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 King Air 260 modernizes the King Air 250 with the same autothrottle and digital pressurization upgrades as the 360, plus a Pro Line Fusion cockpit with multi-scan weather radar. Its 1,720 nm range and 2,110 ft takeoff distance make it a versatile short-runway performer for owner-flown and corporate operations. Range 1,720 nm, 6 seats, about $7,300,000 new and roughly $1,050 an hour in fuel and maintenance.
Full profile →A Gulfstream G650ER burns roughly 470 US gallons of jet fuel per hour at cruise, about enough to fill 30 family cars every hour it is airborne. (Manufacturer and operator fuel-burn data)
More numbers →5,854 nautical miles, about 13h 30m in a large jet, roughly $176,268–$275,293 one-way for four — about $56,445 a seat.
Price this route →Grumman's Gulfstream II flew on 2 October 1966 with two Rolls-Royce Spey engines and a cabin large enough to stand in. It could cross the Atlantic nonstop, and in 1968 one became the first business jet to fly to Europe. NASA later used modified GIIs as Shuttle Training Aircraft to teach astronauts to land the orbiter. The GII established the Gulfstream formula, a big oval-windowed cabin behind a swept wing, that every later model from the GIV to the G800 has followed.
The full timeline →The two VC-25As have flown presidents since 1990 and are over 30 years old. Their 747-8 replacements, the VC-25Bs, have slipped to 2028-2029 deliveries, so a modified ex-Qatari 747-8 known as the VC-25B Bridge entered service as an interim Air Force One on 1 July 2026. 'Air Force One' is technically a callsign, used for any Air Force aircraft carrying the president.
The story →MISLEADING — It depends entirely on which 'private jet' you mean. Corporate flight departments flying professionally crewed jets have accident rates comparable to — and in some years better than — the airlines. On-demand charter under FAA Part 135 has historically run a somewhat higher rate, and owner-flown light aircraft are higher again. Lumping all of it together as 'private' is what produces the scary headline.
The evidence →