Okay, so for the a BIG business jet blog, profiling the eight passenger entry level Gulfstream G150 is admittedly a stretch. That being said, it’s a very impressive (and comfortable) aircraft, and the folks at Gulfstream were very accommodating to us and our cameras.

Some useful tidbits we gleaned: The G150 can cruise at mach .82, while long range cruise is .75. It generally consumes 2,000 pounds of fuel the first hour but can get down to as low as 1,500 after that. The lav has a standard Boeing fitting so just about any airport in the world can service it. Thanks to the lav sitting forward (and fuel being in the aft,) you can service the plane very quickly.

NetJets is adding to its fleet of large-cabin Gulfstreams with the addition of four Gulfstream G450s and four Gulfstream G550s to be delivered each year from 2012 through 2016, as reported by Perspective Magazine.

Richard T. Santullis, chairman and CE of NetJets Inc. said:

“…These aircraft offer NetJets Owners premiere large-cabin amenities and the flexibility of intercontinental range. Gulfstream products provide our pilots and flight attendants with the best in next-generation technology and their service teams ensure we meet the high standards of performance and reliability NetJets Owners expect.”

The article goes on to state:

“NetJets has over 90% of the long-range cabin fractional market and is the largest operator of Gulfstream aircraft in the world. As of June 2008, NetJets’ worldwide Gulfstream fleet totals 110 and is comprised of 21 Gulfstream G550/V, 55 Gulfstream G450/400/IV-SP and 34 Gulfstream G200s.”

Banyan has provided avionics for many mid-sized aircraft, but has recently branched out into larger airplanes, including Gulfstream IV SP, Falcon 900B, and a private Boeing 747SP. Tooled up and with additional factory trained technicians, Banyan says they can install a variety of systems, including entertainment, enhanced vision, and high speed data/wi-fi.

According to Brian Wilson, Banyan’s director of avionics:

“Companies always strive to expand their business capabilities and adding the larger aircraft to our resume is a perfect fit; High Speed Data/ WI-FI is what the business traveler wants and the cost and configuration is conducive to the larger corporate aircraft. The days of traveling on a corporate or commercial aircraft and arriving at your destination only to hurry to the hotel and hook your laptop to the DSL line are over, VIP clientèle desire better and now that technology has arrived. Now passengers enjoy the same Blackberry experience and Internet cruising they enjoy in their home or office.”

Honeywell has introduced a new Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD), and Gulfstream business jets are the first platform offered (plans for other business jet platforms are in the works).

From the web site -

“Innovative features that IPFD will bring to the cockpit:

• Flight Path Marker based PFD―HUD symbology that helps with the aircraft energy management and eases navigation

• Conformal terrain ―Displays exactly where you are going by looking at the Flight Path Marker
• Color coded terrain ―Similar to how it is conventionally displayed on a map
• Water texturing and color saturation ―Clearly distinguishes the water from the sky
• EGPWS warnings and cautions overlaid on the terrain
• Range rings ―Show distance
• Obstacles
• Runways markings ―Centerline, runway numbering and distance remaining markers
• Unusual attitude declutter with fade-in ―When the aircraft is in an usual attitude the terrain is gradually faded away to allow the pilot to concentrate on the task of returning to steady and level flight”

Here are a few more bits of info on the new Gulfstream G650:

• Maximum altitude: 51,000 feet
• Speed: Mach 0.85
• Powered By: Two new Rolls-Royce engines, and a time from Dubai to Chicago that is 90 minutes faster than existing long-range aircraft
• Weight: Less than 100,000 pounds, so it can land at small airports and avoid the larger ones in congested areas

The last month has proven to be a tough one for a couple of private jet companies. First, Aspen Executive Air (doing business as Aexjet) filed for bankruptcy protection, according to Chris Walsh of the Rocky Mountain News. Aexjet sells jet memberships, and also provides maintenance and other operations for owners of private jets.

“Officials said the filing allows Aexjet to continue day-to-day operations and renegotiate lease agreements as it prepares to merge with a similar company.”

Then earlier this month, FAA regulators suspended the operating certificate of AMI Jet Charter Inc as part of an effort to scrutinize aircraft charter companies.

Andy Pasztor, of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), writes that the FAA’s

“…emergency action takes about a tenth of top-of-the-line Gulfstream, Falcon and other large corporate jets off the charter market int eh U.S., at least temporarily.”

Tag Aviation owns 49% of AMI, which is appealing the suspension. AMI is the “highest-profile firm targeted so far”, and company officials say they have “taken every required step” to comply with regulations and that AMI has a clean record.

