Propellers, Rotor Blades Are Music To The Ears Of Private Jet Flyers

Forbes

7 hours ago

Supersonic private travel for the super-rich may be up in the air. However, their need to access hard-to-reach places quickly, particularly destinations with short or no runways, is driving several leading private jet flight providers to launch or expand operations and partnerships that utilize turboprop, piston and rotorcraft aircraft.
If you are not a UHNW, typically defined as having a net worth of at least $30 million, don't despair.
Private jet charter and fractional operator is adding a Caravan turboprop and amphibious float plane ... More to help its well-heeled customers access smaller airports or places with no airport at all.
The most recent initiative comes from JSX, which offers a semi-private option.
Still, experts say it is the travel needs of the very wealthy that are driving the trend.
'The challenge when a client wants to buy their third, fourth or even fifth home is: can they land their jet nearby,' says Alasdair Pritchard, a partner in Knight Frank's Private Office, adding, 'This can dictate property decisions, so we help clients explore alternatives, whether that's nearby airports with helicopter access or private airstrips on larger estates.'
For those who want the full private experience, FlyExclusive, which previously limited its services to jet aircraft, selling fractional shares, jet cards, and on-demand charters, is launching charter flights using an amphibious float plan and Caravan turboprop.
Wheels Up, via a partnership with Tropic Ocean Airways, helps members make that last mile as easy a ... More day at the beach, including sometimes landing at the beach. Knight Frank says UHNWs who are increasingly buying third, fourth, and fifth homes in locations that are hard to access with private jets, are looking to propeller aircraft and helicopters.
It is not alone.
Wheels Up has been expanding its partnership with seaplane operator Tropic Ocean Airways, in which it has a minority ownership stake. The commercial agreement enables members to fly to more than 70 smaller airports across Florida, the Bahamas, and the Northeast U.S., including the Hamptons, Lake Placid, Fire Island, Sunset Beach, Montauk, and Block Island.
'We're not surprised to see rising interest in turboprops, seaplanes, and helicopters for last-mile travel—it's a trend that aligns squarely with the solutions we've been building over the past several years," says Wheels Up CEO George Mattson.
He adds, 'Our customers can easily combine a commercial or long-range private flight with a final leg aboard a wheeled or amphibious Cessna Caravan EX—creating a seamless, end-to-end premium experience.'
Flexjet has been expanding its last-mile helicopter service for members of its fractional jet ownership program by acquiring rotorcraft operators in both England and the United States.
In 2023, Flexjet received permission to operate helicopter flights between Florida and the Bahamas. It has now expanded the seasonal service to year-round.
Flexjet Vertical Lift President Eli Flint said at the time, 'Now that our clientele has grown accustomed to accessing off-airport destinations, they expect it wherever the helicopter can take them – and now that includes from Florida to the Bahamas and the Florida Keys.'
Flexjet offers its fractional private jet customers the ability to use hours on its helicopter ... More service in the Northeastern U.S., England, and South Florida.
Longtime private and shared turboprop operators have also been expanding their footprint focusing both on price and accessing airports jets can't utilize.
Tradewind Aviation, which had operated exclusively in the Northeastern United States and the Caribbean, added a Florida base for charter flights in 2023, as well as scheduled flights last year from Witham Field in Stuart to the Bahamas.
Like JSX, it sells individual seats on its scheduled flights and uses private terminals, so customers avoid the hassles of crowded airports with long lines.
PlaneSense, which long focused on fractional ownership, has expanded its jet card offering, enabling customers to fly on its fleet of Pilatus PC-12 turboprops by committing to buy just 25 hours.
JSX will buy up to 25 ATR turboprops as it seeks to expand its semi-private by-the-seat flights to ... More airports that were previously the domain of the private jet users.
It also expanded the primary service area for its fleet to the West Coast in 2021, opening a maintenance facility near Las Vegas to support an increase in flights in the Western U.S.
Last year, SkyShare which has a days-based fractional program on preowned PC-12s targeting customers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, added an entry level program cutting the initial investment by 41%. Its targeting business flyers who need to visit multiple remote locations in a single day.
The PC-12 is renowned for its short-runway access and can even land on grass airstrips.
And that's the point.
FlyExclusive is basing a Caravan and amphibious float plane in Miami, with operations set to start later this month.
Chairman Jim Segrave said, 'There's a clear gap in the market…with the launch of our new amphibious float plane and land-based Caravan, we're expanding our ability to connect travelers to the most sought-after island destinations in the region.'
Its seaplane will be 'capable of landing at any suitable water landing site, enabling direct access to private beaches, remote islands, and waterfront properties with no runway required.'
And its not just second homes that are driving the last-mile solutions.
Air Charter Service signed a deal in April to staff a new terminal and helipad area at the Silverstone race track, a two-and-a-half hour drive outside of London. During the British Grand Prix it handles over 1,500 flights and more than 6,000 passengers.
Air Charter Service CMO James Leach said the heliport is expected to get use during rest of the year for special events and experiences offered at the track.
He noted, 'The benefits of private aviation mainly revolve around time-saving, with our helicopter shuttles saving many people on average between two hours and five hours, whilst those traveling from abroad by private jet can often save even more time when compared with scheduled flights, especially if they add a helicopter transfer to the circuit.'
William Herp, CEO of Linear Air Taxi, a charter broker specializing in turboprops and piston aircraft, says that advances in technology over the past decade have boosted consumer confidence in the segment.
He points to last month's announcement that the Cirrus SR Series G7+, which can seat three passengers, will be the world's first single-engine piston aircraft equipped with an FAA-approved autonomous emergency landing system.
The system activates if the single pilot becomes incapacitated. With a touch of a button, the airplane lands itself.
The key benefit of the propeller aircraft, he says, is being able to land at runways as short as 3,000 feet.
'With a (charter) jet, you are looking at 5,000 feet or more if there is rain,' he says.
Herp says these days most customers are open to the propeller aircraft instead of a jet if it can get them to their destination faster than an alternative airport further away.
'When we first started (20 years ago), we had to explain how piston props were safe. Consumers were unaware piston props were available for charter. We're not having that conversation as much,' he says.
Herp says Linear has around 700 piston prop aircraft available for charter on its website. Prices range from around $750 to $2,500 per hour, plus fees, plus you pay for repositioning the airplane to and from its base before and after your trip. Still, it's more more affordable chartering a jet.
Wheels Up's Mattson adds, 'As demand continues to grow for more personalized and experiential travel, we see these aircraft and partnerships as essential to delivering the kind of elevated, last-mile solutions today's premium traveler expects.'
Of course, not all of us have the money to charter an entire aircraft no matter the size, nor the need to land at a waterfront property.
JSX plans to cater to the rest of us. Earlier today it announced it had signed a letter of intent for up to 25 turboprop airplanes from ATR Aircraft and plans to start operations later this year with two leased turboprops.
It states that the new type will add up to 1,000 more airports it can fly to in the U.S. beyond its current Embraer regional jets, offering its by-the-seat version of shared private aviation.
JSX CEO Alex Wilcox said, 'Many of these airports were, until now, reserved only for those who had the means to fly private.'
Its by-the-seat prices often start under $500. A spokesperson says no airports have been selected yet.