The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News

The conversation covers the expansion and major moves in the private aviation industry, including Bond's acquisition of a 135 charter certificate and its fractional ownership strategy. It also delves into controversial job posts, stock claims, and NASA's employee perks, shedding light on the challenges and developments in the industry. The conversation covers a range of topics including space travel, NTSB's address of stall testing issues, Monarch Air Group's lawsuit against Blade Urban Air Mobility, a record year for business jet departures, and challenges in the business aviation maintenance industry.

Takeaways

• Private aviation industry expansion
• Challenges in the private aviation industry NTSB's address of stall testing issues for Hawker operators
• Challenges in the business aviation maintenance industry
• Record year for business jet departures

In this episode, Jessie Naor and Preston Holland discuss the latest happenings in the aviation industry, including the chaos caused by the capture of Maduro, the bankruptcy of Jet It, and the implications of the Garmin Autoland technology. They also touch on regulatory changes with the Rotor Act and the ongoing legal battle between Wheels Up and Fly Exclusive. The conversation highlights the challenges and innovations within the business aviation sector as they welcome the new year.

Join Jessie Naor and Preston Holland as they wrap up Season 2 with a special episode of "The VIP Seat." Dive into the top trends of 2025, biggest winners and losers, and bold predictions for 2026. Don't miss the engaging discussions and insights that have made this season unforgettable. Tune in for a finale packed with industry insights and a look ahead to the future!

Summary

In this episode, Preston Holland and Al White discuss various topics in the aviation industry, including Boom Supersonic's recent funding, the viability of corporate flight departments, and the ongoing connectivity wars between Starlink and its competitors. They also touch on social media reactions in the Mile High Madness segment and provide updates on recent mergers and acquisitions, particularly Bond's fundraising efforts. The conversation highlights the challenges and trends within the aviation sector, offering insights into the future of business aviation.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:07 Boom Supersonic's $300 Million Fundraising

06:17 Mile High Madness: Social Media Reactions

11:58 CSX Flight Department Shutdown

19:36 Starlink Connectivity in Business Aviation

28:04 M&A Updates: Bond's Fundraising and Strategy

In this episode, Jessie Naor and Preston Holland discuss the latest trends in business aviation, including the emergence of new competitors in the market, particularly from China. They explore consumer preferences, the dynamics of the Challenger 300 market, and the implications of a recent lawsuit involving NetJets. The conversation also touches on the use of government jets for personal travel and concludes with insights on the newly delivered Global 8000 aircraft.

Special thanks to Real Jet for sponsoring this episode! https://realjet.com/

On this week’s episode of The VIP Seat, Jessie and Preston take aim at some of the most viral – and most misleading – aviation headlines making the rounds right now. From a Disney heiress getting fact-checked on private jet traffic, to questions about solar flares and Airbus A320 flight control issues, to Amazon’s delivery drones tangling with power lines and cranes, this episode breaks down what’s real, what’s hype, and what actually matters for safety and consumers.​ A special thanks to our sponsor - REAL Jet! Check them out at www.realjet.com

You’ll hear:

• How FAA operations data undercuts the claim that “private jets are clogging U.S. air traffic,” and why business aviation is more than just big Gulfstreams for billionaires.​

• Why Snopes stepping in on a viral anti-private-jet claim matters for the industry’s reputation and public policy debates.​

• What the FAA’s new “ADSB for ground vehicles” surface safety tech is doing at major airports, and how it could reduce runway incursion risk.​

• What is actually known so far about the JetBlue A320 uncommanded pitch event, the software and hardware fixes Airbus is rolling out, and why “solar flare” headlines may be getting ahead of the data.​

• How Amazon’s MK30 delivery drones have recently tangled with wires and cranes, and what those incidents say about the current limits of see-and-avoid technology.​

• A spicy Mile High Madness segment on jet art at Art Basel, “bad guy” aircraft brokers, and why LinkedIn is getting bolder about calling out bad actors.​

If you care about business aviation, safety tech, and cutting through mainstream media noise, this episode is for you. Hit subscribe for more weekly private aviation news, analysis, and behind-the-scenes stories from The VIP Seat.

Welcome back to The VIP Seat: your top destination for private aviation and business aviation news.

This week was HUGE for the industry: tariff relief for Pilatus aircraft, major airport shutdown fights in Boulder and Cleveland, Sky Harbour's expansion at PDK, Textron sunsetting the Baron & Bonanza in favor of the Denali, FAA'S ATC overhaul updates, and spicy corporate espionage accusations between Joby and Archer in the eVTOL world.

Whether you're flying corporate jets, managing a flight department, working in private aviation, or just a business-aviation fanatic - this is the show for you.

The VIP Seat unpacks everything from hydrogen-powered helicopters to a Dulles people-mover slamming into a terminal. Jessie and Preston kick off the show addressing last week’s AI-generated newsletter chaos before diving into the newest NBAA Standard Operating Procedures and what standardized training could mean for Part 135 safety.

Then it’s into Mile High Madness, where Jessie finally solves a lifelong mystery: what the Airbus PTU (“the barking dog”) actually looks like. From there, the conversation shifts to hydrogen propulsion breakthroughs, including Unither’s fuel-cell Robinson R44 and why hydrogen may beat batteries for real-world range, noise reduction, and future operating costs.

The duo also unpacks the Dulles “mobile lounge” crash (one of sixteen accidents in the past decade) and wonders aloud why this relic still exists. And in M&A land, Freeman Holdings continues its buying spree, snapping up the sole FBO in Waco while quietly expanding both its Million Air franchises and its own Freeman Jet Center brand.

The episode wraps with a charge to listeners: keep spreading the love, bring a friend into the VIP Seat universe

On this Veterans Day edition of The VIP Seat, Jessie Naor is joined by guest co-host Tyler Flagg, Air Force veteran and founder of Flying Company, for a high-altitude look at the week’s biggest aviation stories.

From Archer Aviation’s bold $126M airport grab in Los Angeles to the FAA’s unprecedented private-jet restrictions during the government shutdown, Jessie and Tyler unpack what it all means for charter operators, pilots, and the future of eVTOL.

They dive into a troubling ASAP retaliation case (Link), fuel-supply risks that have California importing jet fuel from Russia via India, and the NTSB’s urgent alert over Learjet landing-gear failures.

Plus, a dose of Mile High Madness featuring an overworked (and very fictional) Newark air traffic controller who’s had enough: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ4lNk3AmuK/?hl=en

Whether you’re a pilot, operator, or aviation geek, this episode covers the turbulence behind the headlines—and why safety culture, transparency, and innovation still matter most.

🎖️ Special thanks to our veterans for their service.

💼 Guest: Tyler Flagg, CEO of the Flying Company

#BusinessAviation #PrivateJets #AviationSafety #VeteransDay #eVTOL #Learjet #TheVIPSeat #Archer #FAA #Shutdown

In one of the most candid conversations ever recorded on The VIP Seat, Flexjet’s Kenn Ricci joins Jessie Naor and Preston Holland to unpack the billion-dollar legal showdown with Honeywell — and what it means for every operator, owner, and investor in business aviation. From the origins of “power by the hour” engine programs to the hidden monopolies and financial risks they create, Ricci breaks down why he believes the system is broken and how Flexjet’s fight could rewrite the rules for the entire industry.