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PrivateJetBS | Edition 21

The Generational Shift in Business Aviation

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Why Apprenticeship, Teaming, and Patience Still Win

There is no question that business aviation is experiencing a generational shift. What deserves more attention, however, is how that shift is being managed, and in some cases, misunderstood.

This conversation isn’t about resisting change. It’s about realism. And realism matters in an industry where mistakes are expensive, relationships are long-lived, and judgment is earned over time.

Following COVID, Deal Velocity Surged

After COVID, deal velocity surged across business aviation. Transactions compressed, timelines shortened, and expectations shifted almost overnight. Buyers moved faster, sellers demanded certainty sooner, and firms adapted quickly, often out of necessity.

But acceleration has consequences.

In many organizations, responsibility moved faster than mentorship. Titles advanced faster than experience. And the traditional side-by-side learning model that historically developed strong brokers was quietly displaced by urgency.

What was lost wasn’t effort or intelligence. It was proximity, the daily exposure to how decisions are actually made.

Not Every Firm Can Support a Large Training Bench

There is an economic reality the industry doesn’t always acknowledge.

Not every firm is willing, or capable, of supporting a large research department filled with individuals who are learning. Payroll matters. Headcount matters. Margins matter. And in a transactional business with uneven revenue cycles, staffing decisions carry real, and potentially extreme, risk.

That pressure has led some firms to search for shortcuts, particularly around promotion.

The False Assumption: More Sales Titles Equal More Deals

There is a persistent belief that promoting someone into a sales, customer facing role such as a junior broker will automatically result in more transactions being closed.

On paper, it sounds logical. It even feels reasonable.

In practice, it rarely works that way.

What cannot be replaced — and I first experienced this in 2010 when I was laid off as a Senior Sales Rep from a company to be replaced with a "less expensive" recent college grad — is the relationship capital and situational judgment that a tenured broker brings to the table. Those relationships were built through years of difficult conversations, not just successful cold calls and closings.

Promoting someone before they are ready doesn’t create leverage. It creates exposure.

And exposure shows up quickly, usually at the worst possible moment in a deal.

COVID Quietly Shifted Expectations

During the movement back into flight post-COVID, the term “veteran broker” began to expand in ways the industry hadn’t seen before. In some cases, experience became defined less by depth and more by participation in a high-volume cycle.

At the same time:

• Remote work eliminated much of the traditional side-by-side learning
• Younger professionals were asked to step up faster
• Advancement timelines compressed dramatically (This can be seen in the consistent role changes and continued demand by younger employees seeking a promotion and driving for the "next step" in their careers — versus spending time and earning tenure in one role.)

None of this was malicious. Much of it was necessary to keep up.

But it created a subtle, and dangerous, assumption: that moving quickly through roles equates to readiness.

In business aviation, it does not.

Speed Does Not Replace Judgment

This industry does not allow for learning by trial and error.

A rushed inspection decision can reshape a deal. A mismanaged expectation can fracture trust. A poorly handled negotiation can damage a relationship that took decades to build.

Judgment is not learned in isolation. It is learned through exposure, repetition, and context.

A slow, steady, consistent pace is not a limitation — it is what ensures that when someone steps into a lead role, they are not guessing. They know.

That confidence is quiet. And it shows from day one.

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Apprenticeship Does Not Require Taking the Lead

This is where the industry often gets it wrong, in my opinion.

A young associate does not need to lead a transaction to learn how to broker.

There is real value in:

• Sitting side-by-side with a tenured broker
• Participating in client conversations as part of a team
• Observing how negotiations evolve
• Learning when not to push
• Watching how difficult moments are handled

An apprentice can build relationships, credibility, and judgment without carrying the full weight of the transaction. Or, without carrying any weight in many cases.

That is not limiting growth. That is sequencing it correctly.

Why Teaming Matters More Than Titles

Business aviation has always been a team sport, even when only one name appears on the letterhead or contract.

Teams can be built internally and in partnership with external entities.

The strongest outcomes occur when:

• Experience leads
• Apprentices learn
• Responsibility is transferred intentionally
• Clients benefit from depth, not duplication

This approach protects:

• The client
• The firm
• The partnerships
• The developing professional
• The industry’s standards

You don’t create more value by multiplying titles. You create more value by multiplying capability.

The Path Forward Is Still Clear

The next generation in business aviation is capable, motivated, and eager to contribute.

What they need, and what the industry owes them, is a development path that prioritizes readiness over speed.

There is still a way to:

• Preserve apprenticeship
• Build confidence properly
• Respect economic realities
• Protect client relationships
• Prepare future brokers without rushing them

That way is patience. That way is teamwork. That way is intentional development.

Looking Ahead

In my next edition of PrivateJetBS, I’ll step outside aviation for a moment and look at how one of the world’s most respected craft brands — Waterford Crystal — has preserved quality and reputation for centuries through a disciplined apprenticeship model, and why its lessons matter directly to how we should be developing the next generation of aviation professionals.

Because whether you’re cutting crystal or closing aircraft transactions, standards only survive when mastery is earned — not rushed.

Trust the Process, Not the Promises.™​
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Michael Barber PrivateJetBS Newsletter Managing Director & VP, Sales Operations at jetAVIVA​ Mobile, WhatsApp, & Signal: +1.919.475.8506 ​​​​

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