John Schwartz, Jetcraft
Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

On October 9 I will have been here for 5 years.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

I am responsible for internal oversight of Jetcraft’s owned inventory aircraft that are acquired either via an outright purchase or through a trade-in. I also provide Sales Engineer support for Chad Anderson (President) and Jahid Fazal-Karim (Owner and Chairman).

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

The only thing typical about my day is that it’s a-typical. Most days are spent responding to incoming requests from the sales team, and correspondence either related to Jetcraft’s owned inventory aircraft or with the Sales Engineer team. I work extensively with management and our technical advisors to ensure that we are up to date internally on the current status of each of the aircraft that we own and make sure that the entire Jetcraft team is updated.

Read more →

Ten-year forecast predicts ongoing challenges in emerging markets with continued North America dominance; Gulfstream projected to top OEM revenues with Pratt & Whitney Canada taking top spot for engine OEMs.

OCTOBER 12, 2016 (Raleigh, NC) – Jetcraft, the leader in business aircraft sales, marketing and ownership strategies, today released its second annual business aviation market forecast. The 2016 report calls for 7,879 unit deliveries representing $248 billion in revenues (based on 2015 pricing) to be realized over the next 10 years.

The forecast also examines key macroeconomic trends – a slowdown in wealth creation, the migration of ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) from emerging market economies and the fluctuation of oil prices – and evaluates the impact such factors will have on the business aviation sector througout the coming decade. Overall, this year’s predictions are lower than last year’s report in terms of deliveries and revenues. Yet, despite challenges, there are bright spots on the horizon led chiefly by continued growth of the North America market.

“Last year, we highlighted the unpredictability of our industry since 2008, and the impact of global events during the past 12 months have certainly continued this trend,” said Jetcraft’s Chairman Jahid Fazal-Karim. “As global factors continue to influence the business aviation market, we are uniquely positioned—through our 20+ offices worldwide—to qualitatively test our forecast’s assumptions and the impact of these global factors on the ground, providing a cumulative view that joins our analysis with real-world business transactions, ” he added.

Read more →

Product Overview

The Hawker 750 is a light-midsized business jet. With the same fuselage and wings as the midsize Hawker 800 series, the 750 offers the largest cabin in the light-midsize aircraft segment, plus more baggage space than its predecessor with 79 cubic feet of luggage storage.

As of September 2016, 35% of the Hawker 750 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 65% new. 18.8% are currently for sale with a portion of those (33%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 395.

Brief History

The Hawker 750 had its first flight on August 23, 2007 and was certified on February 19, 2008. Production ended in 2012 following completion of 48 deliveries.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 48 Hawker 750 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are owned outright (35) with 6.2% currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Hawker 750 aircraft (63%), followed by Europe (26%).

Read more →

Alasdair Whyte, Editor and Co-founder, Corporate Jet Investor
[email protected]

How long have you been at your current organization?

Louisa Whyte (my wife) and I launched Corporate Jet Investor in 2010. We felt there was a need for an online magazine and conferences for the business jet market.

We spun out helicopters in 2012 and in 2016 launched a commercial aircraft version called Aircraft Investor. We also run a superyacht conference.

Although the business jet market was in a downturn in 2010, we were confident that we would be there for an upturn. We are still waiting.

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

I focus on the content (with Louisa managing pretty much everything else). This includes newsletters, longer articles and the agendas for different conferences. But we are a small business so we all get involved in lots of different things.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

If I am not travelling, I usually drop our children off at school. Louisa and I then often have a meeting whilst walking our office dog. When I get to the office I look at all of the major news stories that day. We divide up who is writing what and I will typically write a short opinion piece before lunch.

After lunch I might discuss some of the biggest issues in the market for one of our conferences. Most days involve a number of phone calls and a lot of emails. Some of these can be very late if I am dealing with the US or very early if Asia or Australia.

