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factory acquisitions have they complet- ed? Can they put you in touch with some of their clients? The overall impact of the lack of regu- lation on the sales side of aviation is negative, especially for buyers represent- ing themselves. Sure, you do have the freedom to represent yourself, and bro- ker fees are negotiable. But in practice, these are not positive things. The pitfalls of representing oneself in an aircraft transaction are all too common – and from the outside looking in, they are ex- tremely easy to identify and anticipate. But in addition to the obvious, as is true with every large asset purchase or decision in life, we humans like to engage a number of different opinions, whether from friends, partners or family. The chances that any one of those opinions aligns with another is extremely slim, which creates the opposite effect than that which is sought: total confusion. Many aircraft transactions have fallen apart at various stages due to someone the buyer knows throwing out a strong opinions like, “You’re crazy to buy that airplane.” This is why a “sounding board” is always a good idea, especially when provided by an expert whose sole job is to help clients with the same or very similar needs as you. Common Pitfalls Fueled by Uninformed Opinions and Bad Data There are certain critical steps in- volved in any aircraft acquisition, and being on the receiving end of bad infor- mation, poor intel or uninformed opin- ions can quickly derail the experience. Here are some of the potential pitfalls clients encounter. Expert Advice on Finding the Right Aircraft – Identifying the Real Mission The first step in an acquisition – be- fore even looking at a single picture – is to understand what you need from an aircraft (i.e., understand your mission). This mission assessment can be more difficult than it sounds. As buyers, we tend to focus on that one coast-to-coast trip that we may take with the grand- kids – not the other 80 percent of flights with only one or two people going a total distance of only 270 nm. A broker can assist with this analysis, identifying all potential missions and Recurrent Training Center CIES Corporation Rosen Sun Visor Systems Jet Journal August 2019 / TWIN & TURBINE • 25