The Mesinger Blog

Moderated By: Jay Mesinger, CEO and Founder of Mesinger Jet Sales; Speakers include: opening remarks by Ed Bolen, President and CEO of NBAA; Sheila Kahyaoglu, Managing Director of Jeffries, LLC; Steve Varsano, Founder and President of The Jet Business; and Rolland Vincent, President of Rolland Vincent Associates, LLC.

For years, aircraft owners treated uncertainty as a reason to wait. Delay the purchase. Pause the sale. Hope for clarity.

That mindset no longer reflects today’s business aviation market.

Despite economic shifts and geopolitical noise, transactions continue and fleets evolve. Uncertainty has not vanished, it has become the operating condition.

This NBAA Thought Leadership webinar examines how aircraft owners and operators assess risk, make capital decisions, and maintain momentum when clarity is elusive. Expect a candid discussion on leadership mindset, strategy under pressure, and why decisive action is replacing fence-sitting.

Sponsored by NBAA Leadership Council member Mesinger Jet Sales.

Watch the Webinar

Date: February 3, 2026
Moderator: Jay Mesinger, Mesinger Jet Sales; Speakers: Ted Farid of JETHQ and George Galanopoulos of Luxaviation

Is this business aviation still cyclical?
How can you tell when a market is turning?
How can you keep selling in a downturn?
Old School or does experience keep you relevant?
Why things were better in the old days.

Watch the Webinar

Date: January 8, 2026
Moderated By: Jay Mesinger of Mesinger Jet Sales; Speakers include: Chad Anderson, CEO, Jetcraft; Mike Dwyer, Owner, Guardian Jet; and Mike Minchow, President, Duncan Aviation

2026 will bring to light a series of new series of Town Halls and broadcast on the CJI Town Hall Network, focusing on the fallacy of Price vs. Value/Cost.

“Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten” – Charles Rolls the aviation and automotive pioneer.

This series of Town Halls will focus on how business aviation companies can make sure that their customers understand why the cheapest option is often the worst option.

The first one will focus on transactions with others looking at other areas like operating, insuring, maintaining and supporting aircraft.

Sponsored by Mesinger Jet Sales

Watch the Webinar

Originally published as a News story for Corporate Jet Investor on 8/15/25

I always measure summer in the same fast-forward way. Memorial Day hits and summer officially kicks off, writes Jay Mesinger, CEO and founder of Mesinger Jet Sales. Then you blink and it’s the 4th of July. Before you know it, Labor Day arrives, signaling the end of the summer celebration. Ugh.

But what comes next? The fourth quarter – and with it, one of the biggest business opportunities of the year: the Bonus Depreciation Frenzy.

We’ve seen this movie before. The last time the frenzy hit, it was fueled by two major forces: bonus depreciation and a wave of first-time buyers driven to private aviation by the pandemic and their desire to avoid commercial airports and mass transit. While the initial rush of new buyers may have tapered off, the allure of bonus depreciation remains and it’s powerful. Year-end deal momentum is real and if history is any guide, it’s coming.

So, what can you do now to prepare?

Start internally. Have your research team update market data. Know where the opportunities are. Understand current pricing and inventory availability. Be ready to guide buyers with confidence and accuracy.

Next, think logistically. What can you do to secure a pre-buy inspection and line up a path to closing before year-end? Start calling maintenance facilities to check availability. Find open slots. We’re quickly approaching the point where every day matters.

Remember, you cannot make year-end closing a contingency in your purchase agreement. If you want bonus depreciation, you must close, fly, and have the aircraft in service by December 31st. There are no extensions, no exceptions.

The best way to ensure that happens? Start now. Begin the search. Negotiate. Contract. Inspect. Fix discrepancies. Close. Every transaction takes longer than expected, and no two are alike. Delays happen, and you can’t plan for all of them. But you can plan ahead.

Need financing? All the more reason to get moving.

