The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News

Jessie Naor and Preston Holland | Experts in Private and Corporate Aviation
  • 4.5 (21)
  • Aviation
  • Updated Weekly

Join Jessie Naor and Preston Holland on The VIP Seat for the latest insights in private aviation, covering business aviation trends, private jet reviews, and more. We break down the biggest stories of the week in corporate aviation, from jet charter trends and Part 135 shenanigans to aviation safety news that the big players hope you'll miss. Expect hot takes, sharp analysis, and real talk with industry insiders, operators, and disruptors. Whether you’re flying private or an industry insider, buckle up and let's take off.

  1. 4d ago

    Sky Harbour CEO on Hangar Shortages, Ground Leases, and Wall Street

    Every general aviation airport in America is owned by a city or a county, and almost none of them can afford to build you a hangar. That is not a market failure. That is the system working exactly as it was designed. This week on The VIP Seat, Jessie and Preston sit down with Tal Kenan, Founder and CEO of Sky Harbour, the publicly traded company building hangar campuses at airports where almost nobody can get land. Tal grew up in military aviation, spent a decade running an investment firm between Tel Aviv and New York, then bought a Beech Baron and ran head first into the same hangar shortage everyone complains about. Instead of joining the waitlist, he went and read the FAA grant assurance guidelines. What came out of that is a real estate business that takes no transient traffic, charges a serious premium, and has a waiting list at most of its campuses. They cover: • Why the hangar shortage is a policy artifact, not a supply and demand accident • How FBO economics quietly guarantee more ramp and less hangar space • What it actually takes to win a ground lease on an airport, and why PDK took six years • Why fuel and hangar have to be priced as a single number, not two • How tax exempt private activity bonds fixed at 4.18% underpin the entire model • Where the bond market and the equity market disagree about what this business is worth • What a "home base operator" is, and why the FBO world is splitting in two • The SPAC story, the REIT question, and why he is happy being public about five days out of seven Supply is fixed, the fleet keeps getting bigger, and nobody is building new airports. This is the conversation about what happens next. Thanks to AB Jets and Real Jet for sponsoring this season of The VIP Seat. Subscribe to the newsletter at thevipseat.com Jessie Naor: flyingprivate.org | flyvizor.com Preston Holland: prestigefinance.com | prestonholland.com Disclosure: Sky Harbour is a publicly traded company. Jessie Naor has a small personal investment in it, which she discloses on the show. Nothing in this episode is investment advice and should be viewed for entertainment purposes only.

  2. Aug 19

    flyExclusive Q2 Results, LA Goes After Private Jet Tax Revenue

    flyExclusive reported a $111 million Q2, but behind the headline are improving margins, positive adjusted EBITDA, a complicated capital structure, and a $5 million loan carrying a stated 26.5% rate. This week on The VIP Seat, Jessie Naor and Preston Holland break down flyExclusive’s Q2 2026 results: revenue growth, gross-margin improvement, fractional-program revenue, MRO, Jet Club activity, debt, and the related-party disclosures investors should read carefully. This is industry commentary only: not investment or financial advice. Also in this episode: SC Aviation acquires Heartland Aviation in WisconsinAtlantic introduces its Ascend operator savings programLA County’s use of aircraft-tracking data in property-tax assessmentsAn Indiana farmer charged after allegedly shooting at a crop-dusting aircraftHera Flight’s reported Gulfstream G-IV runway-excursion and gear-collapse eventThe Atlanta Plane Train runway carpet is apparently installed backwardsAviation social-media nonsense, a $40 million “detailer” sale, and more Thanks to this week’s sponsors, AB Jets and RealJet. Subscribe for weekly private aviation news, aircraft-operations analysis, charter and fractional-market commentary, FBO economics, aviation finance, M&A, and business-aviation stories you will not find in a standard press release. #PrivateAviation #BusinessAviation #flyExclusive #FLYX #PrivateJet #AviationNews #JetCharter #FractionalOwnership #FBO #AircraftManagement

  3. Aug 12

    Solairus Aviation Gets Bigger, Wheels Up Still in a Turnaround?

