Tag: superfast jets

3 Business Jets to Fulfill Your Need for Speed

July 17, 2017

For business travelers, time is money. The less time you spend traveling, the more time you have available to focus on business matters. For this reason, many company leaders and business executives turn to private jets both to travel fast and get away from the stress and hassles of commercial air travel.

Regardless of how you choose to travel, today’s jets are faster and more efficient than ever. The fastest private jet in the skies today, introduced in 2014, is the Cessna Citation X+. After losing its previous title of world’s fastest jet to the Gulfstream G650, which can hit Mach 0.925, Cessna introduced the X+ version of its Citation aircraft, which can hit Mach 0.935 when cruising — fast enough to travel from New York City to L.A. in under four hours.

Rounding out the list of fastest jets in the world is the fastest passenger jet: the Boeing 747. In fact, Boeing states the 747-8 has the ability to reach a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.90 and can “travel the length of three FIFA soccer fields in just one second.” Of course, nothing beats traveling in a private jet.
The good news is that the latest generation of business jets is fast. If speed is your goal when traveling for business, here are some of the fastest private jets available to you today.

Hawker Beechcraft 800XP

The Hawker Beechcraft 800XP by Beechcraft — now a sister company of the Cessna Aircraft Company under Textron Aviation — may not be the fastest jet out there, but it still cruses at an impressive speed of Mach 0.81. This, added to its combination of class, comfort, speed, and cabin room is hard to match. The 800XP can comfortably fly 2,500 miles without any wind conditions on an average cruising speed of Mach 0.77 on longer missions and 0.78 on shorter ones, making it a perfect choice for real productivity while in the air.

Gulfstream G650

Speed and grace are two words that best describe the Gulfstream G650. Its wing design, which redefines airflow over the craft, is the result of Gulfstream engineers pushing speed and performance in virtually every way possible.

The aircraft’s wings create an efficient airfoil, improving both speed and flying smoothness. This super-fast jet has a top speed 92% as fast as the speed of sound, a long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85, and a range of 7,000 nautical miles nonstop when loaded with 8 passengers — about 40% of its total passenger capacity.

Gulfstream G200

Although it was introduced more than 15 years ago and is a little older than its newer and flashier siblings, the Gulfstream G200 is no slouch when it comes to speed. The G200‘s twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW 306A engines are fuel efficient and quiet even by today’s standards, and boast a typical cruise speed of Mach 0.82. When configured as a corporate shuttle, this mid-size intercontinental business jet can hold enough fuel to carry you and your fellow passengers for 2,710 nautical miles nonstop.

Speed and efficiency are two of the key drivers in business aviation. This list, while by no means conclusive, offers a glimpse on what today’s generation of private aircraft can deliver in terms of swiftness and convenience.