VIP Fliers' Favorite Aircraft
In BJT interviews over the years, we’ve often asked our subjects what bizjets they love best. Here are some of their answers.
Paul Stanley, rock star (Kiss)
“If it’s just a few hours’ flight, any of the Citation IIs or the variants that came after are terrific. But if it’s my family, I’ve always been a fan of the Embraer Legacy...I’m happy with a Falcon 50...and you can’t beat any of the Gulfstreams.”
Dana Mecum, auto auctioneer
“I’ve got a Citation Excel [but] I was on a customer’s Falcon 7X a few weeks ago, and that was really nice. Maybe in three years or so I’d buy one.”
Alejandro Bulgheroni, Argentine billionaire businessman
“We have a Global 5000 and a Hawker 800. And two helicopters.”
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals football player
“I love the Challenger 605 in terms of configuration and comfort and the look of it from the outside. But I think the [Citation] CJ3 is probably the most practical. I also love the Citation X. It’s so fast. I mean, I was flying from New York back to Phoenix, and it was four hours and 10 minutes.”
Brad Keselowski, stock-car race driver
“I liked [the Learjet 45] immediately. There’s nothing about it that’s extraordinary; it’s just very well executed, and it has great performance in every category.”
Mary Matalin, political consultant
“[Air Force One and Two] are the ultimate in terms of connectivity and comfort. But my family likes the total convenience and flexibility of private flying on smaller planes, where you can get into and out of where you want to go."
Bruce Dickinson, rock star (Iron Maiden) and pilot
“The greatest benefit of traveling in a 747 is that because of its colossal size and freight capability, we can carry our stage production and all our stage equipment in the cargo hold.”
Tony Robbins, motivational speaker
“I thought, ‘This [Bombardier Global Express] is like flying in an apartment building.’ [This aircraft] is one of the greatest gifts in my life.”
Robert Herjavec, tech entrepreneur
“[I own] a GIV. Prior to the Gulfstream, I had a Bombardier Challenger 601. That was a great plane, but it’s hard to beat the windows on a Gulfstream.”
Ernie Boch, Jr., auto dealer
“[I own a] Citation Sovereign. When rumors of the newly developed Sovereign started, we said, ‘Wow, it’s almost the perfect plane for the Northeast.’ The runway at the airport I go out of is about 4,000 feet so it can easily get in and out.”
Chester Weber, combined driving athlete
“It would be great to have a Gulfstream G650 because I travel to Europe so often. If I am going to New York or someplace like that, perhaps a Citation Excel would be appropriate.”
Ashley Longshore, artist
“Heavy jets. I love the Citation X, but baby, get me on that G [Gulfstream].”
Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, Taylor Guitars owners
“We needed the range, but also the [capable] cabin [of the G450]. And Gulfstream’s support network is global, which was an important consideration.”
Manfredi Lefebvre, executive chairman, Silversea Cruises
“Two years ago, we owned a Cessna Citation II, and we're buying another. It's good at landing at many airstrips, and it does the distances I need in Europe.”
Erin Andrews, sportscaster
“[The King Air 350] is fabulous. You can do the lie-down bed, which is wonderful. There’s wireless, which is huge for me because on Sundays I’m on the plane before Sunday Night Football, so I’m able to keep up with the game...The layout is wonderful, the Wi-Fi is huge. It’s just a wonderful experience.”
John Paul DeJoria, entrepreneur
“[I prefer a Gulfstream] GIV for great distances. [Mine is] probably the most beautiful GIV in the world—converted to a G450 inside with GV avionics. I have a Lear 60 for shorter flights. But the world invented an unbelievable jet and that’s the Falcon 2000. It’s now my everyday jet and stays wherever I am. The Falcon’s a bit wider and taller than the GIV and fits 10 people comfortably. It has about the same speed as a GIV but uses half the fuel.”
Bob Pittman, chairman/CEO, iHeart Media
“I love the Falcons. I guess there is an argument for every plane, but I think as a pilot that the Falcon flies like a sports car. Incredible control, very manageable airplane, has a great feel to it, and it’s very controllable on the ground. Almost no matter what happens—I have landed in all sorts of weather conditions: crosswinds, high altitude, hot and heavy—it handles beautifully. And having that third engine is great.”
Chris Burch, entrepreneur and investor
“The GIV really is incredibly helpful—not for positioning, it’s for comfort. I feel much happier in the plane when I fill it with people than when I fly it alone. It’s really beautiful.”
Francis Ford Coppola, film director
“In California...I use the Socata TBM 850, a small, very fast plane that can take only four people but is perfect for frequent business trips from Napa to Los Angeles. I also own the Falcon 7X, which I use for long trips, whether I’m going to Italy or dealing with hotels or films or handling wine sales in Asia. It was intriguing because it was the first business jet to do fly-by-wire, and it has three engines.”
Frank Gehry, architect
“XoJet uses Challengers and has the Citation X, which I love.”
David Copperfield, magician
“I like the [Bombardier] Challenger 300 and Challenger 604. We can fly from here [Las Vegas] to Georgetown [in the Bahamas] in four hours.”
Richard Branson, entrepreneur
“[I have] a Falcon 50EX. I need a small plane just to get out of the British Virgin Islands. And I use that for shorter distances.”
Issy Sharp, Four Seasons founder
“[I like the] Challenger 604. Sometimes a Challenger 300 for short trips. I like the idea that it’s Bombardier, and that plane has a great track record. Because it’s part of their business I’ve always felt that they would never compromise on the plane. It’s a very, very comfortable plane to fly and very safe.”
Herb Kohler, chairman/CEO, Kohler
“I have two Lear 45s, a Global Express XRS, and a Gulfstream GIV-SP. The Lears are little workhorses, highly useful tools, and they’re flying every day somewhere around the U.S.”