others didn’t last long or never made it to production. Cessna stayed the course, though, and turned out Mustangs for several years. For many pilots, the model came to represent the ideal entry-level jet.

This 2008 Mustang has 1,845 hours on the airframe and on both of its Pratt & Whitney PW615F-A engines since new. The aircraft has logged 1,212 landings. Its upgraded panel features the Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics suite with dual 10.4-inch primary flight displays and a 15-inch multifunction display with synthetic vision dual Garmin GRS 77 altitude and heading reference systems, Garmin GMA 1360D audio panel, Garmin ADF, dual Garmin GIA 63W (WAAS/LPV), Bendix/King KN 63 DME, dual Garmin GTX 345R transponders, Garmin GFC 700 autopilot, Garmin Flight Stream 510, and more.

The cabin includes seven seats and an interior that was refinished in 2021 with seats covered in tan perforated leather with diamond stitching and blue piping. The aircraft was repainted in 2019 and looks sharp. Seats are situated in a double club arrangement with a nonbelted lavatory, storage cabinets, and dual executive writing tables.

If you are ready to move up to a light jet designed for single-pilot operation, consider this Cessna Citation 510 Mustang, which is available for $2,295,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Putting the Cessna Mustang to Work
• FLYING Magazine: Cessna Mustang Hits the Mark
• Plane & Pilot: Citation Step-Up Magic
• Plane & Pilot: Owners’ Analysis: Eclipse, Mustang & Phenom
• The Aviation Consumer: Cessnas Mustang: On Time Performance

The post Today’s Top Aircraft For Sale Pick: 2008 Cessna 510 Citation Mustang appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The report released Thursday by WingX, a data research and consulting company that tracks the business aviation industry, says 3.3 million business jet flights took place in 2021. That’s a 7 percent increase over 2019, the year the report used as the most recent “normal” benchmark. 

WingX says the tide began to turn in the second quarter of 2021 as people returned to leisure travel amid vaccine rollouts and shrinking travel restrictions. The report also suggests that while airline travel has experienced a bit of a comeback, worries over hygiene and exposure to new COVID variants encouraged people to switch to business travel.

Happy Holidays

December saw the largest gain over 2019 in global business jet activity—a 23 percent increase. In fact, for the holiday period from December 20 to January 2, WingX says 127,000 business jet flights took off around the world, a 41 percent jump over the holiday season two years ago.

For perspective, global airline passenger traffic in December was down 28 percent during the same time period.

In North America, the U.S. leads the way

In North America, the U.S. remained the leader of business jet activity in 2021, recording 10 percent more traffic than all of 2019. Meanwhile, Canada’s private aviation traffic shrank by nearly a quarter. The report explains that the adoption of fractional and charter flights drove the U.S. expansion. Fractional traffic grew by 20 percent and charter operations by 18 percent compared to 2019.

Not surprisingly, the holiday period saw the most activity in the U.S., reflecting the global increase noted previously. While airline traffic was 16 percent shy of its 2019 numbers, business jets flew 46 percent more trips compared to the same period.

How are people flying?

•  Light jets made 662,000 flights in 2021, 15 percent more than in 2019.
• Super midsize jets made 179,000 flights last year, which was 18 percent more than two years before.
• Bombardier’s Challenger 300 was the most used bizjet model in 2021, making 179,000 trips, 12 percent more than in 2019.
• Ultra-long-range trips saw a 7 percent dip from 2019, while heavy jets flew 43 percent fewer trips.

Very Light Jets Shine in Europe

Despite Europe’s slower economic rebound, the WingX report says operators flew their business jets 5 percent more in 2021 than they did two years ago. As it was in the U.S., travel also peaked during the holiday season, with a 30 percent uptick over the same period in 2019. 

Spain and Italy recorded the strongest rebound, which WingX attributes to leisure traffic. Countries with fewer travel restrictions—such as Russia and Turkey—saw their domestic flights grow nearly 25 percent. 

The equipment driving the rebound was in the very light jet sector, which saw 22 percent more usage than 2019.

UAE Also Sees Strong Growth

Outside of North America and Europe—where there’s typically less business travel—200,000 business jet trips took place. While that’s only 6 percent of the worldwide market, the number represents a 30 percent increase more than 2019. Nearly 1 in 3 trips were taken using pre-owned business jets. 

The post Report: 2021 Was The Busiest Year In History for Global Business Jet Activity appeared first on FLYING Magazine.