FAA officials contend AMI violated federal rules by allowing Tag Aviation’s U.S. unit to operate the chartered jets on its own; in addition, the FAA said mandatory maintenance was not completed and the pilots did not have adequate rest time.

The FAA is continuing to evaluate other charter operations.

According to Pasztor’s article:

“…owners of expensive business jets leave it to a maze of agents and brokers to arrange and operate charters when the planes otherwise would sit idle. This is the case with Tag Aviation’s U.S. unit, which directly manages 100 aircraft, primarily owned by large companies or celebrities, and also arranges charters for many of the same planes. Now, as long as the suspension remains in effect, those planes can’t be chartered through AMI.”

CAE Inc. is adding 16 new business jet training programs in the U.S. and around the world, as well as products from Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault Falcon, Embraer, Gulfstream, and Hawker Beechcraft. With these additions, CAE says it will offer training on 90% of all business aircraft.

CAE has also sold flight simulators to Emirates-CAE Flight Training in Dubai, which trains commercial and business pilots in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are using their Gulfstream GV business jets for an unusual purpose early on Sept. 1. The two jets will give scientists a chance to study an extremely rare Aurigid meteor shower, according to AVweb.

“A brief shower of tens of meteors will radiate from the constellation of Auriga, many as bright as the brighter stars in the sky, according to NASA. The shower will be visible from the western U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Astronomers believe the whole event will last no longer than one-and-a-half hours and will not be seen again in our lifetimes.”

The jets will takeoff from an airfield in California, and will have scientists on board from NASA, the SETI Institute, and Utah State University.

The scientists will count the meteors visible from the airplanes, and measure the exact duration and peak time of the shower. They also plan to record how the meteors break up, and examine their colors.

The jets will provide a total of 21 windows to view from 45,000 feet an from up to .

The 11th annual Safety Standdown 2007 will take place in Wichita, Kansas, on October 23-25 (register by September 22).

Bombardier’s Safety Standdown sessions combine skill-based and knowledge-based training. The Standdown is not manufacturer specific, and applies to any aircraft currently flown.

According to the web site:

“For the past 30+ years this industry has trained its pilots on checkrides and systems in near exclusivity. Human factors, while well understood, are rarely taught. Since eight out of ten accidents are caused by human failure, not equipment failure, Safety Standdown provides critical information and training, which is directly related to human performance. Safety Standdown is designed to change the way you think about safety. Additionally, this seminar provides you with tools to improve risk mitigation, department procedures ad processes, and give clear and distinct pathways for introspective analysis of your own professionalism.”

The FAA and NBAA, as well as the NTSB for the U.S. program and the EBAA for the European program, support the Safety Standdown, which is free.

Jeremy Peters, of the New York Times, details (purchase required) some new innovative options for flying on P.J.’s (a.k.a. private jets).

1) OneSky.com quotes prices for charter flights and last minute opportunities on “empty leg” flights (empty because a customer has paid for a one-way trip). According to Jeremy:

An empty leg flight from White Plains to Miami on an eight-seat jet was recently listed on OneSky.com for $10,000. Depending on how far ahead the route was booked, the empty leg price could be several thousand dollars less than the cost of a private-jet flight booked through standard channels.

2) Jets.com offers similar services, but also includes a sort of reverse auction. Travelers post details of their trips, and companies bid for their business.

3) Sentient Jet and Blue Star Jets sell “debit cards” for private jets. For Sentient Jets:

…a customer plunks down a hefty deposit — $100,000 gets you a “silver” membership… — and in return is guaranteed the use of a jet any day of the year…

The hourly travel rate is deducted from the customer’s deposit. Sentient’s hourly rates start at $2,600 for a round-trip flight on a light jet in the continental United States. The price scale moves up to more than $11,000 for larger jets, one-way trips and overseas destinations.

On the other hand, Blue Star Jets acts as a broker by shopping around hundreds of charter companies:

Blue Star lets customers start with a $50,000 deposit. That pays for a “blue” level card. Deposits can be as large as $1 million, for the “black” level of membership. Blue Star’s hourly rates range from $1,800 to $8,000, not including a 10 percent commission to Blue Star…

The article also quotes prices for NetJets, a fractional ownership company:

…allows owners to buy a one-sixteenth share starting at $412,500 for a twin-engine Hawker 400XP, which can carry seven passengers. The monthly fee for the Hawker is $7,171, and the hourly flight rate is $1,712. On the high end, a half ownership in a Gulfstream 550, which can hold more than 20 people, costs $22 million for the initial investment, nearly $132,000 a month in fees and $3,701 an hour.