THE ART OF OWNERSHIP – ELEVATE Italkraft

Luxury Awaits you in the skies with Aircraft Dealer and Management BLACKBIRD AERO

ELEVATE: Why would someone want to purchase their own plane rather than belong to a membership program that other aviation companies proffer?
BRANDON ABBEY: There are two conclusions that lead a perspective owner to purchase. The obvious reason is purely economical. If a client is already paying for nearly 100 or more hours a year a charter, the math justifies the means with serious peruse to ownership. Others opt to buy due to the lure of privacy and the accomplishment one feels to entertain their life’s goal. Ancillary benefits are not available through chartering, being tax depreciation, knowing your own crew members, personalizing your aircraft, the freedom of flying when the client wants to and pride in ownership makes the choice to buy more appealing to many.

ELEVATE: Is it essential to understand the mission of the aircrafts use, the range of the distance, and the technology of the aircraft, in which define the needs of the buyer?
BRANDON ABBEY: The first conversation commences with the client’s anticipation of usage, where he/she envisions traveling to and from, the amount of seating and luggage space they require and if non-stop arrival is a necessary requirement. Once these parameters are clearly defined, we can then identify if a Light, Mid or Heavy size and more specifically, what model private aircraft is best suited to their needs.

ELEVATE: How does one go about obtaining a budget for purchase?
BRANDON ABBEY: Once model options have been discussed and decided upon, we provide our clients with a customized annual pro forma budget based upon their anticipated usage. Our personalized assessment includes forecasts that consider fuel, crew, maintenance, insurance, required subscriptions and hangaring the aircraft.

ELEVATE: What are the major differences in electing to operate the aircraft in a Part 91{Non-commercial}or Part 135{Commercial} to offset the fixed cost of ownership?
BRANDON ABBEY: Aircrafts are operated either purely private or a mix of private and commercial usage. An aircraft that is utilized solely for the owner’s business or personal usage is managed and operated in compliance with FAA Part 91. Corporate aircrafts are also capable of producing a revenue stream to offset the cost of ownership through chartering. In these circumstances, an aircraft managed and operated under a more restrictive section of the FAA is known as Part 135. This option allows owners who may not need the plane to be on standby, lighter usage of the plane and prefer to offset some of the fixed costs associated with ownership.

ELEVATE: What are some of the tax advantages that a buyer can obtain? (depreciation?)
BRANDON ABBEY: There are considerable tax advantages to owning an aircraft; our expert’s present options for each customer on an individual basis. The cornerstone is if the aircraft is not used to generate revenue, its depreciable over five years, while if the aircraft is used for mixed personal and to generate revenue, its depreciable over seven years. If owned by your business, you’re entitled to Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery system (MACRS) depreciation.

ELEVATE: How does one determine the resale value of an aircraft?
BRANDON ABBEY: It’s necessary to look past their beauty and complexity when it’s distilled down, the truth is, aircrafts are a commodity. We are able to identify an aircrafts specific value based on a blend of the model, age, time on the aircraft, options, condition and recent trades.

ELEVATE: What are some of the services a potential owner can obtain at Blackbird Aero?
BRANDON ABBEY: We offer consultation and procurement services to ensure acquisition of correct make and model to fit your needs, and then assist throughout the entire transaction to ownership. We advise on structuring your ownership, ensuring your position is as advantageous as possible considering taxation and liability. After the sale, we are a personalized full-service aircraft management company that provides and manages pilots with their training, organizes maintenance, procures insurance and keeps your aircraft and it’s recorded compliance with FAA and manufacturer’s requirements. As professional pilots ourselves, we’ve personally operated everything from turboprop aircraft throughout the Caribbean to Learjet, Challenger, Gulfstream and Boeing 757 & 767 aircrafts around the world. Our hands – on backgrounds enable us to anticipate operational, regulatory and market shifts. This level of understanding provides security to our clients that their asset they’ve worked so hard to obtain is in good hands.

“Whether you’re an aircraft owner looking to understand the market for your aircraft, curious about how another model will operationally and financially compare to your current plane or a first-time buyer, we pride ourselves on genuine personalized care- letting our passion for aviation earn and keep your business.” – Brandon Abbey