When Do They Fly?
The overwhelming majority of business aircraft missions are conducted on demand, although some companies have scheduled operations, known as corporate shuttles, which essentially are in-house mini-airlines.

Top Business Uses of GA: Save Time for the Business & Its Employees — Business flyers make their own schedule, leave when they want, and return when their work is finished. Make Travel Time More Productive — Business aircraft serve as in-flight offices for employee meetings and work sessions. Safeguard Employees and Trade Secrets — Business aircraft keep employees away from unknown people or uncontrolled circumstances and allow for private conversations without the risk of eavesdropping by competitors. Sales & Marketing Blitz — Using business aircraft, a sales person can visit four or five customers in different states in just one day. That same itinerary easily could take three or four days traveling by the airlines and require the added expense of overnight stays. Scheduled & Emergency Customer Service — When your most important customer needs their equipment fixed immediately, business aviation will get the right technicians onsite with the correct spare parts as quickly as possible.

What Do They Fly?
Aircraft built specifically for businesses vary from four-seat, short-range, piston-powered airplanes that use an engine much like that in your car, up to two- and three-engine corporate business jets that can carry up to 19 passengers nearly 7,000 miles. Some companies even use airline-type jets. Helicopters are often used for business transportation.

Who Does the Flying?
Most larger company-owned business aircraft are flown by two pilots. The professionally trained crew’s primary, if not exclusive responsibility is to fly the company’s aircraft. Some smaller operators of business aircraft typically use one pilot to fly a four or six passenger piston-powered airplane. And many entrepreneurs will pilot their own small airplanes, whether they actually own them or just rent them from their local community airport.

Who Owns the Airplanes?
Although the majority of business aircraft are owned by individuals or companies, businesses also can access aircraft and crews through chartering, long-term leasing, short-term rental, fractional ownership, time-sharing agreements, interchange agreements, partnerships, and aircraft management contracts.

Fractional ownership means exactly what it sounds like: Instead of owning an entire airplane, you own a share of it — typically one-eighth. Entering into a fractional ownership agreement, in which the maintenance and flight crews are managed for you, is a relatively low-cost way to see whether ownership of a corporate aircraft works for your company. In fact, many companies that start as fractional owners end up buying an airplane once they see the efficiency of business aviation.

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