It is said that if America sneezes, Europe catches a cold. Just when we thought we were over the worst of it, concern anew begins with the banking system. What? I thought that was old news here and abroad, and the worst that could be said is that there is limited financing for all but the most credit worthy of clients and newest of airplanes. It seems it is also bailout season once more in the EU and so forward progress in global economic recovery is again stymied. Wow! So much for giving the world breathing space instead of worrying about countries on the verge of default. Roller-coaster is the new exciting ride on Wall Street and up went the fear quotient and down went the confidence level of the general public. Whoa! So much for consumer spending on the rise.

Global market may be the new buzz word in the media, but airplane brokers have been cognizant of the big wide world and potential overseas sales since the first airplane went from point A to point B. We have long been conscious of the need to cultivate relationships, foster business ties, market an airplane’s attributes to all and show how the benefits of utilization can be derived by someone in Timbuktu as much as one can in Tallahassee. Sure, cross-border transactions may have become more prevalent and increasingly pursued in the last ten years, but I’m not sure how many saw this as a revelation as much as an obvious pattern of growth.

Today a savvy aircraft broker is watching trends in various sectors of the global market and responding to that market movement. What makes it difficult to ply our trade is turmoil in the financial sector. If stability could be maintained there, then surely it will come to all other marketable goods and services? Maybe financial market movers and shakers ought to take a page out of the aircraft broker’s play book and take stock of current assets and play the long game. Instead of playing FTSE with stocks what about recognizing and selling value. How about minding one’s P’s & Q’s instead of just the S & P? Isn’t one as important as the other in the grand scheme of things? Don’t tell me one CAC quarante! I guess all I wish is that the news would not be so DOW about airplane investments and instead investors be encouraged to continue to seek out opportunity. After all, an airplane is a commodity that one can expect to trade in an up or down market. Yes, residual value is an important consideration when purchasing, but it shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as an appreciating asset. What an airplane does during all the ups and downs is provide a continued useful service to its beneficiary.

As we close the month out, a hurricane will have made its way up the East coast of the United States. This same storm forced me to flee the outer islands of the Bahamas earlier in week. Thanks to a Mooney Ovation we could set a course for a safe harbor and make the world that much smaller. Vacation salvaged. Perhaps the markets will be too since Irene visited New York over the weekend. Otherwise what would the world do if the NYSE were INOP for a few days?

This attack seems to me like nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention from the fact that the administration has failed miserably in their efforts to restart the economy, primarily in the area of job creation. How easy it is to throw stones at a highly visible business tool and get the public believing that anyone with a business jet is living large as a result of enjoying certain tax benefits, while the rest are struggling. One important fact was not presented during this press conference: that the purchase of a business jet for personal use does not qualify for bonus depreciation. Kudos to NBAA and all who support this industry for quickly rallying and parrying the sword thrust at an important part of this country’s manufacturing sector.

I am not sure though the public or the media today is buying this attempt to redirect their focus. Particularly since it comes on the heels of the First Lady and family’s junket to Africa on board a VIP government jet…all at taxpayers’ expense. Or when the first family heads out on vacation they will enjoy the “perk” of private jet transport. All tax free. Funny how these benefits of the job do not make their way into the same press conference. Vilifying the corporate jet user or the well to do may make for an interesting sound bite from a President, but does it really serve the good of the people being served?

How did it get lost on our leader that the business aviation industry employs around 1.2 million people in just about every capacity imaginable? That these people too have mortgages, kids in school, car notes, grocery bills that are twice as much as a year ago and medical bills to pay. That they have suffered losses and setbacks just as many other Americans have. Just like the automotive or factory worker that gets up and goes to work every day. The big difference may be that the overwhelming vast majority of aviation employees get up and go to work because they love their job. I don’t recall a visit to Wichita to see firsthand how severely one city can be affected by a downturn in an industry. Perhaps because it does not mirror the problems of a city such as Detroit and therefore does not make for as good a political backdrop. GAMA states that in excess of 20,000 union workers have been laid off and there is an estimate of another 15,000 jobs in general aviation having disappeared. Over 10,000 manufacturing jobs in Wichita alone have been lost since the start of the economic downturn.

