Fractional vs. owned aircraft, pros and cons

[satpak77]

NJA you appear to have (well you did, disregard "appear to") done something which allowed you to switch seats from driving the plane to riding in the back of your own plane.

Care to share your story with us? Granted, this is public internet but it might be a great tale in a time where all we hear is gloom and doom.

Thanks

 

[jonjuan]

Hard to beat the recovery time of a fractional with hundreds of airplanes and nearly 3,000 professionally trained pilots...

Especially when flying's down 40% with the same # of pilots.

 

[gutshotdraw]

I don't think NJAOwner is (or was) a pilot. He is one of those people that I wish I could emulate: when he boards a business aircraft, he turns right, not left.

And thank you again NJAOwner for your business. YOU (and others like you) are why we are here.

 

[gutshotdraw]

And it's about 3300 pilots......

 

[satpak77]

I don't think NJAOwner is (or was) a pilot. He is one of those people that I wish I could emulate: when he boards a business aircraft, he turns right, not left.

And thank you again NJAOwner for your business. YOU (and others like you) are why we are here.

I agree...pilot or not, he appears to understand this crazy aviation business, maybe he can shed some advice down on us...

(future frax owner wanna-be myself)

 

[gutshotdraw]

Me too....except some bastage insurance agency employees had the temerity to win MY $216 million jackpot last week

 

[FurloughedAgain]

10% rule. The extra 300 weren't particularly well trained.

 

[NJAowner]

I am not a pilot but have loved flying since I was a little kid and we actually needed to dress up to fly to Florida. One day I may learn to fly (I thnk one or more of my sons may want to learn), but I would never, never go up with out a well experienced professional pilot next to me. I have no desire to fly solo. (My description is more like "Aircraft Flown In" not "Aircraft I've Been Pilot Of".

That said, I do understand the business (but not everything about it). I have had a share for many years and have friends who own their own aircraft (most of which fly more than I do). The ones who don't fly much have many, many headaches with owning a aircraft. My biggest headache with NJA is when ther isn't a movie we like on the plane or the local caterer decides to put something unusually on a dish. Not much for the headache department -- thankfully.

Pure number of flight hours is not the only criteria of whether to own or go frax. You need to look at the missions. If I were to fly alot but go out and back in the same day (or next day), ownership could be justified with fewer hours. If I need a large range of aircraft of spend alot of time out on the road in one place, frax may be better than ownership at more hours. If I go from NY to Wichita for a week and then Arizona for a week and then Colorado for 4 days it may not make sense to tie up a plane and crew on the road or keep flying them back to the base.

Be wary of charter management. Charter is way down (most businesses and families I know who charter have cut way back and will stay down for a while). The people who want/need to keep flying through this environment own or go fractional. If you think fractional sales people strech performance numbers they are just beginnings in the "asusmption" categories compared with charter management salesmen. I have never seen a management proposal where I don't fly for free or make money.

Fly safe.

 

[johnsonrod]

My point in mentioning that research article was that it provided some counter points against fractional flying that might be relevant. I wouldn't advocate one way or the other. He should look for the article regardless.

Updated:

I just found the article through a search. Again, I am not advocating one way or the other - I just think you should consider points on both sides. This article provides a pretty good look at the economics of the frac business:

http://www.aia-aerospace.org/assets/smc_wp-fractionalaviation.pdf

 

[johnsonrod]

Here's a good article about the background of fractional flying and the challenges of operating a profitable frac company - I just found it by searching this forum:

http://www.aia-aerospace.org/assets/smc_wp-fractionalaviation.pdf

I think some of the info might be relevant to you. Good luck.