Owner of several companies and working in consulting and private equity, Jay Vierling’s unique approach to business has proven massively effective. With a successful history of advising businesses to rapid growth, Jay quickly found that an aircraft was essential to his mode of operations.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jay first purchased a 2005 Cirrus SR22 GTS to help free him up to move between meetings, consultations, and home with his family. While the Cirrus was certainly a positive step in the right direction, in 2016 Jay found himself needing even more in order to expand operations with his company, AEV Capital. With overseas meetings and the need for more capacity, Jay started searching for something that could go further, longer, and faster than the Cirrus.
After a great deal of investigating, Lone Mountain Aircraft helped Jay find exactly what he was looking for online in a 2002 King Air C90B. There was only one problem. It was in in Léon, France.
Jay leaned on Lone Mountain President and multi-transatlantic pilot Mark Rogers in order to help make a seemingly difficult transaction a reality. Mark immediately went to work helping Jay get through the red tape and legal minutiae in order to purchase and reimport the US-made aircraft from Europe. Within only 45 days, Jay and Mark were crossing into French borders to inspect the King Air and sign the final documentation.
Once the purchase was complete, Jay began working quickly to get his multi-engine pilot’s license in order to fly the aircraft back from Europe – a daunting task for a pilot used to Cirrus’ single-engine piston. Taking it one step at a time, Jay then began studying the systems on the King Air before employing a Lone Mountain recommended professional with King Air multitransatlantic flight experience to help him get the aircraft home.
Once back in the states, Jay had another feat to tackle – the plane’s aesthetics. “It was an ugly bird,” said Jay. “We added an entire new interior, paint, and an avionics suite. It took some work, but I couldn’t be happier with the state it is in now. It fits my exact specifications.”
With time, he became comfortable with the aircraft through repetition, committing to muscle memory the correct steps with the help of mentor pilots keeping him on track. The mentorship time requirement of 60 hours went quickly according to Jay, who enjoyed the experience flying with a variety of Lone Mountain professional pilots.
Looking back on his wild journey of an international plane purchase, switching from piston to turbine, and time of mentorship, Jay concludes: “It was absolutely worth it. Having somebody lead you through the process that has been there and done it successfully, will not only save a lot of time and money, but will also potentially save you from making a bad decision.”
Jay and his wife Marielou now use the aircraft as a tool for business operations and family life, easily traveling between their two home bases in Ohio and South Carolina. The King Air has allowed Jay to secure significant deals with several clients simply because of the ability to meet with them before competitors.
Even more importantly, it has given Jay and Marielou the ability to be with those they care about most. Jay loves to fill his King Air up with his four grandchildren – or as he calls them, “flight attendants” – taking them to places they’ve never been before.
Our team of pilots at Lone Mountain Aircraft enjoy helping businessmen and women find the aircraft suitable for their day-to-day operations – no matter where it is located. For more information on AEV Capital, go to AEVcapital.com.
