the buzz log

If you're one of those people who mutter about SUVs clogging the road, don't read on -- or look up. Your worst nightmare may be cruising overhead sometime soon.

If New Mexico-based Eclipse Aviation has its way, thousands of SUVs with wings, or "microjets," may soon be zipping back and forth at 30,000 feet. Also called very light jets (VLJs), these minuscule planes seat five or six people, run on two engines, and can be manufactured at a fraction of the standard plane's price. Is that a bird? A plane? No, it's a Lexus!

On Monday, Eclipse broke ground on a new assembly plant, and buzz took to the skies. We logged search spikes on "microjet," "very light jets," "e500 jet," and "eclipse aviation." Enterprising types boosted "eclipse aviation stock symbol," and queries on "adam aircraft," another manufacturer, took off.

Concern over airspace congestion has the FAA and many pilots bristling. On the other hand, NASA backs the technology, and some analysts have gushed about the future of "air taxi" fleets. But before you start imagining yourself flying off to work like George Jetson, keep your eye on the road and that gas-guzzler ahead of you.