Buying an Executive Jet, UK

Probably it would be quicker to lease one?

Buffysquirrel said:

Interesting thought. That hadn't occurred to me.

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Ring up these guys, pretend to be eccentric billionaire. Or you may actually be an e.b., who knows...

Buffysquirrel said:

Sadly, only my character is.

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Well - it'll be good role-playing practice, at least...

You mean like this: Gulfstream IV S/N 1066

How long would it take you to buy a used car, or even a new one, if you have the cash available. That's usually the biggest drawback. If you're not in the market for new, have the cash available, and aren't fussy, it's going to take longer to fly the plane to you then complete the transaction. The only thing that complicates this is people's reactions to the zeros.

If you're looking at new, that's a different story. Depending upon how custom you want it, you might have to wait several years. During boom periods, you can actually sell your "production slot" with an airline manufacturer, because the backlog is that long.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

There is a company in Knightsbridge in London that sells exec jets. But whether they have one ready or they are all custom, I don't know.

Methinks if it was Richard Branson, about thirty seconds. His biggest time issue would be physically getting to where the thing dwelt.

"Money doesn't talk, it screams."

-- Bob Dylan

caw

Would he land at Heathrow at all? There are no spare landing slots.
I thought Biggin Hill and Farnborough took a lot of the executive jets

Buffysquirrel said:

LOL, the consensus does seem to be that I shouldn't worry about realism if he gets the plane the same day.

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My feeling is that when will the wealthy guy get a replacement plane is more his personality issue than legal/availability issues.

A private jet, one that is bigger than those tiny cheap ones, is often a combination of efficient transport and a luxury home. Rarely will a filthily rich guy be satisfied with what's already inside an existing plane that is for sale. He likely will want a personal taste inscribed. Those jets for sale ads often stress the interior decor and when they were renovated. Google's Larry Page & co reportedly spent $10 million refurbishing the old Boeing 767 they bought in 2005. The job surely would have taken quite a while.

I'd therefore suspect a really wealthy guy will want his new plane fully refurbished which will take some time. In the mean time he may charter a plane that could be available within hours.

But he's your character. You know him better than we do. If he's rich enough (and hopefully powerful enough), I don't think anyone will question why he can have a replacement plane so soon.

I used to work at a place connected to one of the private jet manufacturers. At the time, the waiting list was about two years. Everyone on the list was wealthy, so having money didn't really mean anything... it wouldn't mean faster service.

Secondhand would be more realistic. And possibly more fun, as it won't be customised the way the character wants.

I like Polenth's idea!

If the character just needs new transportation, he can charter a jet a whole lot faster than he can buy or lease.

If he needs to own it or fly it himself, that's a different situation, of course.

Aerial

If he's that wealthy, he probably already has the contacts in place to buy or lease a jet fairly quickly.

I used to work for an airplane broker. He dealt only in smaller jets, not planes that would be bought by airlines or the like. He had some deals that took a few weeks to a month, but that was usually with a lot of haggling going back and forth and nitpicky changes to the contract. But if the guy's desperate, it could happen a LOT faster.

The broker would usually make all the arrangements - like flying the plane to the buyer's destination, providing the buyer with all the service history on the plane, and arranging a test flight.

It's true what everyone upthread is saying - those rich people who buy jets want their jets decked out their own way, and that takes time and money.

But yes, it can be done in a day provided the guy is reasonable about contract issues and is willing to pay whatever it takes. Used is easier to buy than new since new usually has a waiting list of a few years, especially for Gulfstream IVs back in the day. Not sure about now.

L M Ashton said:

But yes, it can be done in a day provided the guy is reasonable about contract issues and is willing to pay whatever it takes. Used is easier to buy than new since new usually has a waiting list of a few years, especially for Gulfstream IVs back in the day. Not sure about now.

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Executive jet deliveries tend to lag general market trends by a year or more. It takes that long for the very large supply chains to adjust to a faster/slower rate of manufacture due to changes in the demand.

Even with the economic downturn, many aircraft manufacturers today have a year or two of orders on the books, though some do not have owners wanting to take delivery that quickly. Your guy could luck into buying out a slot for a jet that's rolling off the assembly line as they speak, so the original owner of that jet can take his delivery two years from now. There would be limited customization available (possibly none), but you could make the scenario work.

Also note that there are some checkout flight tests before the customer takes delivery, which can take a week if they find problems. They have to make sure all the lights and instruments work, and that the aircraft pressurizes properly at altitude, etc. I don't know if those are FAA-mandated or just a common industry practice.

Aerial

Edit: That would be the JAA not the FAA in Europe.