Here’s another new way to fly, not quite a flying club or fractional deal, but something else altogether. Called an “exclusive transport club,” V International is now open in the U.K., offering members access to a fleet of luxury vehicles that includes the Diamond DA42 Twin Star, the Diamond DA40, and the Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter, plus a Bentley, a Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a Porsche, and a few high-performance boats, too. Members pay about $66,000 for the first year, which gets up to 50 driving days and 6,000 miles plus 50 flying hours and 50 boat days. The company, started by a team of managers from Diamond Aircraft, has plans to expand across Europe and around the world. All vehicles can be reserved via an online system. The pitch goes like this: “Wouldn’t it be great not having to think about annual insurance costs, maintenance, storage, cleaning, taxing, licensing and how much money we will lose when we sell? So — we came up with the idea for V-International. All of the things we want but without the hassle and cost of ownership.”
