What about battleship grey?

Would it help public opinion about business aviation if business aircraft were outfitted differently? If John Q Public took a peak aboard, he'd say "ugh, you guys fly in this thing?" Perhaps one of the completion centers or manufacturers ought to develop the "regular guy" interior, like in the Rodney Dangerfield movie. The entire interior would be shades of grey: grey cloth seatcovers (you know, that really thick material that gets pilly), grey carpet, grey headliner, grey countertops in the galley (of course Corian and not granite) and grey seatbelts. And there would be no shiny surfaces - no brass, polished chrome. Even the seatbelt buckle would be metal like the airlines. Food would be served on grey plastic plates with grey plastic silverware. The flight phone would have a credit card slot in it. Passengers would need to put quarters in the slot to use the toilet. And the finale? Paint business aircraft battleship grey. No more sleek shiny white jets with nice striping. And by the way, change those swept wings -- it may be fuel efficient and aerodynamic, but it just looks too cool. Too much like a fighter jet. Too much like you're having fun and not working. If Rodney Dangerfield were alive he would appreciate this, although he may have preferred plaid.

Just a thought. SHL.

ISBAO is Coming. Are You Ready?

December 6, 2008 - ISBAO is coming. Are you ready? In November 2010, if you'll be flying to the European Union, you'll need ISBAO certification. ISBAO stands for International Standard for Business Aviation Operations. There are currently only about 90 certified operators. If you haven't started the process for certification, you're behind the power curve. Shortly, we'll be adding a web page to our site devoted to ISBAO information and useful resources which will contain links to help you get started. Rumor has it that aviation insurance underwriters are looking carefully at the ISBAO standards as an underwriting factor whether or not the aircraft is anticipated to travel to the EU.