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MEDIUM JET CATEGORY REVIEW & MEDIUM JET PRICE & VOLUME CHARTS
Category: BizJet Advisor China
MEDIUM JET CATEGORY REVIEW: Filling the w ide gap in the m iddle

April 2011
Author: Mike Chase

Theoretically, the smallest jet can journey to any point on land, though it may take many stops en route, costing you time. A large jet can carry whatever is needed and still fly direct to almost everywhere, but with significantly heavier demand on your budget. Thankfully there are a wide array of aircraft between the Light Jets and the Large Cabin and Ultra-Long-Range aircraft categories. The Medium Jets featured here cater for a w ide array of different journey requirements. Within this review , our Medium Jet category includes aircraft w ith range capabilities varying from approximately 3,000 to more than 7,000 kilometers. In addition, the Medium Jets vary in sizes and costs. For the sake of our Medium Jet review w eve defined a w eight range of betw een 9,100 and 18,200 kilograms (approximately). Without further discussion, w ell look at the individual Medium Jet group-members. BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE Challenger 300 Canadas aerospace giant Bombardier offers tw o very different aircraft in the Medium Jet segment at present - one a Challenger derivative, the other a Learjet. The Challenger 300 offers a tall, stand-up cabin just under tw o meters in height, and more than tw o meters in w idth. Priced at about $24 million, the Challenger 300 offers one of the low est-price options for a cabin of such dimensions. The Challenger 300 is just as fast as its larger kin, the Challenger 600-series, w hile also proving highly capable in lift and range. With full fuel and available payload, the aircraft can fly comfortably more than 5,700 kilometers - highly useful for crossing oceans or continents. Even if you carry a full load of people and equipment, along w ith full fuel load, the Challenger 300 can still travel more than 5,000 kilometers. For all of these benefits, the Challenger 300 needs less than 1,500 meters of runw ay length for take-off and landing. Learjet 60XR Meantime, Bombardiers Learjet aircraft is famous w orldw ide, w ith its design stretching back to the original Model 23, circa 1963. The Learjet 60XR is a modern-day evolution of that early aircraft design. While the Learjet 60XRs cabin is taller, w ider and longer than those first Learjets, it is about 20 percent smaller than the Challenger 300s. Its engines deliver the Learjet 60XR the pow er and efficiency needed to fly more than 4,400 kilometers at cruise speed, and the Learjet 60XR delivers this level of performance on far less fuel than some of its competitors. The Learjet 60XR is among the least-expensive aircraft to acquire in our Medium Jet segment at $14 million. Soon, though, the Learjet 60XR w ill have a new member in the family that w ill bring to an end its time as the largest Learjet. Learjet 85 Well along in its design phase, the Learjet 85 promises to bring a new level of comfort, utility and speed to the Learjet name. The design parameters for the Learjet 85 call for a cabin 1.8 meters tall, 1.9 meters w ide and about 7.6 meters long (8 centimeters taller, 1 centimeter w ider and 75 centimeters longer than the 60XR). The new cabin can include an optional 2.2meter-long sofa capable of seating three w ith space beneath for storage. Once certified, the Learjet 85 promises a maximum range of 5,500 kilometers flying w ith four passengers at cruise speed all w ith Learjets typical high fuel efficiency. Bombardier has set the target price at $18.25 million (2008 USD). More information from w w w .aero.bombardier.com CESSNA AIRCRAFT Citation Sovereign Cessna Aircraft is the w orlds largest supplier of business jets w ith tw o current offerings in the Medium Jet segment from its extensive Citation line-up. These are the Citation Sovereign and the Citation X (Roman numeral for 10). One of Cessnas largest Citations, the Sovereign provides a spacious cabin more than 7.7 meters long, 1.6 meters w ide and 1.7 meters tall. The Sovereign offers fuel efficiency that lets it fly trips as long as 5,265 kilometers. It can also use dozens of airports inaccessible by many of its competitors operating from runw ays as short as 1,109 meters, w hich is the best in the Medium segment, and better than a few in the Light Jet segment. The highly competitive price of about $18 million helps make the Citation Sovereign popular. Citation X Meanw hile, Cessnas flagship Citation X leads all other business jets in service as the w orlds fastest civilian aircraft. The Citation Sovereigns cabin w as designed from the Citation Xs, although the Citation Xs cabin is actually about 0.3 meters shorter. The Citation X is highly flexible, and capable of flying from runw ays as short as 1,567 meters. A recent addition of elliptical w inglets to the aircraft has improved its overall performance. The upw ardly curved surfaces extending from the Citation Xs w ings reduce drag and extend range to 5,963 kilometers. To buy a Citation X, you w ould expect to pay around $22 million until, that is, the upgraded model comes to market... Citation Ten New ly announced last October, the Citation Ten has upgraded engines over the Citation X; a longer fuselage; a new interior design that increases useable space; and all-new cockpit systems. Compared w ith the Citation X, a new cabin-entertainment and cabin-function management system, new lighting and a refined

