Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello everybody and welcome. My name is Tom Aurelio. Welcome to the Jet Life Podcast. I'm your ultimate jet guide and today we're pulling back the curtain on private aviation to show you what it's like to be a broker in your first 60 days. Check it out. Sorry for the interruption.

Speaker 1: 0:14

I just had the opportunity to speak with Jason Zilberbram over at VREF and they are launching their brand new VREF 3.0. Vref is the trusted resource that many lenders will use to provide a valuation on an aircraft. With 3.0, they're introducing a more mobile, friendly interface. You're going to be able to connect with brokers and owners. You're going to be able to get instant valuations. You're going to be able to find out information about aircraft that are currently for sale and historical data as well. Whether you're a broker or a buyer, having access to reliable information when it comes to market trends and it comes to aircraft valuations is extremely important. So if you want to check it out and even get 10% off, you can go to gotheultimatejetkitecom forward slash VREF for more information. Thank you so much, VREF, for sponsoring this video Today, bringing on a very special guest, one of our JetLife Aero brokers.

Speaker 1: 1:12

His name is Hayden. He is about 60 days into his aircraft broker journey and I just wanted to bring him on and share with you what it's been like for him, what he's learned and where he's kind of at to share, to share his story and why he decided that aviation was the right path for him right now and and what he's hoping to accomplish in the next year. So we're very excited to have Hayden Hayden, welcome, welcome, welcome to the Jet Life Podcast. Thank you so much for being here today.

Speaker 2: 1:47

Good morning, I'm glad to be here.

Speaker 1: 1:49

That's awesome. So, hayden, tell us a little about yourself. What kind of attracted you to aviation? You know what brings you to the field.

Speaker 2: 2:00

So, truth be told, I never wanted to be in aviation as a kid. My dad, he's a pilot. He actually flew the PC-12, so he flies a King Air right now. But what I wanted to do is I wanted to join the military. I wanted to be in the Navy.

Speaker 2: 2:20

Long story short, I kind of, after high school, I went up to Oklahoma, found myself working on a granite. Mine for a little bit got hurt, so that kind of ruled me out of the military. And when I started circling background for different career paths that I could look into, I kind of wanted to stick to my guns, look into. I kind of wanted to stick to my guns. And what I ended up doing is I just, you know. First I called my dad. I'm like you know what is the possibility of becoming a pilot? And he worked for the FAA at the time. And, long story short, he said it's kind of a long shot being of my injury.

Speaker 2: 3:00

So I started looking at other paths, like being being a mechanic, working on the management side, working. And then I found the broker side and I'm like what do you know about brokers? And he said I've worked with a couple, but I don't know a whole lot. So I started doing my own digging and, funny enough, how I found you, tom, is I found myself on YouTube and I just it's going to sound sound dumb, but I typed in how to become a jet broker and several videos popped up. The first couple people I found you know, sometimes you can just feel like they're not the greatest of people you can trust and then I found your videos. I liked your style, I liked how you were doing things, so I started doing more and more research and then one thing led to another. I was getting a phone call from you one morning when I was sitting waiting for work and then it kind of just it was a slow process getting started, but it kind of just took off from there.

Speaker 1: 3:59

Yeah, no, that's that's. That's fantastic, I appreciate that, and that's you. No, that's fantastic, I appreciate that, and that's you know. A lot of people find JetLife Aero through YouTube and it's really cool. So tell us what your first. You know, couple of days, couple of weeks have been like. What has the training been like, what has the day to day been like and what's kind of on the horizon? What are some of your ultimate goals when it comes to being a jet broker?

Speaker 2: 4:27

Yeah. So, truth be told, the first couple of days were very rough. I was trying to make phone calls and it was just a lot of nerves and pressure that you were feeling because you're not just talking to the guy at the convenience store Walmart. These are high net worth individuals who don't have a lot of time but have a lot of money, and that's kind of a big reason why we get hired by them to begin with. But my main goal right now is to, you know, get some listings under my belt and make a steady income. That way I can support myself fully doing this, and I know it's very possible because I've seen it being done. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:18

Yeah, man, so you're in the industry. You have very limited background in aviation. Now here we are getting you the training. It's a lot of pressure, hopefully in a good way, because pressure makes diamonds, you know. If you know that saying, and that's kind of what we're trying to do here, we've got the circle community. You know, it's a place where not only is there the public face of the community, but there's that smaller section that's just the JetLife Aero brokers that are coming together, that smaller section that's just the JetLife Aero brokers that are coming together.

Speaker 1: 5:46

And so we're trying you out in the PC-12 market, which is a very competitive market. I mean, these are $2 million to $3 million assets, typically run by owner-operators, charter operators. I mean they're just a fantastic platform that a lot of people find themselves in. What can you tell us about? Why did you choose the PC-12 or why do you think it was chosen for you? What have you found in terms of how like, what's that like? What's it like to pick a market and what's it like when you're actually in that market? What are some things that you have discovered, since you know, know, being in these markets for a little while now, for a couple of couple of weeks?

