Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Details:
Richmond, VA…OurPLANE, the pioneer and world leader in fractional new light aircraft, has teamed up Single Pilot Jet Managed and announces the launch of VLJ Managed the first, complete aircraft management product specifically for all VLJ aircraft including the Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang.

Last October, OurPLANE delivered their first Eclipse 500 VLJ to SheltAir (FBO) at Jacksonville, FL in the continuing growth of their successful fractional aircraft ownership program for light aircraft. OurPLANE has taken their coast-to-coast fractional aircraft program resources and developed VLJ Managed, specifically for customers buying their own VLJ jet. VLJ Managed is unique in that it offers “one-stop shopping” for everything that a VLJ owner needs to effectively operate their new jet. OurPLANE has teamed up with aviation industry leaders to offer the best value added VLJ managed program available, including Single Jet Pilot Management, Cumulus Consulting (with former Eclipse VP Don Taylor), Advocate Consulting (Aircraft and Aviation Tax Consultants), North American Jet, Landmark Aviation, Will Global Aerospace (AIG insurance).

“VLJ Managed is unique and complete”, says Graham Casson, president and CEO of OurPLANE., “now everyone that wants their own private VLJ jet can get complete turn key management with professional aviation services from the top industry leaders, all with one product—VLJ Managed. We eliminate the time wasting hassles of arranging for hangar, maintenance, tax strategies and reporting, training, pro pilots, etc. VLJ Managed is completely turn key, VLJ Managed eliminates the unknowns in buying your VLJ.”

VLJ Managed offers 2 levels of management. VLJ Managed GOLD provides complete jet services targeted to Pilot customers flying their own VLJ for $2799 per month including procuring local hangars and providing maintenance, tracking, training, discounted insurance, 24X7 executive concierge travel services and virtually everything else needed for the owners jet.

VLJ Managed PLATINUM provides complete jet services and management targeted to both Pilots and non Pilots, businesses and first-time aircraft owners for $3799 per month. VLJ Managed provides all the services of the GOLD level plus aviation tax consultation to structure the aircraft purchase, pro pilots, delivery and pickup services, and other value added benefits like backup and supplemental lift to guarantee aircraft availability.

VLJ Managed is available at http://www.ourplane.com/management/index.asp and Single Pilot Jet Management, www.spjets.com

OurPLANE already offers a nationwide network of factory new aircraft at locations including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Salt Lake City, St. Paul, Orlando, Jacksonville, White Plains (NY), and Toronto. OurPLANE is the pioneer and leader in fractional light aircraft ownership for general aviation pilots and currently has sixteen (16) new aircraft in operation at fifteen (15) different locations across North America. OurPLANE recently announced the purchase of 21 Eclipse 500 VLJs. OurPLANE also offers VLJ Managed, complete aircraft management for VLJ owners.

Single Pilot Jet Management was established to assist pilots transitioning to Very Light Jets. SPJM has secured one of the first production Eclipse aircraft. SPJM intends to use this aircraft as a transition aircraft for pilots wishing to experience the exhilaration of flying single pilot jet aircraft. Michael Press, CEO/President of SPJM LLC is a single pilot jet certified instructor with over 5000 hours of single pilot jet time. Mr. Press flew single pilot jet fighters in the United States Air Force and commanded the Air Force 'Top Gun' Instruction School. For the past 17 years he assisted the Defense Industry in the design of the latest Air Force single pilot jet fighters: F-16, F-22, F-35.

For more information about OurPLANE, visit our website at www.ourplane.com or call 1-877-RPLANE-1 (1-877-775-2631). For more information about Single Pilot Jet Management, visit their website at www.spjets.com

Date: Monday, March 24, 2008

Details:
FEB/MARCH 2008

The Business : White Is The New Black

The first VLJ to hit the market has already found an unsexy new niche.