Business aviation creates jobs, benefits communities and drives shareholder value and NBAA’s more than 8000 members strong have earnings that constitute more than fifty percent of the U.S. GNP. Business aviation activities contribute more than $150 Billion dollars to our economy and has a positive balance in trade! The industry has suffered dramatically since the start of the economic downturn, yet for the most part news of such has been largely ignored by mainstream press. Consequently mainstream America, outside of specific cities where manufacturing is concentrated, has been immune to the hardships suffered by business aviation companies and their employees and families. Business aircraft sales are in Year 3 of a downturn regardless of what the administration wants to say about signs of an overall recovery.

If the decline in the purchasing of business jets, be they used or new, continues a significant number of Americans and American cities potentially could be severely impacted. I am not ignoring that the manufacturers of those fine aircraft produced overseas are also suffering from the setback in the U.S. economy, but this most recent degradation of business aviation was specifically aimed at American companies and individuals who make use of business jets. Let’s hope no other embattled public official jumps on the band wagon and tries to make business jets the scape goat for a failure to orchestrate a turn-around that benefits all.

I am surely preaching to the choir when I say airline travel is not what it used to be.  I know this but why does it seem like it is just getting worse each time I attempt it?  It’s not just the fact that one is subjected to at times a long and embarrassing screening process (I swear I will just strip the next time), or that the oh so smart security personal think they are the experts on packing and want to lecture you on the technique.  Hello! Excuse me, but this is a seasoned, experienced, more miles than I will ever use in my frequent flyer account traveler you are speaking to!  Go talk to the guy with keys, change, pen knife, phone and car charger stuffed in his pockets and trying to walk through the X-ray machine.   I can overlook all the bureaucracy and the invasion of my privacy because I have to in this brave new world that we live.  What I can’t seem to overlook though is how my fellow passengers have lost their sense of decorum and respect and control of their children!

I still show up for an airline flight well put together, even if today I opt for jeans instead.  As I ready for departure I have imprinted in my brain the elegant photo of my mother in hat, gloves, little bag and foxes draped around her shoulder standing on a landing at JFK waiting to board a TWA flight to somewhere.  (It’s an old photo…older than me)   It wasn’t just that flying was special…it was about respect…for oneself and for the people with whom you would share close quarters for hours on end.  Today I just want to shout “what were you thinking” when I look at the dude headed to NYC in board shorts and sandals or the clearly size 12 woman who squeezed herself and her thong into jeans half of what they should be, all the while smacking gum down the jet way.  Or the man sitting next to me who decides that personal grooming at his seat is a right and totally ignores the impact it may have on those nearby.  What happened to manners, class, consideration and accountability?

What happened is I got old.  While I have upgraded, modified or adjusted everything else in my life I have not changed my style and sense of propriety.   I suppose that if the world really does end in 2012 I will have had my nails and hair done for the occasion.   After all I am still a firm believer that first impressions are everything and manners never go out of style.   I do think of what my fellow passenger thinks of my toes and no I do not want them to wonder if I use deodorant or not.  Yes, seats have gotten smaller, but it does not mean I own both armrests and am going to stake claim.  Or that carry-on means attempt to bring your largest suit case possible just to have it gate-checked so you don’t have to wait at the luggage carousel to retrieve it.  Yeah, you know who you are you space invaders.

But I also got lucky.   Lucky to work in a business that helps to maintain some of the old graces and style associated with travel, even if it is to a small percentage of the population.  Lucky to meet other people who wish to maintain decorum while delivering new technology and performance in state of the art aircraft.  Lucky to experience firsthand the benefits of business aviation travel.  Lucky to meet pioneers in every respect and great thinkers who work to develop increasingly cost effective and environmentally friendly airplanes.   I am selling convenience, simplicity, speed and flexibility.  I am also selling peace, serenity, graciousness, relaxation and comfort.   When did you actually experience all of that on a commercial airline trip?  Private aviation means no lines, no lost bags, no one picking at you about only two carry-ons allowed, no dirty feet.