Speaker 2: 6:27

yeah. So I picked the pc12 market because, like I said, my dad was a pc12 pilot and it's a plane that I have been around basically my entire life. I've flown in it and I've also had the chance with him to actually fly the plane. So, talking to owner operators, you know, not being a pilot myself, I can still kind of make a little bit of a connection with them and I'm a very big person on um. If you see it, you can believe it. So when I'm talking to these owners and they're telling us the greatest airplane in the world, I'm right there with them. I understand completely.

Speaker 1: 7:10

Yeah, what, what, what are those interactions been like? Are the owners nice? Do they hang up on you? What are some of the skills and tools and tactics that you are employing to help you find success when you're calling through these markets and it's a complete cold call and you're calling some random stranger saying, hey, can I be in charge of your two $3 million airplane and sell it for you, even though you don't know me from Adam? So what is it like? What are people? What are the owners like? Are they mean? Are they nice? And what are some of the tools and tactics that you are employing to try to find to be more successful than the other? You know dozen people that are trying to call these guys on a daily basis.

Speaker 2: 7:56

Yeah. So of course there's always going to be some bad apples, no matter what market you're calling in. But I found with the PC-12 guys you know they're busy and sometimes they might push you off the phone, but they're nice about it and if they're not busy they're going to sit there and they're going to tell you everything about their airplane because they love it that much. And I don't know if this is to my advantage, but I've found a lot of PC-12 owners that are actually here in Texas myself to my advantage. But I've found a lot of PC-12 owners that are actually here in Texas myself.

Speaker 2: 8:24

Big strategy I employ is I kind of slow the conversation down. That kind of just comes naturally. Then also, I'm not trying to sell them, I'm not asking them. I don't want to say dumb questions, but kind of they don't lead the conversation anywhere, like how's the weather in your part or something like that. You know, I just I'm friendly, I just have a conversation with them and if it is something they're interested in doing, great, I'll send them resources. If not, I completely understand. But I appreciate the value that they provided me by telling me more about why them as either owner operators or as people who ride in the back and use it for business. I appreciate their stories because it gives me an even more in-depth understanding about the people who own these aircrafts more in-depth understanding about the people who own these aircrafts.

Speaker 1: 9:30

I think that's really important. When you talk about this idea of getting insight about the people who own the aircraft by having those conversations, and that's one of the things that no course or academy can teach you. Only the field right, Only the actual experience of calling someone and having those conversations can teach you that sort of a thing. So that's, that's invaluable and and you don't want to go at that alone, I mean, some people can, but there's a real benefit. What has your experience been with the Jet Life Arrow team? So I mean, obviously, when we do the course, it's me teaching some stuff and we have, you know, training on a daily basis. But what has the team been like and how has that environment, you know, helped you progress forward?

Speaker 2: 10:11

The team has been absolutely amazing and the training has been amazing as well. I love that. Even though we're remote, it almost feels like we're in an office building together and I can just walk over to the next room and ask a question because you know, kind of going back to what you said when I first started out, and I'm like, hey, tom, sorry for calling you, and you're like, well, that's the thing about a phone, it's a two way street. It's like I always know that it might be a dumb question to me, but I'm not going to, it's not going to come back like it's a dumb question and I'm actually going to get the help. And then you know better understand, by the time that conversation is done, what I need. So it betters me to be the best broker that I can be for myself and for our clients.

Speaker 1: 10:58

Yeah, no, I really appreciate you guys asking questions, because if you're asking questions, that means you're finding yourself in different scenarios that you haven't been in before, and so, in order to learn, you've got to ask the question and find out. What is your experience been with the rest of the team, like your teammates? I mean, are you guys talking on a regular basis, or do you feel like it's just kind of me and you, and then then sometimes there's other people that are also trying to do the same thing? Can you talk about the collaboration amongst the team?

Speaker 2: 11:27

Yeah, they're really the same way. If there's a question that I have, I can reach out to any of them and they're there to answer it. I feel like we all have a pretty good dynamic where we're friendly. It's not, of course, it's a very competitive world, but at least within our own brokerage it doesn't feel like we're fighting one another, which I think is really true.

