Matt Thurber, Editor-In-Chief, AIN Publications

How long have you been at your current organization?

18 years

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

As editor-in-chief of AIN Publications, I’m responsible for all editorial content in our various products. These range from AIN’s monthly print magazine, Aviation International News, to our business aviation, air transport, and defense e-newsletters, online content, and show daily issues.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

There is no typical day for this job, and what I do depends a great deal on my travel schedule. When I’m in the office, I write, edit, and proofread stories, consult with my colleagues on upcoming projects, work with AIN’s management team on business development and strategy, and deal with normal office challenges. I travel frequently to visit the companies that we cover in AIN’s publications, including to fly new and interesting airplanes, and during these trips I try to visit as many people as possible to learn what’s new in our industry.

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Gray skies and threatening thunderstorms couldn’t dampen spirits at EBACE 2018 in Geneva. The mood was buoyant and the good feeling that came out of NBAA-BACE in October has clearly extended to Europe, as demonstrated by the show’s big announcements.

The Show Daily publications touted the unveiling of Bombardier’s Global 5500 and 6500 aircraft as ‘business aviation’s best-kept secret’, bringing upgraded options to the super-large and ultra-long-range market segments. Concurrently, Rolls Royce announced its re-entry to business aviation with the Pearl engine that will power the two Bombardier business jets.

Embraer’s press conference saw the announcement that the OEM is to become the first business jet customer for ViaSat’s Ka-band in-flight connectivity service, delivering 16MBps to the aircraft, enabling passengers to stream content and live TV – a bonus for the longer journeys that passengers are making.

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Product Overview

The Learjet 40XR is an upgraded version of the Learjet 40 with improvements in hot-and-high performance, climb rates and faster long range cruise speeds resulting in a range of more than 240 nm. The increases are due to the upgraded Honeywell “BR” engines from the “AR” used on the Learjet 40.

As of February 2018, 70% of Learjet 40XR aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 30% new. 10.8% are for sale with the majority of those (90%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average time on the market is 275 days.

Brief History

Derived from the Lear 45, the Learjet 40 and 40XR are 24.5 inches shorter and have a maximum take-off weight that is 150 lbs. lighter. These two characteristics increase performance and lower operational costs. The Lear 40 aircraft received FAA certification in July 2003, as an amendment to the Type Certification of the Lear 45, and ended production in 2009. The Learjet 40XR went into operation in 2005 and ended production in 2012. A total of 93 Learjet 40XR aircraft have been manufactured with all of them currently in operation.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 93 Learjet 40XR aircraft in operation today. Most of these are wholly owned (89), with 2 in fractional ownership and 2 in shared ownership. 10.8% are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of wholly owned Learjet 40XR aircraft (76%), followed by South America (18%).

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Denise Siedow, Market Analyst, Jetcraft
Location: Minneapolis, MN, US

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

I have been with Jetcraft since October 2008, so nearly 10 years.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

My first position with Jetcraft was an administrative role. I’ve carried responsibilities from that position into my current role as Market Researcher. I also provide support to my sales team by facilitating maintenance program transfers and offering general program support.

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By 2026, Asia is predicted to be tied with North America in terms of ultra-high-net-worth-individual (UHNWI) population, as shown in The Wealth Report by Knight Frank, cited in our 10 Year Market Forecast. As more individuals are buying private aircraft in Asia, an increase in the UHNWI population could cause a boost in demand for the region.

Asia’s promising position in the global business aviation industry has never been more evident than at the 2018 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE). OEMs, operators and industry leaders were abuzz with the opportunities that Asia presents, speaking of new infrastructure, a better attitude towards business aviation and a steadily maturing market.

Overtaking Europe

Jetcraft is no exception when it comes to optimism about the region. Backed by our consistently healthy sales, we have determined that Asia-Pacific is one of the world’s fastest growing markets, accounting for approximately 15% of Jetcraft’s transactions in 2017. This trend has continued into Q1 of 2018, setting a positive projection for the rest of the year.

