A Brief History of Business Jets
In some ways, doesn’t it seem like private jets have always been with us? We’re so used to names like Lear and Citation and Gulfstream that we don’t always realize that private jets have only been around a relatively few years. In fact, the business jet, as we know it, didn’t come into being until the mid-1960’s.
Jet planes are one of the many technological marvels that came out of World War II. We think of jet planes as a German innovation, but like many technologies, the idea existed in many forms before the first jet was actually built. In fact, a British engineer, Frank Whittle, drew jet plane designs as early as the 1930’s, but his plans were still on the drawing board when the first jet planes soared into the sky.
Of course, jet planes were first developed as a military technology. This is the case with many engineering and computer marvels, including the Internet and GPS. The military’s vast resources can perfect a technology and bring it into use, and then private corporations can take it and run with it.
The idea of business jets was of course a welcome one. What business person doesn’t want to get to their destination sooner, with less hassle, less stress and less wasted time in the airport. Once jet travel became a reality, it was only a matter of time until we got business jets.
When jet travel became a commercial enterprise, smaller jets, for business travelers, also came into being, build by such now-famous organizations as Lear, Lockheed and Gulfstream. The first jets, the Learjet, Jetstar (Lockheed) and Gulfstream II, cost about a million dollars when a million dollars was an awfully lot of money. They were grabbed up by the millionaire business owners of the time.
The Gulfstream II (G II) would comfortably carry a dozen people, with interiors rivaling luxury hotels. Think the Titanic in the air. The G II and jets in its dynasty carried very powerful motors, enabling long-distance travel, and were very posh. The G IV, in 1985, weight almost 40 tons (74,600 lbs) and could travel 4,200 nautical miles.
As the 1990’s progressed, jet interiors started to look more like the offices they now were, and less like hotels. Jets now have LCD monitors, satellite phones, and all the other equipment and accouterments you would expect from a flying office. Jets are now used not only for getting to the destination, but for getting things done on the way there.
Private jets have come a very long way in the last forty years, but one thing remains the same. Private jets are the ultimate way to travel to your business destinations while working, resting or conferencing with colleagues. If your business requires a lot of travel and you want to accomplish more while traveling, you might be a good candidate for a business jet. Whether you charter a jet as needed, own a fractional jet share, or own a jet outright, you’ll enjoy being able to accomplish more in less time with less stress.