    Is Wheels Up finally building momentum—or simply burning more runway? We break down their latest financial release (not financial advice!). This week, we battle it out over the Wheels Up Q2 results. The fleet transition is done early, the premium operation is more reliable, and management has put a 70-plus-hour utility target on the board. But cash burn, debt, deferred revenue and Delta support remain the real pressure points. We also break down Solairus and Clay Lacy's deal, NetJets’ jet-card pause, Chris Rocheleau’s return to NBAA, Real Jet's Crytpo.com news, FAA cannabis research, and a little AI-slop-induced madness.

  4. Aug 5

    Inside the Mind of a Jet Owner: XplusLuxe on What Operators Get Wrong With Private Fliers

    An anonymous, but infamous, aircraft owner known as XPlusLuxe joins The VIP Seat Podcast for one of our most fascinating conversations yet. Known online for his legendary aircraft collection and viral aviation content, “Mr. T” shares what he’s learned after building a fleet of private jets—and why he believes most owners, operators, and even manufacturers misunderstand the economics of business aviation. In this exclusive interview we discuss: ✈️ How a hedge fund manager became obsessed with private aviation 📊 Why data—not emotion—should drive aircraft purchases 💰 The hidden costs of aircraft ownership and management 🛩️ Citation X+ Versus Everything Else 📈 Why most Part 135 operators leave money on the table 🔧 The importance of maintenance (MX) over almost everything else 🚀 Speed, fuel burn, Starlink, AI, and the future of business aviation 💼 Can charter companies actually become great businesses? 📉 The biggest mistakes aircraft owners make If you’re interested in private jets, business aviation, Part 135 charter, aircraft ownership, fleet strategy, aviation investing, Gulfstream, Bombardier, Textron, NetJets, Flexjet, or private aviation economics, this episode is packed with insights you won’t hear anywhere else. 🎙️ Hosted by Jessie Naor and Preston Holland. 👍 Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more conversations with the people shaping private aviation. #PrivateJets #BusinessAviation #CitationX #Gulfstream #Bombardier #PrivateJet #Part135 #NetJets #Flexjet #Aviation #AircraftOwnership #CorporateAviation #TheVIPSeat

  5. Jul 29

    $3B Bombardier Order, NYC Helicopter Bird Strike?

    Saudi Arabia’s The Helicopter Company, backed by the PIF, signs a Farnborough LOI with Bombardier for a firm order of 12 Challenger and Global jets plus options that could take the deal to around $2.8–3B and up to 60 aircraft. We break down FlyExclusive’s latest Jet Club press release, with record flight hours, an average $190K deposit per new member, and a 32% year‑over‑year jump in May deposits—and ask whether those prepaid hours will translate into profitable margins when earnings drop. Jessie and Preston unpack new NTSB documents on the Hudson River sightseeing helicopter crash, where Smithsonian feather lab analysis points to multiple large bird strikes, including Canada geese, as a likely driver of the in‑flight breakup. We hit Dassault’s latest Falcon 10X certification delay and what it means in the arms race against Gulfstream and Bombardier, dive into the FAA’s new Mobile Clearance system that lets GA and bizav pilots pull IFR departure clearances via ForeFlight/Garmin instead of phones and radios, and revisit the long‑running fight over crew rest and duty rules for cargo and Part 135. Plus: Mile High Madness with “Chad” flying to Nantucket on a PC‑12, Detailer Guy, and why cheap gimmicks and influencer‑bait content are hurting the industry’s credibility.

  6. Jul 22

    Seized Cessna in the Supreme Court, World Cup Business Aviation Miles

    This week, Preston joins live from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with news on Emily Deaton's move to NBAA and show updates. Then: a 14-year-old bush pilot case out of Alaska heads to the U.S. Supreme Court over a six-pack of beer and a seized Cessna, a viral air traffic control exchange reignites the cockpit-professionalism debate, and two market reports land the same week — one on the private aircraft MRO boom, one on the ultra-wealthy buyers reshaping the business jet market. Plus: Textron's new Pipistrel Voyager trainer arrives right as the FAA's MOSAIC rule takes effect, Gianni Infantino's Gulfstream G650 racks up more miles than most fleets fly in a year, and Preston explains how he ended up quoted — and slightly cornered — in a story about AI wealth flooding into private aviation.

