Business Jets As Flying Offices

The U.S. President and Air Force One may be the most well-known example of using a jet as a flying office. Nevertheless, there are thousands of others around the world who find this an efficient and cost-effective way to do business.

Whether using an executive version of the Boeing 757 or the Gulfstream G150, there are thousands of actors, athletes, businessmen and other professionals who use jets to expand their options for doing business.

Using a business jet minimizes jet lag since sleeping accommodations are common interior add-ons. Separate private jet areas at airports also means less delay getting in and out of airports. Fewer security checkpoints and schedules tailored to the traveler's needs rather than the airline's reduces overall travel time. Take-offs and landings at smaller airports closer to the departure and arrival points also keep wasted travel time and distance to a minimum.

All that means more time for business, more relaxed travel and a more refreshed traveler ready for action at the journey's end. Even a thirty year old Gulfstream GII can travel from Los Angeles to Paris in about 11 hours.

Newer planes may not get there any faster, but many are getting there cheaper. Entry-level executive jets sell for between $3 million and $4 million. The VLJ (Very Light Jets), such as the HondaJet or the Eclipse E500 sell for as low as $1 million.

But these newer planes, thanks to advances in engine design and composite materials, have all the power and range anyone could need.

The Rolls Royce FJ44-powered single engine Century will support 6,000 lbs MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight). Ultra-light planes of that type could easily carry four passengers from LA to San Francisco or London to Paris.

Jack Nicklaus, the golf pro, may have retired from the active circuit. But he still travels as much as ever, building signature golf courses around the world. His Gulfstream IVSP gets him there in style and comfort. While in the air he continues to transact business. Then it's off to the latest course often only a few minutes drive from a local airport.

Nike founder Phil Knight does just fine with the older GIII. Whether he needs to visit a shoe factory in Asia or attend a corporate headquarters meeting in Oregon, he can be on the spot in less than a day. And he doesn't suffer the delays, the discomfort or the jet lag from flying commercial airlines. He's ready to hit the ground running, because he kept up the pace while in the air.

No longer the exclusive province of the ultra-rich, corporate executives and independent businessmen are using bizjets to maximize their time. Because, even though the old saying is 'time is money', it's equally true that money is time. When you have enough money for a private jet, you can optimize your time.

And, thanks to advances in jet technology and contemporary lease arrangements, 'enough' is a lot less than it used to be. Leasing a 'flying office' is now getting to be as inexpensive as renting one in many major downtown areas.