By Randy Groom, founder Groom Aviation
All “Corporate Jets” are not the same
By now, most everyone is aware that the government hastily included a prohibition against corporate jets in their proposed bailout of the auto industry. Unfortunately, the term “corporate jet” has come to stand for irresponsible extravagance in the eyes of many Americans, most notably our lawmakers. This rather dim view of an industry critical to Wichita gives us all more concern on top of all of the other uncertainties we are dealing with.
While I am certainly not here to defend the business practices of the “Big Three,” this sort of broad brush prohibition is a frightening intervention of government telling business how to operate. It’s really pretty simple. All successful businesses must have the freedom to choose the most efficient practices in the conduct of their enterprises. I can assure you that having the CEO’s of these mammoth corporations drive to Washington was not the most efficient use of their time, particularly in this time of crisis.
I would be quick to say that given the perilous state of these companies, flying the absolutely largest corporate aircraft with their respective high operating costs is not the most efficient either. At these times, these leaders should consider flying in much less expensive small corporate jets like the Cessna Citation CJ-2’s or Beech Premier or even the venerable Beech King Air turboprops. All of these aircraft would provide fast, safe, and secure transportation at a fraction of the cost of their current flight departments. But the bottom line is to be responsive to the needs of this crisis and the long term best interest of their stockholders these leaders need access to the efficiency and productivity provided by General Aviation. To deny them that operating freedom is the economic equivalent of telling them to go back to using typewriters.
Randy Groom