  7. Jul 15

    Elonomics at FL450: Starlink’s Sticker Shock and Embraer’s New Phenom

    This week’s episode of The VIP Seat hits all the major pressure points in business aviation: connectivity, new aircraft, regulation, legal risk, and AI‑driven fraud. Jessie and Preston start with Starlink’s latest aviation pricing changes, breaking down “Elonomics” at altitude—regional Aviation Unlimited rising to $12,500 per month with a 500 Mbps cap, the 25 GB plan doubling from $2,000 to $4,000, and a worldwide 1 Gbps unlimited tier now at $20,000 per month. They walk through what this means for new Gulfstreams, charter fleets, and other private jets that already require $300,000–$500,000 of Starlink hardware, and why some operators’ annual Wi‑Fi bills could approach 10% of the airplane’s value. On the hardware side, Embraer’s new Phenom 300EV takes center stage. The episode covers Autoland for single‑pilot and owner‑flown operations, the multi‑purpose electronic controller (MEC) that brings rudder‑by‑wire and auto‑brake into a fly‑by‑wire system, cabin refinements including a vacuum lav, and planned LEO connectivity. Jessie and Preston dig into the roughly $13.99 million list price, long lead times into 2027, and hefty deposits and pre‑delivery payments that reshape the math for buyers weighing the Phenom 300EV against CJ4s, PC‑24s, and other light jets. Regulatory and legal stories add more fuel. They unpack FAA vs. California over crew rest and meal‑break rules, including the Ninth Circuit’s decision extending California’s 30‑minute break requirements to flight attendants even on interstate flying, and why many aviation employers avoid basing staff in California. They also explore a lawsuit involving Peter Thiel’s husband, a Solairus‑operated flight, and allegations that a cabin cooler strike injured a flight attendant—raising questions about principal vs. management company liability and cabin safety in tight business jet interiors. Finally, Jessie and Preston tackle a move under the Trump administration to study tariffs on aerospace products and jet engine parts in the name of national security, plus NBAA’s warning about AI‑enhanced scams targeting private jet sales, charter deals, and aviation M&A. They lay out how AI can spoof voices, emails, and texts inside multimillion‑dollar transactions, and why escrow agents, charter ops teams, MROs, and brokers need stronger authentication and training. Mile High Madness brings levity with animal rescue flights, while sponsors AB Jets and RealJet ground the conversation in the realities of operating and chartering modern business jets.

  8. Jul 8

    Supersonic Flight Returns, Airport Expansion Blocked by Nudists

    This week on The VIP Seat, we’re covering one of the strangest weeks in aviation news yet. The FAA moves one step closer to allowing civilian supersonic flight over the United States, and what that could mean for Boom Supersonic and the future of business aviation. Plus: Canada’s bizarre battle between Billy Bishop Airport expansion and a historic nudist beach.China grounds virtually all general aviation around Beijing after a small aircraft crashes into a skyscraper.Inside the Sun Valley billionaires conference, where hundreds of Gulfstreams, Globals and Falcons descend on Idaho.A Delta airliner is struck by fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations.Jared Isaacman flies for Freedom 250 in his F-5 despite FAA objections.A hard Hudson River landing involving a Blade-booked Kodiak 100 seaplane.Why Part 145 repair stations are becoming one of the hottest M&A sectors in aviation. Plus another round of Mile High Madness, including a barefoot helicopter pilot landing on a fishing vessel. Subscribe for weekly business aviation news, private aviation analysis, safety insights, and industry commentary. Sponsored by AB Jets & RealJet #BusinessAviation #PrivateJets #BoomSupersonic #FAA #AviationNews #BillyBishop #SunValley #Kodiak100 #GeneralAviation #TheVIPSeat

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About

Join Jessie Naor and Preston Holland on The VIP Seat for the latest insights in private aviation, covering business aviation trends, private jet reviews, and more. We break down the biggest stories of the week in corporate aviation, from jet charter trends and Part 135 shenanigans to aviation safety news that the big players hope you'll miss. Expect hot takes, sharp analysis, and real talk with industry insiders, operators, and disruptors. Whether you’re flying private or an industry insider, buckle up and let's take off.

Information

  • Creator
    Jessie Naor and Preston Holland | Experts in Private and Corporate Aviation
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    96
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jessie Naor and Preston Holland | Experts in Private and Corporate Aviation
  • Show Website
    The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News

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