By Chad Anderson, President, Jetcraft

In private aviation, the decision to upgrade or replace an aircraft has traditionally required an owner to sell their asset to fund their purchase, a process that often takes months and involves considerable downtime on the ground. Trade-in transactions, on the other hand, provide a swift, and seamless alternative, where the broker or dealer accepts a client’s current aircraft in exchange for another. With a trade, the owner simultaneously transitions into ownership of their new aircraft, eliminating the risk of holding and selling their asset and avoiding a costly crossover period.

Reducing transaction time and complexity

A trade-in transaction essentially combines two events – the aircraft sale and purchase. There is only one contract, and an aircraft owner will deal with one invested partner for the trade, rather than two disconnected parties with bilateral interests. Importantly, the pre-buy inspections will also occur at the same ...

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Product Overview

The Gulfstream G450 is a direct descendent of the Gulfstream G400/GIV-SP series. It comes with upgraded engines (Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C) with FADEC, and redesigned thrust reverser, nacelle and pylon that, coupled with aerodynamic improvements, increase range and payload. It was designed using the G400 airframe with the G550 nose section grafted on, and the fuselage is 12 inches longer than the Gulfstream IV.

As of May 2021, 60% of all Gulfstream G450 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 40% new. 7.3% are for sale with the majority of those (92%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale the average time on the market is 288 days.

Brief History

In 2001 Gulfstream began working on the Gulfstream G450 model, an improved version of the GIV-SP. Flight-testing of the Gulfstream G450 started in April 2003 and FAA certification was completed in August 2004. The Gulfstream G450 entered service in May 2005 and production ended in January 2018.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 354 Gulfstream G450 aircraft in operation today. The majority of those (323) are wholly owned with 8 in shared ownership and 23 in fractional ownership. 12% are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of wholly owned Gulfstream G450 aircraft (67%), followed by Asia (23%) and Europe (7%).

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Peter Windsor, Clarksport Ltd

How long have you been at your current organization?

Well, I’ve been working in F1 since 1972, so I guess you can trace my company back to that point.  Clarksport Ltd was actually formed and owned by Jim Clark, the brilliant Scot who won two F1 World Championships.  I met Jim a couple of times before he sadly passed away in 1968 so when it was time to set up my own company, in 1999, I looked around for Clarksport Ltd.  Amazingly, it was sitting there on a shelf, awaiting a new owner.  As it happens, I also own one of Jim’s road cars – a yellow Lotus Elan S3 coupe.

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

I work in F1 media mainly as a racing journalist. I have a YouTube Channel and also a big new F1 project that has to remain a secret right now. I attend F1 races and other events when I can and produce content analyzing the races and the drivers. At present, in the Covid era, obviously I’m spending less time on the road.  Either way, I always ensure that I’m in decent wifi/cell zones and usually have at least two computers and two cell phones with me: one computer for writing, one for video editing, a phone for general use and a phone for quick editing/recording. On top of that, I usually carry a Sony camera with me, plus a sound system. We also manage a couple of drivers and consult various companies in the F1 industry.

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Product Overview

The large-cabin Falcon 900LX is the latest in the Falcon 900 series. This newest model offers an improved range and less fuel consumption than its predecessor, the Falcon 900EX. The addition of winglets designed by Aviation Partners reduces drag and thereby cuts fuel burn by 5% to 7% while also reducing time to climb as compared to the Falcon 900EX.

As of March 2021, 36% of the Falcon 900LX aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 64% new. 6.2% are for sale with all of those (100%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale the average time on the market is 175 days.

Brief History

The Falcon 900LX is the seventh Falcon 900 series model built and was introduced as a performance enhanced version of the Falcon 900EX. The model was originally announced at EBACE in May 2008 and received certification from the FAA and EASA in July 2010. The first Falcon 900LX was delivered in 2010 and the model is still being manufactured today. A total of 82 Falcon 900LX aircraft have been manufactured.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 81 Falcon 900LX aircraft in operation today, all of these are wholly owned. 10% are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of wholly owned Falcon 900LX aircraft (68%), followed by Europe (25%).

