Last November, the CEOs of General Motors (GM), Ford (F) and Chrysler missed the irony of flying to Washington in private jets to beg Congress for a $25 billion handout.

The executives quickly brushed up on their poor-boy act and got the money, but the flap winged an innocent bystander: Makers of corporate jets.

In populist circles, private jets have become the new red meat and rank lower than tobacco on the scale of total evil. (Never mind that the planes are built by real people who work hard, pay their taxes and sweat the details about school quality.)

Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft are punching back with an advertising campaign touting the advantages of a private jet. 

The Cessna spot is about as subtle as the mahogany cabinetry and woodwork in the sweet plane of your dreams. It reads, in part:

Timidity didn't get you this far. Why put it in your businesses plan now? In today's corporate world, pity the poor executive who blinks…It's simply about adjusting, not retreating, starting with a good hard look at your flight department. Are you flying the right aircraft for your missions?...In tempestuous times, leaders recognize it's not about ego. Or artifice. It's simply about availing yourself of the full range of tools to do your job. RISE.

Hmmm, with a few minor tweaks, it could be an ad for a sleazy sex toy, but you get the idea.

The economic downturn and an outbreak of populism in Washington have combined to create tough times for the aircraft manufacturers. Several companies have cancelled or delayed orders for new planes.

Cessna, a unit of Textron (TXT), plans to lay off about 4600 workers by March 31, or about 30% of its total work force of 15,000.

In addition to urging CEOs not to cave to the whims of public opinion, Cessna's new campaign will also try to shatter the image of high-flying plutocrats. The company will point out that  most users of private jets are middle managers or technicians - not top dogs. The company notes that about 85% of corporate jets are flown by small-to-medium-sized companies.

Hawker Beechcraft, which earlier this month slashed 2300 jobs and warned of still more layoffs, plugs its 8-seat King Air 350 as the "world's greenest and [most] highly efficient aircraft." Its ad says Detroit's CEO's would have saved about 220 gallons of jet fuel by flying a King Air 350 to Washington instead of a Gulfstream by General Dynamics (GD).

That's the ticket: Side-by-side comparisons for the cost-conscious owners of private jets!

A basic fact is scarcely noticed or willfully ignored by the harpies taking potshots at private jets: The planes make good sense for key employees. Cutting travel time and hassle allows executives to concentrate on business.

We wouldn't want that as we try to crawl out of a sharp economic downturn, now would we?