Ankeny, Iowa-based charter operator Exec 1 has taken delivery of a Learjet 45. The aircraft joins an existing fleet of Hawker 400XPs and Beechjet 400As. Executive VP John Pugh says the jet is very capable and has proved to be a valuable addition to the light roster at Exec 1: “Currently we fly about 50 per cent of our business with our own clients and then 50 per cent of our business through broker clients,” he states. “Those numbers can fluctuate depending on the month. When we fly the Beechjet we often have to make fuel stops, while the Lear 45 with its bigger cabin and longer range doesn’t necessarily have to stop. So whether it’s our own clients or broker clients, we are able to pick up additional trips that we wouldn’t normally pick up in the Beechjet because some of the options that are being quoted out through other operators for midsize aircraft not needing a fuel stop can be a pretty big deal and sometimes a deal breaker.

“We can pick up some trips on the Lear 45 where the performance is so much better than the Beechjet when it comes to some of the airports that we fly into in the mountains; we have to account for various things in the Beechjet, while with the Lear 45 we are still having to account for those things but the performance is so much better that we can get out and avoid fuel stops and have a little bit better range and payload for the mission.”

The Learjet changes the picture for the operator as it is able to pick up other trips. When looking at the Hawker and Beechjet fleet and looking at fuel stops, the Lear mitigates this, Pugh continues. “In 45 per cent of cases we could avoid the fuel stops, which would be huge not only in terms of flight time but in terms of engine cycles and time on the ground. Eventually this gives us some exposure to operate another aircraft, and we want to move out of the Hawker and Beechjet and into the Lear 45, so this gives us some appetite, and it’s something that our clients appreciate more.”

Over the next few months Exec 1 is planning to book in as many flights as possible with the Hawker fleet and Beechjet, and then it has around a month and a half until the Learjet is going to be down for maintenance. “During that time we are continuing to evaluate as we go, we will be able to reflect on how the last few months have been,” Pugh goes on. “We will look at our operation and how we want to use our aircraft specifically; we’ll dive into that a little bit more when it’s down for maintenance. But for now, May was our first revenue trip for charter.

“We have it crewed appropriately. In the next few months we are going to utilise it as much as we can but we have the restricted hours that we can fly on it at this point. We’re excited to have it in fleet, having one of the largest light jet fleets in the midwest. It gives us something a little larger that we can take on additional trips; we’re hoping to have some more success doing that. Hopefully this trial period goes well, and we can then look at acquiring other aircraft along the same lines.”