Comments on: I’m not alone. http://adamwebster.com/2006/09/13/im-not-alone/ Business advice from start ups to shut downs. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:15:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: Eric http://adamwebster.com/2006/09/13/im-not-alone/#comment-18 Eric Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:12:24 +0000 http://adamwebster.com/2006/09/13/im-not-alone/#comment-18 I'm totally with you on this. The VLJ craze is just that - a bunch of people building up a product before it hits the market. It's like the dot-com bubble, and it's interesting that Vern Raburn used to work at Microsoft. The Eclipse 500 isn't exactly what the software industry likes to call 'vaporware' (all talk, no product), but at 'half talk, half-assed product' it's close. Taking payload and fuel burn into account, if I was an air taxi operator I'd be going somewhere other than VLJs - probably sticking with higher-performance turboprops like the charter industry has for years now. If there's one VLJ that seems more practical in this regard it's the A700, but finding the markets that demand frequent service will still be difficult, especially since the instant that it hits a certain volume the regionals will be pulling up to the gate. I’m totally with you on this. The VLJ craze is just that - a bunch of people building up a product before it hits the market. It’s like the dot-com bubble, and it’s interesting that Vern Raburn used to work at Microsoft. The Eclipse 500 isn’t exactly what the software industry likes to call ‘vaporware’ (all talk, no product), but at ‘half talk, half-assed product’ it’s close.

Taking payload and fuel burn into account, if I was an air taxi operator I’d be going somewhere other than VLJs - probably sticking with higher-performance turboprops like the charter industry has for years now. If there’s one VLJ that seems more practical in this regard it’s the A700, but finding the markets that demand frequent service will still be difficult, especially since the instant that it hits a certain volume the regionals will be pulling up to the gate.

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