Sure, if you own your own aircraft you can travel how you see fit and my whole soap-box approach to manners may mean nothing.  The truth is though, I think most people see the ability to make use of these time machines as special and treat it as such.   Frankly, I don’t disagree if you are single engine, non-pressurized flying on a 90 degree Fahrenheit day that shorts are in order.   Common sense never goes out of style.   Just make sure the shorts fit before walking across the ramp.

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 scans and TSA groping.  Whatever possesses people to bring wrapped Christmas packages in a paper bag and expect for it not only to fit in the overhead bin, but to be treated as if it were a live animal?  Hello?  Ever hear of UPS or FedEx?

How about commercial airline’s preemptive cancellation of flights this season?  What’s up with anticipating Mother Nature and deciding well in advance of any visible signs of a threat to travel to cancel flights and strand thousands of passengers? I guess airlines calculated the cost of feeding and housing passengers that got stuck midway to their destination was cheaper versus the loss of revenue associated with simply calling off the flight at the point of departure.  Or paying those fines associated with stranding passengers out on the tarmac for hours on end.   I contemplate this and more as I sit by the fire on this cold winter’s night finding ways to continue to entertain my stranded guests and their six month old baby.  Yup, good ol’ Delta thought themselves quite wise in canceling Christmas Day flights on Christmas Eve Day thinking Hartsfield would be impassible only to find the day dawn clear and remain for the most part precipitation free.  Their thinking backfired as they found they had to continue with this strategy the following day when the weather really did arrive.   I bet there were more GA movements in and out of the Atlanta area than scheduled airline flights that day.

Every time commercial aviation opens their mouth and inserts their foot, private aviation is given an opportunity to highlight flexibility and adaptability to a situation.    Par example…I was witness to a  positioning flight to the east coast the morning of the big northeastern U.S. blizzard that moved up its departure schedule so as to make it in and out of HPN before the weather arrived.  Even when a mechanical slightly delayed the departure, the regional fractional share provider stepped right up and substituted another jet.  How often and then how quickly can any airline offer that option to the traveling public?  My guests were invited to ride along on another flight dead-heading east, but since it was not their final destination and knowing how airlines work to penalize you for changes, they opted to take their chances and reschedule.  How helpful and generous is the business jet operator though?  Meanwhile these Delta Medallion customers were kept on hold for close to two hours only to speak (read: hold) with a surly agent for all of ten minutes.   It’s a wonder that the airlines aren’t fueled by coal this year given how naughty the experience has been for so many.

So for those of you who found a plane or jet card in your stocking this year, congratulations!   How nice is that?

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 severely cramped ever since the airlines decided to squeeze their patrons further by reducing the allowable weight of one’s bag on an international leg.  My longing for home becomes accentuated knowing that the perfect heels are waiting on me in the master bedroom closet.   No, functionality and diversity rule when it comes to selecting the clothes and accessories that do get to make the trip.  Perhaps this is why my color palette can be described as various shades of black.  Thank goodness for Hermes scarves and colored gemstones.

As most private aviation travelers know, business jets handle baggage with greater aplomb than any airline ever could.  It is carefully stored in a clean, safe environment and transported with great care.  It can ride in the cabin if need be, for there’s some baggage that just can’t seem to be let go of.  Or it can be placed in the baggage compartment where it nonetheless will travel in great style and you will be absolutely assured of seeing your Vuitton case at the end of the trip.   Ahh and the choices as to what you can take along are endless!  You can invite all your old friends: Armani, Christian, Valentino and Louis without fear that there will not be room available…well, in most cases.  Fashion devotee or shopaholic need not worry about checking that second or third bag.

Dealing with baggage has become a sort of subset specialty for me.  I have perfectly honed my baggage handler skill set and am prepared to deal with most anything, though at times I want to charge for exceeding the allowable limit.  Flashing my Crest strips white smile I reach out a helping hand to those who are having trouble managing the load.  I know, I know label me an enabler, but…somebody has to keep the deal on track and bring it to a close.  Though lately it has occurred to me that perhaps I need to have my weight bearing load capacity reevaluated.

