What you say applies to all aircraft (and cars, boats, etc.). There are calendar items and hourly items. With the factory LUMP (JT15D only) effectively all airframe maintenance is calendar-based. Engines are hourly (yes, there are minor inspections every 2 years but the big stuff is hourly). So yes, if you plan to fly 80 hours/year and can find a friend that can fly <= 70 hours/year, those 70 additional hours are cheaper as you are spreading the calendar costs over more hours. But then you have the scheduling and other problems that Mike C highlighted plus you cannot go over 150 hours without a huge cost increase. If you need a partner to make the math work, by all means. But if you can cover the costs, why not own it outright? Again, a jet is not special - it's really no different than a Bonanza.

Now if you sign on with the Williams mafia, Lord help you.

Except way safer.

You could improve the jet safety statistics by outlawing single pilot operations, for example.

Then more pilots would fly turboprops and pistons instead of jets and overall more people would be dead in the end due to the higher risk of those aircraft inherently over jets. But hey, jets would be safer, right?

It would be regulatory myopia to outlaw single pilot jet operations, but that kind of narrow view exists.

Mike C.

FJ44 jets are fantastic, but they’re happiest on an engine program. Off-program can work, but you need to be comfortable carrying the risk of a big engine bill if something pops up.

Williams charges more for off program work than the payments would have been on program, so off program only works if you intend to treat the engine as disposable at the next major engine maintenance event.

Mike C.