Monday, January 30, 2012

What is best private plane for world travel?

I'll come into a little money and may be able to buy a private plane and hire a good pilot. Would like to have the plane travel over oceans, so because of the fact, due to fuel requirements does it have to be a small jet vs. propeller type plane? Cost still is a consideration so that's why I'm considering non-jet options, and perhap smaller planes can land at more airports, tried googling it but haven't found info I needed so if anyone includes links let me know. Thanks to all.What is best private plane for world travel?If you have about $50 million, and several tens of millions more to operate and maintain it, then a Boeing Business Jet is one of the best aircraft for the job. However...



Before you start considering aircraft, you need to decide what you really want it to do for you. For instance, how many people do you expect to be traveling with you, on average? What is the longest distance you would need to fly non-stop? What kind of airports do you intend to fly to and what would the shortest runway length be? Do you require something with a cabin you can stand up in, or will something smaller do? Do you want an enclosed toilet or will a "potty seat" and a curtain suffice? Once you have these basic items decided, then you can begin to consider which airplanes are within your budget that are suitable for your "mission profile" as we like to call it in this industry.



Small jets are very expensive, and even turboprops are a multi-million dollar proposition unless you buy an old one. All such aircraft are very expensive to operate, maintain and insure, and experienced flight crews do not come cheap. Turboprops are far cheaper than jets in all these categories, however. There really arent many piston-engine aircraft worthy of consideration, at least for trans-oceanic flight. Having spent the last three years as a corporate pilot in charge of a flight department I know how expensive it can be to operate, maintain and crew an airplane. If you're going to inherit money, I hope it's in the tens of millions of dollars because if it is less than that your options are going to be severely limited. A top of the line turboprop costs $4M to $5M new and a decent used one is about $1M - $3M, although some older models can be had for under $1M. A top of the line private jet capable of global operations costs over $20M new. An older one of these globe-trotters that is near to engine overhaul will cost in the vacinity of $5M. A smaller jet with shorter range and marginal global capability can be purchase new for around $6M used for as little as $1.5M. Nobne of the Very Light Jets (VLJ's) have the range you would need.



While a lot of older used aircraft can be purchsed for a lot less money than newer ones but maintenance costs are often very high on such aircraft. As I mentioned crews are not cheap, and the majority of aircraft in this category require two pilots, either as a legal requirement or as an insurance requirement. If you want a full-time crew it is going to be expensive, and finding a part-time crew that is flexible enough to accommodate your schedule is difficult. There are also yearly crew training costs to consider, which is required by all insurance companies. A few of the VLJ's and many of the turboprop aircraft are certified and insurable for single-pilot operation.



If you do not need the speed of a jet, and depending on your budget, there are a few turboprop aircraft that I can recommend that would be usable for international travel, comfortable to ride in on long flights, and are far cheaper to buy, operate and maintain than a jet. You'll have to EM me for more info.What is best private plane for world travel?
The Gulfstream IV is the best buy on the market today for non-stop international travelWhat is best private plane for world travel?I recommend the beahcraft barren 58What is best private plane for world travel?
Just about any type of aircraft can be used for private travel. It just depends on your budget.



If you plan to travel over oceans, you'll need an aircraft with lots of range, and preferably with jet engines, since jets are more reliable and faster. This means at least a small business jet, and prices for those (new) are always in the seven-figure range, minimum. For long trips, you'll also probably want a proper toilet on board, which raises the price further because the smallest jets aren't equipped with toilets, or have very primitive toilet facilities. At the same time you will also get a small galley with a refrigerator, which can be handy for taking something along to eat.



Above a certain size, you'll need two pilots, not one, and unless you fly very rarely and plan far in advance, you'll need more than two so that you can give your pilots vacations.



You don't want anything with a piston engine if you're flying across oceans. You'll want jets (or turboprops) for reliability and speed.



But you may not need a private plane at all. Look into fractional ownership operators like NetJets. With those, you pay for part of an airplane of a specific type, and you can fly anywhere you want with 4 hours notice, using any airplane in the fleet that is of the type that you've purchased fractional ownership in. These companies are an excellent compromise between the nightmare of commercial air travel on public airlines and the huge expense of having a private plane reserved for yourself alone. You can generally invest in anything from high-performance props to Boeing Business Jets, depending on how much you want to pay. In addition to paying for part ownership, you also pay operating costs for each flight, but it's still way cheaper than owning and operating your own plane.What is best private plane for world travel?Well, I'm sorry to say that for transcontinental travel, you may need to buy a multi-million dollar jet. The cheapest one that I could find after some research was a Boeing 737 BBJ (Boeing Business Jet). If you buy it used, you might be able to find it for about $44,000,000. New ones cost upward of 100 million dollars. You could try other companies like Bombardier, (they have CRJs that have fairly good range, but are not too expensive, and they also have Learjets) or maybe you could consider buying an A318 or something. All of these options cost upwards of $10,000,000. You will definitely need a jet, as those tend to have longer range unless you want to buy a Bombardier Dash 8. There are multiple types of those for different needs. Those are turboprops. I do have one thing that I usually say: "The bigger the jet, usually the faster the plane." I don't know what amount of money you have run into, but you may need over 60 million dollars to have a plane that will fly nonstop across the Atlantic to buy and furnish it. You are very lucky, as I hope to grow up, make some money, and also buy a plane, except I'd like to buy a larger plane like an Airbus A330 or A340 or Boeing 787 so I can have my own sort of a "flying palace". I would hire a copilot, but I would be the pilot as I am very interested in flying. I would get "megalux" interior design, and I would occasionally go to the cabin to hang out with my family during long flights. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that you are able to purchase the type of airplane that best fits your needs. Most of all, though, have fun!

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