Part 1
General Aviation is a broader term that encompasses a multitude of areas except commercial scheduled airline operations and military purpose aircrafts. General Aviation covers manufacture and operation of the aircrafts that have received fitness clearance from FAA and covers sixteen different categories as classified by the FAA. Some of the areas covered include personal/recreation, instructional, business transportation, medical services, agriculture and forestry, air taxi, commuter, tourism/sight-seeing, etc. . The value offered by the general aviation industry is immense in a geographically vast country like the U.S. Air medical services save hundreds of lives by quickly shifting the patients to the hospital, helps the police to monitor law and order, enables business community to save considerable time and money, serves far off locations not served by commercial flights, helps control forest fire, acts as a great enabler to the tourism industry etc. Business aviation is perhaps the most prominent among all categories of general aviation. In 2014, business aviation contributed to two-third of the 23 million flight hours clocked by general aviation crafts in the U.S..This essay will analyze the type of business jets that are currently used, the differences between them and their target customers.
NBAA defines business aviation as the use of general aviation aircrafts for various business purposes . There are aircrafts that cater to corporate houses of various sizes and depending on their needs. Modern day business aviation aircrafts offer fast, cost effective, safe and secure way of transportation taking businessmen to small and big cities. Some of the popular aircrafts that are in use for business aviation purposes are mentioned below-
Helicopter - Typically carries between 4-6 passengers and is used for shorter trips. A helicopter can achieve speed up to 200 knots and can operate up to 10,000 feet height. The range varies typically from 100 to 200 miles.
Single-engine piston - A step up from the helicopter, the single engine piston airplanes can travel up to 400 miles and can attain speeds up to 220 knots. The altitude ceiling is 15,000 feet and these aircrafts can carry up to six passengers.
Double-engine piston - Similar in principle to the single piston aircrafts, the double engine ones can attain improved speeds and have a greater range when compared to the single engine piston airplanes.
Turboprop - Turboprops are larger than piston engine aircrafts and have the capacity to carry more people. Their operational ceiling is 35,000 feet and can travel up to 1000 miles. They are also faster than the above three and can attain speeds up to 400 knots.
Jet – Jet planes for business aviation is the newest entry among all these categories and possess far superior capabilities compared to the all the types mentioned above. They can fly at altitudes of over 50,000 feet and can attain speeds up to 500 knots. They have the longest range as well and can be used to fly on inter-continental routes. They are spacious and can carry a large number of passengers, which can be customized based on the requirement. Today, business versions of aircrafts like B 737 and A 320 are in service across the globe.
Part 2
The future of aviation is going to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary, the early signs of which are already visible as of 2016. The concept of airplane, the way we travel, technology etc. will witness drastic changes going forward. Faster, safer, cheaper and healthier will be the prime drivers for new technology inventions and aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus are moving quickly with their secret innovations. One of the destructive innovations that will revolutionize the air travel will be the use of space technology in aircrafts. Aircrafts will be launched just like the rockets, which will leave the earth’s atmosphere into the space and makes a re-entry while nearing its destination. The result will be a drastic cut in the travel time. For example the current travel time of 22 hours from Sydney to London can be cut short to 3-4 hours.
The focus on safety will also achieve paramount importance. The passengers in the future airplanes will be seated in an inflatable balloon like layer, which glides gently to the earth in case of any mid-air explosion. The passengers will be cocooned in the shell which improves their chances of survival. Airplanes cannot depend on the fossil fuels for long, as in the near future the reserves will get depleted and will get into a position where fuel costs will become prohibitively expensive. In such a scenario, it will not make any sense to operate the aircrafts. The solution to this lies in the alternate fuel sources like solar and nuclear. Solar impulse has demonstrated to us that this thinking can indeed be put into practicality. As of now these are very early stages, but are sure to make big strides in the future.
Aesthetics, passenger comfort and passenger health are the other three areas which will receive big attention in the future. In the future aircrafts, passengers can be saved from spending hours in claustrophobic environs, as the airplanes are going to get transparent. This will be truly revolutionary as it takes the passenger experience to altogether a new level. Airbus has already shown the world on how it will look like, but currently is far from putting that into production. The focus on improving the aesthetics will have a profound positive impact on the travel experience of the passengers who will feel less fatigued after long flight hours. The future airplanes will also have virtual gaming zones and plenty of space for other recreational activities.
Works Cited
General Aviation Manufacturers Association. 2014 General Aviation Statistics Databook and 2015 Industry Outlook. Statistical Report. Washington D.C: General Aviation Manufacturers Association, 2015. Website.
NBAA. What is Business Aviation? 2016. Website. 30 March 2016.
PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Contribution of General Aviation to the US Economy in 2013." 11 February 2015. nbaa.org. Website. 28 March 2016.
Textron Aviation. "Types of Business Aircraft." n.d. fly.txtav.com. Website. 30 March 2016.
W.Bruce Allen, David L. Blond, Aaron J. Gellman. "General Aviation's Contribution to the U.S Economy." May 2006. gama.aero. Website. 28 March 2016.
