Midsize and Super-midsize Jets Report the Maximum Rebound

According to WING X’s weekly Global Market Tracker released this month, the midsize jet segment is up more than 40 per cent year-on-year in the United States. Last month in March 2021, WINGX had also noted that in comparison to March 2020, the biggest rebound in the United States (US) was in super-midsize and midsize jets that were flying 20 per cent more. This was a further rise compared to the first two months of this year when the midsize and super midsize jet flight hours were up close to 10 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic period.

The midsize jets have often remained as an optimum choice especially for passengers looking for longer-range travel and additional luggage space. Compared to light jet options, the midsize jets provide a typical cabin for up to 5 to 7 passengers which allows them to be small enough to be cost efficient, but large enough to carry a group and offering a great combination of performance and comfort. Midsize jets are also known to offer fuel efficiency, aerodynamics and performance capabilities.

EMBRAER EXECUTIVE JETS CONTINUES TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS UPON THE MODEL WITH ITS TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME THAT LIFTS PREVIOUSLY DELIVERED LEGACY 450S AND TURNS THEM EFFECTIVELY INTO THE LATEST OF EMBRAER’S MODEL IN THE CATEGORY, THE PRAETOR 500

Despite the pandemic restrictions, corporations have found a resilient solution to travel with business jets, providing a safer way to do business, and the mid-size as well as the super midsize jets have especially found traction for a lot of customer’s suitability recently.

The list of these jets is an extensive one based on their range, speed, cabin size, cost passenger capacity, etc. So here we have listed (alphabetically) some of the best mid-size and super midsize jets that have made news during the last few months to present some fine features of this group of business jets.

BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 350

Produced first in 2014, the super-midsize Bombardier Challenger 350 bagged an order for 10 aircraft just this month by VistaJet, a global business aviation firm.

The manufacturer boasts that the Challenger 350 aircraft has the lowest direct operating cost in its class owing to its affordable maintenance programmes and longer maintenance intervals than the competition. The Challenger 350 aircraft also offers the industry’s most extensive baseline feature set including synthetic vision and Multi-Scan weather radar systems and with its superior sound suppressing design, it includes a standard entry door acoustic curtain and galley pocket door, featuring the quietest cabin in its class. Offering a maximum range of 3200nm and 0.80 Mach speed, the aircraft comes with the capacity of 10 passengers including the crew.

BOMBARDIER LEARJET 75 LIBERTY

Canadian multinational manufacturer of business jets, Bombardier’s Learjet 75 Liberty entered service in the beginning of October 2020. Claimed to be the most accessible business jet and the world’s best light jet by the company, the Learjet 75 Liberty’s six-seat configuration features the segment’s only Executive Suite. This versatile light jet is also available in the popular eight-seat configuration.

The jet also comes with the Bombardier Vision flight deck featuring the latest navigation and the Honeywell TFE731-40BR engines, offering a takeoff thrust of 3,850 lbf. It also has a more stringent safety Part 25 certification rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which differentiates it from the rest of the light-jet fleet. With a maximum range of 2,080 nm and the capacity of up to nine passengers, the Learjet 75 Liberty comes with the Garmin G5000 avionics suite.

CESSNA CITATION LATITUDE

In 2020, Textron Aviation delivered nearly 560 aircraft to customers around the globe, leading the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) annual shipments and billings report published last month. Textron Aviation was the leading business jet manufacturer in terms of deliveries in 2020, with the Cessna Citation Latitude remaining the ‘most-delivered’ midsize jet for the fifth consecutive year, according to the GAMA report.

Surpassing a massive 3,20,000 hours of fleet service since its introduction five years ago, the Cessna Citation Latitude has been a true success with private jet travelers.

The jet offers a wide, flat-floor with a 6-foot stand-up cabin at a midsize price coupled with a range of 2,700 nm. Equipped with NextGen-capable, touch-screen GARMIN G5000 avionics, the Citation Latitude aircraft also offers a large cockpit. This aircraft features a Partial Recirculation System to keep cabin air clean. Textron Aviation is celebrating five years since the first customer delivery of its Cessna Citation Latitude aircraft, with nearly 240 delivered to date that makes the aircraft constitute more than 40 per cent of all midsize business jet deliveries since 2015.