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Dennis Bolton, SVP – Head of Equipment Management, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance

How long have you been at your current organization?

I have been with Wells Fargo since August 2005 by way of merger with Wachovia. Prior to 2005, I spent 16 years at Fleet Capital and later Banc of America Leasing, which merged in 2003. I just started my 29^th year in the business.

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

As Head of Equipment Management, I am responsible for all facets of equipment appraisal/valuation, portfolio management and equipment remarketing across all of Wells Fargo Equipment Finance’s business lines. Additionally, my group helps support our colleagues in these areas across the entire bank footprint.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

My days usually start early sometime between 5 and 6:30 a.m. depending on the day. The first couple of hours are quiet and dedicated to strategic initiatives, focused, intense projects and general catch-up. Once the day begins, it’s a series of meetings and calls around business strategy and new business initiatives, portfolio performance, compliance and regulatory requirements, pending accounting and policy changes, integration projects and assisting my teams achieve their goals and problem solve.

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Product Overview

The Cessna Citation X, a medium-sized long-range business jet, marked the launch of the all-new 750 series, taking over the well established 650 series. It was considered a completely new aircraft, made from scratch in all major aspects and not an upgraded version of previous Citation Jet aircraft.

As of February 2018, 75% of Citation X aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 25% new. 10.4% are for sale with more than half of those (69%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average time on the market is 373 days.

Brief History

The Citation X was announced at the NBAA Convention in October 1990 with the first prototype taking flight in December 1993. The first delivery of the Citation X occurred in July 1996 to golfer and devoted Cessna customer, Arnold Palmer. A total of 315 Citation X aircraft have been manufactured with 309 currently in operation worldwide. An updated version called the New Citation X+ was launched in 2010 featuring upgraded engines and advanced avionics systems. Deliveries of the new Citation X+ started in 2013 and there are currently 27 in operation worldwide.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 309 Citation X aircraft in operation today. Most of these are wholly owned (276), with 26 in fractional and 7 in shared ownership. 11% are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of wholly owned Citation X aircraft (88%), followed by Europe (5%).

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The general aviation community in the U.S. is abuzz with discussions of ADS-B and the 2020 deadline. As the mandate draws near, what do you need to know?

First, many aircraft need to be upgraded in order to comply, so it is recommended that flight departments schedule the upgrades now in order to be sure that everything is completed in time to remain compliant. It is estimated that there are 105,000* aircraft that are not yet equipped, so the maintenance shops will soon become overwhelmed.

Next, be sure to make an appointment with a trusted service center that can help figure out what needs to be installed or upgraded, and can complete it in a reliable and timely manner. It is advised that operators check that their ADS-B Out solution is Version 2, particularly early-equipped aircraft that were installed with Version 0 or 1 systems. Complicating the issue is that Version 2 is not currently required for operations in all international regions of airspace, so it is possible that an...

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Product Overview

The Challenger 605 was introduced as an upgrade to the Challenger 604. With the success of the Challenger line, Bombardier continues to use the general design while offering updated technology and improvements. The 605 offers larger and higher positioned windows, an upgraded galley, a revamped cabin and cockpit, and upgraded avionics, along with an increased payload.

As of September 2017, 42% of the Challenger 605 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 58% new. 6.3% are for sale with the majority of those (89%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average time on the market is 251 days.

Brief History

Bombardier introduced its Challenger 604 in 1995 as a major upgrade on the Challenger 601 design that incorporated more powerful engines, larger fuel supply, a completely new undercarriage, structural improvements to its wings and tail and a new avionics system. Ten years later the Challenger 605 was introduced with upgrades to the 604 design. Production ended in 2016 with a total of 290 Challenger 605 aircraft manufactured.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 287 Challenger 605 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are wholly owned (281) with 3 in shared and 3 in fractional ownership. 9.4% are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of wholly owned Challenger 605 aircraft (58%), followed by Asia (21%), and Europe (17%).

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