Page 21 - Demo

their respective markets and bring in- dustry insight to our clients,” said Mol- loy. “We provide an analysis of aircraft on the market and recent transactions while concurrently running a campaign to identify off-market aircraft that fit the parameters.”
Considering PIA’s recommenda- tions, Scatliff and his partner agreed upon their airplane of choice: an Embraer Phenom 100.
“PIA negotiated on our behalf under terms we approved,” said Scatliff. “They also coordinated the pre-purchase in- spection to be completed at the service facility we chose, to confirm the air- craft we selected was indeed the one we wanted.”
Phase 3: Finalizing the Agreement
PIA’s Managed Co-Ownership agree- ment is designed to create a worry-free arrangement by maximizing aircraft availability and protecting co-own- ers from the typical downfalls of a partnership.
“It encompasses the entire relation- ship in detail, from program entry to exit and everything in-between,” said Molloy. “A key piece is putting aircraft management at the center of operations so that communication flows through a manager.”
Under the PIA agreement, the man- agement company handles all aspects of scheduling, maintenance and invoicing.
“Our management company is a pro- visionary asset, allowing us to rest easy knowing our aircraft is being taken care of and schedules handled,” said Scatliff. “One of the greatest advantages to work- ing with PIA is that they are not married to any particular supplier. PIA makes recommendations but ultimately we had the power to choose who managed our aircraft.”
Tax and Title Autonomy
The PIA Managed Co-Ownership model allows each co-owner to be an autonomous purchaser, meaning they can purchase with whatever entity they choose – LLC, Trust, C-corp, etc. – just as if they were buying the whole airplane. It’s identical to the fractional model for purposes of tax and title au- tonomy, as well as liability protection between owners.
The nal product. PIA customers Chris and Ian selected a new Embraer Phenom 100.
“Your entity won’t make a difference to your partner and your partner’s en- tity won’t make a difference to you,” said Molloy. “You’ll own an undivided interest in 50 percent of the plane. Tax benefits and consequences of each co- owner are specific to that co-owner, and independent of the other.”
Airplane Access
While owners may be paying for half of the airplane, customers we spoke to claim the model allows them the access they need.
“It’s important that each owner feels they have virtually the same access as would a sole-owner,” said Molloy. “By limiting each match to only two op- erators, both with relatively low usage, this is doable. We changed scheduling from the typical ‘first-come, first-serve’ format that often results in tension be- tween partners, to a model of preset control-weeks combined with incentiv- ized-access, which has been key.”
According to Scatliff, the duo has yet to have a scheduling conflict.
Expanding Customer Base
PIA customers now include first-time buyers, regular charter users, fractional and jet-card members and owner-pilots.
“As an owner-pilot of a Mustang, my ‘stretch goal’ was the CJ3 or CJ3+, but it was difficult to justify based on my us- age,” said Don Gulbrandsen, Founder of Gulbrandsen Manufacturing. “PIA was able to match me with someone to make that goal justifiable. We’ve now ordered a new CJ3+ which I would never have done as a sole-owner. Cutting the acqui- sition and fixed costs in half allowed me to step up to my ultimate choice.”
According to Molloy, new dots are be- ing added to the map regularly, with op- portunities for matches throughout the nation. While PIA Managed Co-owner- ship is designed for turbine-powered aircraft, the company is also rolling out a new managed co-ownership model specifically for pilots in the piston world, “coupled approach.”
“Any time I’ve needed the aircraft it’s been there,” said Scatliff. “Not to men- tion, my hourly operating costs are well below what I was paying before.”
Like Scatliff, previous CEO and board member of several global companies, Bill Varner was also using a jet-card for his travel needs before discovering PIA.
“I was a satisfied jet-card user for many years but still wasn’t able to fly as much as I wanted due to cost and time constraints,” said Varner. “After divest- ing the company I had been leading, I was left with more time to visit our geo- graphically dispersed family. The PIA model of co-ownership was a perfect fit. We now have access to our own plane at our chosen time, and at a much lower cost.”
•
“It’s wise to involve a company like PIA that has the structure in place and brings the experts to your side of the table,” said Scatliff. “I have my dream plane at half the cost. What can beat that?”
For more information, visit part- nersinaviation.com. T&T
Jordan Sok is founder and CEO of OneTeam Marketing Solutions, a marketing agency dedicated to small businesses. She specializes in
aviation marketing, beginning her experience with Lone Mountain Aircraft – experts in advanced, high- performance, owner-flown aircraft. Jordan can be contacted at Jordan@ OneTeamMarketing.com or through OneTeamMarketing.com.
June 2018
TWIN & TURBINE • 19