I’ve said it before, and it’s worth repeating: the best path to success is building a team that understands your goals, the seller’s needs, and the dynamics of the market. That team includes your tax adviser, aviation counsel, acquisition consultant or broker, financing partners and, if you’re new to ownership, a management company.

These people are essential to getting the transaction done right.

And let’s be clear, this isn’t just a ‘tax play’. It’s an aircraft acquisition strategy with a meaningful tax advantage if the structure, timing, and intent are right. Bonus depreciation isn’t for everyone. Not every buyer qualifies. Not every operation meets the use requirements. And not everyone should buy an aircraft.

But with the right plan, the right advisers and the right timing, many of you can put together a winning strategy that aligns your aviation needs with a strong tax outcome.

So, find your team. Ask the hard questions. Know what you’re getting into.

See you on the field.

Originally published as a News story for Corporate Jet Investor on 6/20/25

Everyone always says there is nothing more damaging to market conditions than uncertainty, writes Jay Mesinger, CEO, Mesinger Jet Sales. I am beginning to question the impactfulness of that logic in our current environment. Like you all, I keep watching and reading economic forecasts and then observing the behaviour of buyers and sellers in our industry.

I was just in New York for the NBAA Regional Forum in White Plains. Largest crowd ever, over 3,300 attendees. Lots of smiles and optimism. Then I spent three nights in the city and the streets and restaurants were packed with tourists. Honestly, there were no signs of economic slowdown. At Mesinger Jet Sales, we are not finding any slowdown in demand either. In fact, phone activity is up and prospects are moving ahead on projects.

There has also not been a frenzy of calls about 100% bonus depreciation. However, I am sure as more clarity forms around that tax benefit, we will start to hear that at year-end.

So, what are the key factors we should be cautious about? Today, I am seeing an absolute focus on price. Gone are the days of throwing a dart at the wall as a seller and setting an asking price with no connection to the reality of comparable sales. We are seeing bigger price reductions driven by unguided or unbelieving sellers realizing that the dart is old school. Sellers must listen to their trusted selling partners and take action on correct pricing sooner than later.

With higher numbers of inventory in almost all categories of planes, buyers have many choices, negotiating room in price, and the ability to demand the correct due diligence needed for buying such sophisticated assets as an aircraft. No longer is this a sellers’ market. This market is well balanced and settling into that for what looks like the long haul. Even the potential opportunity for the 100% bonus depreciation should not absorb big amounts of supply, leaving our market a healthy one.

So, as you have the chance to discuss the market with your prospects, it is of course important to guide those considering coming in to watch uncertainty, measure the implications against common sense, and be well guided in the market space.

Those buyers who believe they can accomplish this process with no professional guidance are only going to create uncertainty in their potential transaction. That is a bad recipe for success. Grab a partner and don’t be afraid of the added professional cost associated with that help. Instead, be more afraid of the cost of mistakes. See you on the field.

Originally published as a News story for Corporate Jet Investor on 4/4/25

I don’t think anyone would argue that our aircraft market is on the move, writes Jay Mesinger, CEO and founder, Mesinger Jet Sales.

For example, look at this month’s Controller Magazine with 379 pages of aircraft for sale. I haven’t seen the publication as thick in several years. Many of the email marketing companies are reporting an increased number of daily messages going out announcing on the market, requiring sellers to affect pricing and undergo maintenance inspections they had probably hoped would be on the new owners’ time and dime. Or, at the very least, accomplished during a pre-buy inspection that occurs during a selling event.

So, what does this mean? From where I sit, we are still seeing a good amount of demand, though maybe not with the same vigour we all experienced during the final quarter of the year as buyers move to capture year-end 100% bonus depreciation opportunities.

Something I frequently comment on is that our markets do not like uncertainty and there seems to be no shortage of that right now. It is a bit like the weather in Colorado; if you don’t like it, just wait an hour, and it will change. This also seems to be the narrative of the tariff story. One day we have them, the next they disappear. And the greater effects of all the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) cuts have yet to be written.