By: Nick Kolakowski
Feb/March 2008 , Page 158 Private Air Magazine

In the world of transportation, it sometimes seems, the more fantastic the idea, the worse the production problems. Eleven years ago, Eclipse 500 manufacturer Vern Raburn envisioned a future in which thousands of owner-operators would be snapping up his ultra-affordable Very Light Jet and flitting around like George Jetson.
Today, after snafus involving everything from the engine to the cockpit windows, the Albuquerque-based company ekes out less than a plane a day for a market that seems to have decided the $1.6 million six-seater is neither affordable nor quite light and zippy enough for most twenty-first-century Georges to pilot themselves. But even if Raburn’s dream never comes to pass, the Eclipse 500 may have nonetheless found its sweet spot: as the black car of the skies.

Like the Lincoln Town Car, another snakebitten, somewhat unwieldy high-end vehicle that eventually found its niche in the livery trade, the Eclipse 500 has been seized by a new crop of VLJ charter outfits as the solution for tiny groups of commercial-air passengers looking for a quick hop between, say, Chicago and St. Louis or New York and Washington. Such air-limo services are expected to pick off roughly two-thirds of the 5,000 or so VLJs expected to come online from Eclipse, Embraer, Cessna and other manufacturers within the next decade.

It’s an altogether different picture from eight years ago, when 150 people lined up outside the Hilton Phoenix Airport to drop a $150,000 deposit on the soon-to-be-unveiled Eclipse 500. By the end of 2002, manufacturing woes had slowed the timetable even as better-financed rivals such as Piper, Cirrus and Diamond had developed their own prototypes that in many cases were $200,000 to $300,000 cheaper than Raburn’s 425-mph trailblazer. In the interim, though, a few air-taxi entrepreneurs had noted the Eclipse’s 1,300-nautical-mile range and surprising amount of legroom in its slightly bulbous cabin, and saw an opportunity.

One such entrepreneur was William Herp, CEO of Concord, Massachusetts–based Linear Air, a charter service increasingly centered on Eclipses. “Our goal is to have a dozen by the end of 2008,” he says, settling into a tan passenger seat of his first one. “By the end of 2012, we’ll have around 300, and by then we’re going to be in 15 markets.”
For a fractional company such as OurPLANE, meanwhile, the Eclipse presents a chance to pry open an entirely new — and potentially sizable — market by lowering the entrance costs for a new aircraft by more than half. “An airplane, as an asset, is capital-intensive; the entrance fee could be $5 million,” says Graham Casson, OurPLANE’s CEO. “But with a VLJ, you’re not only down to just under $2 million as an initial cost, but you then have fractional membership on top of that. We bring the cost down to $300,000 per share, just about any viable business can afford that investment.”

OurPLANE’s plan for a 22-Eclipse fleet may take some time to become reality — Eclipse is roughly nine to 10 months behind in its production schedule and anticipates delivering just four 500s to the Virginia-based service by the end of 2008. Linear Air and other VLJ-centric companies are facing the same challenge, keeping things small as they wait for Eclipse to ramp up production to what Raburn hopes will be four planes a day.
Of course, all that depends on Raburn continuing his balancing act. After flirting with implosion when a $200 million deal fell through last summer, the company recently secured $100 million in long-term financing from European Technology and Investment Research Center Aviation, which will sell the Eclipse 500 in Eastern Europe, Russia and Turkey. With that money in place and the 10 percent down payment that comes in with each order, Raburn says he should — should — be able to add enough capacity to meet production demands. “Is it a slam dunk? No. There are always challenges,” he says. “Still, I see nothing short of a total disaster keeping us from getting to profitability. Financially, we’re in better shape than we’ve ever been.”

Disruptive
Both Herp and Casson describe VLJs as a “disruptive technology” — that is, a product, innovation or service that shakes up the status quo. (The term was coined by Harvard professor Clayton Christensen in his 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma.) Attached to each VLJ are small twin lightweight engines (or even a single engine, as in the case of the Diamond D-Jet) capable, thanks to advances in materials science and manufacturing technology, of achieving enough power to get the planes aloft despite their size. The engines are cost-effective to run and fuel and the planes relatively easy to churn out, theoretically leading to major efficiencies all around.