While I end up dealing with excess baggage I have my own perfect way of lightening the load.   I navigate my way to an idyllic place northwest of Houston and visit my four-legged counselor.   His name is Meacham Field, and no creature does a better job of listening and offering relief from the weight of travel.    He makes me check my baggage at the curb.

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 in Europe.  Sales grind to a halt; decisions are left hanging midstream and service and support centers can’t get projects completed due to a shortage of employees.   If ever there where was a case of if you can’t beat them, then join them, this is the time to take a vacation!

While the world economies still seem to be in the grip of a recession and it is easy to dismiss this summer’s slowness as a result of such, let me take a flight of fancy and ask could it be that we have returned to a more traditional schedule of doing business?   Has an economic downturn actually allowed for more free time?   Perhaps this is just my indulging in wishful thinking, but this summer felt more like summers past from my early days of selling business aircraft.  The aircraft sales calendar has an unofficial cut off date for activity, which falls sometime around the last week of June.  Potential buyers have fled the market in favor  of sunning in San Tropez, acclimating in Aspen or happenings in the Hamptons, among other things.  It is often quietly discussed that if you don’t have the product sold by then you might as well go on vacation until the early part of September.  Okay, this has not necessarily held true over the last ten years, but prior to the Internet bust you could disconnect your Hobbs meter for that season.

Of course now contrary to popular perception, most aircraft brokers simply do not stop working because the prospects go away on holiday.  The fact that the phone has stopped ringing is not going to be reason enough to curtail dialing.  One is either driven by a strong work ethic or sheer terror of not knowing when the next deal is coming your way.  Regardless of which it is rest assured this broker is Sirius about seeking a sale in August.

Hope is not lost to those of us who choose to make a living peddling aircraft.  There is after all September and the unofficial restart date to sales activity.  Who says there is no cure for the summertime blues?  In the aircraft broker’s world, the cure is an aircraft sale.  A Global Express or Falcon the perfect tonic.  And Labor Day weekend the time to finally exhale after a long summer spent holding one’s breath in anticipation.

At the invitation of a client I took a ride on his PC-12 from Paris to Geneva where we were headed for the European Business Aviation Convention. The aircraft is built by Pilatus of Switzerland (doesn’t get more neutral than that) with the idea of giving the owner/pilot a relatively fast, cabin class airplane with which to move family, employees or friends about the land.  Ahhh, what luxury to avoid the crush of the terminals at CDG and GVA, not to mention the attitude that comes with the national airline AF, when one gets to ride on a PC!

So it was simply “au naturel” to support the business aviation industry by traveling privately. Gone was the hassle of queuing to check-in as my trip started by driving up to the plane to drop my LV bag.  From there one was ushered into the private lounge for a café and croissant and to meet and greet fellow passengers. Shortly thereafter we boarded our plane and within minutes found ourselves airborne en route to Geneva.  Flying in Europe requires pre-arranged departure times, but leaving from this private airfield enables one to taxi directly from the parking area to the end of the runway.

Every seat was filled, but still nothing can compare to the ease and comfort with which we were transported.  The PC-12 comfortably sat my eight fellow passengers and the cuisine proved exceptional having been catered by Le Notre of Paris.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been if it were fair weather flying and the view of the fields of France would have yielded to the majestic Alps of Switzerland.

Though foul weather prevailed, the descent into Geneva was relatively smooth and the touchdown even more so.  The combination of big fat tires, trailing link gear, and a very experienced Captain allowed for a landing as smooth as glass.  The ever efficient Swiss had our bags off-loaded and ground transportation at the ready.  One feels as if you can buy time given the amount we were saving.  A unique feature of the exposition center at which the European Business Aviation Convention was being held is that it is directly adjacent to the airport.  So the time from plane to plane business was measured in the minutes it took the transport to circle the airport.

So, it was easy to stay right down the middle of the road and yet raise my stock among the business aviation elite by arriving in PC style.