Speaker 1: 11:51

Yeah, I think that's really important. I've definitely heard of stories where in a brokerage it's like dog eat dog. You know if, if I called on Bill Smith and then you call through the market like a couple months later, and actually I had this experience where I was calling through a market that another agent had called through, maybe like a year ago, and when I saw his note I already made the phone call and I was already talking with the client. It didn't say working by the way, it just said like left voicemail. And when I brought it up to that because I was brand new, like this was like my first month, and I brought it up to the other brokers like oh yeah, I've been talking to that guy for a long time and he called them and then he got himself a listing and it was a nice, you know citation 10 kind of a thing, and I was just like wait a minute, like hold on, like that's not, that's not cool. Um, whereas hey, like leave a note, make sure that you're taking care of yourself. That tells us you're working this and we will skip over it so you can do your thing. So I definitely appreciate that Before we go into talking about the PC-12 market and kind of showing kind of where your expertise is at now and it'll definitely grow and continue growing.

Speaker 1: 13:02

Is there anything else you want to talk to about your experience with jet life air or your goals? I really want to kind of unpack a little bit more for you. Hayden, you mentioned one of the reasons you wanted to be an aircraft broker is just kind of getting that steady income. Well, sales is is a tough, tough thing and you're probably not going to look at quote unquote steady income.

Speaker 2: 13:19

What is it about aviation and aviation sales that really drew you to like what's the why behind the first, why you gave it's where I'm comfortable and I have deep rooted appreciation for what I know these aircrafts can do, especially like the King Air and the Pilatus.

Speaker 2: 13:40

They're not just corporate business jets, they have off-road capabilities and you know you have doctors in Australia, even here in Texas, you know, using them as air ambulances. Sure, they can land on runways, but these planes are designed to land on dirt airstrips, on highways, on whatever the case may be, you know, to evacuate and get people the help they need. You know, and I think I kind of have a big heart for that, because when my dad flew the Pilates, he flew for the children's hospital, so that's what he did day in and day out is fly sick kids where they needed to go. Who, by ground or even by a helicopter, wouldn't make it. So it what these aircrafts are capable of doing plays such an important part about why I want to be a part of this, even if it's as something as just getting that aircraft, you know, through a sales process to where it could potentially be doing better. I believe aviation is a force for good and I think it's seen all over the world.

Speaker 1: 14:54

I love that and I appreciate that. For me it's funny. Aviation is great and I can kind of get into it because it's cool. But the fact that you have that family tie, that first-hand experience of the life-changing impact it can have, I think that really makes a big difference and it kind of sets you apart. So I appreciate that. So before we hop into talking about the PC-12 market, let's go ahead and take a quick break regarding the Circle community that a lot of people can kind of check out. If you're looking to become a jet broker you have no experience, you just want to get started you should definitely check out our community. On Circle.

Speaker 1: 15:33

Thank you so much for watching community on Circle. Thank you so much for watching. If you haven't already, go to circlejetlifearrowcom and check out our online community for aspiring brokers and current brokers. Here you'll find discussions, all things aviation-based things that you're going to want to know as an aircraft broker. You can also check out our free training as well as more resources that are available to help you to become a better jet broker. That's circlejetlifearrowcom to begin your journey within the broker community, absolutely free, All right, so we are back. Let's take a look over here. And what can you tell us about the PC-12?

Speaker 2: 16:21

here and um, what can you tell us about the about? About the pc12? So the pc12, like I kind of already talked about, is extremely versatile and you can, you know it has a range of about 1400 nautical miles. You're going to go about 270 knots or 300 miles per hour. Truly, you're going to be looking at probably an average asking price of about $3.1, $3.2 million. If you're looking to get one of these birds, of course the newer models, such as that one right there, the 2002, it's going to run you a little bit more. Even the 2004 models. I'm seeing those go, you know, around the 3.6. But um, all in all, these plans are going to last forever. They have an annual inspection which is going to run you about 10 to thousand dollars each year, and if you're looking at something like the 20 2004, I'd keep in mind the 10-year inspection, which is gonna run about forty to sixty thousand. Now you do have to get the engines overhauled every 3,500 miles.

Speaker 1: 17:33

That's going to be roughly about um 350 000 okay, okay, yeah, I mean, these are, these are beautiful, beautiful birds. Uh, 100. What are the who? Who kind of owns these? Are these owner operator pilots? Are these charter companies? Are these air ambulances like? Who are the people that are typically owning these types of jets?

Speaker 2: 17:56

yeah, um, so it's really a pretty good mix. There are owner operators, but there's also a lot of charter companies, because if you look at the seat right there like it's very, very nice on the inside. So charter companies will use them in charter operations. There's also a lot of you know hospitals or companies that own PC pc12s as air ambulances and because in the back part of that the pc12 actually has two doors, you have the main entrance right there by the cockpit and then towards the tail there's a big cargo door and that's great in air ambulance operations because they'll put stretchers in through there and you can change the seating configuration to how it suits your mission best Talk to us about the avionics.

Speaker 1: 18:49

I mean, is this this? This one looks really, really nice. It looks like it's got some dual 750s and maybe dual G600 TXIs. Is this kind of standard equipment or is this an upgrade?

