Mr Michaels,

Since you need to give a presentation on a few aircraft choices, here's a quick bone to throw your dogs:

Gulfstream 450. Reasons:

1. Gulfstream has "coolness" and "ramp presence" that other aircraft do not have. If there is a need to impress clients and/or guests, there is nothing like saying you'll be picking them up in "our Gulfstream."

2. Gulfstream's customer support is without pier. If you have a problem anywhere in the world, they will fly in a part or mechanic immediately.

3. Up until just recently, there was no possibility of you acquiring a G450 in the near term. Every one flying was not for sale and the assembly line slots are booked up for 5 years. Now there is a handful available on the market. This should mean great re-sale value if/when you decide to sell it.

4. Head-Up Display (HUD) and Enhanced Vision System (EVS) is standard on the G450. This will allow your pilots to safely get you into Aspen Colorado, Sun Valley Idaho, etc when other aircraft will have to divert.

5. Easy Coast to Coast range as well as Hawaii and Europe.

It will most likely be the most expensive choice, but its proven resale value makes the point moot.

These bullet points are all from my own personal experience - and no...I don't work for Gulfstream. :D

Drop me a line if I can be of any further help.

Carl

"coolness"

:confused:

Might want to check into more important things like hourly DOCs.

Falcon may not be as "cool" but its a hell of a lot more efficient for the same mission.

Availability? - approx 20% of the business jets on the planet are for sale as of today, I dont think its a problem getting your hands on one or two of your choice! - even the coolest of the Gulfstreams are yours for the taking!

;)

G200, is that you?

BU -

I couldn't rec'd a G200 to ANYONE!

RM,

If this is a serious search (as in the owners truly being serious), I highly recommend you use a broker, NBAA and other professional organizations that can steer you in the right direction. The thing you don't want happening is to make recommendations without doing the due diligence and they end up not very happy a year from now or hear otherwise that what you present isn't exactly what's "real world". I've seen more than one company/owner sell the aircraft after seeing the bills, lack of range/payload, etc and that bad first taste keeps them from ever trying it again.

There are so many variables to consider and one of the first things you need to determine is what would a typical mission be like? From there you can start comparing costs, specs, performance etc..... Put together a handful of airplanes that can fulfill this and have a budget drawn up for each.

In the end, be honest with yourself, your employer and the pros on what you don't know, learn as much as you can and see where it goes. :)

I have started a flight department from scratch and would strongly recommend The Van Allen Group. If your serious about running a professional aviation flight department then I would consult with them. Also before purchasing an aircraft you must, I repeat must, speak with aero/marine in Sacramento. They outline the best corporation scheme and purchase arrangement for you. As a professional pilot myself, I thought of starting my flight department myself, but after several consultations I thought the smart money would be to go with the Van Allen Group. Many of the pilots here have wonderful recommendations in establishing a flight department but very few have started one from scratch that is ISBAO, Wyvern or ArGus approved. Us pilots are very smart but so few of us make effective flight department managers. As Borman once said, don't let the monkeys run the zoo. I would strongly recommend seeking a consult with them. Good Luck in whatever you choose..

As with any sales profession, not all brokers are bad guys, but some of them definitely can be, so take any recommendation (good or bad) with a grain of salt. I'm NOT a broker / dealer / etc - I have been involved with 3 deals with Leading Edge, and unlike a previous poster I had a solid, professional experience every time. I can't speak to that poster's situation though...

Whatever you do, get professional help setting up your operation. Choosing the airplane in the fun part - then you have to figure out the best way to own & operate it and that means balancing operational requirements, the owner's Federal and state tax planning, liability shielding issues, regulatory compliance, the list goes on. Doing this the right way requires more than just pilots & mechanics, you need accountants and lawyers that are experienced in business aviation transactional matters. You're talking about a multi-million dollar operation NOT including, so just make sure you've sought out qualified help! Good luck & blue skies!

I did extensive research for this very issue a year or so ago. I found a very compelling case for a CRJ 200 (Canadair Regional Jet) converted to a 'Challenger 850.' It's a very reliable aircraft, the DOCs are excellent, the performance is acceptable and one can be had for a finished price of around $13M, maybe less. The range will be around 3000nm with the fuel mod and auto throttles, it will seat 16 in a true wide body. The DOCs are slightly more than a straight Challenger 601, with twice the room. Not to mention, there is the added benefit of being able to find tons of furloughed regional pilots to fly it. If you are interested, send me a message. Otherwise, feel free to ignore me. Thanks.

Call if you need help!

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