On May 16, Global Jet Capital, the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association (CABAA), and Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), partnered to deliver The Business of Business Aviation (BOBA) Forum at DuPage Airport in West Chicago. This was the first event of its kind and featured presentations from Global Jet Capital, JSSI, Mesinger Jet Sales and CABAA. The forum also featured a robust static display featuring aircraft from Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream, Textron and Pilatus. Over 70 aviation professionals from all walks of the industry attended and networked, demonstrating strong interest in business aviation from the local Midwestern community.
The BOBA Forum was designed as a way for CABAA to bring educational content to its constituents, provide an effective networking platform, and celebrate the strength and momentum building in the Chicago area, one of the nation’s strongest business aviation communities. Chicagoland’s DuPage Flight Center, one of North America’s premier business aviation facilities hosted the event in their recently constructed 32,000 square foot hangar facility.
Presenters included Mike Christie, Head of Origination for the central U.S. at Global Jet Capital; George Kleros, Senior Vice President, Strategic Event Management and Fleet Support at JSSI; and Josh Mesinger, Vice President of Mesinger Jet Sales. With decades of combined aviation experience, these speakers contributed an impressive breadth of knowledge to the event. Mike Christie noted, “It was exciting to continue the dialogue with members of the Midwestern business aviation community. Understanding regional perspectives and being able to offer our own expertise in business jet financing made this an incredibly productive opportunity for everyone involved.”
Attendees benefited from the broad range of subject matter covered in the expert-led talks, including such diverse topics as the various financial products related to business aviation and how they can be leveraged; the basics of aircraft maintenance and residual value forecasting; a review of available maintenance products and services; and an exploration of the current business aircraft market and the dynamics affecting it, including domestic and international economic issues.
The static displays were a hit with attendees, who explored a wide variety of business jets. Models on display included the Bombardier Challenger 350, Dassault Falcon 900EX, Embraer Legacy 500 and Phenom 300, Gulfstream 280, Pilatus PC12 and PC 24, and Textron Aviation’s Citation M2 and King Air 200.
