The New Pilatus Aircraft PC 24 Business Jet

The Pilatus PC-24 twin-engine personal jet is designed to take off and land from very short and unpaved runways, making it easier to fly into smaller airports.

When Pilatus introduced its first-ever jet in 2013, the order book was full to capacity in less than two days. Now deliveries of the PC-24 twin-engine personal jet are expected to start in February, with the first one going to PlaneSense, a fractional operator based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. PlaneSense, which already operates the world’s largest civilian fleet of Pilatus PC-12 turboprops, has ordered six of the jets, which sell for about $8.9 million.

The PC-24 is designed to be “super versatile,” the company says, able to take off and land from very short and even unpaved runways. This capability opens up many options for operators around the world, making it easier to fly into smaller airports that may be closer to a traveler’s ultimate destination. The jet’s spacious cabin seats up to 10. It can be flown by a single pilot, and travels at speeds up to 489 mph for up to 2,244 miles. A large cargo door is standard.

Pilatus displayed the second PC-24 prototype in Las Vegas at the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention, held in October. The aircraft is expected to be fully certified by both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration soon.

Pilatus, which is based in Switzerland, has been working to develop its customer-service infrastructure to be sure there is plenty of support for the new jet owners. A new customer-service facility that opened in September will provide technical support and spare parts to customers worldwide, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, the company says. Maintenance workers in a global network of authorized service centers have been trained to support the new jet.

The company also has developed a full-motion simulator and a syllabus for pilot training, working with FlightSafety International, which operates a network of training centers around the world. A re-opening of the order book is expected to be announced sometime next year.

Read More +

Zeptair: Behind some of the most colorful private jets

Zepter, the Serbian group headquartered in Switzerland, is mainly known for its consumer goods business focusing on cooking and cleaning equipment. A less known part of its business however is ZeptAir, the private aviation company it started back in January 2011 to rent out its corporate fleet.

At the time, ZeptAir's fleet was made up of two Bombardier aircrafts. a Challenger 300 and a Challenger 605. The latter, was styled in a square, multi-color scheme that became associated with Zepter, and later on its corporate fleet.

In May 2013, the company took delivery of a new Bombardier Global 5000, styled in the same color scheme, during a ceremony at Bombardier's Completion Center in Quebec.

With a range of 5,200 nautical miles, ZeptAir's Global 5000 was configured to carry up to 11 passengers comfortably and able to fuel from London to Los Angeles without refueling.

Shortly prior to the delivery, ZeptAir partnered with Amira Air in an effort to be able to offer a larger fleet of airplanes to its customer base and help get more customers on its own aircrafts, with Amira Air overseeing the management of Zepter's aircrafts.

With an interior designed with bright red colors, an extension of the plane's colorful exterior, their Global 5000 features dark red window blinds and red overhead lighting with a white & cream base.

Interestingly, ZeptAir didn't become the only venture that the Serbian conglomerate took into the field, also building the 50-meter yacht, Joy Me. Featuring a similar bright red scheme, the yacht is currently for sale asking €22 million.

Read More +