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Luxury for Him

Filed under: Books

Luxury for Him from Loft Publications (right) is a real tour de force of extravagance. The pages are filled with Lurssen yachts, Gulfstream jets, Augusta helicopters, Rolls-Royces, palace hotels like the Burj Al Arab and lots more, all lavishly and lovingly photographed.

"Luxury can manifest itself in different ways and objects of desire differ from person to person," the publishers note. "Although the parameters of what is considered to be luxurious vary greatly, luxury items are always of excellent quality and are exclusive limited editions which tend to be the most technologically advanced within their category."

The categories include Luxury Sailing, Luxury Driving, Luxury Flying, Luxury Destinations and Luxury Moments. "Elegance and distinction have various interpretations, but in all cases, the degree of excellence and quality in the materials and objects is what distinguishes genuine luxury from opulence that is lacking in content."

PiperJet Has Its First Flight

Filed under: Wings


We first wrote about the PiperJet back in 2006, the small plane is the first pure, jet-powered, turbofan design in the company's 71-year history. The pane has now made its first flight from Piper Headquarters in Vero Beach, Florida. The plane flew for one hour, reaching a maximum altitude of 10,500 feet and a speed of 160 KTAS as per the flight test plan. The PiperJet is powered by a single Williams FJ44-3AP engine and is set to carry six passengers with an option for a seventh or an enclosable lavatory. It will have a range of 1,300 nautical miles and a full-fuel payload of 800 lbs. The jet is priced from $2.199 million and will be certified to a maximum operating altitude of 35,000 feet. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011.

Deluge Air To Fly Out Of Wilmington

Filed under: Wings


It's a strange phenomenon but the more big airlines that shut their doors, the more smaller private jet services seem to open up. The latest is Deluge Air (an odd name, in my opinion). Deluge Air plans to offer flights from Wilmington, North Carolina to northern New Jersey, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Nassau, Bahamas. They plan to begin booking flights Aug. 4 on two seven-seat Learjet 35 aircraft, with flights taking off about a week later.The airline will operate out of ISO Aero Service, one of two fixed-base operators, or FBOs, on the grounds of Wilmington International Airport. The service is on deman, customers will pay for private jet service by individual seat instead of booking the entire aircraft and the flights will be operated by private jet companies out of Raleigh and Miami, with Deluge as the sales agent.

According to an article in the Star News Online
, fares between Wilmington and Nassau booked seven days or more in advance will be $2,047 each way, with an additional $400 charge for flights booked less than a week in advance. Fares to Teterboro Airport will be $1,075 each way, and $1,398 when not booked at least seven days in advance.

Cirrus Vision Jet

Filed under: Wings


The Jet by Cirrus Design, now officially named "The Vision SJ50" is a luxurious small aircraft is designed to be flown by a single pilot. The Cirrus Vision hopes to blend the best of both the high performance single-engine class and the very light jet category. The plane is powered by a Williams International FJ33-4A-19 engine and will fly at about 300 knots at a maximum operating altitude of 25,000 feet.

The body is spherical to allow for more interior space and it has moveable seats to accommodate up to seven people. The plane has a unique V-Tail design and state-of-the-art advanced avionics and flight systems plus the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. The Cirrus Vision SJ50 had its first flight last week (Aero News Network has a report of the event with action photos). The 45-minute flight was conducted from company worldwide headquarters at the Duluth International Airport, Duluth, MN.

Gallery: Cirrus Vision

Silverjet Closes Up Shop

Filed under: Wings

In a move that surprises no one given the recent shuttering of business-class-only jet services MaxJet Airways and Eos Airlines, Silverjet, the last of the three, has folded. The London-based company failed to get a necessary $5 million in emergency funding to continue operations. The rise in the price of jet fuel doomed the business which was never profitable in its 16-month run. Lawrence Hunt, the chief executive of Silverjet, says on the Silverjet website that it might not be over yet, if he is able to get new investors with deep pockets the company will start up again. Unfortunately given the track record of business-class-only airlines, which despite the obvious appeal, seemed doomed to failure, he will have a tough road ahead.

Smart Air, Europe's New Fractional Service, Opts For the D-Jet

Filed under: Wings


A European jet operator has become the first fractional ownership company to use the single-engine Diamond D-Jet. Smart Air has ordered eight personal jets and has options for more. Smart Air is based in Luxembourg and will operate their fleet across Europe, planning offices in Finland, UK, France, Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Germany and Italy offering access to 1,835 airports. The website doesn't offer the details o the fractional service but it looks like a fairly standard fractional service with different prices for the various areas in Europe. Deliveries of the plane are set to begin in the first quarter of 2010.

[via Aero-News Network]

Jet Chef, Catering to Private Fliers

Filed under: Dining, Wings


Ugh, airline food. The growing popularity of private jets and jet charters is changing that stereotype, though, as those who can afford it are not only flying, but also eating, in style. Jet-Chef.com is a service for jet owners, pilots, brokers, flight attendants, etc., and offers access to some of the world's best chefs, caterers, and suppliers for the ultimate in in-flight dining. The service comes in the form of a website directory that makes searching by city, state, or airport and getting in touch with high-class gourmet chef and catering services easy and convenient.

