Originally Posted by
timfountain
Do you have a clue how expensive a light jet costs to own & run? That's why the fractionals and on-demand charters have found a sweetspot. What price did you find for that insurace "that does't seem to cost too much", what was the hull and liability and what were the requirements for the captain and FO if a 2-crew plane? What were the engine hot section and rebuild costs, what was the hourly Jet A-1 burn? The numbers make your hair stand on end. I have personal experience of a company that went from a Duke to an older King Air 90 (not even a jet but a TP) and the increase in hourly costs were crazy.
Yes, I'm familiar with the costs, and picking the aircraft, etc, etc. I hired a just-graduated pilot from flight school to do research for me. The only thing that stopped me from buying a G3 is the fact that must fractional programmes make the plane be 10 years or younger; G3s aren't.
I know what insurance will be; or did until the meltdown on Wall St, and am familiar with figures to pay pilots, and all the other fun things (aircraft maintenance, certifying, etc, etc, etc). But I still think it will be a good move - fiscally - but more importantly, for my sanity, to purchase a plane, set up a management programme with NetJets, and use it when I need it, give it out at other times (as long as I can put a bed in the plane, then I'm happy - who knows what NetJets will require to have "the same features on each aircraft").
The whole point of me purchasing a plane out right would be to charter it 90% of the time, use it 10% of the time.