Take the $1.6 million Eclipse 500. While the price may still be a bit steep for many owner-operators, it’s cheap for a charter or fractional service, enabling Linear to charge its customers just $1,840 per hour. Given that just about any trip in the Northeast can be managed in under an hour, that takes the typical round-trip cost per passenger on a fully occupied flight down to about $600 per head — comparable to a walk-up commercial ticket. For fractional owners, management fees are shaping up to be nearly a third less than those for a jet such as the Citation CJ3, in what was once considered the entry-level category. Add VLJs’ ability to land at local airports with short runways, and general aviation suddenly opens up to a far broader demographic.

Location, Location, Location
As much as it makes sense economically, though, even the Eclipse-as-limo formula isn’t, as Raburn might say, a slam dunk. Last April, air-taxi operator Point2Point Airways closed shop after spending a year trying to attract people to fly a couple of prop-plane/early VLJ stand-ins across a handful of sparsely traveled routes in North Dakota and the upper Midwest. Bursts of winter weather and a lack of interest in flying from Bismarck to Fargo appear to have doomed that effort. So while underserved minor markets originally looked to be a growth area for the VLJ charter companies, Linear will focus its initial rollout on the heavily trafficked Boston-D.C. corridor. Another new Eclipse air-taxi service called DayJet has similarly limited its efforts to Florida, with a second phase planned for Southeast business centers such as Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte. Pogo Air, a well-financed entry run by the former CEO of 1980s budget commercial carrier People Express, has announced its intention to take delivery of its first Eclipse 500s by early 2009 and go head-to-head with Linear in the Northeast.

Any future expansion of the customer base, of course, will depend on how fast the planes roll out. The Linears and OurPLANEs seem to have resigned themselves to that fact. “I think it’s going to be gradual,” Herp says. Still, you can almost hear the companies putting their own stamp on George Jetson’s famous phrase: “Jane! Start this crazy thing!”

“If we bring the cost down to $300,000 per share, just about any viable business can afford that investment.”

As published in:
http://www.privateairdaily.com/index.html

Date: Monday, December 10, 2007

Details:
OurPLANE and Linear Air announce Strategic Alliance

Richmond, VA…OurPLANE, the pioneer and world leader in fractional new light aircraft, announces a new strategic alliance with Linear Air, the leading air-taxi service that is transforming regional air travel by providing affordable point-to-point jet charter featuring the Eclipse 500 VLJ and Cessna Grand Caravan turboprop.

With both OurPLANE and Linear Air fresh off their first Eclipse 500 deliveries, the two organizations have entered into a strategic relationship to co-market both 135 charter services and fractional aircraft ownership of the revolutionary Eclipse VLJ. East Coast customers purchasing their Eclipse fractional of OurPLANE will get immediate access to an Eclipse through Linear Air while they await delivery of their own Eclipse VLJ.

“Linear Air will be a key support to OurPLANE in providing even more value added service with our fractional shares,” says Graham Casson, president and CEO of OurPLANE, “Now our Eclipse fractional customers will have instant access to bigger aircraft when they need them, and backup Eclipse aircraft when OurPLANE needs them.”

Linear Air has ordered 30 Eclipse 500 VLJ aircraft for part 135 air taxi operations, while OurPLANE has a smaller fleet order for part 91K fractional aircraft operation.

“Travelers are fed up with the atrocious service standards of the airlines and are eager for alternatives,” said William Herp, Linear Air President and CEO. “Linear Air offers the solution - jet charter at half the cost of traditional charter and, with several colleagues traveling together, at a total cost approaching full coach airlines’ fares. We look forward to expanding access to our service through this new strategic partnership with OurPLANE.”

OurPLANE already offers a nationwide network of factory new aircraft at locations including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Salt Lake City, St. Paul, Orlando, Jacksonville, White Plains (NY), and Toronto.

OurPLANE is the pioneer and leader in fractional light aircraft ownership for general aviation pilots and currently has twenty (22) new aircraft in operation at fifteen (15) different locations across North America. OurPLANE recently announced the purchase of 21 Eclipse 500 VLJs.

Linear Air, based in Concord, MA, is transforming the air travel industry by providing regional point-to-point jet charter with unprecedented access and affordability. The company flies the revolutionary 3 passenger Eclipse 500 business jet and 8 passenger Cessna Grand Caravan turboprop, cutting the cost of jet charter in half and offering a total cost which rivals full coach airlines fares when several individuals travel together.

