GL: Merchant West is a relatively new arrival in aviation financing, which requires specialist knowledge and is a small market. Is aviation an end in itself or a bridge to access a broader market of high net worth (HNW) individuals who are aircraft owners and operators?
BV: Merchant West has been financing assets for 25 years to the local corporate market across industries and sectors, as well as to HNW individuals. Our philosophy is to put the customer at the centre of our solution design process, under the premise that clients have multiple and diverse needs. We fund solar, farming, and mining equipment just as easily as we will finance that business owner or executive's aircraft. We have the expertise in-house to finance fixed wings or rotors and see the size of the market as being offset by the big-ticket prices for these assets. Its more than funding an asset purchase - clients also require finance for avionics upgrades, engine overhauls and rebuilds.
GL: Tell us about Merchant West - do you finance aviation across Africa?
BV: Merchant West is a privately owned financial services group based in South Africa. The group has a countrywide footprint with operations in other territories like Namibia, with an appraisal of the Botswana market underway at present. Insofar as aviation assets in Africa are concerned, our focus is on financing ZS aircraft registered with the SACAA.
GL: For many ageing aircraft, avionics and engine overhauls have become the single largest item of capital expenditure. Do you find the investment pays off in the value and saleability of the aircraft?
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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LIVING THE DREAM Part 2: Planning and Pax
Part 2: Planning and Pax
QUEEN AIR TALES
In the early seventies Esquire Airways acquired a pre-owned Beechcraft Queen Air. This top of the range 8,800 lb MAUW model had nine forward facing commuter seats and I flew it as a single pilot operation for several months.
HELICOPTER PILOTS SHOULD UNIONISE
Helicopter pilots are stuck in a 12-month flying cycle. While they will have periods of rest and active rest (performing ground-based tasks and planning ventures) within their work source campaigns, it's not a good situation. They need programmed periods to catch their breath.
AFTERMATH of the Engine Fire
Iris McCallum continues her stories about her early years with Air Kenya. This month she tells us about the immediate aftermath of her dramatic engine fire and crash, and her subsequent 'getting back onto the saddle'.
LARGEST EVER RHINO RELOCATION
Specialist air cargo operator ACS mobilised all its skills to successfully complete a very challenging project – the translocation of 39 White Rhino from Namibia to the USA.
NOVEMBER 2024
November sees strong growth in aircraft registrations with 16 additions, but 10 aircraft are cancelled as exported. The Type Certified additions are a mixed bag.
TWINCO FUEL
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
RON WHEELDON'S HUNTERS
RON WHEELDON is a Johannesburg based trademark and IP attorney. He writes, \"My love affair with Hawker Hunter jet fighters started in approximately 1963 when the Rhodesian parliament opening was marked by a fly-by of nine recently acquired Hawker Hunters in diamond formation.
FLYING THE HAWKER HUNTER
Flying a Hunter starts hours before actually walking out to the aircraft. This machine is a legend, but it is first of all about the highest performance machine that it is feasible for a civilian to fly. Flying it is not to be taken lightly.
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 25 SLOW FLIGHT
Most of us feel a bit edgy when the ASI creeps down within 10 KIAS of the stall. Jim Davis has some hints on how to be comfortable and in control - even when the airspeed is 20 KIAS below the stall.