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PlaneSmart: A New Shared Ownership Option

PlaneSmart affords the benefits of ownership, but with shared costs.
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • PlaneSmart is a rapidly expanding professionally managed shared aircraft ownership company specializing in Cirrus SR22/SR20s, with multiple locations and ambitious growth plans across Texas and the Western US.
  • For a significant investment, an eighth share provides extensive services including aircraft use, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and flexible scheduling (e.g., 75 annual hours/21 overnights), with a focus on pilot proficiency over minimum hours.
  • The company emphasizes professional management and rigorous, factory-standardized training with experienced instructors, leading the author to describe it as his best and most comprehensive shared ownership experience to date.
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Some readers might remember that starting back about five years I wrote a series of articles about my experiences flying with two separate small airplane fractional ownership operations: OurPlane and AirShares Elite. The experiences were very positive, and I came to believe that shared ownership (as it came to be called) would be a major factor in the revitalization of general aviation once word got out that the concept, which everyone loves, works in the real world. Today it’s no secret. It really does work. The biggest problem with the concept is that it’s not widely available yet. Even though OurPlane and AirShares have both expanded since I wrote about flying with them, availability is still limited to a growing handful of urban centers.

So imagine my surprise back in early 2005 when soon after I arrived in my new home of Austin, Texas, I began getting mailings from a shared ownership company I’d never heard of before and based, quite remarkably, right there in Austin. I was delighted at my luck.

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