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Fiveon the Fly by Rebecca Groom Jacobs WHO: Matt Stringfellow POSITION: Managing Partner HOME BASE: Chicago Executive Airport (Old Palwaukee, KPWK) RATINGS: ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI 1. Can you describe your introduction to general aviation? I took my first flight when I was 13; it was a tour of Boulder, CO, where I grew up. From there, I was hooked and used the money from raising cattle and working as a bellman to pay for flight lessons. Soloing at 15 and receiving my private at 16, I had about 100 hours by the time I started at Purdue University. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in professional flight technology and Associates in aviation management. At the time, the pilot market was upside down which led me to a position selling used piston aircraft for Tom’s Aircraft out of Long Beach, CA. This was after quitting my job as a freight dog flying an AC-50 out of Grand Rapids (GRR). 2. What led you and your partners to form SOLJETS in 2015? We each had a passionate vision and saw an opportunity to improve the industry. Our energy, creative marketing and agile strengths set us apart. We are developing some new industry tools that should be rolling out in the next six months, which will set us even further apart, and add another technological level of market intel and communication for our clients. One other unique factor about David, Greg and myself is we are all pilots. We started our careers in the cockpit, which enables us to take a firsthand approach and speak on some different levels with clients. It’s been an exhilarating four years so far, and we are looking forward to the grand opening of our new office headquarters in Park City, Utah this fall. 3. How has the turbine aircraft market trended in recent years? What do you predict the market will look like ten years from now? Each category is cyclical, and each model has its own trends within those categories. The large cabin/long-range market is trading steadily for sub-20-year-old aircraft. Mid- to super-mid values have adjusted down over the last 18 months. Some of these have stabilized, but the older 20-plus-year-old jets are seeing average days on the market close 22 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2019