Plenty of people have turned to the Internet to find dates for social occasions; now the Aircraft Partnership Association aims to use the Web to find matches for pilots who want to share airplane ownership. “Trying to find suitable aircraft partners by posting a flyer at your local airport … is tremendously ineffective,” says David Kruger, president of the APA. The difficulty in finding the right match discourages potential partnerships, Kruger says. The APA will help users search its database for potential partners based on member profiles that include the type of aircraft desired, location, flying experience, and more. The entire matching/selection process occurs online before potential partners ever meet.
“Take Tulsa, Oklahoma, for example,” says Kruger, in a news release. “There may not be a professionally managed fractional ownership opportunity for piston aircraft in that market, yet there may be many pilots based at a variety of local airports who all share a common interest — a new light sport aircraft, a Mooney Acclaim, or a pre-owned Cherokee Six. Through APA, members can find each other and review each other’s flying experience and aircraft desires online, before making contact.” The company also offers management services to support new partnerships.
