emily.synan

With prices at historic lows, inventories high, and retrofit options able to transform old airframes into like-new airplanes, will there ever be a better time to buy a preowned aircraft? Possibly, should the long slide in preowned prices that began in 2008 continue. Still, great opportunities for buyers await right now. Just be sure you enlist the help of a broker who possesses the technology that has become so crucial to these deals.

“Top-tier brokers have a lot of technology behind them to manage the sales process for their clients,” says aviation attorney Paul Lange, a party to many business jet transactions. “That’s really a big difference between the larger brokers and the mom-and-pops.”

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Christie Martin-Gray, former Brand Director, Jetcraft
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

My sister Lucy Castle, Jetcraft’s Administrative Director, first introduced me to Jetcraft in 2006. I worked with Jetcraft on an as-needed basis until joining the team fulltime in April 2010 as Marketing Director.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

My role changed this year to Brand Director, and my primary responsibility is to support the VP of Marketing with planning and executing our corporate branding and paid media strategies. This includes keeping a close eye on accuracy, consistency, clarity and relevance as it relates to our brand to ensure a strong connection with our customers.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

Priorities can shift quickly, so I start and end each day with a few minutes of assessing priorities and planning. I spend most of my time developing and maintaining brand assets, brand advertising, and some of the sales tools and integrated retail campaigns. Ensuring we adhere to our high standards, deliver on our brand promise and align our brand assets closely with sales objectives involves a myriad of daily activities including strategizing and brainstorming, research, assessing internal documents, directing creative agencies, writing, negotiating media opportunities and so on.

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Product Overview

The Legacy 500 was the first mid-size business jet with digital flight controls with full fly-by-wire. It is an extended version of the Legacy 450 model.

As of May 2016, 4% of the Legacy 500 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 96% new. 7.1% are currently for sale with all of those (100%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 166 days.

Brief History

The Embraer Legacy 500 had its first flight on November 27, 2012 and was certified on August 12, 2014. A total of 45 Embraer Legacy 500 aircraft have been produced with 28 currently in operation and 17 in various stages of the completion process.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 28 Legacy 500 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are owned outright (24) with 7.1% currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Legacy 500 aircraft (58%), followed by Asia (17%) and South America (13%).

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Purchasing the right aircraft, at the right price, with the right terms, and avoiding unpleasant surprises can be a daunting process. Unfortunately, because of this, some aircraft buyers do occasionally make mistakes in their buying journey. Here is our advice on watching out for the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Don’t Base the Purchase Solely on Price—Some buyers believe that buying the cheapest is always the best option. Instead, buyers should purchase a well-maintained aircraft with a good pedigree (not too many owners, with a solid manufacturer’s maintenance program, and service performed at an authorized center that kept well documented aircraft records and engine logs), rather than looking for a bargain deal. If not, it could leave buyers with additional maintenance costs down the road. It is important that a buyer knows whether or not the aircraft for purchase is enrolled in a manufacturer maintenance plan, or if there is any remaining warranty that can be transferred.

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Tom Hauge, National Sales Director, Wings Insurance
[email protected]

How long have you been at your current organization?

I started at Wings Insurance in February of 2004. Prior to joining Wings I spent a short period of time in the Reinsurance business working for the world’s largest Reinsurance broker.

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

I am the National Sales Director for Wings Insurance. I also take on the role as my firm’s industry focal for many professional aviation organizations that we support and participate in such as National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) and the numerous aircraft ownership organizations that exist in the turbine aircraft marketplace (Citation Jet Pilots, TBM Owners, Phenom Owners, Meridian/Malibu Owners, Pilatus Owners etc). Finally, I mentor and oversee our sales staff and lead sales initiatives for our aviation insurance product line.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

A typical day in my role usually involves interaction with my team in preparing insurance renewal proposals for our current client base. In addition to our existing clients – my team usually has anywhere from 3-5 new business opportunities we are working on every week which range from light aircraft up to commercial aviation risks – we do focus heavily on turbine risks which makes up the bulk of our book of business. In a week’s time I typically will have some travel away from home office. My time away from the office generally will involve visiting clients in our company aircraft or traveling to a convention or outing in support of the owner/pilot and professional aviation organizations that we support.

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Product Overview

Embraer began designing the Phenom 300, a light jet aircraft, after finding that potential customers of the Phenom 100 would also like a bigger aircraft. Designers took the basic fuselage cross-section of the 100 and added an extra 14 inches in length, an all-new wing, and powerful and quiet Pratt & Whitney Canada turbofan engines.

As of May 2016, 15% of the Embraer Phenom 300 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 85% new. 5.6% are currently for sale with the majority of those (72%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 255.

Brief History

The Embraer Phenom 300 first flew in 2008 and received FAA Type Certification in December 2009 as the Embraer EMB-505. A total of 342 Phenom 300 aircraft have been produced with 324 of them in operation. Two Phenom 300 business jets have been retired.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 324 Embraer Phenom 300 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are owned outright (233) with 4% currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Phenom 300 aircraft (56%), followed by South America (22%) and Europe (16%).

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Peter Antonenko, Chief Operating Officer, Jetcraft
Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA
[email protected]

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

I joined Jetcraft in November 2006.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

Management of legal and transaction management matters, corporate and transaction strategy, marketing and IT oversight, member of the board of directors, and manage outside counsel.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

I typically start the day addressing current deals that are either pending or working to become pending. This includes working with the legal, transaction management and sales teams, and coordinating with other members of the board on upcoming opportunities. I’ll also handle delegation of deals to the various transaction management team members and to outside counsel who may be assisting us. Depending on the day, I’ll have meetings with the marketing team to discuss upcoming events or other marketing activities, and if a board meeting is coming up, discuss what if anything we’ll need to present to the board on behalf of marketing. As a transaction-focused organization, much of what I do is centered around getting deals done.

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Product Overview

The Gulfstream G650 is the fastest business jet ever built and has one of the longest ranges. The fuselage cross section is a unique oval shape with 8 large (28 inch) cabin windows on each side and the highly efficient wing has a greater sweep (36 degrees) than previous Gulfstream models. It is equipped with a fly-by-wire flight system.

As of May 2016, 8% of the Gulfstream G650 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 92% new. 11.7% are currently for sale with the majority of those (79%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 149.

Brief History

The Gulfstream G650 debuted in 2012. There have been a total of 158 aircraft produced with 120 currently in operation.

Worldwide Appeal

Most of the 120 Gulfstream G650 aircraft in operation today are owned outright (119) with 7% currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Gulfstream G650 aircraft (55%), followed by Europe (23%) and Asia (15%).

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AvBuyer Magazine, May 2016
by Ken Elliott

Helping you understand the technology, integration and advances of aircraft avionics and equipage, Ken Elliott concludes a five-part series on aircraft connectivity, this month with a brief history followed by an insightful look to the future.

Last month we addressed the expanding use of walk-on Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) on board aircraft, and how they reduce the need for permanently installed equipment. PEDs also allow the user to seamlessly function with the same device and familiarity as experienced on the ground.

While this capability is profound in itself, let us take a step back and look at the wider aspect of future aircraft connectivity.

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