Dry lease vs. charter
The same jet, both invoices.
If you already fly private, you know the rates. Run your route from Palm Beach County and see what the same trip costs on a dry-leased Citation CJ1 — with every assumption editable, including the fees charter invoices usually add.
Why dry lease
Why dry leasing beats chartering
The same jet at the same airports as the charter you’d book — priced at direct costs instead of a retail rate with the operator’s margin baked in.
You pay direct costs
Aircraft, fuel, and a pilot you hire — not an operator’s retail rate sheet with margin baked in.
Charter’s excise tax isn’t in your lease rate
Charter is commercial transportation, so federal excise tax comes pre-baked into its price. A lease carries its own, different tax treatment — confirm what applies with your tax advisor.
No fee surprises
Charter invoices typically add landing, handling, and crew fees after the quote. On a dry lease those are your direct, visible costs — no markup on top.
Your jet, your schedule
No fleet availability games, blackout dates, or repositioning fees to work around. You request dates; we confirm.
Chartering now?
Chartering the same light jet again and again? Hunting empty legs?
If you booked more than a handful of charters last year, or you spend evenings chasing one-way deals that never line up with your calendar, a dry lease is the version of private flying where the airplane fits your schedule — and you pay direct costs instead of a retail rate.
Same jet, without the markup
A Citation CJ1 — the same class of light jet most Florida charters put you in — on a Part 91 dry lease from Palm Beach County Park (LNA). Published indicative rates, no membership, no repositioning fees.
Who flies it? You decide.
We lease you the aircraft; we don’t fly you. You choose, hire, and pay your own crew. Don’t have a pilot? We can share a list of independent South Florida CE-525 pilots — the choice and the hire are yours.
Not a charter company — by design
Palm Aero holds no Part 135 certificate and doesn’t sell flights. If a flown-for-you trip is what you need, we’ll point you to a certificated operator. If you fly often enough that the math matters, run your route below.
Estimate your trip
Flight cost estimator
Pick a route from South Florida and compare a dry-lease trip on our Citation CJ1 against chartering the same class of jet. Every assumption is editable.
Flight cost estimator
2001 Cessna Citation CJ1 · from Palm Beach County (LNA) · illustrative estimate
Popular routes
Adjust cost assumptions
Fuel reflects CAA member contract pricing. Two dry-lease rate options: block ($1,750/hr) — hours good for 12 months, 25-hour minimum — or pay-as-you-go ($1,950/hr); indicative. The charter comparison uses a typical light-jet hourly rate, the 7.5% federal excise tax, and an editable typical-fees uplift for the landing, handling, and crew charges most charter invoices add.
◆ Dry lease · with Palm Aero
- Aircraft (dry lease)$—
- Fuel · CAA contract$—
- Pilot (you hire directly)$—
- Flight time · distance—
✈ On-demand charter (est.)
- Charter rate × billable hours$—
- + 7.5% excise tax$—
- + typical fees$—
- Billable hours—
Estimates for illustration only, not a quote. Dry-lease figures assume a trip you operate under Part 91 with your own crew and include the aircraft dry-lease rate, fuel (at CAA contract pricing), and a pilot day rate; they exclude landing/handling fees, catering, and hangar. The charter estimate uses a typical light-jet hourly rate, a daily-hour minimum, the 7.5% federal excise tax, and an editable typical-fees uplift for the landing, handling, and crew charges most charters add. Taxes that may apply to the lease itself (such as state sales tax on lease payments) vary by structure and location and aren’t included — plan the tax details with your tax advisor.
Want this estimate emailed to you?
The airplane in this math is hangared at LNA and available now. We’ll send your numbers and follow up with a real, no-pressure quote.
A year of flying, both ways
drag to your hours · uses the rates and fees set aboveHow far can you go
Up to 1,250 nm nonstop from Lantana
The entire eastern U.S., Texas, the Bahamas, Mexico, and most of the Caribbean — one leg. The West Coast is one quick fuel stop away. With winglets (coming soon), the ring stretches to up to 1,400 nm.
Like your numbers? Let’s confirm them.
Call or text with your routes and we’ll reply the same day with real pricing — block or pay-as-you-go.