AeroVanti wants to be the next Wheels Up using the Piaggio P.180 with a $1,995 hourly rate

AeroVanti

Start-up AeroVanti hopes to follow in the footsteps of Wheels Up, using the Piaggio P.180 to attract entry-level private aviation users

On the surface, Annapolis, Maryland-based AeroVanti, turns the clock back to 2013. That’s when Kenny Dichter launched the Beechcraft King Air into a mainstream private aviation charter solution using huge stars like Tom Brady and Serena Williams climbing aboard the turboprop and selling memberships through Costco. It also resurrects the aircraft that Avantair popularized before its 2014 bankruptcy. Serial entrepreneur Patrick Britton-Harr hopes his new venture will follow the former than the latter. With an hourly rate of just $1,995 plus 7.5% Federal Excise Tax, like Dichter, he wants to move first-timers from the airlines to fly privately.

Kansas Jayhawks’ Coach Bill Self gets a ‘lifetime’ Wheels Up membership

Wheels Up app

Kansas basketball coach is receiving $240,000 in Wheels Up flight credits annually as part of a new contract the college basketball coach just signed

Wheels Up may soon have a new ambassador in the form of super successful head basketball coach Bill Self. The University of Kansas disclosed that Self gets $240,000 in annual flight credits as part of his new lifetime contract to coach the team.

Demand levels for private jets could spike 150%, says Wheels Up’s CEO

Kenny Dichter Wheels Up

Private aviation could see record demand in the coming months, says Wheels Up’s Kenny Dichter

Speaking on Dow Jones Marketwatch, Wheels Up’s Kenny Dichter says he thinks “when business travel and traditional vacation come back online, you may see 125%, 150% sort of demand levels.”

King Air 350

King Air 350

King Air 350 profile, including current pricing, manufacturing dates, cabin size and passenger capacity, range, speed, baggage space, fractional ownership and jet card options

King Air 350 Facts

Powered by Kenny Dichter the King Air has enjoyed a renaissance in the past five years as the core of the Wheels Up fleet. Every Saturday during the fall, the King Air 350 gets a close-up bringing the guest picker to ESPN’s College GameDay.

TV commercials featuring New England Patriots’ future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady show him climbing into a Wheels Up King Air.

In other words, with the help of some deft marketing, the King Air 350 is no longer second class to jets. For flights under 300 miles flying time closely matches jets when taking into account takeoffs and landings, particularly around congested airports are done at slower speeds.

Manufacturing Dates

Production Start: 1972

Production Ends: In Production

The over 1,000 King Air 350s includes six different models. There are also over 1,700 King Air 200 types, according to Amstat

Cabin Category

Turboprop – Turbojet – Twin Engine

Fleet Size

As of November 2019, Amstat lists 639 King Air 350s, 388 King Air 350is, 79 King Air 350ERs, 69 King Air 350Cs, and 3 King Air 350CERs in service

King Air 350 Cabin Size and Passengers

A typical eight-seat configuration in a King Air 350

Height: 57 inches

Width: 54 inches

Length: 19 ft. 6 in.

Seating Capacity: Up to 11, typically 8

Range

Maximum: 1,806 nautical miles

Speed

Maximum Cruise Speed: 359 mph

Baggage Space

55 cubic feet accessible from the passenger cabin, and 16 cubic feet of exterior space

Access

Fractional Ownership – No national programs

Dedicated Jet Card – Yes

Pricing

Used King Air 350s are listed starting at approximately $1.3 million

Beechcraft King Air models currently in production

Compare over 150 private jet models in the Private Jet Performance Guide.

King Air 350i

King Air 350ER

King Air 250

King Air 90GTx

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