Linear Air currently offers business and leisure travelers access to more than 500 cities in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Canada and Caribbean from its permanent bases in the Boston, New York and Washington D.C. areas, and seasonal base in Puerto Rico. Linear Air is a FAA certificated commercial air carrier and maintains a Gold safety rating from ARG/US, the leading independent safety auditor in the aviation industry.

For more information about OurPLANE, visit their website at www.ourplane.com or call 1-877-RPLANE-1 (1-877-775-2631).

For more information on Linear Air, visit their website at www.linearair.com or call 877-2-LINEAR (877-254-6327)

Date: Saturday, October 27, 2007

Details:
Richmond, VA… OurPLANE, the pioneer and world leader in fractional new light aircraft, announces the delivery of the first Eclipse jet operating under part 91 fractional aircraft ownership.

OurPLANE delivered their first Eclipse 500 VLJ, serial #66, to SheltAir (FBO) at Jacksonville, FL for a corporate customer. This is the launch of the company’s new, nationwide fractional very light jet (VLJ) aircraft service. OurPLANE pioneered fractional aircraft for small business in 1998 with factory new Cirrus and Cessna aircraft, and today OurPLANE is the first and only fractional aircraft company offering the world’s first VLJ, the Eclipse 500, in combination with their nationwide fleet of factory new Cirrus and Cessna aircraft.

'OurPLANE pioneered fractional light aircraft 8 years ago and today, this historic day for OurPLANE, we again solidify our leadership with the launch of the OurPLANE fractional Eclipse 500 VLJ', says Graham Casson, president and CEO of OurPLANE, 'Let the VLJ evolution begin!'

OurPLANE has a fleet order of Eclipse 500 VLJs and plans to add additional VLJ aircraft so their customers have the freedom to choose the right aircraft for their needs. 'OurPLANE customers are pilots and non pilots, executives and businesses…everyone looking for their own, new aircraft at a fraction of the cost. Our business model is low cost with great customer service so that business travelers can avoid the hell of commercial travel” says Casson. “and 8 years of success proves OurPLANE should be YOUR plane'

'Florida is a nationwide leader in aviation with quick access to the major business centres along the Eastern seaboard,' says Mike Huffman, COO, OurPLANE 'So, we are very pleased to make this historic launch in Jacksonville, FL.'

The introduction of the OurPLANE fractional VLJ program has revolutionized business travel. Now, executives of small to medium sized businesses can own a fraction of their own private jet carrying four passengers at over 400 mph for as little as $759 per hour – less than the cost of chartering an aircraft, flying commercial aircraft or owning their own large corporate jet.

'The VLJ aircraft, and the Eclipse 500 specifically, are revolutionary aircraft allowing virtually every business or executive that travels a lot to easily afford their own private jet, something few people ever thought could be a reality for themselves,' says Casson. 'Owning a fraction of an Eclipse 500 from OurPLANE is the most economical solution available for small to medium sized companies and many executives who consistently fly coast to mid-continent distances. OurPLANE customers can own their own private Eclipse 500 share for as little as $521,000 with fixed costs of $3,999 for 150 hours of annual flying time.'

Among many advantages, the Eclipse 500 can land at thousands of airports around the country allowing executives, their clients and employees to avoid busy, congested commercial airports while dramatically increasing productivity and profitability, as studies from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) have proven. Bottom line--increased productivity with decreased stress, all at a fraction of the usual costs for business travel, means OurPLANE fractional Eclipse is a much better solution for frequent travelers.

'We are excited to start delivering OurPLANE's fleet of Eclipse 500 very light jets,' said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. 'The fractional aircraft market provides a valuable opportunity for more people to experience and own an Eclipse 500.'

OurPLANE already offers a nationwide network of factory new aircraft at locations including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Salt Lake City, St. Paul, Orlando, Jacksonville, White Plains (NY), and Toronto.

OurPLANE is the pioneer and leader in fractional light aircraft ownership for general aviation pilots and currently has factory-new aircraft in operation at fifteen (15) different locations across North America. OurPLANE recently announced the purchase of 21 Eclipse 500 VLJs.

