Professional Pilot, October 2018

With an ever present entrepreneurial mindset at each pilot job he held van der Meer looked for ways to operate more efficiently and productively often transforming the companies he worked for as he moved up their managerial ladders Being inefficient doesnt work for me he states There is only so much you can do so whatever you do do it well That is also the approach VistaJet takes with its customers We hire people with this same mindset we are solution oriented and we have the best teams in the industry to accomplish our goals This philosophy along with his business acumen and flight experience explains why Flohr sought out van der Meer and hired him as chief pilot of VistaJet in 2010 Within a few short years he had worked his way up to his current title By the time van der Meer joined the team VistaJets expansion was well under way Initially headquartered in Switzerland their goal was not to set up a traditional base of operations but to keep the aircraft on the move as much as possible Static aircraft do not make money As their market reach began to stretch further by 2010 regional offices were opened in London Dubai and Hong Kong 44 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2018 The year 2013 brought about 2 important location additions In order to compete as a global operator Flohr knew that the United States must be included Thomas Flohr was initially very reluctant for the expansion to the US explains Chief Commercial Officer Ian Moore It was at a time when we still had a lot of work to do in other markets However some important customers who were using our aircraft overseas made it clear that we were missing an opportunity to provide the level of service we offer to a customer base ready to embrace it Now 1 in 4 VistaJet flights originate in North America and weve only just begun here We have the right product and our growth has proven that Legally needing a USA based company to handle flight operations for a foreign entity VistaJet turned to Jet Aviation Flight Services based in Teterboro NJ President of VistaJet US Ron Silverman states that the decision to partner with Jet Aviation was an easy one We sought out a company that shared our values and our focus on safety Jet Aviation was that company The backing of General Dynamics parent company of Jet Aviation and the fact that they didnt want to encroach into our same business model were also considerations For us it was a no brainer Moore adds Our growth is customer driven My job is to build our customer base around the world and Jet Aviation has made that possible in the US market Malta has become VistaJet corporate headquarters The next move that year was the addition of a new office location Seeking to reach closer to their customers south of Europe VistaJet looked to the island nation of Malta off the Mediterranean coast of Africa For years this country has been a haven for ship registration due to location maritime experience and tax advantages The Maltese government has pushed for the same draws to the aviation market Much of the difficulty in expanding an industry such as aviation in a market like Malta is the governmental red tape We are doing everything we can to eliminate that red tape streamline the process and maintain positive relationships with companies like VistaJet to show them that bringing their business here is advantageous to them explains Maltas Director General for Chief Operating Officer Nick van der Meer has been with Vista Jet for 8 years and currently oversees daily activity from the companys world headquarters in Malta VistaJet has operated in the USA since 2013 through a partnership with Jet Aviation In charge of that undertaking is L President of VistaJet US Ron Silverman seen here with Chief Commercial Officer Ian Moore Jet Aviation handles all 6 of the US based Bombardier Global 5000s for VistaJet With a 5200 nm range and the ability to carry 13 passengers they are the top choice for North American long distance travelers Similar in size to the Global 6000 5000 the 6 Bombardier Challenger 850s in the fleet offer the operating costs of much smaller aircraft while still providing the same VistaJet level of luxury