New VLJs

By our count, there are more than a dozen aircraft ranging from single-engine personal jets to twin-engine very light jets either in the very early stages of development, well along toward certification or, as in the case of the Cessna Mustang and Eclipse 500, already in service.

The VLJ segment remains an area of strong interest, even though deliveries of the Mustang and Eclipse began ramping up only this year and the first charter operations started just recently.

As with all new business jet market segments, it sometimes takes a while for the products to achieve strong penetration. While market interest in VLJs remains high, the jury is still out on whether VLJs will be as wildly popular as some predict. But, judging from the activity on the design and manufacturing side, there is no shortage of people who are willing to make a go of the VLJ market.