Tag Archives: corporate

Pick Your Favorite of the Big Corporate Jets

If you are like me, when you are shopping for your next business jet, you are always making a choice between three types. Our tricky decision is between the Gulfstream, the Bombardier Global 6000 and the Dassault Falcon 7X. They each have slightly different characteristics and capabilities but they are all great jets and suitable for our day-to-day needs. Which one to take is a tough call which is why I would probably get one of each and decide on a given day which one was best.

It came as a good thing, then, that I got to see all three types at San Jose. This is an airport that is convenient for much of Silicon Valley. The prevalence of big jets is hardly a surprise given how much cash is floating around over there. I wonder if seeing them on this day will help me with my decision?

State of Kuwait 747-8

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While it was part of the original plan, I found myself going through Dallas Love Field recently. I had changed flights and the new routing took my through Dallas and on to Oakland. This was the second time I had flown through Love Field. The previous time I had only my phone with me but no other camera. This had been frustrating because I saw something pretty interesting but couldn’t get a good shot of it. The State of Kuwait has bought a 747-8 to use as a VIP transport and it is being fitted out in Dallas. This time, I did have a camera so was able to get some pictures.

The jet is parked across the runway from the terminal building so it isn’t too close but it is not that far away. It is strange to see it parked outside each time but I guess the interior work does not require it to be indoors. I imagine in the summer, keeping the jet cool while they work is no small task. Fitting out these wide bodies can be a very long process. Everything is custom designed and manufactured and 18 months is not unknown. Given that it is a governmental jet, it might well have even more complexity and could take more time – I don’t know. A search online suggests it may be close to delivery and that is why it is not in a hangar. I didn’t find the arrival date but it does appear to have been there for quite some time. Maybe I was lucky to get it before it leaves?

Some Corporate Movements

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Much as the light aircraft movements at King County don’t get much attention, there is so much corporate jet traffic that it can also get overlooked. The bigger jets like the Globals tend to be more interesting to me. However, there are plenty of different types coming through. As with the light aircraft, here is a selection from a recent trip.

Another JetStar for the Collection

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Regular followers of the blog who like aviation will know I have a soft spot for Lockheed JetStars. While my luck has not always been great in chasing them down, I have come across a few at various times. Hayward Airport is the home of a couple of them. There is one I have seen move through on a few occasions but I thought there was another based (or stored) on the field. At one point it seemed to be out in the middle of the ramp but, more recently, when I was flying in to Oakland, it appeared to have moved over to near the road.

I figured I would try and see it if I was passing by early in the day. Finally a chance came to do this and I stopped off en route back from Oakland. The plane was parked up conveniently close and the fence in front was not too high. I don’t recognize the registration as being one I have seen before so this is a good one to add. While I haven’t seen any sign of this plane moving, it could be blocked from tracking. It certainly looks to be in great condition which would seem likely if it was unused. Maybe I will catch it moving one day.

Nextant 400XT

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The smaller end of the corporate jet market has taken a pounding in recent years. The downturn in the economy hit that part of the market particularly hard. One company that has been doing well, though, is Nextant. Their first product is the rebuilding of the Hawker 400 jet. They re-engine it, upgrade the cockpit and completely rebuild the interior. The result is the 400XT. This example showed up at Boeing Field while I was there. It looked pretty nice in its new paint scheme. I was never terribly bothered by the Hawker 400 (or Beechjet or Mitsubishi jet if you go back a while) and the shape isn’t much changed. However, the paint job on this one made it look better than average. Nextant are now working on a King Air rebuild program.

Midway Traffic

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I have put together a number of posts about fun things I saw at Midway on a recent visit. There were others but they didn’t warrant their own posts. Instead, here is a collection of the rest.

Gulfstream G650

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While I have written about my preference for Bombardier’s Global Express jets, the top of the Gulfstream range has been bolstered by the arrival of the G650 (and more recently the G650ER) and this is a fine looking aircraft. I have had a few encounters with the type recently including one that I saw at Midway. Tracking inbound traffic is fine for airliners but, with so many business jets blocked, often it is a surprise when something shows up. This one was showing up though, so I had time to be ready for it.

From a long way out you could see it since, while it is a business jet, it is really the size of a small airliner. The huge wing is apparent from head on and, as it comes past, the sleekness of the fuselage design is clear compared to the previous generations of Gulfstream. They have also made a far nicer job of the integration of the wing with the fuselage than was the case for the earlier jets.

I won’t be buying one any time soon but that doesn’t seem to have worried Gulfstream. Judging by the frequency with which they have been showing up, I imagine the sales team has been busy!

Executive MD-80

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As airliners reach the end of their natural lifespan, you suddenly become aware of them disappearing. However, some have a second life converted for corporate charter use. One type I haven’t seen a lot of in private use is the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. However, one was in Boeing Field on a job recently and I was pleased to see it in use. It was parked up at the FBO when I arrived and so I assumed I would not see it move. However, I was wrong.

They taxied out and, as is the case for the larger jets, had to cross over to our side and come alongside where I was. A good close up view of the jet before it headed down to the threshold for departure. I don’t know how far it was going but it did not seem to be too heavily loaded as it got airborne quite quickly and climbed away. I don’t know how many of these jets will find a new role after retirement from airline service but hopefully there will be a few more.

Dornier 328Jet

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When someone tells you something with absolute certainty, you might be justified in doubting whether they know exactly what they are talking about. At some point in the late 1990s I was in the Pilatus factory in Switzerland talking to an engineer that had previously worked for Dornier. He was telling us that the idea of re-engining the Dornier 328 turboprop with jet engines had been reviewed and the wing was not strong enough to take the loads. There was no way the program would ever happen.

Turns out he was not entirely accurate with his projection. Dornier did build a jet version of the plane and they show up now and again. I have seen one on the ground at Midway a few times when flying through but have never got a decent shot of it. Meanwhile, a recent visit there caught me out when another example of the type showed up on approach. I think it is quite a nice looking plane. Certainly a bit different to other aircraft of the size and something of a novelty as the regional jet market moves to larger sizes. Ironically, it was developing a 70 seat jet that took Dornier into bankruptcy.

It now looks like the 328 family might have a new lease on life. The owners of the design rights have signed an agreement with a Turkish organization to start production of an updated version for various Turkish government requirements prior to developing a new type. Maybe there is life in the jet yet!

Falcon Go Around

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The smoothness with which air traffic is usually managed means that, whenever something doesn’t go to plan, it is quite a surprise. A go around on approach is a relatively rare occurrence. I have only been on three commercial flights that spring to mind when a go around was executed. I saw a couple at SFO last year on one day but that was when two of the runways were shut and they were squeezing as much as they could in making the chance of a conflict higher.

I was watching arrivals to Chicago Midway when I saw a Falcon 2000 on approach. As they got closer, they obviously got the call and the aircraft pitched up and applied power to climb away. It made for an unusual angle at which to see the plane as it banked away on to the missed approach procedure. It obviously was not a complicated procedure because they showed up again shortly afterwards. They were then followed by a similar Falcon 2000 and it was only later, when I was going through the pictures, that I worked out which one was the jet that had made the go around.