Page 37 - Twin and Turbine June 2017

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Aircraft owners and operators don’t usually spend their money on airplanes with the intention of having them mostly sit, underutilized, in a hangar. But the fact is, there are many who want the benefits of ownership, yet they have relatively
modest usage requirements. Just take a quick glance at general aviation utilization data, and the depth of the matter becomes obvious: There are a lot of turboprop and jet aircraft flying between 100 and 200 hours per year.
So what’s an owner who’s not flying all that much to do? Well, some simply pony up, buy whatever they want, and don’t fret about it at all. Because for them, the benefits of flying the ideal aircraft far outweigh the costs. But plenty of others do struggle with cost justification based on how little they fly, and they look for ways to contain, offset and mitigate the expense. Some take solace by generating a bit of charter revenue, conceding the additional wear and tear on the airplane. Others elect to fly older, smaller, slower or less-expensive aircraft than they would prefer. A few join forces with one or more partners and divvy up the costs.
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