Business Jet Traveler » February 2011

Flying mini-mansions
February 1, 2011
An Airbus A380 proposal for a lounge by Edése Doret reflects the Middle Easte
The next generation of widebody business jets is coming, and not a moment too soon. The cabins in the current fleet-once outfitted with the latest technology and considered luxurious-are really starting to show their age.
How flight simulators enhance safety
February 1, 2011
When an emergency happens, crews who have trained with full-motion simulators
Business aviation pilots must be ready for everything from bad weather to air-traffic-control problems to the failure of onboard computers. But training in an airplane to handle such situations can be both expensive and dangerous-hence the need for flight simulators. 
Bombardier's Global Express
February 1, 2011
The Global hit the market as the fastest and most comfortable long-range busi
The uber jet's rarefied air was new territory for Bombardier when it announced the long-range, large-cabin Global Express in 1991. Bombardier's challenge to Gulfstream's dominance of the market for large corporate jets was fraught with perils that would show up on early-production aircraft nearly 10 years later.
Is the fractional business model broken?
February 1, 2011
“Fractional is slightly more than 50 percent of our business,” said Citationa
Not long ago, the idea of selling fractional shares in business jets looked like a winner. Industry pioneer NetJets-which Warren Buffett had acquired for Berkshire Hathaway in 1998-appeared prosperous, and so did the several other companies that had formed to take advantage of the business model.
Hawker Beechcraft's King Air 250
February 1, 2011
While the King Air 250’s performance is impressive, you can enhance it even f
Hawker Beechcraft took the wraps off its latest 200 series King Air last October. Deliveries of the King Air 250 turboprop will begin later this year.
Hunting the bird of the South in old Florida
February 1, 2011
Bam! i pulled the trigger while peering down the barrels at a rocketing blur
The English setter froze, its lithe feathery white tail high in the air. "Move ahead to the right," directed Bill Thacker, who was decked out in fluorescent orange with various whistles and training devices draped from his belt. As I walked briskly with my 20-gauge Beretta over-under shotgun held aloft from my chest, fingering the safety, I could hear faint rustling and chirping.
What the year might bring
February 1, 2011
Because the used-aircraft market enjoyed a robust fourth quarter in 2010, you might expect the current year to witness at least a slow and steady uptick in transactions. That could well be what happens, but keep in mind that fourth-quarter activity is often upbeat-2008 being a key exception-and that this market's future depends heavily on what happens with the overall economy. 
Picture-Perfect Flying
February 1, 2011
Swiss Alps
Business jets give you better views of the Earth than you can ever get from an airliner. All you need to capture these glorious vistas are a camera and some basic knowledge about techniques. Here are few tips to get you started.
Helio Castroneves
February 1, 2011
“I have flown in the Legacy, And wow, Embraer is doing an incredible job. I’m
The deep growl of an Audi R8 sidling into the parking lot beside a runway accompanied Helio Castroneves's arrival for our interview at South Florida's Palm Beach County Airport. Turns out the Audi is just one of a stable of hot cars that the three-time Indy 500-winning racecar driver has free access to, thanks to his relationship with car-share club Miami Drive.
Another playlist for your flight
February 1, 2011
Nearly two years ago in these pages, we offered a list of songs that could help set the mood on your next flight (On the Fly, April/May 2009). Since the playing time of those tunes totaled less than an hour, you're probably ready by now for some new suggestions. Here they are:

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Quote/Unquote

“When you get into the larger aircraft it becomes like a hotel, with dozens of staff supporting the plane based in a galley area down below. You have very comprehensive cooking facilities, and on larger aircraft we have looked at theatres, with spiral staircases and a Steinway grand piano. The limitations for what you can put inside a plane are pretty much the limits of physics, and even money cannot always overcome that. Even so, people are still always trying to push [the limits]. ”

-Howard Guy of Design Q, a UK-based consultancy