Recently I found myself reconnecting with this, my favorite international airport.  Le Bourget is steeped in history and resplendent with images from an earlier time in aviation.  Hangars that remind one of a romantic era in flying share space with glass and chrome structures that salute the advancement of design and efficiency.  As one drives into the airport from the A1 you are greeted by the L’Air and Espace Museum with its decommissioned Arianne rocket and B747 in Air France livery on the ramp.  Home to the crown jewel of airshows the Salon des Avions, or Paris Air Show, is held every other year at Le Bourget.  For me the deep breath moment always comes as I turn the corner past the offices of the Aeroport des Paris and look up the long “street” to the imposing structure of the maintenance hangars for Dassault Falcon Service.  Here so much of my history has been made.

Le Bourget boasts a lengthy runway built to accommodate the largest of jets and plenty of parking spaces making this a very user friendly airport.  With a variety of fixed base operators from which to choose your experience on the ground is sure to always be first class. If there is anything that one can be disappointed by, it may be because your time spent at the airport will be so short.  Should your Citation or Falcon need work while in town, count on the factory approved Cessna Service Center or Dassault Falcon Service to fix you right up.  Michel Timbert, Cessna’s local GM and Eloi Dufour, DFS’ will personally see to your jet’s expert care.  This folks is as close as it gets to an American experience on foreign soil as these two are completely accessible and understand “can-do”.  While departure and arrival slots are a requisite for air travel in Europe, Le Bourget always seems to handle them with such ease and precision.  Kudos to the airport management and ATC!

I was duly impressed at the heightened appreciation and seriousness with which security is approached at Le Bourget.  For anyone, but a passenger passes are required to gain access to the ramp or a hangar.  Le Bourget is a bit unique in that there are a number of vendors and private hangars in the center of the airfield.  Vehicles are not permitted any access to the airfield without first passing through a checkpoint and everyone and their baggage is thoroughly screened.

Flying is a business, but in the City of Lights the romance of flying has not been forgotten.  Nor have the legends.  The WWII era hangars bear the names of those who contributed to the growth of aviation.  In a very touching and endearing tribute to one of America’s greatest aviators the spot on the tarmac where Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP “Spirit of St. Louis” rolled to a stop is marked and a statue honoring Lindbergh graces the entrance to the airport.  The anniversary of this epic flight across the North Atlantic recently passed, though I venture to guess that few, if any, current travelers noticed. 

I wonder what Charles Lindbergh would think if he could see this airfield today and the machines that frequent it.  He would love it I imagine.  I do.  Captain Lindbergh opened the door to air travel across the pond and beat a path to Le Bourget.  So get your headings straight and do the same, but perhaps in something more comfortable than that old Jenny.

While business aviation conventions have been a staple of the industry for many years in the United States, salons elsewhere dedicated to this sector of the market have come and gone until the advent of this über European show now in its tenth year and held annually at the Palexpo Arena.  Geneva creates a business aviation friendly environment and lays out the red carpet for this show.  This city knows a cash cow when they see one.

The who’s who of the business aviation world, mostly those based outside of the US, descend on the city for three days of schmoozing and shopping.  The relative intimate atmosphere of the Halls of the Palexpo allow one the opportunity to rub shoulders with the next G650 buyer and get face time with key decision makers at all the major manufacturers.  Hey, with buyers for new business jets as scarce as hens teeth last year, all you have to do is look like you have a little Moo-la and you are getting served champagne.  Coffee and tea are so passé!  (As in pass the booth by that is not serving champagne!)

As one who attends trade related expositions on a regular basis, I find the approach that the organizers take to this event both refreshing and charming.  It is certainly all business here, but elegantly presented, flavored with regional symbols of a rich heritage, thereby reminding one we are not in Middle America.  Come on now, wouldn’t you much rather go to Geneva to order your next airplane, regardless of where it might originate from?  The best in airplane deal-making comes out at these events as the manufacturers and vendors alike try to out savior-faire themselves, all the while expertly detailing for the listener the latest innovations in their products and trends within the industry.  As a purveyor of select business aircraft, I am here to learn and EBACE does not disappoint.  As a buyer, the chance to sit and experience every new make and model is priceless–if only measured in the time one saves.