Currently Jet Chef is only available in the U.S., but at the rate the private jet industry is growing they expect to be going international in the near future.

The Jet House, Sleek Aerodynamic Living

Filed under: Estates


Unique home designs have always been popular, but extremely unique homes with drastic lines and specific themes seem to be getting more and more popular every day. Living in a home shaped like a giant snail shell isn't up everybody's alley, but maybe something more contemporary and sleek like this Jet House by Jerome Olivet would fit your style better. Although I can see how the name "Jet" fits it, I personally think it looks more like an alien spacecraft with its sweeping round curves and almost saucer-like silhouette. Called "biomorphic," it has two stories (which are connected by an elevator) and looks like its full of bright light and tones of greys, blues, and whites -- I really wish we had more pictures of the inside!

Gallery: The Jet House

Eclipse Jets Go To Russia

Filed under: Wings


More proof of Russia's economic power: the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet will soon be made in Russia. The Eclipse is the first foreign jet aircraft to be made in Russia. Production will start next year in Ulyanovsk, the hometown of Lenin. Dutch investment company Etirc Aviation, Eclipse Aviation and the Russian Aviastar aircraft complex have laid the foundations for the new assembly plant. Russia's growing crop of millionaires will be able to pick up the plane for $1.5 million. Etirc Aviation has announced that they plan to produce up to 500 jets a year.

8 Reasons to Get A Private Jet

Filed under: Wings


I hardly think that anybody with the means to fly in a private jet versus a public plane has need of being convinced which is better, but just in case this list of 8 reasons to get a private jet will certainly seal the deal. Massages, gourmet coffee and catered meals are just the beginning. Forget leg room and a lap tray, on your own plane you can have luxury sleeping arrangements (your own huge bed) and all kinds of other conveniences like wireless internet access, big screen televisions, and even a better view out the windows.

I was convinced at "massages."

Halcyon Jets Valentine's Package

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels


Romantic getaways are one of the most popular ways for couples to celebrate Valentine's Day, and for those who have money a private jet charter is a pretty appealing way to get there. Even more appealing is a private jet charter with a cabin packed full of diamonds, roses, and all kinds of other goodies. On that note Halcyon Jets is offering the $1.5 million DreamDate package that includes a long list of high-end luxury gifts. You'll get a diamond necklace from Tiffany's, a bottle of 1996 Vintage Krug Champagne, Noka chocolates, Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty, a pair Christian Louboutin Sequin Peep-Toe Pumps, a 9 piece set of Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Luggage, and DreamSpa treatments for 2.

Whew! What a list. Anybody have $1.5 million I can borrow?

Could the Airbus A380 Get Even Bigger?

Filed under: Wings


The Airbus 380 is barely into its official reign as the ruler of the skies and Airbus is already planning a bigger model. Airbus says that the A380-900 would be able to carry as many as 900 passengers in a single-class configuration. The current configuration seats 500 to 800 depending on the configuration. Development on the supersized version of the already supersized jet would start in 2010, after the A380 reaches full production.

Of course, Emirates is already getting their deep pockets ready to buy this plane too. Their plan is to likely outfit the plane with around 750 seats so that it would have both premium and first-class accommodations for higher-paying passengers. There is also the possibility that other carriers could go in the opposite direction, putting as many as 1,000 seats on the plane. The new plane will likely be ready in 2015.

Saudi Prince Is the Owner of the First Private A380

Filed under: Wings, Celebrity Shopping

Ever since I heard about the Airbus A380, I knew it would make someone one very luxurious private plane. We've seen pictures of the proposed interior before but until now we didn't have owner to put with all that luxury. A while ago it was rumored that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was the owner but Airbus has announced that Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the first private buyer of an A380. Prince Alwaleed's Flying Palace will not be his first plane, he already owns a Boeing 747-400. A gallery of the desert-themed designs for the A380 done by Edese Doret can be found here.

Google Founders Get Yet Another New Jet

Filed under: Wings


Those Google guys must really be into over-sized private jets, because they're at it again! Apparently having 3 private jets, including a Boeing 767, with landing rights on NASA's Moffett Airfield wasn't good enough for them as they've now added a Boeing 757 to their ever-growing fleet.

Although smaller than the 767 they already have, obviously the 757 is still a large aircraft. Why does Google need so much in the way of wings? Who knows really, but a move like this sure is to get people talking.

The Google Private Jet Gets to Park on NASA's Runway

Filed under: Wings


Google is getting more and more famous for spoiling and splurging on its employees every day it seems. A couple of years ago the two founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, made headlines when they purchased a used Boeing 767 which they converted to a large customized private jet. Now they're making headlines again as they have negotiated a $1.3 million deal to with NASA to both use the Moffett Field runway and to have parking spaces for Google's over-sized private Boeing jet and 2 other smaller jets. The Google execs get an exclusive parking spot within mere minutes of headquarters, and NASA gets both the annual income and the chance to put scientists on board Google flights for research purposes.

All the other high rollers in the area are just drooling with envy.

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