The expected-even feared - invasion of Europe by swarms of VLJs has been exaggerated. They will sell, but regulation will be a damper.
All the manufacturers of very light jets (VLJ) have known well for some time that Europe is not going to be the same sort of market as North America, but now the precise nature of the differences is becoming clearer.
Regulation as it will apply to this new category of fast, affordable personal air transports reflects Europe's higher levels of airspace congestion and complexity and the greater fickleness of its weather. The number of hoops potential owner-pilots will have to jump through to be allowed to make full use of these attractively flexible small jets could put a lot of them off. Conversely, of course, some will find the challenge attractive. Only the future will show just how many will take that challenge.
For owner-fliers of all high performance light aircraft the biggest difference between the two continents is represented, at its simplest level, by the differences between what a pilot can do under visual flight rules in the USA compared with what Europe allows. Permanent instrument flight rules apply in most of Europe's en-route controlled airspace that a jet pilot would ideally want to use, even when visual meteorological conditions prevail.
Any Europe-based VLJ owner-flier who wants to make good use of his/her aircraft would, therefore, have to be a dedicated pilot to become qualified and to stay current. Although the holder of a private pilot's licence could operate a VLJ in controlled airspace, he/she would have to pass the additional training to add the high performance aeroplane certificate to the licence, then complete the type rating, and finally obtain a full instrument rating. The proposed minimum requirements envisaged by the European Aviation Safety Agency for VLJ type rating training course are now public, but are not finalised.
None of this will surprise someone like Eclipse Aviation president Vern Raburn or his competitors. Raburn has made advanced pilot training a required part of the Eclipse 500 purchase package for any owner-pilot who lacks the appropriate qualifications and experience. The problem for European graduates from his minimum training course is that they would be able to do a lot with the qualification in the USA, but would have their longed-for freedoms comparatively curtailed in Europe.
One of the great attractions of personal air transport is being able to land at small aerodromes near where you want to go. Small aerodromes in Europe - as in the USA - have few, if any, approach aids. In the USA the weather is such that - most of the year - that is not a problem but in Europe the weather would render them unusable for a far higher proportion of the time.
And that's just the rules as they will apply to owner-pilots. Air taxi operators can - and will - avail themselves of VLJs' low purchase and operating costs, but they will have to fly them with two pilots with the same qualifications as airline crew. VLJs may have a big effect on affordable personal travel choices in the USA, but they will not revolutionise travel in Europe.
Source: Flight International
