Episodes / Episode 03
What a $79M Private Jet Actually Costs Per Hour
What a ~$79 million private jet actually costs per hour: parked, flying, and divided by how little it actually flies. Plus why owning one costs more per hour than renting one, and what rich people are really paying for.
1.5 rent-yearsChapters
- The jet (new, reported)
- ~$79,000,000
- Used (listed)
- $93,000,000
- Parked
- $315 / hr
- Flying
- +$8,300 / hr
- Real cost per flight hour (est.)
- ~$22,000
- Rent-years per flight hour
- 1.5
- One chicken sandwich
- $177
- Registration (7 years)
- $5
Total: I can afford the registration.
Sources
Numbers in the episode are estimates built from these. If you spot a mistake, tell Ray: hello@brokeray.com.
- Gulfstream G700: price new ~$79M, GlobalAir specifications (as of Q2 2025)
- Gulfstream G700: used listing $93M and 2026 operating cost model (fixed ~$2.76M/yr, variable ~$8,260/flight hr), Guardian Jet
- Gulfstream G700 specs: seats, beds, shower, range, cabin altitude (gulfstream.com)
- Jet-A fuel price, US FBO average, AirNav fuel report (22 Oct 2026)
- G700 fuel burn: AvBuyer, "Gulfstream G700 vs Bombardier Global 7500" (2026)
- Private owners fly ~200 hours a year: Honeywell Global Business Aviation Outlook 2026, via AeroTime (Oct 2026)
- Business jets fly ~20.7 hours a month (on the ground ~97% of the time, derived): JETNET iQ Market Barometer (Oct 2026)
- Big-jet captain pay $330K–420K: BizJetJobs 2026 Pilot Salary Survey
- Teterboro landing fee (~$877 for a G700, derived): Port Authority of NY & NJ, Schedule of Charges EWR & TEB (Jan 2026)
- Aircraft registration $5, valid 7 years: 14 CFR 47.17
- Registration validity: 14 CFR 47.40
- Cabin pressure limit: 14 CFR 25.841
- "14 years of driving, one fill-up" (derived): FAA Weight & Balance Handbook (Jet-A weight)
- Typical passenger vehicle: EPA
- The $177 chicken sandwich: Private Jet Card Comparisons, private jet catering (Oct 2024)
- Heavy-jet charter $9,000–14,000/hr: Air Charter Advisors (2025 averages)
- Jet card, ultra-long-range ~$19,433/hr: Private Jet Card Comparisons, Q3 2026
- Federal excise tax on charter (2026 rates): NATA
- About 4 in 10 private flights fly empty (industry estimate): Business Airport International, "The empty leg evolution"
- New York–Miami average airfare $238: US DOT Consumer Airfare Report, Q1 2026
- New York–Miami private heavy jet $35,000–60,000 one way: Bolt Flight (2026)
- New York–Miami private jet estimates: Stratos Jets
- Used heavy jets +14% this year: GlobalAir / AMSTAT (Oct 2026)
The per-hour figures are our estimates: Guardian Jet's 2026 G700 cost model (fixed ~$2.76M/yr, variable ~$8,260/flight hr) divided by ~200 flight hours a year, a typical private owner's use. Charter, jet card and airfare numbers are averages; real quotes vary.
Not financial advice. Narration: synthetic voice (ElevenLabs). Script and animation made by hand.