If you own a small business, a small aircraft can elevate your ability to attend meetings, woo new clients and forego the hassles of the airlines, among many other things. Even if it’s not a corporate jet, a small aircraft like a Cessna 172 can do wonders in improving business operations and efficiency.
Whether you’re on the verge of buying or just mulling it over, here are eight reasons that will convince you that your small business needs a small aircraft.
1) Do More in Less Time
Do you have a morning meeting in Minneapolis and a lunch meeting in Chicago? With a small aircraft, you can make it to both and be back home before dinner! Try doing that with a commercial flight or a car. With the time you’ll save skipping security check at the airport or driving hundreds of miles, you can take more meetings and do more business in less time. In a small aircraft that’s owned by your business, all you need to do is fire up the propellers and take off whenever (and wherever) you’re needed.
2) Get to Remote Locations
Do you have a big proposal on the line with a company in a remote part of Canada? That isn’t an issue when you can take your own small aircraft that can land where commercial airliners can’t. For example, when you fly with an airline, you’re restricted to the airports that they serve, whereas a small aircraft can land on smaller airstrips in the most remote locations in the world. With your own business plane, you get closer to any destination you do business in.
3) Bring Coworkers, Family and Friends Along
Flying commercially means you’ll have to decide whether you want to spring for the extra tickets for other passengers, whether a coworker needs to come along or you want to bring family or friends with. When you own a small aircraft, there are extra seats available, so you can bring whoever you want—as long as you don’t overload the weight limit of course! Wouldn’t it be great to have that extra support from a coworker in a meeting, or have your wife, kids or friends waiting for you at happy hour after you’ve gotten your work finished?
4) Make a Great Impression on Clients
Arriving by aircraft is just plain impressive – in fact, according to a report by NEXA Advisors evidence finds that owning a business aircraft is a sign of a healthy organization: “Those companies deploying aircraft to support their missions out-performed those that did not in several metrics. The most important measure of impact is a company’s enterprise value, by both share amount and share appreciation.” When you get to client meetings by plane, they’re bound to be impressed and much more likely to do business with you.
5) Conduct Business while Having Fun
It’s important to never get so wrapped up in your work that you can’t enjoy the fun in life. Long commercial flights or hours of driving can contribute to the day-to-day stress and hassle you already experience at work. When you can fly anywhere, there’s not much stopping you from scheduling that meeting near a beach, mountain or wherever else you please. Plus, you can combine business trips around vacations, so you could conduct your business on Friday and stick around over the weekend to relax, for example.
6) Enter a High-Powered Network
It’s no question that the most successful businesspeople own their own planes to get around. When you buy your own small aircraft, you’ll enter into a high-powered network of these individuals, who spend time in the hangars, lounges and other private airport hangouts. With enough time, you’re likely to meet a wide variety of business connections that will strengthen your network and boost your client roster.
7) Take Control of Your Business Trips
Of course, if you don’t know how to fly, you’ll hire a pilot to jet you around. However, buying a small aircraft gives you the opportunity to get behind the wheel yourself and give flying a try, under guidance of a professional. If you like it, you can work toward your private pilot’s license and truly take full control of your business trips.
If you’re interested in becoming a pilot, here are just a few benefits you’ll see:
- Be Able to Step Away From the Work
- Take Advantage of Tax Deductions
- Learn Challenging Lessons
- Have Rewarding Experiences
- And more – check out all the benefits of becoming a pilot for your business!
Are you ready to take control of the way you travel for business?
Get in touch with Inflight Pilot Training today!
Inflight is the leading pilot training company in Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a reputable training program and an extensive roster of highly skilled, certified flight instructors, we can help you reach your goals when it comes to flying – get in touch with our team today to find out more.
For additional information on Inflight training programs, contact us now or call (952) 698-3000.