If you’ve been running the numbers lately and thinking, “This used to be simpler,” you’re not wrong. Between higher fixed costs, tighter insurance underwriting, maintenance downtime, and a much stronger charter and fractional market, owning a jet has become a decision you make with your eyes wide open. At Latitude 33 Aviation, we talk to buyers every week across North County San Diego and Southern California who are weighing the same question:
Is ownership still worth it in today’s economy?
It can be, but only when the aircraft, mission, and financial structure actually line up.
FIXED COSTS ARE HEAVIER, AND THEY DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU FLY
Crew compensation and training, insurance, hangar, scheduled inspections, subscriptions, compliance, and management costs are there whether you fly 50 hours or 300. Lower annual hours means your true cost per hour spikes quickly.
HOW WE HELP
We build a realistic annual operating budget based on how you actually travel (not a generic spreadsheet), then show you what utilization level makes ownership rational for your mission. As one of largest private jet management companies in southern California we have access to greater insurance, fuel, and hangar discounts. For some aircraft types like the Citation CJ3 we can match your aircraft with our pilot pool, saving you crew costs and offering greater scheduling flexibility.
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DOWNTIME HITS HARDER THAN MOST BUYERS EXPECT
Even a well-maintained aircraft will have periods where it’s unavailable: inspections, engine events, parts delays, avionics issues, or a surprise maintenance finding. When that happens, many owners end up chartering anyway.
HOW WE HELP
We review maintenance status, upcoming events, engine program coverage, and expected downtime. Then we plan redundancy options so a trip doesn’t halt when the airplane is down.
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FINANCING AND OPPORTUNITY COST MATTER MORE RIGHT NOW
Whether you finance or pay cash, capital has a cost. Rates change the carry. Cash tied up in an aircraft is cash not working elsewhere. And resale values can be sensitive to maintenance timing and market cycles.
HOW WE HELP
We help you compare ownership structures in plain terms: cash vs financing, and what your realistic exit options look like based on the specific aircraft you’re considering.
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INSURANCE CAN BE A GATING ITEM, NOT A FOOTNOTE
Premiums, pilot requirements, and training standards can swing sharply based on aircraft type, crew experience, and operational profile. In some cases, insurance can drive staffing decisions.
HOW WE HELP
We coordinate early on with the right insurance conversations so you don’t buy an airplane that becomes painful or expensive to operate. We also negotiate as a group to gain greater savings then if you were to solo insurance your aircraft on your own.
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ALTERNATIVES IMPROVED, SO OWNERSHIP HAS TO CLEAR A HIGHER BAR
Charter, jet cards, and fractional options are better than they were years ago. For many flyers, these options deliver most of the benefits of private aviation without the balance sheet burden.
HOW WE HELP
We run the “own vs charter vs hybrid” comparison for your routes and cadence. If ownership is not the best answer, we’ll tell you and show you why. If it is, we’ll show you where it wins. If ownership isn’t the answer right now we can deliver consistent on-demand charter until your flight mission or financial opportunities change.
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TAX AND DEPRECIATION ARE POWERFUL, BUT THEY'RE NOT MAGIC
Tax strategy can be a legitimate piece of the decision, but it should be built around compliant business use and documented planning, not wishful thinking.
HOW WE HELP
We’ll help you frame the ownership conversation the right way and coordinate with your CPA so tax considerations support the decision instead of forcing it.
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What we do differently for buyers in North County San Diego and Southern California
Buying a jet in Carlsbad, San Diego, Orange County, or Los Angeles isn’t just about the aircraft. It’s about how it will live day-to-day: hangar access, maintenance support, crew availability, positioning time, and how your typical trips behave across the region.
When you contact Latitude 33 Aviation, we can walk you through:
- Aircraft selection based on your mission (not just what’s popular)
- Pre-buy guidance and maintenance status review
- Realistic annual budget and cost-per-hour at your projected utilization
- Ownership structure options and operational setup
- A practical plan for downtime and peak-demand travel
- A local lens on how Southern California flying actually works (short legs, repositioning, airport logistics, and schedule patterns)
The outcome you should expect from a purchase conversation with us
You should walk away with clarity on:
- Whether you’re truly an ownership profile at your current hours
- What aircraft categories actually fit your travel
- A realistic all-in cost range and what drives it up or down
- The risks that surprise first-time owners and how to avoid them
- A clear next step, whether that’s buying now, waiting, or using a hybrid strategy
FAQs
Often, 135 hours sits in the “borderline to unfavorable” range for whole ownership, because fixed costs dominate at that utilization. It can still make sense if your schedule demands control, you value consistent crew, you have frequent peak-day travel needs, or you’re structuring ownership for a specific business objective. The only honest way to answer is to model your trips.
Maintenance downtime and scheduling conflicts. Even reliable aircraft have planned inspections and occasional unscheduled events. Many owners want a backstop option so travel stays consistent.
Insurance requirements, crew costs (and turnover), training, maintenance events that cluster, parts delays, and the impact of upcoming inspections on both availability and resale value.
Sometimes. Charter revenue can help, but it introduces tradeoffs: added utilization, wear, scheduling complexity, and stricter operational requirements. We can help you evaluate whether it aligns with your availability expectations and risk tolerance.
It depends. Newer can reduce near-term maintenance surprises and improve dispatch reliability, but carries higher capital cost. Older can be a smart value if maintenance history is strong and upcoming events are understood and budgeted. The wrong “good deal” is usually one inspection away from being expensive.
Many buyers plan on a multi-year horizon. Short ownership windows can work, but resale outcomes often hinge on timing around major maintenance events and market conditions. We help you think about the exit before you buy.
We work with buyers throughout the region and can discuss the operational realities around the airports you actually use (where you live, where you go, and what “convenient” really means in practice).
Talk to Latitude 33 Aviation about buying a jet
If you’re considering a light jet purchase in North County San Diego or anywhere in Southern California, reach out to Latitude 33 Aviation. We’ll help you pressure-test the numbers, identify the real risks, and build a smart path forward in today’s economy, even if the right answer is a hybrid strategy instead of full ownership.
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