Columbia Begins Flipping The Birds

Columbia Aircraft is in the business of selling airplanes but, until now, it concentrated those efforts, quite naturally, on selling its own Columbia 350 and 400s. However, the company has apparently come to the conclusion that many of its customers are aircraft owners looking to upgrade into one of Columbia’s speedsters. So Columbia has introduced a program aimed at helping wannabe Columbia pilots quickly and painlessly sell their current steeds. They call it Flip the Bird 1,2,3 and it puts the services of some of the top names in the used airplane business at the disposal of those who want a Columbia. Once someone has made up his or her mind to buy a Columbia, the company will ship him or her an airplane detailing kit, For Sale signs and prop banners. The company will also pay for three months of classified ads in Trade-A-Plane and put the prospective Columbia owner in touch with finance, insurance, tax and aircraft brokerage experts. “Many owners are prepared to step up to a [Columbia], but first need to sell the aircraft they currently own — so we’re making it easier to do just that,” said marketing director Randy Bolinger.