Personal technology is reaching new levels with more compact media players than you can shake a stick at. Will private jets ever enjoy the same widespread use across multiple income levels? According to a recent Portfolio.com article, technology executive and recreational jet pilot, Vern Raburn, thinks the answer is a resounding yes – through very light jets.

Raburn’s goal is to make air travel more accessible by creating a jet small enough and inexpensive enough. His idea for a VLJ has been a hot topic for discussion over the last few years, garnering coverage from USA Today, CNET, MSNBC, and Time, who named him among the Time 100 Travel Innovators of the 21st century in support of his lofty goal.

Raburn’s Elipse 500, a very light jet that’s about the same size as an SUV, with five seats and a price tag of around $1.5 million, may be the next big thing in private air travel. Air taxi companies DayJet and OurPLANE are set incorporate Eclipse 500s into their fleets.

But the actual delivery date of an everyman’s jet for under a mil is still up in the air. Raburn has some competition from Aviation Technology Group (ATG), Excel-Jet, and HondaJet, all of which are working on their own VLJs. Popular Mechanics recently reviewed six proposed VLJs, including the Eclipse.

Rest assured that cheaper and smaller air planes are on the horizon though, even if delivery dates are less than reliable – the consumer demand is there. Note the growth of the private jet industry in the last ten years, a positive indicator for VLJ prospects. And between fractional jet ownership, charter flights, and charter cards, more consumers can enjoy the benefits of private aviation if they know what to look for.

For more information to help you weigh private jet options, download our free Guide to Private Jet Travel.