American aviation industry veteran and Bristell America President Lou Mancuso is betting he can read your mind. While you’ll settle for renting a 40-year-old Cessna 172, he says what you really want is a brand new aircraft. Using a Bristell light sport aircraft from his dealership in an aircraft sharing program, he thinks he can make that dream come true.
The promise is that yo’ll pay as little as $140 a month and $55 an hour for a one-sixteenth share, allowing you to fly a 2015 Bristell built in the Czech Republic. (A one-sixteenth share can be purchased outright for $14,000.) The aircraft come equipped with a Garmin G3X Touch and autopilots.
Mancuso said the program “offers shared ownership, share financing, aircraft management and operator training all from one organization. Bristell is unique as we own the aircraft and underwrite the shares.” Pilots can buy half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth share increments, each with a defined number of hours per year, at prices ranging up to $95,000 for a half-share, according to a company news release. “A sixteenth share entitles a shareholder to 30 hours at the discounted hourly wet rate of $55/hour.” An eighth shareholder receives 60 hours at the same hourly rate.
Financed shares are available on a six-month trial, during which time the buyer can opt out. After the trial period, monthly payments are applied to a 14-year loan at an annual rate of 8.2 percent. A pilot training program to get pilots familiar with the flying characteristics of light sport aircraft is part of the package.
Bristell Shares are available in Islip, New York; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and The Villages, Florida.
“Bristell will supply an aircraft to a new airport once the sale of more than 50% of the aircraft is assured,” the company said in a press release. Six aircraft per year can be placed in the Bristell Shares program, according to the company. Bristell said airports with significant interest include Centennial Airport in Denver, Addison Airport in Dallas, Falcon Field in Arizona, and airports in California.
