In the late 1960s and early 1970s, perhaps the most recognizable private jetliner in the sky was Hugh Hefner’s personal McDonnell Douglas DC-9. Perhaps for its unusual black paint job, but more likely, the spotlight enhanced silhouette of Hefner’s signature white rabbit in a white bowtie on its tailfin Hefner purchased the plane when he was 43. He had the 119-foot plane custom-made for him after a 1966 trip to London. "I saw the future when I [...]
Elvis Presley, regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20thCentury for his screen and stage performances and larger than life persona, also had one of the largest fleets of private jets in existence for the time. Elvis's first private jet, sporting a distinctive red and white color scheme, was a 1962 Lockheed Jetstar. The aircraft featured a lush red velvet and wood appointed interior. One of only 204 planes built by Lockheed and Jetstar, [...]
Aviation's Most Trusted Value Reference Guide VREF Releases First of its kind aircraft trader and broker tools for charting and comparing indexes, commodities and economic data to aircraft historical data CHICAGO, IL, USA, October 10, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 2018 VREF Releases Aircraft Analytic Charting Tools at NBAA-BACE 2018 VREF Aircraft Reference Value & Appraisal Services, Aviation’s Most Trusted Valuation Guide, in yet another first for the aviation market, released its Analytic Charting [...]
Do you know why James Brown was always saying, “I feeeeel Good!” ? It’s because he rode everywhere in a Learjet. The Lear was one of many aircraft James owned. James Brown was a long time aviator. In fact, he was the previous owner of the Beech H18 aircraft that Otis Redding was killed in. And one of his dreams was to get to fly aboard the Airbus A380 before he died. When Brown purchased this Learjet with aircraft [...]
The first Quarter is behind us, and it is less then a month to EBACE. It’s hard to believe that the first half of the year is just about behind us. Just like the temperatures starting rise, aviation is also getting hot or should we say warmer? Activity levels are up, which means there are more active buyers and inventory levels in many categories are trending down. It's the best news many of us have heard in a [...]
It's the first day of Spring and Agusta National is in full bloom and with warmer weather promising to arrive I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to both introduce my self and provide you with an outlook of what to expect from Vref in the months to come. As I sit behind my desk with a full week under my belt as the new President of Vref there are many things I want to discuss, but [...]
VREF Market Leader Newsletter August 2018 It’s August and like the weather in most of the United States, Aviation is hot. The EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 attendance was higher than anticipated; a whopping 601,000 people entered the gates at Wittman Regional Airport (2% higher than last year). It was so packed even the over flow parking lots were full mid-week. Excitement was in the air, and it is very exciting news that just about every major manufacturer [...]
Most people have heard of the Learjet and the 8-track audio cassette, but few associate the two together. Bill Lear was the designer of the Lear Jet executive jet airplane, inventor of the 8-track stereo, and patented several car radios. He was a true pioneer, and visionary. VREF continues to value his products decades after they were first introduced and placed into service and countless others have dedicated their own career to maintaining, operating and piloting Bill’s inventions. [...]
Did you know... 1919 KLM is the world's oldest airline, established in 1919 1920 Qantas is the world's second oldest airline, established in 1920 USD$40,000 In 1987 American Airlines saved $40,000 by removing 1 olive from each salad served in first class 37 seconds An aircraft takes off or lands every 37 seconds at Chicago O’Hare's International Airport Wingspan The wing-span of the A380 is longer than the aircraft itself. Wingspan is 80m, the length is 72.7m $700 [...]
The Importance of Getting an Aircraft Appraisal for Your Plane If you haven't seen an aircraft appraiser yet, it should be your next priority. Keep reading to learn why getting an aircraft appraisal is so important. Keyword(s): aircraft appraisal If you own a plane and haven't had an aircraft appraisal, getting one done should be a high priority. Whether you're choosing an insurance policy for your aircraft, refinancing a loan, or trying to determine the value of a [...]