By Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

As we’ve previously discussed in these pages, a more-or-less new type of aircraft will soon be placed in service: the very light jet, or VLJ. Whether or not their manufacturers’ hopes of cornering the market for high-performance personal aircraft materializes, the fact is this class of airplane will look very attractive to pilots with the coin needed to trade up from their high-performance singles, piston twins or turboprops.

But the ability to acquire and cover the operating costs of a jet, no matter how small, doesn’t automatically translate into the ability to fly it safely. Sure, training will be important, but so will a different mindset and new planning skills. In…