In the blink of an eye, I have been working in the business jet industry for more than three years. Although the company I work for is very large in the industry (top three in Asia), if you look carefully, it is different from selling tofu. The workshop is not much different. Why do you say this? There was a very popular business model, or concept, in the past few years, called asset-light, and our company can be called ultra-asset-light. When I first entered the industry, a certain vice president of the company instilled this in the induction training: Our company can be said to have no assets. To put it in a bad way, it is called a white wolf with empty hands. Of course, you can call it "culture is money, knowledge is It’s power”…
Enough of the nonsense, it’s time to get to the point. Let’s talk about China’s business jets in detail. Why is the topic limited to China? Because all over the world, especially in the United States, whether it is a turbofan aircraft or a propeller aircraft, from a value of hundreds of millions of dollars to a value of millions of dollars, it can be called a business aircraft. Due to my short experience, such a huge scale of segmentation is really We are unable to do it, so we have to limit the scope to our great celestial dynasty.
What are the characteristics of China’s business jets? In fact, it is just like buying a car. The most important thing is to have a good reputation. The specific manifestations are:
1. The price is extremely expensive
? In my country, if you buy a business jet (except helicopters) with less than 100 million RMB, you will not I'm sorry to say hello to your rich friends. It's like a bunch of your friends buying Maybach, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce. And you went out of your way to buy an Audi. Although it is called luxury, it always feels that it is not on the same level. Uncle Ge said it well: Don’t seek the best, just the most expensive...
2. The space is huge
Why buy an airplane? First of all, it's nice, but if the personal space and comfort are not as comfortable as the first class cabin on a big flight, why spend so much money? Your brain must have been kicked by a donkey. Therefore, the space must be very large, and there must be a bed so that you can sleep when you feel sleepy. If you are hungry, you can eat a small "Man-Han Banquet".
3. Faster
? In China, there are indeed some people who choose to buy a business jet for efficiency. What does efficiency mean? It is of course time, and time This thing is of course inversely proportional to speed. The faster the speed, the less time is consumed. The so-called time is money, and everything saved is money. For me and other melon-eating people, time is used to waste, but for the "elite nobles" at the top of the pyramid, time is used to generate wealth.
Based on the above three points, the business jets operating in the country include the following types by brand: Boeing, Airbus, Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Textron, etc.
Let’s talk about the first camp first: Boeing BBJ, Airbus ACJ
BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) is not limited to Boeing models, mainly modified from Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Of course, a 787-modified business jet was delivered this year, which can also be called BBJ.
ACJ (Airbus Comercial Jet) is currently mainly modified from the A320 series (A318, A319 and A320) aircraft.
This type of aircraft is originally an airline aircraft and is very common in China. It meets the first two of the first three characteristics. It is expensive and has a lot of space. But there are also advantages: easy maintenance and cheap aviation materials and equipment. Regarding the space, see the picture below, you can imagine it yourself.
Second camp: Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer
This camp is a typical business jet manufacturer and has developed a wealth of business jet models. Design, manufacturing, sales and after-sales experience. The products launched range from low-end to high-end, from economical to luxurious, and the product lines are extremely rich to meet different types of operational needs.
1. Gulfstream Aerospace
When it comes to business jets, you have to mention Gulfstream. Even in the eyes of some people outside the industry, "Gulfstream" is synonymous with business jets. . It’s true. Gulfstream’s market share in China’s business jet market is almost over 50%, which is its absolute dominance. In particular, its G650, G550, and G450 are benchmarks among business jets...
In addition, since the G450 and G550 aircraft have been launched for many years, although the technology used is still the most advanced in the civil aviation industry , but Gulfstream still developed the latest G500 and G600 as replacements for these two models, and judging from the current technical parameters, it is not an exaggeration to call it the most high-tech civil aviation passenger aircraft in history. Rich people, take out your wallets...
2. Bombardier Aerospace
Speaking of Bombardier, I have to say that this is a magical company that can fly in the sky. It can do everything from aircraft manufacturing to ground running (trains and snowmobiles), and it ranks among the top in the world. However, in the past two years, Bombardier almost went bankrupt in order to develop the regional airliners CS100 and CS300. I thought that China could acquire such a large and impressive multinational company. As the CS100 and CS300 began to be delivered, it seemed to be slowing down. Come to life slowly...
Bombardier's business jets are second only to Gulfstream in global share. There are many models. Although the levels of high, middle and low-end are very clear, the technical coherence is very poor. Between the three levels, there will be It makes people feel that these are completely aircraft developed by three different manufacturers, and the competitor Gulfstream has strong family genes. This may be the reason why Bombardier has been catching up over the years but has never been able to surpass it.
