I get a lot of old and quite frankly useless information. I’m hoping that this post will get shared, find its way up in the rankings, change that at least in some small way.

The first question most people have to answer when considering a jet is “Should I?” 

The second question should be:

How do I buy a jet without getting screwed?

To address the first question in a fair manner I’d like to start off by saying you’ve probably waded through a dozen such articles about why NOT to buy a jet. Anyone can talk you out of anything because that’s easy. Negativity is a fool’s paradise because the skeptic is right more often than he is wrong and it doesn’t take much effort to be negative. 

I am assuming you don’t want to be talked out of buying a jet, otherwise you wouldn’t still be reading… here is a better question to ask:

Why should I buy a jet?

It goes with out saying that you have to have money, serious money, to buy a jet. The addition of a private jet to your modes of transportation should give you a better lifestyle AND give you more time and / or give you more opportunity. 

The first question I ask first time jet buyers is: Do you value time over money?

If the answer is yes, then you need a jet. The ability to work 60+ hours a week and then still enjoy the weekend is something very valuable. If we work hard but forget to play hard we work in vain. It will eventually catch up to you. If you are concerned about the cost of owning a jet?

Then give some consideration to the cost of having a heart attack or the cost of getting a divorce. I’m not saying jet ownership will prevent either of those two things… but quality time and LESS stress goes a long way! 

The other thing a jet should do for you is create opportunity. This may be the opportunity to visit a client that would have otherwise been ignored or to meet like-minded people that can help you achieve your own goals. I have been around aviation and private jets for over twenty years, and I can tell you that the people I have met are exceptional!

Businesses opportunities are created with jets… a few years ago, a customer who had purchased a business turboprop called me and said,

“Well, the airplane paid for itself today!”

That was a bold statement, but when I asked how, he explained that he committed to buy a very expensive piece of heavy machinery for his company. He did so sight-unseen, as was his normal practice, but before he hung up he remembered that he had an airplane. He told the guy he would be there in a few hours to look at it, and as long as it was as represented, they had a deal. 

It wasn’t. The mistake he didn’t make would have cost him more than the airplane! 

If you are looking for a strategy or the information needed to justify an airplane, be it to your spouse, the board, or your CFO, just call us. We deal with the numbers and the reality of private jet ownership on a daily basis. Our greatest strength is the insider knowledge we obtain from working with and talking to folks who own and operate private jets on a daily basis. 

I promised to answer the second question and here it is;