Jeffrey Carrithers, CEO and founder of GlobalAir.com (Booth C13212), doesn’t claim to have invented the Internet. But his 20-year-old website certainly has held its place as a leader in providing key online components one needs for a modern business aviation flight department.
“When I started Globalair.com we were working with 28K dial-up modems. We were right on the leading edge of Internet technology then, and we like to think we’ve stayed there,” Carrithers told AIN.
The website portal offers some of the fastest-loading pages on the Internet, the result of clean, simple coding. It also provides the kinds of information that make it utilitarian for pilots and dispatchers, including all the weather information you’d need for a flight, and a patented fuel-route mapping system called Max-Trax, designed to increase efficiency and save owners money. Aircraft brokers like its aircraft-for-sale listings because of the market trend analytics they receive on their postings.
Globalair.com makes its money from the aircraft sales listings, and Carrithers makes no bones about that. “Our newest aircraft sales features are short, comprehensive video aircraft sales brochures, shot in HD. We developed a technique to compress the HD video for easy email, not using typical compression protocols. That way our brokers aren’t delivering a link that has to be clicked on and needs time to load, or a file that might be pegged as dangerous by an anti-virus program,” he explained. “Our text seller button on the sales page is another feature unique to us. It works great on our mobile site, as well.”
Carrithers could not emphasize enough the importance of selecting the right broker for any aircraft sales transaction. That is why his website includes a blog where different brokers weigh in with their philosophies and ideas about industry trends. “A smart aircraft buyer is positioning to buy an aircraft for his specific mission. It’s critical to use an experienced broker to help determine that need. From aircraft import and export laws, taxes and red tape, the complexities in aircraft sales are many. Don’t try to go it alone,” he cautioned.
The company is working on new features for its aircraft sales portal that it expects to introduce in mid-2016. Meanwhile, Carrithers is optimistic that both the aircraft sales market, and the price of fuel (two entwined predictors of the health of business aviation) are poised for a good year in 2016.
“Our data shows that the downward trend in used aircraft pricing and sales is seeming to slow, and that’s good news,” he said. “And, the price of jet fuel in the U.S. is now at a 10-year low. No one can predict when the price trend will bottom out, but I like what I see.”
In 2015 GlobalAir.com data showed that the G550 had the most inquiries on the sales pages. The King Air B200 remains popular among turboprops.
“We’ve got inventory in all categories of aircraft right now,” said Carrithers. “But I’m seeing aircraft being removed from our site as they sell, so that means fourth quarter activity is picking up.”
Finally, Carrithers wanted to remind NBAA attendees of the opportunities Globalair.com is providing through its Calvin L. Carrithers Aviation Scholarship, which offers four students in university aviation programs the chance to compete for $1,000 each. As part of the deal, students who receive the scholarship must blog about their experiences in school, in flight training and about their love for aviation. The hope is that the blogging platform helps connect the student with a large aviation online community of pilots, engineers and flight departments, as well as serve as a recruitment tool for the school that student attends.