It’s an approach designed to ensure that business aircraft owners really do have the perfect ownership experience. “We lead with that as a culture and a mantra,” said McReynolds of the MRO business. “We tell them [owners] what it’s [their aircraft] going to look like going out of the door [after aircraft maintenance]. And we tell them about surprises when they happen. It’s an expectation they really appreciate.”

Often aircraft maintenance is one of the last things new owners think about when closing a transaction. But, in reality, it’s one of the most important parts of the ownership experience, which often becomes an afterthought, said McReynolds of Weststar Aviation. “The complexity in this thing we call maintenance; most people don’t think about. But hiring a DoM [director of maintenance] to represent your best interest in a complex environment is a key part of ownership,” he added.

‘All on the first day’

Buying a business aircraft is a collaborative effort, according to speakers. Jay Mesinger, CEO/president, Mesinger Jet Sales, which sponsored the Town Hall had this advice for new buyers: “I tell people when they start to think about buying to talk to their lender, interview [prospective] management companies and your aviation attorney – all on the first day They are all parallel paths that you need to come together at one time to enjoy your asset from Day One.”

So much of the industry’s focus lies on the transactional side – the buying and selling. “But there’s so much that goes on in the middle and that is the ownership,” he added. “Operating your airplane is all part of getting ready to, one day, sell it and buy another one. But let’s not forget this place in the middle where the joy can come in.”

Welcoming new entrants to this industry effectively depended on understanding the perspective of where they come from, said Bob Marinace, chief experience officer with private jet charter and management company Solairus Aviation. 

Those who come from fractional and charter “know the acronyms” and the basics of scheduling and using an aircraft but they don’t understand the ownership experience, said Marinace. “What we are about is to help educate and to explain how this will differ from what they have experienced so far,” he added.

‘One of the first things you talk about’

Too often the selection of a management company is not prioritised, said Stewart Lapayowker, managing shareholder, Lapayowker Jet Counsel. “Unfortunately, for new aircraft owners, selection of a management company seemed to get overlooked and then it’s a scramble to fine one,” said Lapayowker. “But it should be one of the first things you talk about.”

Some of the key questions to answer, he said, are: Are you going to set up your own organic flight department; are you going to have a managed aircraft and if so, who will be the manager? It is important to engage a management company that understands the new owner’s preferred structure and can be flexible and deliver the services they are looking for.

“First-time buyers haven’t got the experience [to make informed decisions on their own],” said Lapayowker. “But they get a lot of free advice. Everybody at a cocktail party tells you how to do it right.”

You can watch the hour-long, free-to-view CJI Town Hall, Masterclass here. The next Masterclass – devoted to buying business aircraft – aganin sponsored by Mesinger Jet Sales, will take place on Wednesday, September 25th. These Town Halls complement CJI’s Aircraft Transaction Masterclass.

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The growth of Solairus, which was launched in 2009, came primarily from long range, large cabin and super mid-size aircraft owners who accounted for 87% of new additions and who make up 88% of the 325-strong fleet, according to the company.

Solairus added 18 ultra-long-range aircraft in 2023 and ended the year with 134, representing 16% growth and close to 70% of the company’s net new additions.

The large cabin fleet now stands at 103 aircraft, while super-mids account for 45 aircraft.

“I am humbled and energized by the faith and trust owners place in us to safely manage and support their flight departments,” said Dan Drohan, CEO, Solairus. 

“One of our founding goals was to become big enough to matter, while remaining small enough to care. Certainly, this type of growth makes us big enough to matter. We work tirelessly, every day, to remain small enough to care.”

Still hiring

The company’s three largest manufacturers are Gulfstream (127 aircraft), Bombardier (111) and Dassault (41). Embraer enjoyed the largest fleet growth in 2023 at 20%.

More than half the fleet operates part 91 only, and about 25% of the total is available for third-party charter, according to Solairus.

Solairus’ clients flew nearly 35,000 flights and 74,000 flight hours in 2023, operating to 1,334 airports in 126 countries and all 50 states.

The company added 320 staff in 2023, including 230 full-time pilots, 56 maintenance supervisors and 29 flight attendants. It now has 2,099 staff.

The company says it is expecting to hire more than 300 new crew members in 2024.

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Yingling Aviation’s chairman and CEO, Lynn Nichols and president, Andrew Nichols are to remain active leaders and investors in the newly-acquired Wichita, Kansas-based FBO and MRO.