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Pat Harvey, former Jetcraft Sales Director
Location: Minneapolis, MN, US

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

I was hired as a Sales Engineer in February 2015 and was promoted to Sales Director in August 2017.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

As Sales Director I am responsible for managing aircraft sales and acquisitions, as well as client management and prospecting, in the Midwest, United States territory.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

If not on the road visiting clients or generating new business, I typically wake early in the morning and enjoy the quiet time with my two sons, Frank and Sam. During this time, I will respond to any urgent e-mails that may come in overnight from colleagues or clients from around the globe. After helping my wonderful wife get the kids ready for school, I normally position to our corporate office in downtown Minneapolis and spend most of the day supporting my clients either by phone or email, and interacting with my colleagues at the office.

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There has been much talk about the changing face of the first-time business aviation users, post-Covid-19, with clear evidence of mounting demand for private aircraft at all levels, whether via charter, card membership, fractional or outright aircraft ownership.

This had led to significant industry growth in the USA and Australia, where, due to the vast landscape, a four- or five-hour flight remains within the same domestic borders. The experience in Asia Pacific (APAC), and its key commercial locations of Hong Kong and Singapore, is different. Take off from Hong Kong and in five minutes you cross into China and Taiwan. Depart Singapore and 60 seconds later you can be in Malaysia or Indonesia. However, with many Covid-19 lockdown and quarantine requirements still in place throughout the region, such cross-border travel is difficult.

These ‘new’ constraints for business aviation sit on top of the region’s long-term infrastructure issues but despite this, my long-term view is that APAC remains on course to overtake Europe as the second biggest market after the US within the next five years.

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Pedro Ferreira, Sales Manager, Synerjet

How long have you been at your current organization?

I have been with Synerjet since February of this year. Synerjet has been a Jetcraft Authorised Representative since January 2021 and we have already reached some successes showing to South America’s market the strength of this relationship despite it being new.

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

I help our clients buy and sell new and preowned aircraft. I try to serve our customers well and build long lasting relationships, providing them the best experience, whether representing the sale or purchase of their aircraft.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

Often I am travelling to meet customers or showing aircraft. When not travelling, I’m either at my office in Belo Horizonte, Synerjet’s office in Sao Paulo or at our state-of-the-art hangar at Catarina Airport, where I keep in contact with prospects and follow-up on any ongoing deals. I also spend a significant part of my day on the phone, exchanging SMS or email with customers, potential buyers and industry partners.

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Product Overview

The Gulfstream G650ER is the extended range version of the G650 model. It features larger fuel tanks allowing a maximum gross weight that is 4,000 pounds/1,814 kilograms greater than the G650, and providing flexibility to fly longer routes at higher cruise speeds.

The G650/G650ER fuselage cross section is a unique oval shape with 8 large (28 inch) cabin windows on each side. The wing uses greater sweep (36 degrees) than previous Gulfstream models and no leading-edge high-lift devices. Aircraft controls are completely fly-by-wire. The construction is metal for the fuselage and composite materials for the empennage, winglets and engine cowlings.

As of March 2021, 20% of the Gulfstream G650ER aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 80% new. 1.5% are for sale with the majority of those (75%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale the average time on the market is 264 days.

Brief History

The Gulfstream G650 began production in 2012 and the G650ER model entered production in 2013. In 2014 four of the 2012 G650’s were upgraded to G650ER models. A total of 266 Gulfstream G650ER aircraft have been produced/modified with one retired and one at the manufacturer.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 264 Gulfstream G650ER aircraft in operation today. The majority of these (262) are wholly owned with 2 in shared ownership. 14% are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of wholly owned Gulfstream G650ER aircraft (58%), followed by Asia (29%) and Europe (8%).

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Our industry is experiencing a worldwide shortage of pre-owned inventory. According to the latest data from AMSTAT, 5.2% of the world’s business aircraft are for sale, the lowest rate for decades. The United States is seeing a particular increase in demand for pre-owned aircraft, fueled by pent up demand for leisure travel, and a surge in new users entering the business aviation industry through charter, jet-card and fractional platforms. At Jetcraft, we’re also witnessing first-time buyers heading straight to aircraft ownership, fueled by the disruption of airline schedules and a desire to protect the health of their ‘bubble’ during Covid-19.

Although the current climate is challenging, there are still opportunities for buyers. Here are our top recommendations.

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