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galley are all part of the package. High-speed internet, cabin communications connections and WiFi are also expected to be a standard feature. The new Citation Ten w ill also boast a longer range and higher payload. First flight of the prototype Citation Ten is due later in 2011; certification in some regions is expected in 2013, along w ith initial deliveries. The price is projected to be just under $22 million. More information from w w w .cessna.com DASSAULT AVIATION Falcon 2000LX The Falcon 2000LX received its certification in early 2009 and quickly earned credibility as the most-capable of the Falcon 2000series aircraft. Its distinctive w inglets improve performance efficiency by reducing w ing drag, and effectively increasing w ingspan. With its w inglets the Falcon 2000LX boasts a maximum range of nearly 7,685 kilometers, w hich enables it to connect a large array of cities - Beijing w ith Moscow , for example non-stop. Its runw ay requirements are short enough to get in and out of most regional airports. With a cabin stretching nearly 8 meters in length, 2.34 meters in w idth and 1.88 meters in height, customers are given a variety of finishing options to suit their needs. The equipped price of the 2000LX is approximately $32.1 million. More information from w w w .falconjet.com EMBRAER Legacy 450/Legacy 500 Embraers tw o smaller Legacy models w ill offer competitive options in the Medium Jet arena once certified. They vary slightly to cater for different range, runw ay and cabin needs, how ever. The Legacy 450 can fly more than 4,200 kilometers w hile carrying four aboard, or approximately 4,000 kilometers w ith eight persons in the cabin. The Legacy 500 can go much further - 5,500 kilometers w ith four on board or 5,100 kilometers w ith eight passengers. Both aircraft models can lay claim to having among the shortest runw ay requirements in the segment, w ith the Legacy 450 needing 1,219 meters and the Legacy 500 using just 1,402, both at their maximum takeoff w eight. The cabin of both jets stands about 1.82 meters tall, 2.08 meters in w idth, and feature a flat floor for passenger comfort - but they differ in length, w ith the Legacy 450 sporting a cabin 6.83 meters long, and the 500 nearly 8.17 meters long. Work continues tow ards certification of both models, w ith the Legacy 500 due for first flight this year, and the Legacy 450 to follow w ith first flight in 2012. Prices are around $16 million for the Legacy 450 and under $19 million for the Legacy 500. More information from w w w .embraerexecutivejets.com GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE G150/G200 Gulfstreams three aircraft in the Medium Jet segment includes the G150, G200 and G250. The in-production G150 and G200 offer cabin space that passengers find spacious and comfortable, w ith the G150 cabin measuring 1.75 meters tall and w ide, and 5.4 meters long, and the G200s cabin w ider than it is tall inside, at 1.9 meters high, 2.2 meters w ide and 7.4 meters long. In addition to cabin size, the G150 and G200 differ only in subtle w ays. For example, the G150 offers runw ay performance and systems integration capable of tackling one of the w orlds most-challenging airports, London City Airport (a converted pier along the Thames River in Englands capital). When called on, the G150 can operate from just 1,500 meters of runw ay and return to land on as little as 900 meters w hile fueled to fly about 5,500 kilometers carrying four passengers. The G200 can cover about 6,300 kilometers at cruise speed. While the G200 is priced at under $24 million, the smaller G150 is a value-leader at under $16 million. G250 The G250 is a follow on to the G200 w ith impressive range among the Medium Jets and it achieves this w hile adding considerable luggage and lavatory space, yet preserving the main-cabin size of the G200. Due for certification later this year, the G250 promises excellent runw ay numbers (the G250 needs only 1,500 meters of runw ay), w hile delivering range of 6,300 kilometers (w ith tw o crew and four passengers). It w ould seem the $24 million price tag makes the G250 excellent value. More information from w w w .gulfstream.com HAWKER BEECHCRAFT Haw ker 750/900XP The Haw ker 750 and Haw ker 900XP are tw o new incarnations of the venerable Haw ker-Siddeley 125 business jet, but are larger and significantly more sophisticated. Both share cabin amenities - each offering cabin space of about 6.5 meters length, 1.8 meters w idth and 1.75 meters height. The Haw ker 900XP differs in that it sports a w ider w ingspan w ith drag-reducing w inglets, as w ell as increased fuel capacity both of w hich benefit its overall performance. For under $16 million, the Haw ker 900XP delivers over 5,200 kilometers of range. Expect to pay about $13 million for a Haw ker 750, w hich delivers a maximum range of about 3,900 kilometers. Both aircraft are capable of operating from runw ays less than 1,500 meters in length. Haw ker 4000 An all-carbon-fiber composite fuselage mated to an all-metal w ing enables the Haw ker 4000 to provide a fuselage w ith a smaller outside diameter than w ould be possible w ith a metal fuselage. Offering a spacious cabin measuring 7.6 meters in length, 1.97 meters in w idth, and 1.83 meters in height, the Haw ker 4000 also features a flat floor allow ing passengers to w alk around the cabin in comfort.

