Jet VFR Flights

Do private jets ever fly VFR. I doubt somebody would. I wouldn’t if I was paying $40 million for a G. I haven’t heard of one doing so but I imagine it’s possible. Ok JHEM, start :blush: me. (Are you really 90!!!)

Definitely. You cannot fly VFR at or above 18,000ft, so it’s inefficient to operate a turbine aircraft VFR. However, for short flights (sub-250nm), if an IFR routing is very inconvenient (for example, due to DP/STAR being way out of the way), jets may (and do) operate at 16500ft or 17500ft VFR.

Any examples? Thanks

Donald Trump to Captain:
Twice around the park and then home, James…

I can imagine some CEOs wanting to take a few scenic flights here and there from time to time. As inefficient as it may be, some executives have no qualms about spending company money.

AUS-HOU. The short (~100nm) trip crosses three facilities (austin approach, houston center, houston approach) and they all want you to transition where they’ve agreed, so the short trip is KAUS CWK2 JAYJO V306 BLUBL BLUBL2 KHOU which takes you well north of the necessary course.

But it’s just your cynical speculation that it happens.

Sure. Short flights. Maintenance hops. Reposition flights. Test/certification flights post maintenance. I’m sure there are better examples that folks will post.

No, only 2/3rds there, but I’ve reached 90 years worth of hours on my Hobbs meter. :wink:

I flew a 121 flight VFR for 350 miles. Our weather radar was out and MEA’s were high so we had to go VFR. It wasn’t in a jet but a beechraft 1900 turboprop.

The longest flight I have made VFR in a jet was about 10 miles for reposition.

Guessing from your SM, you fly Falcons? Which type and where do you fly? Do you fly for Netjets or some outift like that?

I fly a private Falcon 10. I love this plane, it’s a little rocket.

Nah - it’s my wishful thinking, I guess. Or perhaps it’s my lack of knowledge on how the system works. If I was in John Travolta’s position, or I had Trumpster’s money and his plane, I’d be doin’ some scenic flights over the Grand Canyon and whatnot. If nobody else has done it before, then call me crazy - I’d be the first!

Such important persons have no time to waste chillin out vacationing at the Canyon. They don’t make billions by seating on their _ _ _s.

What’s the 4 letter/number code for the Falcon 10? (For flight tracking.)

That carries the implication that John Trovolta is important… http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/CheckM8/worship.gif

You can see aircraft on here that have repositioned VFR. A good example is OAK-SFO. You will see the aircraft landed at one then departs from the other. I see this at a lot of small airports too.

They can also go VFR on top or do a VFR climb (on course or to maintain terrain seperation). Many cancel their IFR when they get close to an uncontrolled airport. You will see the yellow line on here stop well short of the desitination. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N739FP

Anybody that owns and flies his own 707 is important in my eyes.

Hold on a minute…let me find the phone number to my optometrist…

FA10

I just got off the phone with my optometrist and he said he can’t help you. He did, however, give me the phone number for a good shrink…

Anybody who owns and flies his own 707 and, like revolta Travolta, implies that he flies it alone is not important in my eyes. Come to think of it, most “celebraties” are not important to anybody who has an IQ of at least twice his shoe size.

We did a maintenance flight in a FA50 that never climbed above 4000 AGL. We had to certify the newly installed TAWS. That flight was VFR. Another case is when our ERJ’s have to divert to PDX for weather. Then, when the fog lifts, they fly VFR to reposition to HIO.

It is not un common to have VFR jets flying around South Florida airports. I started my ATC job in the 70’s and can remember United Airlines flights going VFR between YNG and CAK.