Private jets, in general, provide operators and travelers with the utmost flexibility when traveling. These jets can take off and land at smaller airports across the world whenever the operator pleases. However, private aircraft can range from short-range piston aircraft to ultra-long-range business jets that can fly over 7,750 nautical miles (8,918 miles). So, private aircraft are broken down into several categories, especially for business jets.

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One of the most popular classes of business jets is the midsize class. This class is typically for aircraft that have a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) between 21,000 pounds and 41,000 pounds. This class also typically includes super-midsize business jets, as there is not a commonly agreed upon difference between the two classes. This creates a list with a wide range of aircraft, ranging from turboprop planes like the Beechcraft King Air to large business jets that can hold up to nine passengers, such as the Dassault Falcon 20.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the aircraft within this midsize business jet category. Let’s also take a closer look at the aircraft that has the most range out of these aircraft, including its range at maximum capacity and its range with just four passengers.

Longest-range midsize business jet

Overall, each business jet is very customizable. This means that each jet can have different seating configurations, which may increase or decrease the total number of passengers. This added weight can greatly affect how far the aircraft can fly. Private Jet Card Comparisons recently compiled a list utilizing data provided by Conklin & de Decker. This list compiles all midsize aircraft and displays their associated range in two different categories. These categories are the listed range with full capacity and the listed range with just four passengers.

Photo: Embraer

The top overall aircraft in both of these categories is the Embraer Praetor 500. This aircraft has a listed range of 3,340 nautical miles (3,840 miles). Per Private Jet Card Comparisons, this aircraft can reach a range of 3,109 nautical miles (3,578 miles) with a maximum capacity of eight passengers. Embraer also boasts that it is the fastest midsize jet that can fly from the west coast of the United States to Europe in just one stop.

About the Embraer Praetor 500

The Embraer Praetor family of aircraft was developed as an upgrade to its existing family of aircraft, the Embraer Legacy aircraft. Specifically, the Praetor 500 was developed as an upgrade to the Legacy 450. The Legacy 450 first flew for the first time in 2013 and was introduced in August 2015. Nearly 60 of these aircraft were produced before Embraer introduced an upgraded version of the aircraft.

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock.com

The new variants were first introduced in October 2018 at the National Business Aviation Administration (NBAA) convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Praetor 500 was eventually certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in September 2019. It was first delivered to its launch customer, Flexjet, in December.

Honeywell HTF7500E turbofan engines power the aircraft. These each provide over 6,500 pounds of thrust. The Praetor 500 has the following specifications:

The cabin itself can be kept to an altitude of just 5,800 feet. Embraer also utilizes a variety of HEPA filters to keep the air clean of 99.7% of bacteria. The cabin was designed with a flat-floor stand-up cabin. This means the aircraft has the following interior measurements:

• Cabin length: 24 feet
• Cabin width: six feet ten inches
• Cabin height: six feet

The Praetor 500 also utilizes Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion as its avionics system, which comes with four multi-function displays. Embraer also selected Park Hannifin to supply its fly-by-wire flight controls. Other additional features in the flight deck include an enhanced synthetic vision system, a Rockwell Collins heads-up display option, and the ability to operate at steep approach airports.

Other midsize business jets with long ranges

The midsize business jet market encompasses many aircraft from several different manufacturers. Two of the aircraft in the top six of longest-range midsize business jets are Gulfstream jets. The Gulfstream G100 and its upgraded Gulfstream G150 can each hold seven passengers. However, the G100 can fly just over 2,500 nautical miles (2,876 miles) at full capacity, whereas the improved Gulfstream G150 can reach over 2,750 nautical miles (3,164 miles).

Photo: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock

Another family of aircraft that is commonly found at the top of the list is the Beechcraft Hawker 800 family of midsize business jets. The following aircraft in this family find themselves in the top 12 longest-range midsize jets:

• Beechcraft Hawker 800XPR
• Beechcraft Hawker 800SP
• Beechcraft Hawker 850XP
• Beechcraft Hawker 800XP
• Beechcraft Hawker 800XPi
• Beechcraft Hawker 900

Another Embraer finds itself as number three on the list, per Private Jet Card Comparisons. The Legacy 450, which is what the Praetor 500 was developed from, can reach just under 2,500 nautical miles (2,876 miles) at full capacity. Other business jets come close to and may surpass the Praetor 500, including the Cessna Citation Longitude. However, this jet and other similar jets may leak into the super-midsize market, depending on the definition of midsize business jet.