Buying a Private Jet

Pre-pandemic, only 10 per cent of those who could afford to fly privately were actually doing so, according to specialized aviation services provider ARGUS.

Now, whether driven by health considerations associated with COVID-19 or frustration with reduced airline service, many people are turning to private aviation to get where they want to go. Whether it’s an executive who needs that timely face-to-face meeting to seal an important deal, or a successful entrepreneur and their family who are planning a quick long-weekend getaway, private aviation offers both the flexibility and the capability to address every travel need.

In fact, industry analysts at ARGUS’s TRAQPak division reported that the North American market recorded more than 321,000 flights in March 2022—representing a yearly gain of 18.2 per cent over the same month last year. This March, activity in Canada and the Caribbean showed a combined increase of 30.4 per cent compared to February 2022’s numbers. Across all private aviation segments, numbers were trending positively, and analysts expect that climb to continue. 

With all of this demand, newcomers to private aviation must start somewhere, and most of them begin by testing their wings with on-demand aircraft charters. Once they realize the many benefits that come with flying private, they’re ready to consider buying their own plane.

At that point, they have two choices: whole or fractional aircraft ownership.

Just as it sounds, whole ownership involves an individual or a company purchasing their own aircraft, which will be reserved solely for their use. On the other hand, fractional ownership delivers all of the benefits of whole ownership, while buying only a share in a private jet—with access guaranteed in as little as 24 hours.

While each model enables you to travel wherever and whenever you desire, there are significant differences between whole and fractional aircraft ownership. Many of those differences will become evident as soon as you take the first steps towards acquiring an aircraft.

This paper examines the initial phase of sourcing, acquiring and onboarding an aircraft through the lens of the experts at AirSprint Private Aviation, Canada’s largest and leading provider of fractional aircraft ownership solutions.

It can take years to prepare for the arrival of an aircraft, all leading up to one of the most exciting days for any new owner—delivery day. But what many don’t realize is that the process of accepting an aircraft can take as long as a week. In AirSprint’s case, a purchase involves every department in the company, from sales to finance and flight operations to maintenance.

When it’s time to take delivery of a new jet, it’s a team effort at AirSprint. And, the team goes to the jet—not the other way around.

Chris Foley, Director of Maintenance, said the process is complicated and begins long before the aircraft is ready for pickup.

“There are lots of variables between new and used aircraft, or if it’s the first of a type at the company,” he said. “If it’s a new type for us, the first step is to make sure it’s eligible to be imported into Canada. We check to see if the aircraft meets all requirements on what’s called a type certification data sheet."

“Next, from an AMO (aircraft maintenance organization) standpoint, we need to apply to Transport Canada to add the aircraft type to our AMO, so we are approved to work on it. That means having the right equipment and trained personnel to provide maintenance services—buying tooling, obtaining spare parts, booking approved staff training. We work closely with Transport Canada during this time.”

When all of this advance work has been done, Foley said it’s time to acquire the aircraft. If it’s used, the AirSprint team will do a thorough pre-purchase inspection. If it’s new, it’s a waiting game for it to be built. When the OEM says it’s ready, the AirSprint acceptance team generally includes three representatives who travel to the manufacturer’s facilities.

Adam Fallwell, Director of Flight Operations, is usually one of the team members travelling with Foley.

“The first thing I think about is that I’m not accepting this aircraft for myself or AirSprint,” said Fallwell. “I’m accepting it on behalf of our fractional owners. I want to be sure it meets their expectations.”

He described how the aircraft acceptance process works at the OEM facility.

“We do a walk-around when we get there, looking for any big issues. Then we take it for an acceptance flight. We look at every aspect of the plane, running through every single system individually to make sure it works. Basically, I start at the left side of the cockpit and work right, testing every single function. There are people in the back looking at cabin amenities, testing the sound system, chairs, table trays, flushing the toilets, going through it with a fine-toothed comb.”

While the OEM generally provides an in-flight checklist, AirSprint has developed its own list for acceptance flights. Post-flight, Fallwell said the group returns to the hangar, where AirSprint completes a thorough ground inspection.

From a maintenance perspective, Foley said the team checks paint, placards, looks for small defects and ensures everything meets Canadian requirements.

“We make sure it’s airworthy, all systems work, there are no issues from an airworthiness perspective. We oversee the C-registration for Canada, reprogram the avionics, subscribe to all necessary subscriptions, register the ELT on the correct site, and start the importation process.”

Anything that is found lacking is added to a list for the OEM to fix before the team departs.

“It’s about a three-day process if things go well,” said Fallwell. “We have to get the aircraft registered with Transport Canada, put it on our operating certificate, ensure it’s registered with lots of authorities—some things take a bit longer to do.”

Acceptance of Embraer Praetor 500 in Melbourne, Florida.

In the case of a pre-owned aircraft, Foley said the team checks all documentation to ensure modifications and repairs were done according to the correct regulations. They look at airworthiness directives, time limited components and the entire maintenance history, building an airworthiness data package for Transport Canada approval. All together, the importation process involves a checklist of perhaps 150 items.

“I don’t know how many planes I’ve imported, so I’m comfortable with it now,” said Foley. “You get used to it. But the first time I did it, I was stressed.”

Fallwell has also onboarded multiple aircraft. Each time, he sits down in the customer’s seat and simply looks around.

“I’m looking for imperfections. An owner accepting their own aircraft will look hard, but they are typically not flying the jet themselves. You have to have some repetition there in terms of being efficient—we are practised. The senior team at AirSprint has been here for a long time.”

Acceptance of Cessna Citation CJ3+ in Wichita, Kansas.

Both Foley and Fallwell agree that an individual owner would have a difficult time acquiring all the necessary knowledge to import their aircraft.

“I think they would take it to a management company, but that company still needs to go through all these steps with the Owner,” noted Foley. “It’s a crazy amount of work. Our knowledge, expertise and industry relationships help us to do things very efficiently and safely.”

Added Fallwell: “If you’re doing it on your own, you can hire people to manage it. But again, the advantage we have is the fleet experience. We know these aircraft and have more hours on them than many of the OEM test pilots. Some of our pilots have 3,000 hours on these types.”

When a new addition to the AirSprint fleet does fly home to the company’s Calgary headquarters, it is customized with special touches, such as curated commissary supplies. After that, the jet is finally ready to welcome its Owners aboard.