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The aircraft is a highly capable model w ith a 6,000 kilometer range. Runw ay requirement is below 1,500 meters, and the Haw ker 4000 also excels in fuel efficiency. It retails for about $23 million. More information from w w w .haw kerbeechcraft.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------MEDIUM JET PRICE & VOLUME CHARTS By Mike Chase The points in Chart A - representing Medium Jet Price Index center on the same aircraft that featured in our review on the preceding pages. Where models are excluded, it is because they are in development, and the necessary specifications are currently missing, rendering an accurate placement on our graphs impossible. Pricing used in the vertical axis are as published in the B&CA August 2010 Operations Planning Guide. The Price index requires further discussion in that the factors used can be somew hat arbitrary. The aircraft are indexed on our chart as the multiple of three factors: 1. Range w ith full payload and available fuel; 2. The long-range cruise speed flow n to achieve that range; 3. The cabin volume available for passengers and amenities. The result is a very large number, so for the purpose of charting each result is divided by one billion. The examples plotted are confined to the aircraft in our review . A computed curve fit on this plot w ould not be very tight, but w hen all business jet aircraft are considered, the r squared factor w ould equal a number above 0.9. It should be noted that different prospective buyers of business aircraft can index aircraft on the basis of several different factors, depending on those core to the individuals mission requirement for a business aircraft. We have used Price, Range, Speed and Cabin Size only as an example of an efficient w ay to index aircraft, but other priority factors can be just as valid. In Chart B, w e have listed a quick-reference Cabin Volume guide for many of the aircraft in our review . Again, due to some aircraft in the review being in development, and therefore w ith unconfirmed Cabin Size specification, w e have been unable to chart those aircraft. In view ing the follow ing chart, allow ance should be made for the fact that the Medium Jet category is broad, and the aircraft w ithin the category serve a vast array of different missions. Therefore, the difference in size betw een the largest and smallest cabin in this range should not be surprising. EIGHT KEY STATISTICS - MEDIUM JETS AT A GLANCE Follow ing is a list of Medium Jet types currently available from the manufacturers, or that w ill be available in the very near future. The figures are as up to date as possible but readers are advised to use them as a guide only. Alw ays contact the manufacturer to confirm performance and specifications. BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE: Challenger 300 Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 to 9 Interior cabin height 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch) Interior cabin w idth 1.55 meters (5 feet 1 inch) Interior cabin length 8.72 meters (28 feet 6 inches) Maximum range 6,100km (3,294nm) Max cruise speed 870km (470 ktas) Price $24m Learjet 60XR Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.74 meters (5 feet 7 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.81 meters (5 feet 10 inches) Interior cabin length 5.39 meters (17 feet 7 inches) Maximum range 4,454km (2,405nm) Max cruise speed 863km (466 ktas) Price $14m Learjet 85 (In Developm ent) Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.80 meters (5 feet 11 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch) Interior cabin length 7.54 meters (24 feet 8 inches) Maximum range 5,556km (3,000nm) Max cruise speed 870km (470 ktas) Price $18m CESSNA AIRCRAFT: Citation Sovereign Crew 2 Typical passenger 9 Interior cabin height 1.73 meters (5 feet 8 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.68 meters (5 feet 6 inches) Interior cabin length 7.70 meters (25 feet 3 inches) Maximum range 5,265km (2,843nm) Max cruise speed 848km (458 ktas) Price $18m Citation X

