12/31/2011. Remarks by Doug Duncan: "The pilot, who was quite nice and offered me a tour, said the main external difference between the 900 model and the 700 and 800 models is the appearance of the winglets on the ends of the wings. He said they really improve its performance. Produced in 2008, the aircraft still has a strong resemblance to the de Havilland D.H.125, its ancestor that first flew in 1962.

The aircraft shows a beautiful paint job, right down to the repetition of the swooped stripes on both the engine nacelle and the winglet. N881QS is co-owned by NetJets out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I found out that NetJets is the industry leader in fractional aircraft ownership, a program they launched in 1986. "Owners" (or shareholders) have guaranteed access to the full fleet of the company's airplanes with as little as four hours' notice, and may upgrade or downgrade for specific flights.

In the cockpit of this magnificent airplane, I remarked to the pilot that it looked like it had a lot more room than a LearJet, and he said that the LearJet and the Cessna Citation were just too claustrophobic for him. I commented on the strange-looking control yokes to the co-pilot and he said they're a Hawker invention and although they look odd, they're really quite ergonomic and you don't even notice they're different after a while. They look like they came off a kid's Big Wheel to me.

My little camera's lens just didn't have the reach to do this interior justice, you wouldn't believe the lush lavatory, seen all the way back. It was really nice."