There's nothing like your own business jet!

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A short history of business aircraft

Business flying started to develop in the late 1920's, initially employing open-cockpit biplanes. Soon came the Stinson, Fairchild and other enclosed cabin designs, but it was the unique Beech planes that became early pacesetters on efficient private flying. The Beech Model 17 “Staggerwing” from 1932 was a picture of luxury and comfort with leather and mohair fitted cabins that could seat 5 passengers. Its cousin, the Model 18 Twin Beech from 1937, seating 9 passengers, was designed for economy business flying.

The Grumman-built Gulfstream business aircraft line arrived in 1958, being widely acknowledged as the “Rolls Royce” of business flying, due in part to leveraging on its twin Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engines. The $1-million price tag of the Gulfstream I did not deter buyers, and an increased performance delivery came with the creation of the Gulfstream II in 1964.

And who could forget the Learjet – William P. Lear Sr.’s innovation from 1963 that is now an icon of luxurious business travel. The Learjet 23 was delivered on October 13, 1964. March 1966 saw the introduction of the higher performance Learjet 24 which would be the first business aircraft to fly round the world. Record breaking sales were established with the Learjet 35/36 – a modified Learjet 25 with stretched turbofans.

The twin-engined Piper PA-31 Navaho entered the business aviation market in 1964 in three versions that catered for various needs in seating capacity and arrangements. The same year saw the unveiling of Beech’s Model 90 King Air, another twin-engine aircraft that could ferry eight passengers in comfort. The King Air quickly became a mainstay for corporate flight departments.

Beech produced the Beech Model 2000 Starship in 1983. The brainchild of Voyager creator Burt Rutan was a statement of innovative aircraft design with comparable speeds to small business jets, but the Starship flopped commercially. Too expensive at $5 million, only 53 Starships were produced.

Meanwhile, the Gulfstream III, Learjet 55 and Learjet 60, introduced from 1979 to 1990, established winglets which greatly reduced drag and thus saving fuel. This resulted in increasing intercontinental flying ranges.

In 1985 the Gulfstream IV was released. Ferrying up to 19 passengers in luxurious interior fittings, it was built with celebrities and business moguls in mind, making possible cost-effective long distance flights of close to 7,223 miles, with lengthier fuselage and less moving parts on its wings. To add to its legend, Gulfstream chairman Allen Paulson broke and established countless flight records whilst flying across the world, such as clocking in 8.5 hours faster than the Boeing 747SP jumbo jet for a trip around the world in January 1988.

Beech continued establishing itself as a source of cost-effective and reliable business aircrafts with the acquisition of the Mitsubishi Diamond production rights. Their competitor Cessna made its mark with the Citation X, as it became recognized as a speedy production aircraft, clocking speeds of Mach 0.92.

Compared to a Beech Staggerwing which cost only $15,000 in 1932, $30-million is the asking price of many a business jet today. However, where there is demand, the sales will come.

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