Re: business opportunities for pilots -where?
Damn,
I just wrote a 400 word reply and PPrune had logged me out, my one fingered typing took so long I had to re-log in. So this is the short version.
To me VLJ = Mustang and Eclipse,
Cessna make very good Bizjets and have done so for years. Raeburn has made 4, and thinks he can half the cost and produce many times more than Cessna. Call me a skeptic, but IMHO they have a less than 20% chance of pulling it off.
So VLJ=Mustang. Good aircraft for single pilot owner operator air taxi work. Put 2 crew on it and all the reserves required for Public Transport and it will need a tech stop between Stansted and Luton.
I think there is a market for them in the Privately owned sector and some of these will get a few bits of work on Public transport, but I think they will be too limited to take much utilisation because of their operational limitations. If JAA will let them operate public transport single crew this will make a huge difference, but only if the pre-perceptions of the pax are ok with flying single pilot.
So.....in conclusion...I'm not quite sure, but having purchased a Caravan 1 because the Cessna salesman told me they would be approved for Single Engine IMC within a month (4 years ago) I think I will let someone else test the market with these ones, I think they are more competition to the TBM-700, the BE-90 and the Seneca-V than any Public Transport aircraft.