JETNET Releases August and First Eight Months 2010 Pre-Owned Business Jet, Business Turboprop Aircraft and Helicopter Market Information

Posted on September 30, 2010 by JETNET

UTICA, NY – JETNET LLC, the leading provider of corporate aviation information, has released the August 2010 results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop, and helicopter markets.

Market Summary
Highlighted in Table 1 are the key worldwide trends across all aircraft market segments for the first eight months of 2010 versus 2009. Business Jet inventory For Sale shows the largest change (down 2.5 points), to 14.9% from 17.4%. Most important is the percentage change in the Sale Transactions; Business Jets led with the largest
percentage gain, 30.1%, compared to 2009. All aircraft categories are taking longer to sell in 2010, ranging from 40 to 124 more days in the YTD comparisons. The Piston Helicopter segment is the only one in the aircraft market to show an increase in average asking price (of 2.4%). However, the Piston Helicopter segment is also the only one to be down in sale transactions (a 6.4% drop).

Download the full report (PDF).

Guest Post: A day in the life of an Aircraft Broker – by Jason Zilberbrand, The Jet Collection

Posted on September 27, 2010 by JETNET

This post is the 2nd in our “Day in the Professional Life” series where we ask business aviation experts to give us their observations and insights into how they navigate the industry. Today’s post is by Jason Zilberbrand, from The Jet Collection. The views of Mr. Zilberbrand are his own are not necessarily the views of JETNET LLC.

Jason Zilberbrand, The Jet Collection

What a difference 24 months makes! If someone asked me what my day was like 2-years ago, I would have probably told them that I spent my mornings watching the world unravel and my afternoons trying to get a potential client to work with me (or just answer the phone). The truth is, I would have better served both mentally and physically taking those 24 months off completely. Business was at a stand still, financing was a foreign word, aircraft values were numbers that we all attempted to calculate without success and markets moved faster then any of us were prepared for.

With some perseverance and time the economy has begun to settle down. We are far from out of the woods, but business in general seems to be back for many industries. Could we have a better buyers market? Financing has started to come back and for my company that specializes in Eastern Europe and the Russian market, we have been successful in sourcing financing for our clients, obtaining acquisition agreements and signing brokerage agreements. We are still holding off buying inventory, but the good news is we are now starting to look again.

The Eastern European and Russian markets have become very active over the past the quarter. Most of our business comes from larger corporations that we have done business with before and their referrals to friends and family members. The key to doing business in this part of the world is having a trusted representative or in our case representatives that live with-in the country to help facilitate contract negotiations. Speaking the language, understanding the culture and having the ability to translate documents are critical.

Founded in 2004, The Jet Collection is an aircraft inventory dealer and broker based in Chicago. We handle business and commercial aircraft sales and acquisitions for midsize, large and global corporations, foreign governments and private individuals all over the world. Our core expertise is in Long Range and International Cabin Class aircraft. Our philosophy – We are aircraft matchmakers. While some of our competitors are strictly focused on transactional volume, we strive to create perfect matches between people and aircraft. We have a diligent work ethic and are aggressive problem solvers – We’re here. Weekdays. Weekends. Holidays. Whether you have a question, a minor problem or a significant issue, you will find us accessible and responsive.

So what exactly is my day like now? Continue reading →

JETNET Featuring New Helicopter Brands at Helitech Portugal

Posted on September 24, 2010 by JETNET

UTICA, NY – JETNET LLC, the world’s leading provider of corporate aviation information, is featuring its newly branded Helicopter database services, Helidex and Rotodex, at this year’s Helitech Portugal 2010 trade show. In addition, JETNET will be showcasing several new and enhanced summary Views, metric specifications, and Evolution Mobile, the mobile version of its flagship Evolution product for smartphones. The helicopter services will also be available to live customers on the mobile platform. They’ll be demonstrating the products to attendees of this year’s Helitech Portugal 2010 at Airport Cascais in Estoril, from October 5th-7th in booth #612.

JETNET maintains the world’s largest comprehensive civil helicopter database, with 125 turbine and piston rotary wing models and more than 30,000 total rotary wing airframes. Their fast, regularly updated services provide global listings of airframes for sale, trade or lease in summary Views for quick, convenient searches.

HelidexRotodex The Helidex product provides timely, accurate listings of some 2,000 airframes offered for sale on the global helicopter market. Rotodex gives subscribers comprehensive specification details on over 26,000 in-service turbine and piston airframes worldwide. This marks the first time JETNET has branded their research products specifically for helicopter markets and professionals.

Vincent Esposito, President of JETNET, says his firm collects the most reliable and timely intelligence, but is also providing even clearer choices to those in the helicopter market. “Our comprehensive rotary wing service stays current with the global market, and we present complex data in easy-to-read summaries. We want to make the information as accessible as possible for our helicopter clients,” he said. “These improvements help them know even more, and stay ahead of their competition in today’s demanding marketplace.”