Low-end: Learjet series
LR60, LR75, etc.
Learjet aircraft are born with fighter genes, and their maneuverability is extraordinary. If the big plane is a Rolls-Royce, then the smaller plane is definitely a Ferrari. The reason why it is classified as low-end is because its cabin space is small, which affects comfort to a certain extent, and its range is also slightly inferior...
Mid-range: Challenger series
CL300, CL605, CL850, etc.
This level is quite satisfactory, characterized by a great advantage in cabin space in the same level, and reliable performance. The legendary "Motoyama" in the past few years is the CL850 aircraft ( Alias: CRJ200, some of us melon-eaters may have flown on this passenger plane). Let me emphasize: there is no bathroom in the "Benshan" and you cannot take a shower. In fact, most business jets are not equipped with bathrooms, and the media always likes to mislead people.
High-end: Global Express series, GL5000, GL6000, GL7000 and GL8000 (the latter two have not yet been delivered)
This level is the flagship level among Bombardier business jets, which is the Gulfstream G650 ( Competing products of GL7000) and G550 (GL6000), although the two sets of competing products have similar prices and similar range, the Global series has a wider and longer cabin and superior comfort. However, as a front-line staff, my biggest impression of this series of models is that the failure rate is somewhat high. The maintenance personnel of this model are either troubleshooting or on their way to troubleshooting...
3. Dassault Falcon (Dassult Falcon)
Main models: F2000, F900, F7X, F8X and the upcoming F5X
? For all military fans, the word "Dassault" can be described as Astonishingly inspiring, the name of the Rafale series of fighter jets is also world-renowned. Little did we know that such a military-industrial enterprise’s accomplishments in the field of business aircraft are also amazing.
Dassault’s early sales of business jets, such as the F900 and F2000, did not have much advantage over its competitors, and the French’s thinking was always so unpredictable. The designed products always give people a sense of being contrary to common sense. For example, the indicator light of a certain switch on the F7X aircraft. Under normal circumstances, when the switch is in the OFF position, the indicator light should be red, and the ON position should be green. However, this indication on this aircraft is just opposite to our normal thinking. . However, the sales volume of the F7X aircraft is quite good. The reason is that when the comfort and range are equivalent, this aircraft is really good-looking. It seems that the appearance is suitable for various fields.
In addition, Dassault’s latest F8X business jet has just been delivered in the second half of this year. It has officially become a competitor to the Gulfstream G650 and Bombardier GL7000. The fuselage design is similar to the F7X, and it has a good appearance. It has improved cabin comfort and range, but given that the current business jet market is relatively flat, I don’t know what the future sales will be. Let’s wait and see...
4. Embraer
Aircraft models: Pheon, Legacy, Lineage
To be honest, in the aviation industry, I only serve Brazil. Aviation manufacturing has been under the monopoly of Europe and the United States for a long time. Even the rich and powerful China has been imitating but has never caught up with one-tenth of Europe and the United States. I wonder if the C919 will be as boasted, closing the gap. Smooth.
Brazil is far behind our country in terms of economic development, but the Brazilians are trying to seize the monopoly aviation field in Europe and the United States and carve out a market - leading in the field of regional passenger aircraft. It has also carved out its own niche in the field of business jets.
Phenom series: Phenom 100 and Phenom 300. The cabins of this series are smaller and the flight range is shorter. In fact, they are not suitable for the tastes of domestic wealthy people. In fact, in foreign countries, most of this series are used for teaching in flight academies.
Legacy series: L650, L500, etc.
The L650 business jet is derived from the regional airliner ERJ135. It is similar to the Bombardier CL850. They are both derivatives of the regional airliner. Overall performance Average. A famous domestic movie star who endorses Embraer is this aircraft.
The L500 business jet can be regarded as a thoughtful work of Embraer. It completely pushed forward the idea of ????regional airliners and truly began to design business jets from the perspective of business jets. This is something we should learn from. We should jump out of our comfort zone and start from the user's perspective instead of just resting on our laurels.
Hereditary Series: L1000 Business Jet
Derived from the ERJ190, its space size is slightly smaller than that of BBJ and ACJ, but it is still much larger than conventional business jets, and most importantly, it is cheaper Ah, the price of such a large aircraft is about the same as the Gulfstream G450. If you have 1 million, you can buy a 100-square-meter house from a certain developer, but you can also buy a 200-square-meter house from another developer. As for which one to buy, it’s up to you.
Although I lament Embraer’s efforts and progress, I have to admit that there is a gap between Embraer and Boeing and Airbus in terms of manufacturing level, and in the field of business jets, it is also different from Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault has a big gap, but it also has an advantage - it's cheap.