The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News

Join Jessie Naor and Preston Holland on The VIP Seat for the latest insights in private aviation, covering business aviation trends, private jet reviews, and more. We break down the biggest stories of the week in corporate aviation, from jet charter trends and Part 135 shenanigans to aviation safety news that the big players hope you'll miss. Expect hot takes, sharp analysis, and real talk with industry insiders, operators, and disruptors. Whether you’re flying private or an industry insider, buckle up and let's take off.

The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News is a leisure podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 94 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News, a leisure show with 94 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #33

  flyExclusive Q2 Results, LA Goes After Private Jet Tax Revenue

  Aug 19, 202631 minS3

  flyExclusive reported a $111 million Q2, but behind the headline are improving margins, positive adjusted EBITDA, a complicated capital structure, and a $5 million loan carrying a stated 26.5% rate. This week on The VIP Seat , Jessie Naor and Preston Holland break down flyExclusive’s Q2 2026 results: revenue growth, gross-margin improvement, fractional-program revenue, MRO, Jet Club activity, debt, and the related-party disclosures investors should read carefully. This is industry commentary only: not investment or financial advice. Also in this episode: SC Aviation acquires Heartland Aviation in Wisconsin Atlantic introduces its Ascend operator savings program LA County’s use of aircraft-tracking data in property-tax assessments An Indiana farmer charged after allegedly shooting at a crop-dusting aircraft Hera Flight’s reported Gulfstream G-IV runway-excursion and gear-collapse event The Atlanta Plane Train runway carpet is apparently installed backwards Aviation social-media nonsense, a $40 million “detailer” sale, and more Thanks to this week’s sponsors, AB Jets and RealJet . Subscribe for weekly private aviation news, aircraft-operations analysis, charter and fractional-market commentary, FBO economics, aviation finance, M&A, and business-aviation stories you will not find in a standard press release. #PrivateAviation #BusinessAviation #flyExclusive #FLYX #PrivateJet #AviationNews #JetCharter #FractionalOwnership #FBO #AircraftManagement

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #32

  Solairus Aviation Gets Bigger, Wheels Up Still in a Turnaround?

  Aug 12, 202631 minS3

  Is Wheels Up finally building momentum—or simply burning more runway? We break down their latest financial release (not financial advice!). This week, we battle it out over the Wheels Up Q2 results. The fleet transition is done early, the premium operation is more reliable, and management has put a 70-plus-hour utility target on the board. But cash burn, debt, deferred revenue and Delta support remain the real pressure points. We also break down Solairus and Clay Lacy's deal, NetJets’ jet-card pause, Chris Rocheleau’s return to NBAA, Real Jet's Crytpo.com news, FAA cannabis research, and a little AI-slop-induced madness.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #31

  Inside the Mind of a Jet Owner: XplusLuxe on What Operators Get Wrong With Private Fliers

  Aug 5, 20261h 11mS3

  An anonymous, but infamous, aircraft owner known as XPlusLuxe joins The VIP Seat Podcast for one of our most fascinating conversations yet. Known online for his legendary aircraft collection and viral aviation content, “Mr. T” shares what he’s learned after building a fleet of private jets—and why he believes most owners, operators, and even manufacturers misunderstand the economics of business aviation. In this exclusive interview we discuss: ✈️ How a hedge fund manager became obsessed with private aviation Why data—not emotion—should drive aircraft purchases The hidden costs of aircraft ownership and management ️ Citation X+ Versus Everything Else Why most Part 135 operators leave money on the table The importance of maintenance (MX) over almost everything else Speed, fuel burn, Starlink, AI, and the future of business aviation Can charter companies actually become great businesses? The biggest mistakes aircraft owners make If you’re interested in private jets, business aviation, Part 135 charter, aircraft ownership, fleet strategy, aviation investing, Gulfstream, Bombardier, Textron, NetJets, Flexjet, or private aviation economics , this episode is packed with insights you won’t hear anywhere else. ️ Hosted by Jessie Naor and Preston Holland. Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more conversations with the people shaping private aviation. #PrivateJets #BusinessAviation #CitationX #Gulfstream #Bombardier #PrivateJet #Part135 #NetJets #Flexjet #Aviation #AircraftOwnership #CorporateAviation #TheVIPSeat

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #30

  $3B Bombardier Order, NYC Helicopter Bird Strike?

  Jul 29, 202632 minS3

  Saudi Arabia’s The Helicopter Company, backed by the PIF, signs a Farnborough LOI with Bombardier for a firm order of 12 Challenger and Global jets plus options that could take the deal to around $2.8–3B and up to 60 aircraft. We break down FlyExclusive’s latest Jet Club press release, with record flight hours, an average $190K deposit per new member, and a 32% year‑over‑year jump in May deposits—and ask whether those prepaid hours will translate into profitable margins when earnings drop. Jessie and Preston unpack new NTSB documents on the Hudson River sightseeing helicopter crash, where Smithsonian feather lab analysis points to multiple large bird strikes, including Canada geese, as a likely driver of the in‑flight breakup. We hit Dassault’s latest Falcon 10X certification delay and what it means in the arms race against Gulfstream and Bombardier, dive into the FAA’s new Mobile Clearance system that lets GA and bizav pilots pull IFR departure clearances via ForeFlight/Garmin instead of phones and radios, and revisit the long‑running fight over crew rest and duty rules for cargo and Part 135. Plus: Mile High Madness with “Chad” flying to Nantucket on a PC‑12, Detailer Guy, and why cheap gimmicks and influencer‑bait content are hurting the industry’s credibility.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #29

  Seized Cessna in the Supreme Court, World Cup Business Aviation Miles

  Jul 22, 202636 minS3

  This week, Preston joins live from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with news on Emily Deaton's move to NBAA and show updates. Then: a 14-year-old bush pilot case out of Alaska heads to the U.S. Supreme Court over a six-pack of beer and a seized Cessna, a viral air traffic control exchange reignites the cockpit-professionalism debate, and two market reports land the same week — one on the private aircraft MRO boom, one on the ultra-wealthy buyers reshaping the business jet market. Plus: Textron's new Pipistrel Voyager trainer arrives right as the FAA's MOSAIC rule takes effect, Gianni Infantino's Gulfstream G650 racks up more miles than most fleets fly in a year, and Preston explains how he ended up quoted — and slightly cornered — in a story about AI wealth flooding into private aviation.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The VIP Seat: Private Aviation News. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.