The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News

Are Steve Varsano's viral phone calls real or staged? We finally asked. In part two of our conversation, recorded live from the A319 cabin mockup at The Jet Business in London, Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci and Steve Varsano go through the deal from the buyer's side. They cover who pitched it (over lunch, of course), why Kenn calls it 80% acqui-hire, how Flexjet plans to move 30–50 pre-owned aircraft a year, and Kenn's three types of M&A deals, including the two he never wants to do again.
First, the news. Canada joins the bonus depreciation club with PM Carney's Productivity Mega Deduction, covering both new and pre-owned aircraft. The HondaJet Echelon slips again, with first flight in 2028 and deliveries in 2031, and we ask whether it's the engines. We also ring the M&A gong for Derek Johnson and Mach One Aviation joining Citadel Aviation. Plus Mile High Madness: a social media aviation-investment pitch that earns a hat, and a helicopter giving birth.
Thanks to our sponsors: AB Jets, RealJet, and Wingform
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Is private aviation really one industry anymore?

In this special edition of The VIP Seat, Kenn Ricci argues that the interests of charter operators, aircraft manufacturers and FBOs are increasingly pulling in different directions — while the organizations lobbying Washington have traditionally tried to represent them all.
Kenn gets into why airlines have access to a robust market for PMA replacement parts while business aviation operators face far fewer options, including manufacturers’ reluctance to provide the technical data needed to develop alternatives. He also takes aim at soaring FBO landing, handling and special-event fees — costs that ultimately hit operators and their customers.

For large companies, those pressures may be manageable. For smaller charter operators, Ken argues they’re making an already difficult business even harder to compete in.

His bigger question: when manufacturers, FBOs and operators have competing economic interests, who is actually standing up solely for the operator?

This week on The VIP Seat, we unpack who is gaining control across business aviation—from airport policy and FBO economics to charter platforms, premium terminals, and cockpit safety culture.

Chris Rocheleau is leaving NBAA to lead Airports Council International–North America, putting a former FAA leader at the helm of the organization representing airport operators across the U.S. and Canada. We look at why that move matters for airport access, infrastructure, FBO power, fees, and the future relationship between airports and business aviation. Rocheleau is set to become ACI-NA president and CEO on October 5, succeeding longtime leader Kevin Burke.

We also break down Priester Aviation’s “One Priester” rebrand and what it really says about the company’s acquisition strategy. With Mayo Aviation, Hill Private Aviation, Omni Air Transport, Elite Jets, and MaxAir now inside the broader platform, is this simply a brand consolidation—or a push to own more of the client journey from jet card to charter to aircraft management?

Then, OneFlight’s story gets more complicated. We discuss reports of financial and operational pressure, questions around operator payments, the company’s aggressive growth and marketing strategy, its short-lived surcharge, and why a jet-card company’s ability to deliver promised lift is ultimately a balance-sheet question.

We were also on site at Farnborough for Flexjet’s new $34 million private terminal—the company’s first dedicated facility outside North America. More than a lounge, it is a statement about global fractional growth, customer experience, training, maintenance, and who controls the private-aviation journey on the ground.

Finally, we examine the Nicholas Air whistleblower case and what AIR21 protections actually mean for pilots and other aviation workers. When a crewmember raises a reasonable safety concern, where does legal protection begin—and where are its limits?

In this episode:
Chris Rocheleau’s move from NBAA to ACI-NA
Airport influence, FBO consolidation, fees, leases, and access
Priester Aviation’s rebrand and completed acquisition roll-up
OneFlight’s financial and operational questions
Flexjet’s Farnborough terminal and global fractional strategy
Why pilots receive whistleblower protections under AIR21
The difference between a safety culture statement and a safety culture in practice

Thank you to our sponsors AB Jets, REAL Jet, and Wingform for making this show possible as well as Wingform

Trump is taking aim at Bombardier again—threatening to stop the Canadian manufacturer from selling aircraft in the United States unless it builds more of them on U.S. soil. But is this a real policy move, another tariff negotiating tactic, or both? And what could it mean for Global and Challenger buyers, fractional operators, delivery customers, and the wider business-aviation supply chain?

This week on The VIP Seat, Jessie and Preston break down:

Trump’s latest Bombardier threat and why calling it an enacted “tariff” may be premature
Bombardier’s U.S. manufacturing footprint, including Global 7500 wing production in Texas
Grant Cardone’s $80 million, “no tariffs” Global 7500 sales pitch
Honda Aircraft subsidiary Arulean Air’s minority investment in Thrive Aviation
Thrive’s new fractional program featuring HondaJet HA-420s and Challenger 3500s
Whether a disciplined VLJ fractional model can actually work—and why the charter/fractional balance matters
Bernie Ecclestone reportedly being detained in Portugal after a shotgun was found aboard his private jet
The international-trip lesson: firearms, permits, customs, crew coordination, and why “last-minute” does not mean “skip the paperwork”
Treasury declining senators’ request to change SIFL valuation rules for personal use of employer-provided aircraft
Why politicians can potentially be subject to SIFL too—but campaign flights, government flights, and personal fringe-benefit flights are not the same thing
L.A. County’s push to assess property taxes on aircraft tied to celebrities, billionaires, and high-net-worth owners
What aircraft situs-tax enforcement could mean for owners, management companies, and privacy

Private aviation remains an easy political target, but the real-world issues are more complicated: U.S. manufacturing jobs, cross-border supply chains, fleet planning, tax compliance, aircraft location records, and the practical need for private aviation as a business tool.

This episode is commentary, not legal, tax, customs, firearms, or operational advice. Consult qualified advisers, your operator, and trip-support professionals for guidance on a specific transaction or trip.

Thanks to this week’s sponsors:
AB Jets — for Starlink-equipped Challenger 3500 charter and supplemental lift.
RealJet — for experienced, human-led international trip support and operational coordination.

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#PrivateAviation #BusinessAviation #Bombardier #TrumpTariffs #HondaJet #Challenger3500 #FractionalOwnership #SIFL #PrivateJetTax #AviationNews

Vista Global is reportedly eyeing a European IPO that could raise over $1 billion at a valuation north of $10 billion, and Jessie and Preston break down what that means against a $600 million RRJ Capital investment, looming 2027 debt, and how Vista's 2025 flight hours stack up against NetJets and Flexjet. From there, Apollo's new stake in Atlantic Aviation values the FBO chain at nearly $10 billion, just five years after KKR bought it from Macquarie for $4.475 billion, and the hosts connect that to a Senate letter pressing the FAA on private equity's growing role in aviation maintenance and consolidation. Then it's OneFlight International's wild same-day 35% jet card surcharge and reversal, set against its McLaren F1 and PGA Tour sponsorships, and a debate over whether flashy marketing can outrun shaky pricing. Pentastar Aviation's new autonomous wing-walking robots from Airtrek Robotics, built to cut into the $100-150 million a year the industry loses to hangar rash. Plus, we're joined by special guest Chad Gilson from Gilchrest Aviation Law to break down recent updates to Beneficial Ownership Information and it's impacts on business aircraft privacy.

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