Nine categories, turboprop to bizliner, three comparable aircraft in each, on identical assumptions. The cheapest to buy is almost never the cheapest to own, and the reason is always the same two levers.
The verdict
Across every category, sticker price barely predicts the five-year bill. Fuel burn and resale value do. The most capable aircraft in a tier is usually the most expensive to own, not the least, and the cheapest to buy is rarely the cheapest to keep. Pick the question you are actually answering first. The aircraft follows.
Five-year cost to own
Each Friday we take the next category up the ladder and lay out the real number: three comparable aircraft, every cost line, on identical assumptions (300 hours a year, a 5-year hold, Jet-A at $7 a gallon). Newest on top, and every category we have covered stays below it. Then model your own below.
| Aircraft | Depreciation | Fuel | Variable | Fixed | 5-yr to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Embraer Praetor 600 Longest range, best resale · $24.8M new | $6.69M | $2.67M | $2.92M | $4.00M | $16.3M |
Bombardier Challenger 3500 Best-seller, widest cabin · $26.7M new | $8.28M | $2.51M | $3.08M | $4.10M | $18.0M |
Cessna Citation Longitude Quiet cabin, heaviest carry · $28.0M new | $8.96M | $2.94M | $3.15M | $4.43M | $19.5M |
Variable = maintenance, engine programmes and trip cost per hour. Fixed = crew, training, hangar, insurance and management per year.
Transatlantic capability with a genuinely large cabin. The Praetor 600 wins on nearly every number that counts.
How to fly it
Jet card / charter
Jet card up to ~25 h/yr
Fractional
~50-250 h/yr
Whole ownership
From ~250 h/yr
Transatlantic capability with a genuinely large cabin. Step up only for nonstop intercontinental range.
The read
Super-midsize buys transatlantic reach with a genuinely large cabin, and here one aircraft wins on nearly every number that counts. The Praetor 600 has the longest range and the strongest resale, and it is the lowest to own in the tier. The Challenger 3500 answers with the widest cabin and the Bombardier name; the Longitude with a quiet cabin and low operating cost. This is the clearest case in the ladder of the most rational choice and the most emotional one sitting side by side.
What most people forget
Engine programme & overhaul
The Praetor 600, Challenger 3500 and Longitude all run Honeywell HTF7000 engines, on-condition with no calendar overhaul, inspected by borescope at 4,800 and 9,600 hours. Full MSP Gold enrolment, the fixed cost-per-hour programme with round-the-clock support and rental engines, is treated as non-negotiable for resale in this bracket.
Insurance
Hull runs about 0.4 to 0.8 percent of a hull value in the twenties of millions, plus high international liability limits, so premiums run well into five figures. Strong in-type crew experience and a clean loss record cut the rate more than anything else.
Management & the rest
Two professional pilots at $160,000 to $245,000 for a captain, management at $8,000 to $20,000 a month, and recurrent training of $25,000 to $35,000 per pilot. The refurbishment cycle is the forgotten one: a repaint every five to ten years around $230,000 and a cabin interior at $500,000 to $1M, plus 96-month heavy inspections and APU reserves.
Run my number
Pick an airframe, set your real usage, and edit any assumption to match a live quote. The five-year number rebuilds on every keystroke. Planning figures, not a quote.
The aircraft
Usage
Assumptions — edit to match your quote
Variable = maintenance, engine programmes, trip cost per hour. Fixed = crew, hangar, insurance, management per year (owner-flown ops cut the crew portion).
Capital
Operating · 5 yr
When each makes sense
Buying capability
If you genuinely need the cabin, the range and the hours, the most capable aircraft is the right call, with the operating cost understood in advance.
Buying cost discipline
If the mission is modest, the efficient airframe with the deep resale market protects you on both the running cost and the exit.
Buying liquidity
If you may trade within five years, resale is the lever that matters most. Pay up front for the airframe the market always wants back.
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