"I've had people who think they can treat this jet as they would a ferrari - something they can take out every now and then and just drive," says Simon Menzies. "We're worried about people killing themselves," he adds.

As managing director of Private Air Management, which operates the only Eclipse in the UK, Menzies is enthusiastic about the Eclipse 500 very light jet. But he is also aware of its perils: anyone who approaches one of these six-seaters like a boy-racer will be in for a rude and possibly painful shock. With a range of cruise speeds that extends up to 370 knots, or 425mph, a pilot needs to be thinking far ahead of the aircraft.