IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

August, for most of the business world, generally means it is going to be very quiet while everyone wiles away their time on the last vestiges of summer. Yes, captains of industry and us aircraft brokers alike always have one finger stuck up in the air trying to figure out which way the wind blows, but little was one prepared for the gale that swooped down upon the world this month. Augustus was not about to allow anyone to...

PLANE TALK

Well, if you haven’t heard by now, the U.S. President decided last week during a press conference to malign the business aviation industry by accusing users of business jets as enjoying tax benefits above and beyond what is afforded to users of other business equipment. Gee, last I heard accelerated depreciation was a creation of the current administration as part of the stimulus package to jumpstart the economy and create...

Airliner Angst

It’s been ages since I have had to set foot in a commercial airline terminal, let alone board one of those people haulers.  Besides having the benefit of flying private, I have taken to driving myself to destinations I know I will be at for at least a week and are within more or less a seven hour circle of Houston just to avoid what I consider a very painful experience flying commercial.   Not to mention that I get to...

S’No way to treat passengers

TIS THE SEASON Ahhh the holidays and the joys of commercial airline travel!  That time of year when all good people who used to take a sleigh and head over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house now flock to the airport.   It was bad enough dealing with that certain subset of the population that fly but once a year, but now we get to add to it the tortuous check-in and security experience that of full body...

Jets – The Luggage Advantage

BAGGAGE In packing for an extended stay on the road, particularly in this day and age of airline travel, the weight of my baggage is on the forefront of my mind.  Gone are the days that one could elect to throw that extra jacket in the suitcase or one more pair of shoes, let alone consider taking along the Nancy Gonzalez blue crocodile purse that oh so perfectly works with jeans.  My style (and sense of it) has been...

SUMMERTIME BLUES

August is a tough month for the aircraft broker.   Thirty-one days spent waiting for September in heat and humidity (at least in my part of the world), while the rest of the inhabitants of the western hemisphere are on holiday.  Or so it seems. For those who make a living peddling aircraft, the summer is traditionally a slow period and none slower than the dog days of August.  Particularly for those who are doing business...