It looks like the 2016 presidential election will turn out to be a bonanza for the general aviation sector. It seems that all financial analysts, Flying Magazine, Private Pilot Magazine, EAA President, AOPA, AvWeb and Aviation Week and Space Technology agree: 2017 is the year to break records and set a good pace for years to come. What does this mean for those of us in the general aviation service sector? It means ‘clear skies ahead’ and profit too.
Apparently, unlike the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration does not see aircraft owners as a part of the Evil One Percenters, but instead sees them as winners. This is a good thing. New orders for Business Jet aircraft are already reaching record levels simply in anticipation of the change under new management. Financing for new planes is also following suit, while smaller companies are investing in Air-Taxi Memberships, shared flights and split plane plans. All of this makes things look pretty good for those of us who would like to make money again servicing all these new planes.
Aircraft International News had a special report in December 2016 on the state of corporate aircraft financing that said;
“US business jet fleet cycles this year are expected to approach levels last seen in 2003, according to statistics provided by industry analyst JetNet. At the time, there were 9,500 business jets in service in the US – today there are 12,500.”
In fact, this trend is increasing rapidly. Okay, so what does this mean for aircraft retailers? Well, it’s a known fact that when aircraft owners purchase new aircraft, they are 50% more likely to put those aircraft on a cleaning regiment or regular customer schedule, which includes weekly washes and monthly detailing. It also means more use of current and existing aircraft, which equates to aircraft getting dirty in shorter time intervals. It also means that used aircraft will be sold again as new aircraft start to roll back. People who sell used airplanes make excellent detailed customers.
Overall, 2017 and 2018 look to be on track for record breaking in the general aviation sector and that’s just great news for all of us aeronautical service industry folks who would also like to have a strong couple of years to come. beat Records. If you already own an aircraft detailing business, it’s time to expand. If you want to start a new aircraft cleaning company, you’ve just been cleared for take off.