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.
Dassault has confirmed that a second Falcon 10X test aircraft joined the program after a September 24 first flight from Mérignac. The first prototype is flying about three sorties a week as Dassault works toward a delayed 2029 service-entry target.
Read the brief →Argus TraqPak data showed North American business aviation activity rose 0.9% year over year in September, beating a forecast decline. Fractional flying led the market, with large-cabin fractional activity up 13.9%.
Read the brief →AircraftPost says preowned business jet transactions fell 2.5% year over year in the first nine months of 2026, while aircraft entering the market dropped 7%. Asking-price reductions fell 36.8%, pointing to fewer bargains for buyers.
Read the brief →Naples, Florida startup Privesa launched in August and is testing an AI platform with an unnamed charter brokerage. Founder Logan Cassidy says the system can automate 80% to 85% of repetitive broker work and has already found one option $10,000 below the next quote.
Read the brief →Bombardier opened a new line maintenance station in Sydney, bringing its worldwide LMS network to 11 locations. The site supports AOG events, unscheduled line work and selected scheduled maintenance for Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft.
Read the brief →The G800 is the longest-range Gulfstream ever built, trading a shorter four-zone cabin for an 8,200 nm reach at Mach 0.85. FAA and EASA certification arrived in April 2025 with first deliveries that August, positioning it as the direct successor to the G650ER and a rival to Bombardier's Global 8000. Range 8,200 nm, 13 seats, about $81,500,000 new and roughly $6,600 an hour in fuel and maintenance.
Full profile →The Beechcraft King Air has been in continuous production since 1964 with more than 7,600 delivered, longer than any other civil turboprop. (Textron Aviation)
More numbers →4,727 nautical miles, about 11h 06m in a large jet, roughly $146,635–$228,325 one-way for four — about $46,870 a seat.
Price this route →Long before jets, the Beechcraft Model 18 gave companies and wealthy individuals a practical way to fly executives point to point. First flown on 15 January 1937 in Wichita, the twin-engine 'Twin Beech' stayed in production until 1969 with more than 9,000 built, serving as airliner, trainer and corporate shuttle. It established Wichita as the capital of business aviation and set the template of a small cabin, two pilots and a schedule dictated by the passenger, not the airline.
The full timeline →Messi's 2004-built Gulfstream V has his number 10 on the tail and the names of his family members painted on the airstairs. French media reported the jet flew 52 times in three months of 2022, a figure that made him a recurring subject of European emissions coverage.
The story →MOSTLY TRUE — For the majority of famous people who 'fly private', yes: they charter, hold a jet card, or own a fractional share, and the 'their jet' in the tabloid photo belongs to an operator. A smaller tier — Swift, Kardashian, Musk, Jay-Z, Oprah — do own aircraft outright, usually through a company or trust. And even genuinely owned jets are often placed on a charter certificate to earn money when the owner isn't using them.
The evidence →