Here at Business Jet Traveler magazine, we know that it’s officially summer because our 2011 Buyers’ Guide has shipped.

This year marks the fourth edition of this annual, special edition of BJT, and as usual we’ve packed its pages with everything you need to know to be a smart business aviation consumer in this slow-to-recover economy. Inside you will find the latest information on new aircraft models, financing, insurance, catering, completions, cabin electronics, FBOs and more. If you’re looking for the facts about private aviation, look no further.

Business Jet Traveler, the sister publication of Aviation International News, is written for passengers and owners of business jets. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, facts about the industry we cover continue to be in short supply among the general public. The mainstream media deserves much of the blame for this, as it often portrays business aviation inaccurately and fails to report on its role in increasing productivity and producing jobs. But some private jet travelers deserve part of the blame, too, because they treat their use of business aircraft  as if it were a dirty little secret. That’s a serious mistake.

In my editorial in the BJT Buyers’ Guide I encourage our readers to speak up about why they are flying privately and why flying privately makes sense for them, their company, their shareholders, their family and the economy.

With the help of Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association, BJT compiled a list of 10 points that our readers can make about why they fly privately or are about to start.

1. We absolutely cannot risk flight cancellations, which would cause us to miss meetings and could therefore be extremely costly to the company.

2. We’re visiting several of our stores/plants/factories across the country. This trip–which will take a few days with a business jet–would have required weeks to do via the airlines.

3. The multiple locations we’re visiting are not directly accessible via the airlines.

4. We’ve run the numbers on this trip, and we can complete the mission at lower cost with business aviation than we could using the airlines.

5. We need to allow for possible changes to our travel itinerary.

6. We’re flying our CEO and other top executives, who will be discussing proprietary and sensitive information aboard this flight.

7. We’re carrying parts/equipment/precious or medical materials that cannot be shipped as cargo.

8. Today’s business trip is being combined with a humanitarian mission.

9. We’re proud to be supporting the men and women whose livelihoods depend on general aviation and the existence of regional airports.

10. Flying privately allows us to be more productive and efficient, thereby adding to our company’s bottom line.

If you are considering private air travel (or already are an active participant), I encourage you to check out the 2011 BJT Buyers’ Guide, which will serve as a reference you can use all year long.