Getting some clarity around tax breaks and the renewal of the 100% bonus depreciation would be nice. I know those who can afford to buy and operate these business tools are standing by watching for those outcomes.

So, back to the title of this article. Is the market moving from the top up, meaning is the top of the market pulling up the market and sending prices upwards, or is it being pulled down from the bottom? It might be bifurcated. This would see the very top, long-range newer aircraft segregate themselves from the older, slower, shorter-range planes that are then pulled down at the bottom. We have not seen this phenomenon in many years.

We always say this could be the end of the ageing aircraft playing such a role in the overall fleet of our aircraft universe. However, new demand for ageing aircraft in the fleet, as supply dwindles, keeps reviving this segment. And conversely, supply chain issues, parts issues, and obsolescence issues keep trying to end-of-life this segment. Maybe this time it really will.

So, to recap, uncertainty over government cutbacks, uncertainty over tariffs and uncertainty over International issues will really plague us all. Bringing certainty to the financial and International segments of our life will help us all. Let’s watch this together and keep our eyes and ears open and our communication channels open. Talk soon.

Originally published as a News story for Corporate Jet Investor on 1/31/25

Maybe you have never noticed what makes for a good ad in publications that will both catch the eye and make the sale. There is a name for such a structure, and it is called the Plant and the Payoff, writes Jay Mesinger, CEO and founder of Mesinger Jet Sales.

The headline ‘plants’ an idea as the hook, and then somewhere in the body copy, often the final line, the text incorporates or repeats – pays off – some aspect of the headline. Last week, our advertising agency guru visited us, and I heard him use this terminology. It really resonated with me. I realized I use this without even knowing it as I describe our services to clients verbally or talk about aircraft we have for sale. It seems like such a logical discussion format.

Politicians use this as well when they describe new ideas for policy. Hit them with the plant, and then follow up with the payoff. There has never been a time that I can remember that rising above the political fray is more appropriate. In fact, staying focused on our service offerings and the equipment we want to buy or sell is such an obvious place to concentrate.

One thing that is becoming abundantly clear is our world, as we know it, is looking more and more like a tabletop puzzle. As an industry, we are always looking for where the pieces fit. Often, the outside edges are the easiest to solve, but the inside boundary areas are the most difficult to fit. We can use similar design details to find matches or colors that seem to fit together but large thousand-piece puzzles are complicated.

As we all look at the first 100 days of this administration to add new colors or designs to our puzzle, we struggle at times to understand the outcome of the initiatives being mandated by the executive actions. Will budget cuts across the board halt spending in aviation centric agendas?

I have decided that being a prognosticator for the future of our industry or our economy is not where you will find me with respect to my articles, my speeches, or my webinars. I intend to bring relevant, non-political topics to us all. I will leave the national news to the reporters. This does not mean that we do not intend to make hay while the sun shines. We are all going to enjoy that. My fellow aircraft professionals, our clients and all the ancillary service providers that make up this robust industry we all call home will enjoy the current economic euphoria.

I am just now building the topic ideas for my 2025 webinars. I intend them to be pleasant, often light-hearted, completely informative, and a great place to spend an hour with your friends and fellow associates. I will have a total of seven more this year – four for the NBAA NewsHour and three more for CJI Town Halls. I sincerely welcome your ideas for topics that you would enjoy learning more about.

In the meantime, let’s talk a minute more about the Plant and the Payoff. What fun to rethink your presentation style and delivery format. Brevity and accuracy can be nicely woven into that format. Keeping conversations light is also important in our current very serious global environment. There is also enough seriousness in the transaction process that we all work within, including major inspection navigation, damage discovered and staying within the boundaries of the contracts we all negotiate.

My intent going forward is certainly not to negate the depth of the daily tasks we enter into as we complete these complex transactions, but rather to be a beacon of entertainment. Again, please send me your ideas, then join me and my panelists as we explore the lighter side. See you all soon around the puzzle table. How was that for a Plant? I promise it will Pay off.