Jetgala - MAR-MAY 2023

J E D I T O R ’ S N O T E CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF I will start travelling again later this year – for work and leisure – and I am planning my itinerary much earlier this time.Although my destinations are nearby and familiar to me, I remain a big fan of a timely and thorough preparation. Hiccups, such as those experienced by intrepid voyagers at the tail end of the pandemic-issued restrictions, have mostly disappeared where airport management is concerned, but there are still little irregularities on the ground. Providers are still busy taking the kinks out of transfers, reservations, and personal services. Which brings me to the joys of private jets and the innovations that aviation companies are currently offering—the first of which is larger PJs. Private jets require power and space if they are to be deployed in long-haul missions.Very few passengers can remain comfortable and calm in the cabin of a minuscule aircraft that is on a 12-hour flight. To illustrate, the distance betweenTokyo and Paris is 9,700 kilometres, and between Sydney and Los Angeles it’s 12,100, which translate to a 12- and a 15-hour haul. In a cramped cabin, that is practically spending half a day strapped on one’s seat, movements restrained and pleasures of flying diminished. With these challenges in mind, the engineers at Dassault Aviation proposes 6 two solutions that guarantee uninterrupted and comfortable long-distance travel: purpose-built business jets. These are not small commercial planes repurposed for exclusive deployment, but rather aircrafts that can be retrofitted to resemble a comfortable home, a productive office or a combination of both.The Red Dot- and Good Design-award-winning Falcon 6X and Falcon 10X both allow a range of custom configurations. From flat beds to meeting tables and work desks, well-stocked kitchens, and furnished entertainment spaces, the large aircrafts take passengers to distant destinations in absolute comfort. No head honchos will ever have to miss a meeting or a productivity review because they were midway between Jakarta and Honolulu. Speaking of private flights, although travel restrictions are long gone, some problems are developing in the horizon: shortage of aircraft and aviation services which are the twin effects of the surge in demand and the displacement and dispersal of several aviation staff during the pandemic. Luckily, these problems are easily resolved by private and charter aviation, either of which offers a full range of conveniences. In this issue, we have a review of leading flying clubs around the region where one can recharge and refuel and meet like-minded aviation enthusiasts. We are finally cleared for takeoff, but we’re not cleared of the responsibilities to plan ahead.A happy voyage, and this we knew all along, is one that does not allow for unwanted surprises.