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The Benefits of Working with Derrick Schmidt Aviation

At DSA, we’re changing the consumer experience of buying, selling, and owning a jet aircraft. Our team of experts deploys their decades of knowledge and experience to deliver results unrivaled in the business jet and Cessna Citation jet markets. We assure the life-cycle of aircraft ownership is a smooth, carefree, and transformative experience for jet owners new and old. 

Selling

Purchasing

Consulting

Selling

Our client-centric approach is unique in the industry. DSA’s experts understand each step of the transaction and know what it takes to establish clear objectives, achieving your desired outcome. We provide straight forward, honest answers that may not always be what you want to hear, but are tailored to what is required to get the job done right.

At DSA, we use a two-pronged approach to selling:

Client-centered

Taking the time to understand the reason behind your sale is something many brokers simply don’t take the time to understand. But we know that personal reasons are just as valid as financial ones, and, believe it or not, those reasons can make the difference in reaching a deal. 

Using our client-centered approach, we identify accurate pricing and develop a customized strategy for selling your jet aircraft. We will help guide you through financial implications of a sale, and how timing plays a big role in selling your aircraft. We also personalize a feedback loop, so the experience will be as hand-on or -off as you want for an optimized customer experience.

Asset-centered

Examining your jet aircraft beyond its book value is central to effective positioning in the pre-owned jet market. Sure, your jet may have impeccable interior finishes and the latest avionics upgrades, but what intangibles are being ignored that create value?

We use our unmatched technical expertise to thoroughly inspect the whole jet aircraft from tip to tail reviewing cosmetic, mechanical, and flight characteristics, to name a few. Our adept sales team will help determine the best pricing and marketing strategy based on our analysis and in-depth knowledge of turbine aircraft.

Purchasing

You need a private aviation consultant who will get to know the “why” behind your purchase, be it for business or leisure, and have in-depth technical expertise along with extensive knowledge of the purchasing process. 

The team at DSA will help you think through the process of your asset purchase. Our work has spanned the globe and intersected with clients of diverse aviation backgrounds, everyone from experienced pilots to executives in need of a business tool to frequent fliers with aspirations of being in the cockpit. No matter your background, we help you understand the full extent of what you should be asking for. With a complete client profile, we can deliver a curated buying experience.

Our five decades of combined experience with Cessna Citation aircraft give us an edge when it comes to details that make the difference. When representing your purchase of a jet aircraft, we analyze innumerable details but you can expect:

Comprehensive Market Perspective

At the heart of every great deal is an informed buyer. We’ll not only educate you about your dream aircraft, but also review alternative jets, and in some cases, unrelated categories of turbine aircraft.

Entering into an exclusive acquisition agreement is the first step in this process of lining up all opportunities in a target marketplace, evaluating them against each other and identifying the top contenders. We help build foundational knowledge that allows for smooth negotiations on your behalf and reaching a deal that is laid out from the start.

History

You wouldn’t buy a pre-owned car without knowing the history. But unlike a car, not knowing a used Cessna Citation or other jet aircraft’s history could cost you hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars. We examine an aircraft’s history to get a better picture of the overall cost and potential issues before you buy.

Maintenance

Most people aren’t prepared for the amount of maintenance their new aircraft needs. Tracking maintenance and service requirements can be a challenging process that detracts from the pleasures of having your jet ready, without interruption or delay. 

We’ll go over the required maintenance of your potential aircraft so you know how to maintain your jet and plan for maintenance down time. We also offer additional aircraft management services to help support your ownership.

Inspections

Every major component on an aircraft is tracked, but what does a component status mean to you? How will tracking requirements impact your utilization and ownership costs? What are the operational and financial implications incurred while your aircraft is down for inspection? Our job is to decipher this maze and make sure you understand every aspect of inspections so there are no surprises now or in the future.

Programs

Programs are like health insurance and a life insurance policy wrapped into one. You pay into a program at an hourly rate to have major scheduled events covered. Simultaneously, you are insuring the most expensive component on your aircraft against premature, unscheduled, or catastrophic failures. In doing so, you accrue a balance that is held by a third party with very specific payout limitations and exclusions. When purchasing an aircraft, we’ll talk you through the potential benefits and misconceptions of programs so you can decide if they are right for you.

Consulting

Aircraft Transactional Services

A lot of things can slip through the cracks when you acquire a plane. Mistakes from oversights can be costly and will delay you getting in the air. We provide a discerning eye and the experience needed to tell you if your aircraft conforms to standards. 

Transaction and Aftermarket Assistance

On occasion, we offer a la carte services to help with a transaction, from a limited perspective, where we assess how your plane stands up to the airworthy aircraft standards.

Ask us about: 

Damage/structural repair oversight

We’ll utilize our expertise to assure your aircraft is properly repaired and meets the highest standards prior to returning to service.

Supplemental Type Certificates (STC)

We’ll work with authorized installers on STC oversight for additional installations on your aircraft, like GoGo wifi or Flight Data Recorder (FDR).

Major maintenance oversight

We’ll watch the aircraft while it’s down for maintenance, monitoring invoicing, and questioning “squawks” to make sure we catch things before they become a bigger or more costly problem.

Valuation

Using our extensive knowledge and experience, we offer market insight to our clients on multiple fronts such as insurance valuations and estimates, figuring out fair market value for tax purposes, or corporate planning. If you are looking for an unbiased valuation on your aircraft, no matter the purpose, our team is here to support our clients.