This is a serious question, especially after flying around all day in 100 degree heat to meetings in a suit. What planes (jets) have the best AC's? Only interested in potential owner operator models that can be flown SP. Have they gotten much better on the newer versions vs. legacy, or not really? Which models are best for ground ops? Do any of the SP jets actually have an APU option, or is that only possible in larger birds? I realize that it's going to be next to impossible for any plane to stay 100% comfortable while sitting on the tarmac in 100 degree heat, but some have to be better than others. I'm also curious if some have been designed for better cockpit comfort. That's one item that I would think the manufacturers have to realize on their newer production, many are bought by owner-operators that don't want to suffer like a paid pilot might be made to do. Their marketing is directed at potential owner-operators, but is the actual design?

Besides speed, range and payload...I think strong AC is moving up to #4 on my list of priorities for moving up.

I believe phenom 100 can run AC while on the gpu and have been told by a recent buyer that it works amazingly well even in the hot south.

I can confirm that (at least the first part of it), as there's a Phenom 100 based at the shop I use and I shot the breeze with the pilot for an hour or so while the cabin cooled and he waited on his owner/pax.

I flew an Eclipse this week out of ABQ when it was 95 on the tarmac. It was hooked up to an APU and was a bit chilly when we got in. Fired up, pulled the plug and taxied away in comfort.

I disagree, the Eclipse AC is close to worthless when hot, the P Baron AC is pretty great

Mustang AC is great and can be powered by a GPU or right engine. A friend of mine who has an eclipse is really impressed.

Shut the door and let it run for 10-15 minutes and it is really cold. I think it is better than the cj 2.

The Beech Premier has an excellent AC. I don't have enough to experience to compare it to other SP jets, but have experienced it in houston summer and I know it works really well. The premier pilot said its the best AC he's experienced and they had a citation X as well.

Recently flew a citation II with the Keith system and that was nice. Also flew a citation I again with the Keith and it blew cold...nothing like the air flow of the premier though.

Gulfstreams do well, but that's irrelevant, and I'm sure any airplane with an APU is going to be excellent.

My TBM 850 with engine driven a/c blows very cold. Its a big improvement over my previous 700C2 with electric a/c that was crap on the ground with bleeds off.
Get a pilot door so you can preflight with the door open.

I am fully onboard with super-AC as a requirement. The Lear (2 pilots) AC kinda sucks. Just dribbles of air in the cockpit which is a mile away from the Freon machine in the tail.

Mu2 has Air Cycle and we have it running just as good as it can and the thing rocks. Can't be run on the ground & isn't a jet, but in general ACMs that are working well provide a high quantity of relatively cool dry air.

The high quantity helps a lot with just evaporative cooling of your body when its hot. On takeoff as the RPMs increase our system will nearly blow your hat off in the cockpit there is so much air. Within a minute of takeoff your legs will be numb.

So... take a good look at Air Cycle airplanes too.

When it comes to aircraft air conditioning (a/c) design requirements, finding the right amount of cooling for an airplane is not solely a function of air conditioning size, but also whether the airplane is aluminum (Al) or carbon graphite, how well insulated it is, and the cabin's wetted surface area (surface area exposed to surrounding air), along with a host of other factors too.
A carbon graphite plane can insulate an order or orders of magnitudes better than an Al plane. Metaphorically, heat transfer wise, the Al skin is like a can of frosty barley soda, where the carbon graphite is like a coozie around the can.
On the ground or airborne, it means less heat transfer is occurring in a carbon graphite plane, but to varying degrees. On the ground, the differences between the two types of structure are not that great because the outside air is not really effectively transferring its heat into the cabin (low convection); but airborne, the amount of cooling needed between the two types of structure can be significant.
Short story long, when it comes talking about cooling of the airplane, the Premier is better insulated than the Al skinned aircraft because of its structure, and that aspect assists in making the a/c system effective for it.

Cessna has worked on improving the AC in the 525 models over the years. They have made block changes for AC improvements during a models run. I know that there are at least 3 or 4 different AC variants in the CJ2+ and CJ3 as improvements were made to cabin ducting, fan speeds, and a MAX COOL setting in the bleed air heat exchangers.

So you need to get down to specific serial number ranges to determine the best AC. In general the newer the aircraft the better the AC is.

The AC system is different on the CJ3+ and M2 as Cessna tried to improve it more. I have not heard those owners complain about the AC like early CJ2 aircraft owners have.

Part of the challenge in a longer cabin SP jet like the CJ2/3/4 is balancing the AC between the cabin and the cockpit greenhouse. Flying westbound in the afternoon with the sun blasting through the windscreen heats up the cockpit. If you can blast the AC to cool the cockpit you freeze the passengers in the cabin.

I disagree, the Eclipse AC is close to worthless when hot, the P Baron AC is pretty great

The Premiers AC is another one of it's strong points. One big compressor and two evaporators. One for the cabin and one for the the cockpit. Lots of capacity!

Clay,

What are your other requirements?

I third the Premier for AC... as long as it meets your other criteria.

Of course it depends on your budget as well... All of the later CJ's and Mustangs are really good.

I have a client with a CJ4, AC is awesome... but for $7+ mil it should be!