The entrepreneurial route was natural for Jason Talley. When asked what his aspirations were growing up, Talley said, “Looking back, I went through lots of options as potential careers and always realized that I was a self-starter and in control of my own destiny.”
His self-cultured ambitions led him to pursue a math degree at Missouri Southern State University in his hometown of Joplin, Missouri. During his undergraduate tenure, Talley was involved with creating and operating several technology companies. The efforts won him the North American Entrepreneur of the Year competition in 1998.
After graduation in 2000, Talley moved north to Kansas City. He began flight training and purchased a Beechcraft Sierra that he owned for several years. “The Sierra was my first aircraft and offered the perfect balance of easy flight characteristics and usability for a new pilot,” he said. “I still keep a photo of the airplane and me on my desk.”
The year following his relocation, Talley furthered his formal education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, graduating in 2004. The legal education added another dimension to Talley’s entrepreneurial tool chest, and he continues to practice to this day. Talley is admitted to the Bar in California, Missouri and Kansas, where most of his current entrepreneurial pursuits are based.
The markets he has primarily focused on throughout his career are restaurant, aviation and information technology. A few of Talley’s commitments include acting as the Chairman and CEO of Baker’s Burgers (a quick-service restaurant chain) and Broader Technology Advisor at JSSI.
Talley’s flying has spanned most of his business career. Much of his ability to successfully conduct operations across the country has been enabled by private aircraft. He noted, “I have owned a lot of airplanes over the last 21 years, including the Sierra, a partnership in a Piper Cheyenne, several Piper Malibus, a Piper Meridian, as well as several Cessna Citations.”
As his businesses expanded, so did Talley’s mission profile, leading to the purchase of a Citation Mustang. One of the reasons he initially purchased the jet was the need to regularly fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico, from Southern California to attend BendixKing Board Member meetings. The six-seat light jet allowed him to easily fly back and forth between KSNA and KABQ a few times per month. The Mustang allowed him to fly more frequently and add more routine destinations. But a challenge that affected him and other twin and turbine operators quickly became apparent to the new jet owner.
“After purchasing the Mustang, I found that I needed a way to manage the various contract fuel cards I had,” said Talley. “With the range of the aircraft and flying further across the country, it was something that had to be done.”
He began to create a software, JetFuelX, that allowed pilots to easily see available fuel prices and seamlessly incorporate their desired choices into flight planning. The service made refueling business aircraft simpler.
“Aviation businesses are extremely fun, and my history has been trying to be disruptive within the industry,” he said.
Talley owned his Mustang from 2013 to 2017 before business began demanding his time at more locations. Primarily, this evolving mission resulted from SierraTrax, a maintenance tracking software firm he founded based in Wichita, Kansas. The company’s roots are similar to that of JetFuelX – founded with the intentions to solve a problem. This time, Talley hoped to lessen the complexity and costs associated with maintenance tracking on aircraft, especially for Citation owner-operators.
Now needing to fly routinely halfway across the country from his home in Southern California to the “Air Capital,” Talley again needed to transition to a more capable aircraft. He had been extremely impressed with his Mustang through several years of ownership and considered it a great entry-level jet, and he looked to remain in the Cessna family due to good experiences. As such, moving into another Citation was an attractive option. After considering other available light jets, Talley decided to purchase a Citation CJ2+ in 2017.
But shortly after he acquired the aircraft, an airline’s ground support equipment ran into the airplane while it was parked at Midway International Airport (KMDW). Now without an airworthy airplane, Talley had the option to consider again what he wanted to fly. But for a second time, he chose the CJ2+, this time a 2010 model.
Recounting his rationale for purchasing the aircraft, he said, “Of course the speed and range were factors, but I also liked the efficiency, modernness, and the comfort of having two engines. In addition, I was absolutely astonished by the performance in non-optimal conditions. I also liked that it had a hot wing versus the boots of some competing options.”
“It was very simple to make the transition from an avionics perspective,” he continued. “The Mustang had G1000 avionics and the CJ2+ has a G3000 suite, which required an STC to replace the Pro Line 21 avionics.” He also noted that the flight characteristics of his newest jet are “predictable and flying the aircraft is like driving a little sports car.”
Talley’s first Citation type rating was the 510 series, which he received after purchasing his Mustang in 2013. When recalling this initial type rating training in the aircraft, he noted that it was “singularly difficult and made me sweat more than the California Bar Exam.” But, he added that the checkout was quickly followed by sim school specific training on the model.
“The [sim school] is definitely an opportunity to explore flying with precision that all pilots of this type should have.” Talley aims to go to FlightSafety International (Wichita) twice a year in order to continue being a competent pilot. Often flying with colleagues and employees aboard the light jet, he stresses the importance of ensuring a professional level of safety, even as an owner-operator.
Most often, Talley’s mission takes him between California, Utah and Kansas, flying roughly 125 to 150 hours a year. With nearly 600 hours in the aircraft, he said, “The CJ2+ absolutely fits a majority of my missions, and I love it.” This trip profile has increased in overall range to include routine flights to Chicago after JSSI acquired SierraTrax in July of 2021. But he currently has no intention to purchase another aircraft.
“I’ve learned to never say never. But my wife says that outside of the Beechcraft Sierra that I first owned, this has been the most I have ever been attached to an aircraft.”
Talley has also been a Citation Jet Pilots Association board member for five years. He instantly recalled his initial research when considering a transition from a single-engine turboprop to a light jet.
“CJP is a wonderful resource, and I joined it immediately before buying my Mustang. There is a wealth of knowledge within the group, including those who have made the same jump in aircraft that you are considering. I have yet to hear of anyone who has moved up in aircraft who has regretted it.”
Outside of flying for business, Talley also owns a Citabria, an Aviat Husky and Robinson R66. He often is able to mix business with flying with his family, including taking his wife of 24 years and their two teenage sons on trips. Some of the activities that they enjoy doing together as a family are fly fishing, skiing and snowmobiling.