Speaker 2: 19:03

So in the newer PC-12s it does come with the 750s. But what a lot of owners will do is they'll take the original Garmin Avionics and they'll upgrade them to the 750s. And talking to them about, hey, why would you upgrade them? They tell me because it's a full glass display, it's a lot more operator friendly and it's just. It makes their job a lot easier.

Speaker 1: 19:36

Absolutely. Yeah, no, as a pilot, situational awareness is huge and if you're looking at this screen or this screen or this screen or this screen or this screen or this screen, uh, comparing that to on the G 600, it's just a lot, uh, it's a lot easier, um, and then you can see here, you know, here's your, here's your door, kind of thing. So it looks like we've got four in the back there, two here, six. So how many people are usually, you know, on these things?

Speaker 2: 20:04

You can fit seven. You can fit an eight person if you put them up front with the pilot, because the PC-12 is a one pilot airplane.

Speaker 1: 20:13

Gotcha, and there's an example of that cargo door opening up and the front, awesome, cool. Well, like you mentioned, the 2004 to 2006 is kind of the range here. Right, they started in 1995 with the first serial numbers all the way through 2006. And then they upgrade to the 47s and the NGs and there's just a whole. You know, if you kind of come onto controller and you're just looking around.

Speaker 1: 20:35

Now what's interesting is I find a lot of operators don't necessarily look to upgrade from the 45 to the 47 or even to the NG or NGX, because price point, you know, I mean for for two to three million dollars, three point four million dollars, you get a really nice PC, 12. Why am I going to jump to four or five, six million dollars for the upgrade if I don't need the avionics, I don't need the engines, uh, that sort of a thing. So you can kind of see here where vref is at. Um, you know, looking at it, from as little as two million and up to 3.4 uh, the market right now is a little bit stronger than this.

Speaker 1: 21:10

Uh, I would, you know. Just, you know from my own experience I think you would agree you kind of mentioned we're probably more in the 2.2 to 3.2 uh range, depending on on the aircraft. But yeah, no, the pc12 is. Is is a fantastic bird. How does it compare uh to other you know aircraft, maybe like a tbm or a king air? Um, what kind of separates it from from those other ones?

Speaker 2: 21:35

so if first I'll compare the TBM first, just because it's also a single engine turboprop, the biggest difference is a TBM is a lot smaller than a pc-12, so it's bigger than the pc-12 as well. Also, you're gonna have more versatility in your aircraft with the PC-12. The TBM is faster than the PC-12, but if we're going to go look at the King Air, that's a dual-engine turboprop. So you have a lot of operators who would prefer the dual-engine because they feel like it might be safer. I prefer the dual engine because they feel like it might be safer, but it's also. The King Air is also a very great aircraft as well.

Speaker 1: 22:31

It's also used a lot for medical operations, charter operations and owner operators. So I think, overall, the PC-12 definitely stands out, though for the reasons that you mentioned. This is just an example of Boomerang Air Charter. This is an operator out of Florida that is doing some amazing things with their PC-12s. Not only are they managing them for their owners to make sure that the pricing is fair and they're getting good deals, but they're also taking part in things like this and anti-trafficking missions. They're also taking part in things like this and anti-trafficking missions.

Speaker 1: 22:58

I mean, they are literally, um, on the on the on the ground boots on the ground for people that are finding themselves in a predicament. Uh, with regards to human trafficking, uh, they have been contracted on times to fly and get people out of harm's way. Um, because they're able to be, they're able to use their PC twelves. It's just a phenomenal platform for things of that nature. So hats off to Boomerang Air Charters. Definitely someone to people should check out. So, hayden, I mean I appreciate the overview on the PC-12 market. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us in terms of what your hopes and dreams are aviation uh, parting words for someone who's thinking about, um, becoming an aircraft broker. What tips would you give him or her on the next steps that he or she should take? If they're just kind of, they're on YouTube, they're typed in how to become a jet broker. They found this video. What, what? What are some next steps that you would recommend for for them?

Speaker 2: 23:55

Um, next steps? Definitely reach out to Tom. Join the Circle community, learn more about what we do and then, if you do find yourself joining our team, my biggest piece of advice is don't let your mind make you quit, because it's going to be hard work. You're going to be making a lot of calls and you're going to be told no a lot of times, the majority of the time honestly yeah, which you know it's. This is a very good career and you can make a lot of money doing this. But I kind of just follow the words of David Goggins Don't look for motivation. Wake up every day and just do. That's how you have to do it. You just have to wake up and do.

Speaker 1: 24:48

That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much. Uh, Hayden, I appreciate it. If everybody wants to join the circle community, it is a 100% free. Go to circlejetlifearrowcom. If you want to hit up Hayden, we'll have his links in the description below. And we appreciate you guys. We'll catch you later.