Read more →

Product Overview

The Gulfstream G280 is a twin-engine business jet built under license by IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) for Gulfstream Aerospace. It retains the G200 fuselage design, but has otherwise been transformed with a larger wing, upgraded engines, and T-tail.

As of May 2016, 1% of the Gulfstream G280 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 99% new. 4.3% are currently for sale with all of those (100%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 106.

Brief History

The Gulfstream G280 was initially introduced as the G250 but was renamed in 2011. The G280 was provisionally certified in 2011 by Israel and received full certification from Israel and the U.S. in September 2012. Production began in 2011 and it is still being produced presently. A total of 103 Gulfstream G280 aircraft have been produced with 93 currently in operation and 10 in various stages of the completion process.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 93 Gulfstream G280 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are owned outright (91) with 18% currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Gulfstream G280 aircraft (72%), followed by Asia (14%).

Read more →

Written by Fabrice Roger, former Jetcraft Sales Director, Latin America

Latin America has long been viewed as a key emerging market for business aviation, led by two major countries in the region, Brazil and Mexico. Political and economic pressures, however, intensified in the region in 2015, driven mostly by the slowdown of Brazil’s $US2.2 trillion economy, which is now moving from recession to depression. Once a powerhouse of the region, Brazil’s economy contracted sharply last year, while inflation soared and its currency plummeted. Although Mexico also experienced currency challenges of its own, the market for business aviation in Mexico has grown considerably in the past few years, unlike its southern neighbor.

While Mexico’s business jet market is in ascension, Brazil has taken a backseat in the region, due to recent political and economic turmoil that was intensified by a collapse in the oil and gas sector. Nonetheless, Brazil still offers a significant opportunity for business jet transactions, particularly for those seeking to divest their aircraft investments.

Read more →

With prices at historic lows, inventories high, and retrofit options able to transform old airframes into like-new airplanes, will there ever be a better time to buy a preowned aircraft? Possibly, should the long slide in preowned prices that began in 2008 continue. Still, great opportunities for buyers await right now. Just be sure you enlist the help of a broker who possesses the technology that has become so crucial to these deals.

“Top-tier brokers have a lot of technology behind them to manage the sales process for their clients,” says aviation attorney Paul Lange, a party to many business jet transactions. “That’s really a big difference between the larger brokers and the mom-and-pops.”

Read more →

Christie Martin-Gray, former Brand Director, Jetcraft
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

My sister Lucy Castle, Jetcraft’s Administrative Director, first introduced me to Jetcraft in 2006. I worked with Jetcraft on an as-needed basis until joining the team fulltime in April 2010 as Marketing Director.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

My role changed this year to Brand Director, and my primary responsibility is to support the VP of Marketing with planning and executing our corporate branding and paid media strategies. This includes keeping a close eye on accuracy, consistency, clarity and relevance as it relates to our brand to ensure a strong connection with our customers.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

Priorities can shift quickly, so I start and end each day with a few minutes of assessing priorities and planning. I spend most of my time developing and maintaining brand assets, brand advertising, and some of the sales tools and integrated retail campaigns. Ensuring we adhere to our high standards, deliver on our brand promise and align our brand assets closely with sales objectives involves a myriad of daily activities including strategizing and brainstorming, research, assessing internal documents, directing creative agencies, writing, negotiating media opportunities and so on.

Read more →

Product Overview

The Legacy 500 was the first mid-size business jet with digital flight controls with full fly-by-wire. It is an extended version of the Legacy 450 model.

As of May 2016, 4% of the Legacy 500 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 96% new. 7.1% are currently for sale with all of those (100%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 166 days.

Brief History

The Embraer Legacy 500 had its first flight on November 27, 2012 and was certified on August 12, 2014. A total of 45 Embraer Legacy 500 aircraft have been produced with 28 currently in operation and 17 in various stages of the completion process.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 28 Legacy 500 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are owned outright (24) with 7.1% currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Legacy 500 aircraft (58%), followed by Asia (17%) and South America (13%).

Read more →