14 March 2016

Five fast facts about private jets

There’s no doubt that private jet travel is the fastest (civilian) way to fly.

Not so much due to the flight time – although the fastest private jets do fly faster than airliners (more below). It’s the time-saving on the ground that really counts, with private jet travel offering much shorter airport waiting times and a wider choice of smaller airports, that may be closer to your destination.

And when it comes to the speed of booking a private jet, new technology like PrivateFly makes it much faster to arrange private jet travel these days. Rather than waiting for many hours or even days to compare prices, it’s now possible to search, compare and book the most competitive private charter in minutes, and take off under an hour later.

So for those in a hurry, here are five fast facts about private jet travel.

1) The fastest civilian aircraft in the world is a private jet – the Cessna Citation X+.

Since the demise of supersonic jets, a private jet is the fastest passenger aircraft in the world. The Citation X+ flies at a top speed of Mach 0.935, just off the speed of sound. But the Gulfstream G650ER is nipping at it’s wings, with a top speed of Mach 0.925 (and the G650ER can fly significantly further).

Generally speaking, large bodied long range private jets fly faster than small or medium jets. And private turboprop aircraft are slower than jet aircraft.

The fastest airline aircraft in the world are the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747, which can each operate at a maximum speed of just under Mach 0.9.

2) Aircraft speed can be described in Mach, knots (kts), miles per hour (mph), or kilometres per hour (kph).

There are lots of different measures used to describe aircraft speed, which can be confusing. We explain more here.

3) Aircraft speed is an expression of its airspeed, rather than its ground speed.

Airspeed is the aircraft’s velocity, relative to the air around it. An aircraft’s forward progress can be greatly enhanced or diminished by winds, so this is quite different to its ground speed, which is how fast it progresses relative to a fixed point on the ground.

4) You can be airborne within 15 minutes of arrival at most private jet airports.

Some airports also allow you to drive right up to the aircraft steps, for a seamless ground to air transition. London City Airport offers a particularly speedy service: Their 90-second pledge promises you’ll be on the aircraft just a minute and a half after arriving.

5) How quickly can you take off? Our record is 43 minutes from booking.

Take off same day? That’s no problem at all. Under an hour? In many cases we can do that too. At PrivateFly we regularly fly clients on very short notice flights. Our technology means we can identify the live location and availability of many private jet aircraft, to give you the best deal for your flight and the fastest ‘go now’ charter options – when speed is of the essence.

See more on how we arrange last minute private jet flights.

Whether you want to fly in minutes or months, our expert Flight Team will give the best possible options and prices for your private flight. Contact us or call (24 hours) +44 1747 642 777.

Related content

02 June 2016

Private jet customers show a need for speed

Private jet travel is all about flying on your own terms. For some that means accessing a remote airport, which has no airline service. For others it means being able to come and go as…
Sustainability

PrivateFly is committed to a long term sustainability program, dedicated to going far beyond just carbon offsetting.

Read More
Our Group

PrivateFly is a sister company to Flexjet, which provides shared ownership and programmes for experienced private aviation users who fly 50+ hours per year

Visit The Website
Speak to our flight team 24/7
Connect With Us
Our Websites
Back to top