Micheal Schmachers' Falcon 2000EX for sale . . .

very nice, I wonder what he plans to buy next.

 

I vaguely thought he had a 7X on order?

 

http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/7x/

very nice

 

That paint scheme is worse than the 1999 BAR....or the 2007 Honda......or the IMG Renault. Ugh.

 

why is Bernie's plane registered in America?

 

Amazing that Michael had only a F-2000; thought I heard his brother had a G-IV. Interesting to see what the aircraft will be with Comlux - president of Comlux was the head of VIP sales for Airbus.

Jeff

 

$29m for a pre-owned seems a bit high.

I'd rather get a brand new 605 for $29m. Larger aircraft, better range, better re-sale value, more worldwide presence in terms of after sales.

 

Acquisition cost is only a part of the equation. Operating costs can't be financed like the asset price. At 29M there are a lot of choices from nice used G-IVs to new aircraft. Some VIP Boeings are choices too.

Jeff

 

Operating costs on a Boeing are going to be a lot higher than on a Falcon or Challenger or Gulfstream...

For $25-30mm it's tough to beat a Challenger. Great cabin, good range and unless you do a lot of international trips it will handle most missions nonstop. An even better deal is to drop down to the $15-20mm range and pick up a 601-3R or 604. That extra $5-10mm pays for a lot of gas, pilots, maintenance and insurance.

 

European registered aircraft have higher prices than US prices. I don't know what the "normal" market price for a F-2000 so cannot determine if a celebrity bonus amount has been added to the asking price for this aircraft.

I am under the impresson that a F-2000 has lower fuel burn than the Challenger. Anyone know the actual per hour numbers?

I too prefer a Challenger over a Falcon 2000 but there are some real loyal Falcon operators that, like Gulfstream people, won't stray from the one brand.

Jeff

 

I don't have access to Conklin anymore, so I do not. I know the Challenger 601-3R is approx. 330 gallons per hour. I have no idea on the Falcon.

 

The Falcon 7x looks like an amazing aircraft. I am new to Falcons but it seems beautiful, spacious and with top-notch avionics. Seems to want to compete with the G650 in all aspects including - at $50 mm - in price.

 

The Gulfstream 650 is in a completely different league than the Falcon 7X or the Global Express; costs significantly more than $50M too. The 650 has more range than the Gulfstream 550 which is already longer range than the Global and the 7X is below that. The 650 has more cabin and more speed; an infinitesimal higher mach than the Citation X.

Jeff

 

What does the G650 cost Jeff? I thought it was $55 mm?

And does anything compare (other than the BBJ)?

You almost sound like you work for Gulfstream... -

 

No, I don't work for Gulfstream although over the years I have done many Gulfstream interior projects. I am an interior designer for corporate jets; currently doing some VIP Boeings and look to be doing some VIP conversions for Bombardier CRJs.

G-650 - figure more like $65+M

The 650 is Gulfstream's answer to finally do better attributes on all fronts than the Global Express and in turn the Gulfstream V/500/550. The 650 is going to out range anything as a traditional corporate jet and all the BBJ and ACJ variants. The 650 is also fast with a high speed cruise in the .9 mach area and long range in the .8 something. My objection to the G-V series has always been that other than more range the person that writes the check got nother more than he had in a G-IV. He got the same width and the same length for where he sits but the pilots got more space in the cockpit, the crew has an area to rest in and the galley got bigger for the flight attendant. In that regard the Global offers more space where he sits even if in the latest iterations the G-550 has slightly more range.

The G-650 finally addressed this situation. For the first time Gulfstream has changed the cross section of the tube. It is now wider than the Challenger line and the window spacing has been lengthened to make the cabin area longer. Apparently the market reception has been wonderful for Gulfstream with a huge backlog already in place.

When comparing aircraft at this top end of the market an assortment of considerations come into play. If using Teterboro, Aspen and Sun Valley airports is important then the Boeing BBJ and Airbus ACJ are not viable. If one needs to make the non-stop 6,000 nm runs then G-V and Global Express are the choices. [there is a way for a BBJ to have 6,200 but there are extreme configuration restrictions to achieve this]

The attributes, other than bragging rights of newest and biggest, revolve around cabin size/range/operating cost. Each owner has to weigh these factors against their own unique criteria. If someone is mostly making 3 hour flights with a couple of people on board then these top of the market aircraft really don't make a lot of sense. At the other end of potential owners may be someone that regularly make very long flights and wants a separate sleeping area from the working area. Some owners have a real concern about operating costs while others view it as an acceptable trade-off for the benefits received.

In more times than we wish to admit one person's aircraft choice is determined by what their friend or competitor has. If so-and-so has that type then I need to have that or better.

A bit long winded but there you go.

Jeff