EMBRAER PHENOM 300E

Phenom 300E is the most advanced version of the Phenom 300 series and has constantly been adding milestones. Phenom 300 has been a bestselling light jet for the past seven years, with more than 540 entering service since the first delivery in 2009.

The Phenom 300E jet was unveiled at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in October 2017 and entered service in March 2018. A further enhanced version of the Phenom 300E with a speed of Mach 0.80 was announced in January 2020. The business jet received triple certification from the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2020 and in September 2020 it was again in news for a further upgrade in its interior and avionics.

The most significant change in the new Phenom 300E is its powerful Pratt & Whitney PW535E1 engines with 3,478 pounds of thrust, up by 118 pounds per engine. Embraer engineers were have also carved out extra fuel volume, and the 300E carries another 50 pounds, boosting range to more than 2,100 nautical miles at long-range cruise speed.

EMBRAER PRAETOR 500

The first conversion of a Legacy 450 to a Praetor 500 was received by AirSprint Private Aviation and is scheduled for another Legacy 450-Praetor 500 conversion this year, Embraer recently announced.

So far, the Brazilian manufacturer has completed 16 Legacy 450-Praetor conversions in Europe and North America, with the first finished in June 2020. The conversion option was announced when Embraer unveiled the Praetor 500 and its larger sibling, the Praetor 600, an upgrade of the Legacy 500, at NBAA-BACE 2018. Embraer Executive Jets continues to make improvements upon the model with its transformation programme that lifts previously delivered Legacy 450s and turns them effectively into the latest of Embraer’s model in the category, the Praetor 500. The transition from a 450 to a 500 takes the Legacy’s upgraded range and extends it even further to 3,340 nm (with four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves).

The Legacy 450 led the midsize jet market with its fly-by-wire flight control system when it debuted back in December 2015. The new Praetor 500, as claimed by Embraer, is the world’s most disruptive and technologically advanced midsize business jet with its remarkable range and incredible speed.

GULFSTREAM G280

The year 2020 was also significant for the Gulfstream G280 as it hit its 200th delivery milestone. The super-midsize twin jet, launched in 2008, entered service in 2012 and comes with a range of 3,600 nm, and a long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.80. Gulfstream’s entry-level product features the Collins Pro Line Fusion-based PlaneView280 flight deck, and the company believes that their enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) allows authorised pilots to land without natural vision in low-visibility conditions, increasing access to airports and reducing go-arounds. The strong performance of the G280, especially the ability to fly coast-to-coast in the US at Mach 0.84 (3,000 nm/5,556 km NBAA IFR range with four passengers) or even farther at Mach 0.80 (3,600 nm/6,667 km, also with four passengers), has been much appreciated by pilots. The G280 also has racked up some 80 city-pair records, including involving operations using sustainable alternative fuel, an area of emphasis for manufacturer.

The G280 is certified in 19 countries and as of December, there were 210 G280s in service with the fleet having accrued 2,56,200 flight hours and completed 1,59,000 landings.

MIDSIZE PRIVATE JETS CAN UTILISE SMALLER AIRPORTS AND ARE MORE COST-EFFICIENT TO OPERATE ESPECIALLY IN COMPARISON WITH HEAVY JETS, ADDING TO THEIR EFFICIENCY.

Midsize jets are generally known to have enough space for two pilots, a flight attendant, a service galley and an on-board lavatory, while some can even be outfitted with an enclosed shower and fold-out divans along with Wi-Fi and phone capabilities which makes them all the more preferable amongst customers. Additionally, midsize private jets can utilise smaller airports and are more cost-efficient to operate especially in comparison with heavy jets. While above few are only some of the best options from a growing list of midsize jets (like Cessna Citation Longitude, Beechcraft Hawker 4000, Dassault Falcon 2000S, Gulfstream G200, Sabreliner Sabre 60) the segment is certainly a favourite among existing as well as new business aviation players.