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Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.73 meters (5 feet 8 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.68 meters (5 feet 6 inches) Interior cabin length 7.29 meters (23 feet 11 inches) Maximum range 5,963km (3,219nm) Max cruise speed 972km (525 ktas) Price $22m Citation Ten (In Developm ent) Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.73 meters (5 feet 8 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.68 meters (5 feet 6 inches) Interior cabin length 7.67 meters (25 feet 2 inches) Maximum range 5,875km (3,170nm) Max cruise speed 976km (527 ktas) Price $22m DASSAULT AVIATION: Falcon 2000LX Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.88 meters (6 feet 2 inches) Interior cabin w idth 2.34 meters (7 feet 8 inches) Interior cabin length 7.98 meters (26 feet 2 inches) Maximum range 7,685km (4,000nm) Max cruise speed 917km (495 ktas) Price $32.1m EMBRAER: Legacy 450 (In Developm ent) Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.82 meters (6 feet) Interior cabin w idth 2.08 meters (6 feet 10 inches) Interior cabin length 6.83 meters (22 feet 5 inches) Maximum range 4,200km (2,267nm) Max cruise speed 895km (483 ktas) Price $16m Legacy 500 (In Developm ent) Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 Interior cabin height 1.82 meters (6 feet) Interior cabin w idth 2.08 meters (6 feet 10 inches) Interior cabin length 8.17 meters (26 feet 10 inches) Maximum range 5,556km (3,000nm) Max cruise speed 895km (483 ktas) Price $19m GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE: G150 Crew 2 Typical passenger 4 Interior cabin height 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches) Interior cabin length 5.38 meters (17 feet 8 inches) Maximum range 5,467km (3,000nm) Max cruise speed 927km (500 ktas) Price $15.05m G200 Crew 2 Typical passenger 4 Interior cabin height 1.91 meters (6 feet 3 inches) Interior cabin w idth 2.18 meters (7 feet 2 inches) Interior cabin length 7.44 meters (24 feet 5 inches) Maximum range 6,300km (3,400nm) Max cruise speed 927km (500 ktas) Price $24m G250 (In Developm ent) Crew 2 Typical passenger 4 Interior cabin height 1.91 meters (6 feet 3 inches) Interior cabin w idth 2.18 meters (7 feet 2 inches) Interior cabin length 7.87 meters (25 feet 10 inches) Maximum range 6,300km (3,400nm) Max cruise speed 927km (500 ktas) Price $24m HAWKER BEECHCRAFT: Haw ker 4000 Crew 2 Typical passenger 8 to 10 Interior cabin height 1.83 meters (6 feet) Interior cabin w idth 1.97 meters (6 feet 6 inches)

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Interior cabin length 7.62 meters (25 feet) Maximum range 6,038km (3,260nm) Max cruise speed 896km (484 ktas) Price $23m Haw ker 750 Crew 2 Typical passenger 9 Interior cabin height 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.83 meters (6 feet) Interior cabin length 6.50 meters (21 feet 4 inches) Maximum range 3,900km (2,105nm) Max cruise speed 861km (465 ktas) Price $13m Haw ker 900XP Crew 2 Typical passenger 9 Interior cabin height 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches) Interior cabin w idth 1.83 meters (6 feet) Interior cabin length 6.50 meters (21 feet 4 inches) Maximum range 5,200km (2,807nm) Max cruise speed 861km (465 ktas) Price $16m

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