How much does a private jet cost to buy? Let's face it. Flying commercially, even if you're flying first class, sucks. If only we could all be Tony Stark, flying whenever we want - sipping brandy while we watch the clouds roll by. But wait, what if we could all be Tony Stark? The cost of private jets has been more affordable, and there are options you can choose to lower the overall price. So, let's go [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched virtually every industry on the face of the planet in one way or another. A few industries benefitted, such as delivery services and medical supply companies, but most suffered. The aviation industry is firmly in the latter category. Of course, the aviation industry today is a complicated beast that encompasses airlines, business aircraft, general aviation, manufacturing, and charter services. So, even if the industry suffers as a whole, it doesn't mean all [...]
When is the last time you stepped foot in a commercial airport? It seems like ages ago, and for most of us, we can't wait until its 2021. In the event you do need to travel, there are options, and you can avoid the commercial airlines until they are safe again. Keep reading to learn more about chartering an aircraft. In the current realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, It might feel like your only options are to [...]
There is a long list of advantages to owning your airplane. Some are easily quantifiable, like how much faster it is to travel to certain places or the fact that private planes are safer than traveling by car. Other advantages of owning a private plane are harder to describe. The incredible experience of flight and of taking the pilot's controls. The visits you can make to friends and the people you can take with you on your [...]
By Ken Dufour, ASA, MAM, ATP, CFI and Jason Zilberbrand, ASA, CAA, ISA AM, AOA AM, MRAeS Reading the “Aircraft for Sale” advertisements can be exciting and misleading. As aviation-oriented people, we are conditioned to look for specific bits of information, which we believe will allow us to evaluate the product offered for sale. In the case of airplanes, this information can generally be segregated into three categories – airframe, avionics, and engine. There does seem to [...]
By Jason Zilberbrand, ASA, CAA, ISA AM, AOA AM, MRAeS and Ken DuFour, ASA, MAM, ATP, CFI. Back in the good old days of Corporate Aviation, when there were only a handful of manufacturers, and each one produced one model, power by the hour was created. In the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, the first business jet salesman, and dozens of corporations, entertainers, and a handful of prominent people began their operations of what is known today [...]
By Ken Dufour, ASA, MAM, ATP, CFI and Jason Zilberbrand, ASA, CAA, ISA AM, AOA AM, MRAeS Aircraft records that have been lost or destroyed are a highly debated subject with regards to the continued operation and the overall value of the aircraft. Some say that 30% to 50% of the value of an aircraft resides with the maintenance records. Whether this is accurate or not, they represent value and should be treated with care and respect [...]
By Ken Dufour, ASA, MAM, ATP, CFI and Jason Zilberbrand, ASA, CAA, ISA AM, AOA AM, MRAeS The purchase of an aircraft represents a significant commitment that should be approached carefully and cautiously, especially when buying a used aircraft. For many aircraft owners, it means the most extensive single lifetime investment next to purchasing a home. Quite often, the purchase price of an airplane approximates or exceeds the price of a new home. While not every aircraft [...]
Corrosion can be a devastating enemy of aircraft engines, particularly those in planes that are flown infrequently or placed in storage for an extended period. New engines or those with new or freshly honed cylinders after a top or major overhaul are of particular concern. In areas of high humidity, these have been instances where corrosion has been found in such cylinders after an inactive period of only a few days. Once these cylinders have been operated [...]
An Airworthiness Directive (AD) is an important tool used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to communicate unsafe operating conditions relating to aircraft and aircraft equipment to aircraft owners. A primary safety function of the FAA is to require the correction of unsafe conditions found in an aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, rotor, or appliance when such conditions exist or are likely to exist or develop in other products of the same design. These unsafe conditions can exist [...]