Purchasing

Although Im afraid to add up the actual number of years, I sometimes feel like I have spent most of my journalism career-at least the aviation portion of it-writing about economic downturns. An occupational hazard of that is inflating every little clue, no matter how silly, inconsequential or comically irrelevant as evidence of the r-word-recovery. […]

What will it take to stimulate a flat avionics retrofit market? There are buyers, bythe way. Its just that fewer of them are willing to slap $40,000 on the counter at the avionics shop like they did 10 years ago. Today, $20,000 is the new sweet spot for a modest up- grade. For many, thats […]

DiamondShare, a cost-sharing program for new Diamond DA40 aircraft, isnt designed to be a cheaper way to fly. Instead, it’s intended to make the high cost of new aircraft ownership more compelling, especially for owners that dont plan to fly more than 100 hours per year. For the non-owner, its a way to gain access […]

Gulfstream has taken extraordinary measures to prevent speculation in the market for its flagship G650 long-range big cabin business jet. As we reported in October, an early position holder of the $65 million aircraft, Formula One luminary Bernie Ecclestone, sold his almost-new G650 at a $7 million premium to the owner of a soccer team. […]

Pilots decide to buy their own airplane for a variety of reasons. It could be a business decision, helping ensure cover-age of a relatively wide sales area, or perhaps an aerial photography business. Specialized flight training-like acro, or a quicky instrument rating-also can be a reason. Recreation or personal transportation is yet another. One of […]

Incoming Mooney president Jerry Chen, a Taiwan native who holds a doctorate in aeronautical engineering, told AVweb Friday he intends to keep the heralded airframe manufacturer in its hometown of Kerrville, Texas. AVweb interviewed Chen at the Chinese International Aviation Convention in Xian, China, where Mooney is exhibiting an Ovation and an Acclaim. Those two […]

Not to be irretrievably cynical, but more than any other industry, general aviation has shown itself capable of reducing even well thought out business plans to smoking rubble. And never mind the half-baked ideas. Ive always attributed this to the fact that flying and airplanes as a concept are so intoxicating, that only the most […]

Aircraft sales can’t be completed during the government’s partial shutdown because the FAA’s registry office is not considered an essential function and has been closed, the Wichita Eagle reported Friday. The Eagle says the General Aircraft Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has polled its members and deliveries of 12 new airplanes scheduled for the first two days […]

Owning an airplane requires a certain suspension of the economic rules that govern normal people, but on the whole, the airplane industry operates under an even more perverse logic: As sales soften, it raises unit prices, perhaps chasing away those buyers on the margins who might have been toying with pulling the trigger to buy […]

Years ago in a sleepy college aircraft economics class, welearned the pecking order of items to consider when acquiringan aircraft. The short list included the usual items of damage history,engine time, avionics, operating costs and a variety of other factorsmaking obvious sense. But one aspect of aircraft acquisition wewerent taught is an issue thats gained […]