✈️ The VIP Seat Weekly

Your business aviation hot takes, served fresh

February 18, 2026 | Season 3 Episode 7 Companion

Good morning and welcome back to the VIP Seat. This week we have a MASSIVE order from VistaJet of Challenger 3500’s, balloons and lasers shutting down airspace, and Hop A Jet NTSB statements.

This Week’s Episode is Brought To You By:

REAL Jet is built for travelers who want reliability, access, and a real human being on the other end of the phone — someone who knows you, your preferences, your routines, your style. 

With REAL Jet, you get decades of industry experience, 24/7 access to more than fifteen hundred premium aircraft, and a flexible, commitment-free booking model. No memberships. No long-term contracts. Just a team that anticipates your needs and makes every detail feel effortless — the way private flying should be. 

With REAL Jet, you feel the difference from the moment you book. 

REAL People. REAL Trust. REAL Jet.

VistaJet Goes Big on Bombardier

VistaJet ordered 40 firm Challenger 3500s with options for up to 120 more. The deal is worth $1.18 billion, which lines up nicely with the $1.3 billion in financing they closed last year. Draw your own conclusions there.

Important context: these deliveries are spread over 10 years, and these were already allotted production slots. So no, your Challenger delivery didn't just get bumped. Al White broke this down well in the Corporate Jet Investor newsletter if you want the full picture.

This is the second major Bombardier fleet order in recent months, and it cements what we've been watching for a while: the Challenger 3500 is pulling away as the super mid of choice for fleet operators. Not most major operators fly them. All of them do.

There's a strategic play here too. Bombardier has been quietly expanding MRO capacity in Europe and the Middle East, right where VistaJet is strongest. Hard to see those moves as unrelated.

The Praetor 600 is a great airplane and operators love it. But the Challenger's maintenance network has a head start simply because there are more of them out there. Until Embraer closes that gap, the 3500 will keep winning fleet deals.

Read more

John Matthew’s Interview (referenced in the episode)

El Paso Airspace Shutdown: Gone as Fast as It Came

For about five minutes last week, it looked like El Paso's airspace was shutting down for 10 days. An ATC recording surfaced of a pilot being told the airport was closed. His reaction when they said "10 days" was about what you'd expect.

Then it was over almost as fast as it started.

The shutdown was tied to counter-drone testing along the border. Cartels have been using drones to evade border patrol, and DOD has been working on countermeasures. But the actual trigger? Reportedly a misidentified mylar balloon from a party.

The proposed closure was no joke: 18,000 feet, 10-mile radius, zero exceptions. No medevac, no commercial, no nothing. That's a heavy-handed response for a balloon. The takeaway is that interagency coordination on airspace decisions still has some serious gaps, and this was a good example of that.

Read more

American Pilots Still Stuck in Guinean Prison

This story needs more attention. Two American Gulfstream pilots, Fabio Espinosa Nuez and Bradley Schlenker, remain detained in Guinea over alleged permit issues. They used a professional handling company and believed everything was in order.

The conditions are bad. Limited running water, overcrowding so severe that inmates take turns sleeping, and reports of gunfire near the facility. About 100 armed soldiers reportedly swarmed the aircraft after landing.

Three local courts have cleared them. ATC recordings confirm they were cleared to land. They're still in jail.

The Trump administration has been made aware. Guinea wasn't on anyone's "do not land" list before this. It probably should be now.

Our thoughts are with these guys and their families.

Read more

Hop-A-Jet Sues Over Naples Crash

Following the tragic Challenger 604 crash in Naples that killed both pilots, Hop-A-Jet has filed suit against GE, GE Aerospace, Bombardier, Learjet, Turbine Engine Specialists, and Duncan Aviation.

In an exclusive statement to The VIP Seat, Hop-A-Jet said:

The allegations are significant. Bombardier is accused of knowing about the issue. Turbine Engine Specialists and Duncan are alleged to have performed borescope inspections and missed or failed to report problems. The NTSB's final report is expected in the coming months.

Operators need answers here. There are a lot of Challenger 604s and 605s flying with these engines. We'll keep following this one closely. We've invited Hop-A-Jet CEO Barry Ellis on the show, and we welcome any parties involved in the litigation to share their perspective.

Read more

The DEI and Pilot Safety Debate

A former White House attorney published an op-ed claiming women and minority pilots (less than 10% of the workforce) were involved in four of six recent crashes. Let's talk about it.

Six crashes is not a statistically significant sample. The analysis doesn't control for experience, hours, training background, or type of operation. Without those controls, the numbers don't tell you anything useful.

The actual research spanning decades, including studies covering tens of thousands of pilots and hundreds of incidents, consistently shows no meaningful difference in accident rates between male and female pilots. One Johns Hopkins study actually found men had higher crash involvement and more severe outcomes. Race data doesn't exist in NTSB reports, so nobody can make claims either way on that front.

Now, there is a real and separate conversation about whether the industry is pushing pilots through training pipelines too fast due to the shortage. And merit based hiring is an argument that is hard to argue with. When you mix the two together to make a point is really where you run into issues.

Referenced op-ed

Mile High Madness

Mooney on the Wrong Ramp. The Mooney Anomaly accidentally parked at the fancy jet FBO. His wild paint job surrounded by Challengers, Globals, and a Falcon 2000. Most unique airplane on that ramp, no question.

Bezos Dumping the Backup. Jeff Bezos listed his 2015 G650ER. The interior photos are rough. That carpet has lived a life. With his G700 in service, the old backup gets the boot. A carpet refresh before listing probably would've been smart, but nobody asked us.

🎧 This Week's Episode

Missed the podcast? Catch up on the full episode at the links below! We would LOVE if you would give us a 5 star review, and share with your friends!

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Website 

The VIP Seat Weekly is the companion newsletter to The VIP Seat podcast. We give you the business aviation hot takes for your commute.

Jessie’s Links:
Private Aviation Safety Alliance
FlyVizor
LinkedIn

Preston’s Links:
Prestige Aircraft Finance
Private Jet Insider (Newsletter)
LinkedIn
X (Formerly Known as Twitter)
FastJets