So if some future month of May finds you in Europe add EBACE to the must attend list.  It fits nicely between Cannes and Monaco!

In this unprecedented halt to commercial airline traffic, rental cars to hotels and everything in between became a precious commodity.  A major logistical transportation problem was unfolding for the airlines: how to move passengers stuck by the shutdown and yet accommodate the scheduled passengers on the day they could start flying again?  For the passengers left stranded, when and how they were going to get home became an open-ended question as they discovered that rebooking was not going to be an easy undertaking.What were you to do if you positively HAD to be somewhere else and the media and airlines were telling you it’s impossible?  (What traveler has not heard those familiar “it’s impossible” words spoken in an imperial tone to them at one point or another in their worldly travels?  You know what I am talking about!)  The answer is to call a local  aviation consultant!  And if you don’t have an aviation consultant, contact  your private banker and plead, “ HELP!  I’m stuck and I can’t get out of here!”

Such was the case for a group of businessmen who absolutely, positively needed to return from Italy, to Houston, Texas, within a certain timeframe.  The “SOS” call   found its way to me on late Saturday afternoon, April 17, while I was doing an admittedly “girlie thing” –  like having my nails done.  The banker for these business executives conveyed the sense of urgency and the frustration in not being able to find a solution for her high net worth clients. She wondered if I, as someone who works in the business aviation sector, could come up with one.

Mind you that although arranging charter flights is not what I specialize in, my Rolodex is full of companies that do and so frenzied speed-dialing (with help from my manicurist) commenced.   Cognizant of the time zone difference (or not since this is business aviation and we answer calls no matter what the hour), I rang up my business partner in Geneva at what was 11 PM.on Saturday, April 17, there.   As the owner of a charter/management company, he operates “for hire” a fleet of long range, large cabin private jets which is just what was needed for this type of trip.   One phone call lead to having a feasible plan in place by 9 AM the next day, Geneva time.

As we know, all plans have upsides and downsides, good news and bad news so to speak.   The bad news: the aircraft available through this particular charter company  were either already out on other trips or they were stuck in Geneva for the same reason that the prospective clients were in Italy.  The good news: he had access to a Falcon 7X that  happened to be out of the affected area.  All we needed to do was find a mutually convenient staging area from which to commence the trip and the makings of a rescue were underway.

We were racing against the clock at this point because we had to coordinate a trip from other than the airplane’s home base and the window of opportunity at the chosen airport could close at any moment.  Chances of the airspace remaining open improved the further south one went.  That led the passengers to decide to drive from northern Italy to Rome where the airplane would meet them on Monday morning, April 19.  The crew sitting with the Falcon 7X would deliver the airplane there, but since they were arriving from Africa, they would not be in a position to continue with the flight onward to the States.  Another crew was dispatched by train from Geneva to Rome on Sunday morning so as to be in position to launch the flight at  9 AM on Monday,  local time.

As Sunday dawned in Europe, the passenger manifest began to expand.  Given that empty seats were available for other travelers, arrangements were made to make a stop in Spain to pick up other stranded co-workers, bringing the total to eight.  Schedules were set, security and customs clearances prepared, and the weather watched closely — all in less than twelve hours from the time the first call was made.  Since the job was more or less over for me, I resorted to monitoring the weather and flight status over Europe and transmitting this data to the travelers.  I had my own little Mission Control going on from the comfort of my living room!  And yes, of course, I reminded everyone that arranging catering should be on the “must do” list.   Even though I knew that the impeccable Swiss service would not forget this detail, I wanted the passengers to know they could order whatever they wanted.  You know, when in Rome……

Ultimately, the Texas bound passengers were able to regroup and find a commercial flight home from Europe.  However, the level of service offered by the owner of the charter company and the rapid response in coming up with a solution to their transportation dilemma won over these executives and assured opportunities for future business for the charter company owner.  Flexibility and customized solutions are true hallmarks of business aviation.

So the next time a volcano eruption interferes with your travel plans and your airline ticket become as valuable as the last lottery ticket you bought, remember that private aviation offers an alternative to get you where you need to go.  Pronto!