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Microjets, a.k.a. very-light jets (VLJs), are back in the news. The Wall Street Journal profiled Vern Raburn, the man behind Eclipse Aviation and the Eclipse 500 jet, which promises to hit the market next year.

Microjets’ primary market niche, as discussed earlier here, is for air taxi service, connecting cities which don’t have regular (or convenient) scheduled air service. Two thirds of orders are going to air-taxi hopefuls, with the remaining third primarily headed to recreational pilots.

Unlike private jets, VLJs won’t boast generous legroom or onboard amenities. The Eclipse 500 doesn’t even have an onboard toilet.

Yet buyers are reportedly pre-ordering the jets at a rate of one per day. Current price: $1.48 million.

One thing that’s missing entirely from the WSJ’s discussion is fuel economy, especially relevant given the recent rise in the price of oil. How fuel-efficient are these planes, anyway? Are they the Hummer or the Prius of the sky? And will they be economically feasible if oil rates remain high?

Even the private jet market has begun paying attention to fuel savings, through winglets. Some manufacturers, like their commercial aviation counterparts, have added these scoop-like extensions at the tips of wings to selected aircraft, reducing fuel burn by 5% or more. (How do they work? See here.) Aviation Partners, the maker of the aftermarket wing extensions for Boeing 737s and 757s, has an apparently even more fuel-efficient concept on deck: spiroid winglets. Odd-looking, but you can’t argue with fuel efficiency. (via IAG)