A short briefing every morning: what’s new in the world of private jets, plus an aircraft, a priced route, a fact and a story from the archive.
The FAA is rescinding exemptions that let some older Cessna Citation 500-series jets fly with one pilot instead of two. The agency cited safety concerns and said 13 of 14 exemption holders were denied extensions or had exemptions rescinded.
Read the brief →Piaggio Aerospace marked 40 years since the P.180 Avanti’s first flight and said more than 270 Avanti variants have been delivered. The latest Evo version has passed 40 sales since its first customer delivery in 2015.
Read the brief →A new Alliance for Aviation Across America report says U.S. general aviation supports about 1.3 million jobs and $339.2 billion in economic output. It counts more than 214,000 active aircraft using over 19,500 landing facilities.
Read the brief →The TBM 960 is the fastest single-engine turboprop in production, cruising at 330 knots with a digitally controlled PT6E-66XT engine, a five-blade composite propeller and Garmin G3000 avionics with HomeSafe emergency autoland. Daher builds roughly 55 TBMs a year at Tarbes, and the 960 is the pinnacle of a family that has delivered more than 1,200 aircraft. Range 1,730 nm, 4 seats, about $5,200,000 new and roughly $750 an hour in fuel and maintenance.
Full profile →Warren Buffett named his first jet 'The Indefensible' after years of criticising corporate aircraft, later renamed it 'The Indispensable', then bought all of NetJets for $725 million in 1998. (Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters)
More numbers →5,702 nautical miles, about 13h 11m in a large jet, roughly $172,273–$268,961 one-way for four — about $55,154 a seat.
Price this route →Bill Lear, the inventor behind the car radio and the 8-track tape, flew the Learjet 23 from Wichita on 7 October 1963. Its wing was adapted from a cancelled Swiss fighter, the FFA P-16, and the result was a six-seat rocket that climbed and cruised like a military jet. Frank Sinatra bought one in 1965, and 'Learjet' became shorthand for private jet in the popular imagination.
The full timeline →Japan retired its two government 747-400s in 2019 and replaced them with a pair of 777-300ERs carrying the Emperor and Prime Minister abroad. Each can also evacuate up to 140 citizens in an emergency, and one of the old jumbos was later offered for sale for around $28 million.
The story →MISLEADING — No. Concorde cruised at Mach 2.04; the Global 8000 is certified to Mach 0.94 and cruises around Mach 0.90–0.94. What Bombardier actually claims is that it is the *fastest civil aircraft since* Concorde — a true statement, and one that got compressed in headlines. The jet did briefly go supersonic (Mach 1.015) in a 2021 test dive, which is where the confusion took root.
The evidence →