The new one-page Model Market List View summary captures data of particular interest to sales professionals, including aircraft for sale for selected makes and models, price/status, brokers, key features, times, and much more.

A new feature also improves international compatibility by providing a metric units option in the Performance Specification and Operating Cost modules. International subscribers and those who work with clients globally will experience seamless unit translations and be able to display relevant records without extra conversion time and the attendant possibility for errors.

JETNET is most excited about the debut of their new Evolution Mobile service. Available exclusively to subscribers of their premium Helidex service with LIVE updates, the Mobile application offers users a mobile screen-sized version of Helidex, and runs on most popular smartphones with web and SMS text ability. Through this new feature, Helidex LIVE subscribers can use their phones to remotely access many of the same menus, View screens and aircraft details available on their desktop Helidex service. Subscribers can also choose to receive customizable Text Messages to immediately alert them of developments on specific aircraft or market segments. The mobile app for Helidex is currently available for the iPhone, Droid and Blackberry.

JETNET invites all aviation professionals to see demonstrations of the new enhancements at their exhibit in booth #612 at Helitech Portugal 2010.

Autumn Leaves, or Rather Autumn BRINGS!

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Diane Levine-Wilson

When you have been entrenched in this fabulous business for as long as I have, you know very well what autumn brings….The NBAA Convention!

I feel a warm and fuzzy need to reflect on these recurrent shindigs after logging over 30 years worth of attendance. I love them! I love the energy, the optimism, the over the top displays, the junk we collect, all this has been keeping me coming back year after year. It’s fun! I get to see old friends even if it’s just for this one time a year. We catch up on what’s happening even if it’s not all business news. We get to meet those customers who only know us by a voice over the phone.

It’s almost as if NBAA is our marker, a turning point in our business that surpasses even our fiscal year or anniversaries. It’s our place to showcase new product, most of which we have worked on most of the previous year to have ready. The pressure to have something “new” for NBAA is staggering. You have to be there.

NBAA , as we lovingly call the show, has evolved over the years as have I. NBAA has grown in space and in attendance. It now attracts bizav players from all over the world. The venues available to house all our aircraft and services and people are few since we have become so large.

Both NBAA and I are maturing. I have seen it happen. Our industry is part of the world economic firmament and it shows.

The “hoopla” factor has calmed down over the years as well with fewer and fewer marching bands and dancing girls. We have gotten more serious. That’s a good thing in my estimation. As for me, I now wear sensible shoes and gather up the do dads for the grand kids, which is also a good thing. I can’t stay up as late as I used to in the old days….I need my sleep! Not so much of a good thing.

I am still as happy looking forward to the 2010 NBAA as I was for the 1978 NBAA!
It has been a great trip and a helluva lot of fun!

Come by our booth #8401….we have great things to show you.

Guest Post: A Day in the Professional Life of a Broker

Posted on September 22, 2010 by JETNET

This post is the first in a “Day in the Professional Life” series where we ask business aviation experts to give us their observations and insights into how they navigate the industry. First up, Jeremy Cox, Vice President of Jet Brokers, tells us what it’s like being a broker in today’s climate. The views of Mr. Cox are his own are not necessarily the views of JETNET LLC.

Jeremy Cox, Vice President at Jet Brokers

When a potential buyer responds to one of your advertisements Murphy’s Law usually applies, i.e. if it has Thrust Reversers then the buyer is looking for an aircraft without them; your aircraft doesn’t have a belted potty, and the buyers wants one with it; “the aircraft is in Italy, eh? Well I only want a U.S. aircraft”; the buyer wants 30,000 cycle turbine disks, and your aircraft doesn’t have them; “No engine Manufacturers Service Program (MSP), sorry I’m not interested”; and the story goes on and on.

All joking aside though, it always makes me laugh when a buyer approaches me and asks: “what’s the lowest price that you will sell for?” Of course the correct response is: “well what’s the highest price that you will pay?” Better yet the buyer enquires about one of your exclusive listings and then proceeds to pull it apart over the phone so far to the point at which you are even beginning to believe that it is a horrible specimen, then when it comes around to talking about the buyers trade-in aircraft, you are effectively told that somehow in the case of this specific aircraft, the factory made a mistake and built it much better than all of the other aircraft that came off the same assembly line. Too funny!

I love the buyers that firmly believe that since the day that they bought their aircraft, every dollar spent on maintaining it, has actually increased its value. Then you have the sellers who tell you that their aircraft is absolutely perfect, but when you go through the log books you discover that it has been through a tornado and hanger collapse, or better yet, the landing gear has never been overhauled and it is now ten years overdue. What a perfect aircraft. Continue reading →