Jay Mesinger, CEO of Mesinger Jet Sales, provides his thoughts about how business aircraft sales are being affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and how the market could be affected as we enter, what has historically been, the strongest quarter of the year relative to aircraft sales. The topics covered include:

• The types of entities actively seeking to purchase aircraft as we enter the fourth quarter. • The potential effect of this year’s election on fourth quarter sales. • Current pricing and what may be on the near-term horizon. • What leads to successful transactions in the current market – whether you’re a buyer or a seller. • Supply Chain timelines relative to parts – what buyers and sellers should plan on. • Under what conditions might the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic end for business aviation.

Aerion Corporation envisages a future where humanity can travel point to point on this planet within three hours. Gene Holloway, Aerion Corporation’s Chief Sustainability Officer, discusses the company’s plan to develop a supersonic aircraft that will be carbon neutral through the use of engines that are 100% biofuel driven, Aerion’s plan for a Zero Carbon Footprint, and an aircraft offering silent, boomless operations. Topics covered include:

• The regulatory hurdles that must be addressed to enable useful supersonic flight.
• How Aerion’s approach differs from others within the supersonic space.
• Synthetic fuel changes that now makes them a real possibility for aviation.
• How Aerion’s partnership with Carbon Engineering will advance synthetic fuels.
• Supersonic flight without leaving a carbon footprint. Preventing an aircraft’s supersonic boom from reaching the ground.
• Aerion’s timeline to bring the AS2 to the business aviation market.
• How the AS2’s Operating Costs are likely to compare with current business aircraft.
• How might supersonic flight affect the aerospace industry of the future.

This article was originally published in the November 2019 edition of Professional Pilot Magazine. Written by Tony Kioussis, President & CEO, Asset Insight, LLC and read by Deborah Hooten

Subjects covered include:

• Understanding the financial dynamics that come into play when selling an aircraft.
• Using objective analytics and a standardized grading system to determine how any aircraft compares with like models listed for sale.
• Tools to determine exactly how any aircraft’s Residual Value is affected by maintenance due.
• The appraised value of maintenance events completed.
• There problems with traditional Residual Value forecasting methodology.
• Utilizing an aircraft’s ETP Ratio to determine its marketability.

Click here to read the original article, and view related charts and graphs.

Kevin Hoffman discusses how the company’s Integrated Team approach provides value for owners and operators of large-cabin business aircraft wishing to modernize and upgrade their aircraft to the passenger cabin standard and flight deck options currently available on new aircraft models at a fraction of the cost of a new aircraft.

Assent Aeronautics was founded in 2004. Along with the company’s aircraft management, operations, and maintenance services, Assent provides aircraft acquisition and sales capabilities. President and Founder W. Hulsey Smith discusses the company’s private aircraft auctions platform, and topics covered include:

• The market’s interest in completing aircraft transactions via an auction, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The transparency, and other advantages, offered by Assent’s auction platform to aircraft buyers or sellers.
• How Aircraft Brokers and Acquisition Consultants are utilizing Assent’s Private Aircraft Auctions platform.
• How Assent identifies financially qualified bidders.
• How to participate in an Assent auction via the Internet.
• Handling global time-zone issues and the bidding period available to buyers.
• The types of fees incurred by those utilizing Assent’s platform.

Formed in 1991 as The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA), the organization officially changed its name to The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) to reflect its constant presence around the world and international domination of pre-owned aircraft sales. Wayne Starling, IADA’s Executive Director, discusses the Association’s history, its capabilities, and the services IADA provides to the Business Aviation Community, including:

• An overview of the organization and how it has evolved over the years.
• How IADA’s Dealer Accreditation Program benefits aircraft buyers and sellers.
• Certification for Brokers working for an Accredited Dealer. 
• The value offered by IADA’s Verified Products and Services Members.
• The organization’s philanthropic efforts and the IADA Foundation. 
• The capabilities, services, and power of the Association’s online marketplace, AircrftExchange.com.

This article was originally published in the November 2018 edition of Professional Pilot Magazine. Subjects covered include:

• Differentiating between “low price” and “good value”.
• How Maintenance Costs can impact an aircraft’s overall value.
• Utilizing an aircraft’s ETP Ratio (maintenance Exposure to Ask Price Ratio) as an indicator of its marketability.
• Projecting an aircraft’s Residual Value.
• How utilization can change maintenance costs and impact the aircraft’s actual Residual Value.

Click here to read the original article, and view related charts and graphs.

Dustin Cordier, President of jetAVIVA, discusses his company’s approach to aircraft acquisitions and sales, and how jetAVIVA has grown to become the world #1 light jet sales company, having helped thousands of people enter jet ownership. Topics covered include:

• Determining the optimum aircraft to meet a client’s needs.
• The factors to consider in determining whether to purchase a new or an in-service aircraft.
• The benefits of using an acquisition consultant.
• Support available to handle the many issues a prospective buyer must address.
• How to determine and justify a selected aircraft’s purchase price.
• The timeline between making an offer and placing a deposit into escrow on an aircraft.
• The process for establishing and overseeing a successful pre-purchase inspection.
• The time to expect between a signed offer to the transaction closing.
• Drivers and time periods an owner should consider for replacing an aircraft that was purchased new, as opposed to one that was in-service when the current owner acquired it.
• Strategies owners should consider to help optimize the resale value of their asset.
• What does an aircraft broker bring to the table during the selling phase.

Stephen Kelly, Global Sales Director for Global Aviation Exchange Limited, or Global AVX, discusses the online auction platform his company has developed for aircraft brokers, as well as direct sellers, as a mechanism for purchasing, selling, and leasing aviation assets. Topics covered include:

• The company’s mission to provide a transparent and accountable platform the aviation industry can trust.
• Market reaction to Global AVX’s services given the “new normal” under the global pandemic.
• How Global AVX’s offering fits into a Broker’s, or Acquisition Consultant’s, toolbox.
• The platform’s process for filtering genuine buyers such that sellers are only dealing with financially qualified bidders.
• The time required to complete the actual auction process.
• How sellers can secure against a final bid that does not meet their minimum sales figure.
• The types of fees that interested parties are required to pay to utilize Global AVX’s platform.

Stephen Johns, the Partner at LL Johns Aviation Insurance responsible for leading the company and managing daily operations, discusses what is, by all accounts, a challenging period in the insurance industry. Topics covered include:

• The state of the current market, and how the Business Aviation industry got here.
• What today’s market means to an aircraft owner and what can they expect going forward. 
• The entities, or types of owners, that have been hit the hardest.
• The types of owners that have been impacted the least.
• Best practices owners and operators should follow to best navigate the current market.