AEI has made numerous investments in business aviation companies over recent years, such as Alpine Air, Global Jet Capital, Landmark Aviation, Solairus Aviation and StandardAero. Jon Nemo, senior partner, AEI said this investment signifies the start of the company’s plan to strengthen its services to business aviation.

“We have known Yingling Aviation and its owners for several years and are excited to be partnering with them to continue to build this leading platform serving the needs of business aircraft owners and operators,” said Nemo.

Located at Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Yingling’s MRO services include airframe, engine, avionics upgrades, paint, interior, propeller sales and service and parts sales. Founded in 1945, the firm currently operates a 300,000sqft facility with more than 180 employees.

“Yingling Aviation is a very well-recognised brand within the business aviation market and the Wichita community,” said Lynn Nichols, chairman and CEO, Yingling Aviation.  “Our partnership with AEI represents another key milestone in our growth story and we look forward to having a partner with their knowledge and operating experience in our market.”

Akerman & Co served as legal advisors to AEI on the acquisition, with Arn Mullins Unruh Kuhn & Wilson and Klenda Austerman serving as legal advisors to Yingling Aviation.

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Bluetail’s Mach Conformity product was developed in collaboration with Part 135 operators such as Solarius Aviation, Wheels Up, Jet It, Wing Aviation and Mach Point Aviation.

According to Bluetail’s chief operating officer, Stuart Illian, the software is in part a response to the recent unprecedented growth of the on-demand charter market.

“[The growth] has put pressure on operators to onboard additional aircraft onto their certificates faster and more efficiently than ever before,” he said. “Just doing all the paper records search and conformity steps required by the FAA can add weeks to the process and cost the operator tens of thousands in lost revenue.”

With Mach Conformity, Bluetail aims to give client’s the ability to handle conformity requirements more “efficiently and effectively”. Purchased as a software subscription, it includes features such as task management, an FAA binder builder, managing AD and SB lists and deep search.

It also has the ability to digitally paper clip FAA forms to other documents and export the resulting binder to the appropriate Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).

“The Mach Conformity Module has been created to fill a particular need,” said Greg Baynham, vice president of Applications and Delivery, Bluetail.

Baynham added that design partners Solairus Aviation, Wheels Up, Jet It, Wing Aviation, and Mach Point Aviation all claimed that the software would reduce conformity processes by up to five days.

“According to the data supplied by the various participants, that time savings alone would translate to tens of thousands of dollars in added revenue per each newly-conformed aircraft,” he said.

Mach Conformity features – At a glance:

• Conformity binder builder needed for the applicable FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).
• Digital paper clip-related lead documents, including Form 337s with supporting 8130-3 forms, into single units of work.
• Upload Airworthiness Directives (ADs), as well as Chapters 4 and 5 requirements, and link supporting documents to the appropriate AD and OEM requirements.
• Track the status of each binder chapter through a colour-coded task manager.
• Save the final conformity binder for future use and export the documents into a standard format for the FSDO’s review.

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Solairus Aviation has appointed Bob Marinace as executive vice president.

Marinace brings over 30 years of aviation experience to Solairus and has held senior leadership positions for several business aviation service companies.

Working from Solarus’ Manhattan office, Marinace will continue to develop the company’s expansion on the East Coast.

“Solairus has experienced a tremendous amount of growth in the past twelve months, as the market is clearly responding to its decentralized and transparent approach towards aircraft management,” said Marinace.

Marinace continued “Personally, I have also been especially impressed with Solairus’ strategy of ensuring that the necessary infrastructure needed to support a substantial East Coast management and charter sales effort was in place prior to expanding the fleet. Serving as the company’s new Executive Vice President, I look forward to helping the team build on its East Coast momentum, while discovering and capturing new business opportunities abroad.”

“I am a firm believer that business aviation is a people business where talented individuals create your competitive advantage,” Dan Drohan Chairman and CEO, Solarius said.

“Our executive team has always placed our clients’ satisfaction, company-wide safety, and the well being of our staff ahead of outside interests and distractions. Solairus is about people, not planes. These priorities are starting to catch the industry’s attention, leading Solairus to become a destination employer that is capable of attracting an executive of Bob’s caliber. Bob is certain to make an immediate impact in our East Coast efforts as he leverages decades of successful leadership in what is easily one of the world’s most competitive markets. He’ll be tasked with fleet development, increasing our charter sales presence, identifying new marketing and partnership opportunities, and flying the Solairus flag high above our Manhattan office for our locally based clients. Working alongside a talented regional charter sales team and a network of flight coordinators in the area, Bob is sure to build upon our existing East Coast success,” Dtohan concluded.

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