To Buy or Not to Buy …

 Ahead of NBAA-BACE 2023, SherpaReport, an independent outlet providing data pertaining to the emergent shared luxury travel market, has released its Aircraft Buying Guide 2023, an updated publication providing comprehensive and user-friendly guidance germane to the purchasing of private aircraft. The Guide’s new edition offers individuals and businesses contemplating aircraft acquisitions salient technical and pricing data, as well as insights into the conventions of aircraft brokerage.

Expanding on its predecessor by nearly sixty-pages of eminently useful information, SherpaReport’s Aircraft Buying Guide 2023 includes new sections addressing cabin requirements and customization options, connectivity, and sustainability—prime considerations, most, for aircraft owners. The tome also comprises up-to-the-minute figures reflecting the costs of various aircraft—both Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditures (OPEX)—to include crew salaries, maintenance costs, engine reserves, connectivity, and more. Information pertaining to legal, tax, and insurance considerations is also provided.

SherpaReport president and Aircraft Buying Guide co-author Nick Copley stated: “For discriminating families and corporations, private aviation has become an increasingly popular alternative to commercial flying. The demand has pushed up prices, reduced the supply of good second-hand aircraft, and increased the wait times for buying a new aircraft. It was clear to us at SherpaReport that people needed a wide-ranging guide to help with aircraft acquisitions—whether buying a larger turboprop, a jet, or a piston aircraft.”

SherpaReport’s Aircraft Buying Guide 2023 offers side-by-side comparisons of some 150 types of business aircraft, the specifications thereof, and examples of current operating costs for over 25 models.

Paul LaFata, SherpaReport Aircraft Buying Guide co-author and president of AirPower Software Group—a concern providing IT & Software services to the Aviation & Aerospace industry—remarked: “We also go through the reasons to own and not to own; include a trip cost calculator and a detailed needs assessment and analysis; the makeup of the ideal advisory and management teams; maintenance considerations; inspection tips; financing options; and more.”

Simply stated, the SherpaReport Aircraft Buying Guide helps potential aircraft buyers, their teams, and agents to make informed decisions vis-à-vis the complex and daunting business of acquiring a private aircraft in 2023. The publication delves into hypotheticals the likes of whether a buyer’s interests are better served by full ownership, fractional ownership, jet-cards, membership programs, charters, or combinations thereof.

Mr. Copley set forth: “We want our readers to be able to have intelligent conversations about all aspects of ownership with their brokers, advisors, and teams, so they can make smart decisions for themselves or their employers.”

The Aircraft Buying Guide 2023 is available for download to all SherpaReport members. SherpaReport membership includes access to numerous guides, jet-card and fractional program comparisons, spreadsheets, and tips for all levels of knowledge, as well as individualized advice for members requesting such.

As a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions panel, Mr. Copley will share his accumulated knowledge with attendees of 2023’s NBAA-BACE. Copley will participate in the UAS Forward Discussion series slated to get underway at booth 10125 at 11:00 PDT on 18 October.

FMI: www.sherpareport.com