For more information about OurPLANE, visit our website at www.ourplane.com or call 1-877-RPLANE-1 (1-877-775-2631).

Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Details:
OurPLANE and American Express Announce Partnership

ALBANY, NY….OurPLANE and American Express today announced a partnership that will bring unique and special value to Cardmembers who choose OurPLANE for their private jet needs.


Together, OurPLANE and American Express will be developing a unique set of benefits that will include discounts and special offers to American Express® Cardmembers. OurPLANE is now offering a two percent discount off of the cost of a fractional share of a new Eclipse Very Light Jet (VLJ) for all purchases made on the American Express Card.

“This partnership gives American Express Cardmembers valuable and tangible benefits combined with the convenience of making a purchase on their Card,” says Graham Casson, president and CEO of OurPLANE Inc. “American Express has always been known to have a large and attractive base of business customers and this partnership gives them an incentive to make their private business jet dream come true.”

Chris Cowan, Vice President from American Express commented, “The Very Light Jet segment is a new and exciting alternative for individuals seeking private jet travel. Our partnership with OurPLANE provides Cardmembers with a new choice and valuable benefits in the private jet market. Their commitment to bring value and quality to our mutual customers makes them a great partner.”

About OurPLANE
OurPLANE is the world leader in fractional light aircraft ownership. OurPLANE currently has 20 new aircraft in operation in 15 different locations across North America. OurPLANE recently announced a fleet purchase of Eclipse 500 VLJs with delivery starting in Jacksonville, Florida in 2007. For more information about OurPLANE or the TravelSMART Plus™” program, visit our website at www.ourplane.com or call 1-877-RPLANE-1 (1-877-775-2631).

About American Express
American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

Date: Thursday, February 1, 2007

Details:

OurPLANE Announces New, Hassle-Free Travel Program

Buffalo, NY – (February 01, 2007) OurPLANE, the pioneer of piston aircraft shared ownership, announced today a palette of new services designed to enhance the general aviation travel experience for OurPLANE customers. TravelSMART Plus is an innovative program that offers discounted travel services to every OurPLANE shareowner – both pilots and non-pilots alike.

“OurPLANE’s goal is to be more than just a fractional ownership company,” says Graham Casson, President and CEO of OurPLANE. “Our goal is to provide a one-stop, hassle-free travel solution for all of our customers and set a new standard in piston aircraft fractional ownership programs.”

TravelSMART Plus provides discount ground transportation, hotel accommodations, and aircraft catering services to OurPLANE fractional shareowners. Users can make all arrangements via OurPLANE’s online PRIORITY Reservation System or place a toll-free phone call anytime day or night. Either way, this new program will allow more convenient and enjoyable air travel and will save time and money.

OurPLANE’s TravelSMART Plus partners include:

Enterprise Rental Car: Providing direct pick up service at any of their 6800 locations worldwide. OurPLANE shareowners enjoy a discount from locally posted rates and can have their rental vehicle delivered to their aircraft or local FBO.

Leros Limo: Offers point to point luxury ground transportation to OurPLANE shareowners featuring executive limousine service from the aircraft to the destination of the owner’s choice.

Intercontinental Hotels: Provides OurPLANE owners discounted access to over 540,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries worldwide. Owners also have access to business travel reward programs including PRIORITY Club upgrades as part of the OurPLANE program.

Gourmet Inflight Catering: Offers convenient aircraft catering services at OurPLANE locations across North America 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

About OurPLANE

OurPLANE is the pioneer in fractional aircraft ownership programs for piston-powered, general aviation aircraft. OurPLANE was established in 1998 to provide its customers all the benefits of sole ownership at a fraction of the cost. With 20 new aircraft in operation at 15 different locations across North America and a recently announced fleet order for the Eclipse 500 VLJ aircraft, OurPLANE continues to grow. For more information, visit www.ourplane.com

Date: Thursday, January 25, 2007

Details:
OurPLANE Reaches Safety Milestone

Buffalo, NY…OurPLANE, the world leader in fractional light aircraft ownership, is proud to announce that it has flown over 25,000 hours without any accidents. OurPLANE attributes this outstanding safety performance to a number of safe flying parameters including higher total time requirements for fractional share owners to fly advanced aircraft and OurPLANE’s mandatory safety and recurrency policies for all OurPLANE pilots.

