Heavy jets, explained

What a heavy jet is for, and who it fits

A heavy jet is for the trip a smaller cabin cannot do well: ten or more people, six to eight hours nonstop, or a long international leg where you want a full galley, a cabin attendant and room to sleep. The cabin is wide enough for a conference grouping on one side and a divan on the other.

It fits a company group of twelve flying to a meeting, a large family flying home from Naples at the end of the season, and anyone crossing an ocean. On a short corridor leg with six people, a heavy jet is more aircraft than the trip needs, and a midsize or a super midsize will do it for less.

The cabin, and what to expect

Cabin height is about 6 ft 1 in to 6 ft 2 in on the Falcon 2000 and the Challenger 604. Width is about 7 ft 8 in on the Falcon and about 8 ft 2 in on the Challenger, wide enough for two people to pass. Seating runs from about 8 to 10 on the Falcon 2000 to about 13 on the Legacy 600. Expect a club grouping, a conference table and a divan.

The galley is full size, with an oven, and a cabin attendant can be arranged on nearly any trip. Baggage is about 115 to 130 cubic feet and you can reach it in flight. Every heavy jet we source has an enclosed lavatory, and some have two. Wifi is on nearly all of them, confirmed tail by tail. Catering is arranged ahead of time, from a cold tray to a plated hot meal, and it appears on the quote as its own line.

The types we source

The Falcon 2000 and the Challenger 604 are aircraft we place clients on regularly from our sourcing network. The Falcon 2000 family, including the 2000EX, is the efficient one: two engines, a wide cabin, about 3,000 to 4,000 nautical miles of range depending on the version, and better short field performance than its size suggests. The Challenger 604 is the wide one, about 8 ft 2 in across, with about 4,000 nautical miles of range and a cabin that seats ten to twelve.

We also source the Legacy 600 and the Falcon 900 for larger groups. The Legacy 600 has a long cabin with three separate seating areas and seats thirteen. The Falcon 900 is a three engine aircraft with the Falcon 2000 cabin cross section, a longer cabin and about 4,000 nautical miles of range. Both are aircraft available from our sourcing network.

Corridor missions, in words

On our corridor a heavy jet earns its place with the group and the distance. Dallas to New York is about three hours; with twelve people it is a heavy jet trip. Naples to Chicago is a little over two hours, and in season a large family flying home fills a Challenger 604 with room for the bags. Dallas to Cabo San Lucas is about two hours, and a heavy jet turns it into a trip with a hot meal and a cabin attendant.

The long leg is where the category matters. Nashville to Los Angeles or San Francisco is under four hours with a full cabin. A transatlantic leg is a Falcon 2000EX or Challenger 604 mission, nonstop or with a fuel stop depending on the version, the winds and the load. On the site, the quote page and every route page show the current ranges for your dates.

What a pilot checks before recommending one

• The airframe. Built in 2005 or later, with the records to show for it. Many Falcon 2000s and Challenger 604s were built before then; those need a documented reason and a fresh look at the maintenance history before one goes on your quote.
• Condition and equipment. We review the available inspection history, recent maintenance, avionics and interior updates of the proposed airplane. Its cabin layout and baggage capacity need to work for your group.
• The crew. Time on type, recent international experience where it matters, and the duty day. We check the duty day against your schedule before we recommend a trip, and the flight crew confirms that the schedule is workable.
• The airports. A heavy jet does not use every field a midsize does. For 30A it usually uses Northwest Florida Beaches rather than Destin Executive, where the runway is about 5,000 feet. Naples handles both types, though on a hot day with full fuel a pilot may route through Fort Myers. Aspen takes both, with the altitude and the summer heat setting the weight limit.

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