OurPLANE’s policy of free semi annual checkrides means every OurPLANE customer (either customers who purchase OurPLANE FlySMART jet cards with 25 or 40 annual hours or a customers who purchase fractional share shares) must undergo a stringent safety reassessment every six months. This emphasize on safety for OurPLANE’s piston aircraft was industry leading when OurPLANE launched it in 1998, and it’s value in keeping OurPLANE shareowners safe and current clearly contributes to their remarkable safe flying record. OurPLANE will offer the same level of initial and recurrent training for both Pilots and corporate Pilots (for non pilot shareowners) in their Eclipse VLJ fractional program. OurPLANE’s first VLJ, serial # 66, lands in Jacksonville, FL in late fall of 2007.

“OurPLANE continues to pioneer the safest, most cost effective fractional program available,” says Graham Casson, CEO of OurPLANE Inc. “We’re proud of our safety record and believe it is one of the reasons why small businesses are turning to us to provide them with their hassle-free (and safe) business travel needs.”

OurPLANE is the world leader in fractional light aircraft ownership. OurPLANE currently has 20 new aircraft in operation in 15 different locations across North America. OurPLANE recently announced the purchase of 21 Eclipse 500 VLJs with delivery starting in Jacksonville, Florida in 2007. In February, OurPLANE will be announcing a value-added, revolutionary travel discount program for our customers called TravelSMART. For more information about OurPLANE, visit our website at www.ourplane.com or call 1-877-RPLANE-1 (1-877-775-2631).

Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Details:
OurPLANE and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Announce Partnership

Buffalo, NY…OurPLANE, the world leader in fractional new aircraft, is pleased to announce that Enterprise Rent-A-Car, North America’s largest car rental company, has become a featured partner for OurPLANE customers.

The “Travel SMART Plus” program together with OurPLANE’s proprietary PRIORITY reservation system allows OurPLANE shareowners to order their ground transportation online while reserving their aircraft from any computer anywhere in the world. A direct connection between the OurPLANE and Enterprise reservation systems allows OurPLANE shareowners to select their aircraft and rental car – which will be ready for them when they land.

Under this agreement, OurPLANE customers receive discounts on Enterprise rentals, and the vehicles may either be picked up on-site at participating General Aviation Airports and Fixed Base Operations (FBO’s) or at nearby Enterprise branch offices. The Enterprise web site (www.enterprise.com/ga) offers a listing of all participating airports and FBO’s.

“We are pleased to offer this exclusive partnership to our valued and loyal OurPLANE customers,” says Graham Casson, president and CEO of OurPLANE Inc. “Our goal is to be more than simply a fractional aircraft ownership company – we want to provide our owners with the ultimate, hassle-free total travel experience. We continue to build our partnership networks so that we can provide ease of travel for our owners – whether in the air, on the ground or on the sea.”

The general aviation market is ideal for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “After pilots land their plane, they often need to get to their final destination via ground transportation,” explains Aynk Murtty, corporate accounts manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car . “Enterprise is looking forward to expanding our customer service in this growing market, and we’re very excited to partner with OurPLANE.”

The program will be launched at the NBAA in Orlando, Florida on October 17th, 2006.

For more information about this program, visit the OurPLANE website at www.ourplane.com or call 1-877-RPLANE-1 (1-877-775-2631).

About OurPLANE
OurPLANE is the pioneer and leader in fractional aircraft ownership for general aviation pilots and currently has 20 new aircraft in operation in 15 different locations across North America. OurPLANE recently announced the purchase of 21 Eclipse 500 VLJs with delivery starting in Jacksonville, Florida in early 2007, followed by a delivery in October 2007 (location to be announced).

About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car operates more than 878,000 rental and fleet services vehicles worldwide and has annual revenues of $9.04 billion. Last year, Enterprise opened more than 400 new locations, increasing its total locations to more than 6,900. The company operates more than 900 offices in Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland – including more than 200 on-site airport branches. Enterprise is currently number 16 on the Forbes ‘500 Largest Private Companies in America’ list. For more information about Enterprise visit www.enterprise.com.