Tag Aviation VLJ Flying Club

Monday, July 23, 2007
TAG Aviation USA Supports VLJ Flying Club
OSHKOSH, Wis., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- VLJ Flying Club, working with program manager

TAG Aviation USA, has accepted the first of ten Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets scheduled for delivery to the VLJ Flying Club.
VLJ Flying Club, TAG Aviation USA and the Eclipse jet are located in booth #299-300 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this week.
"The delivery was on June 6, and we're excited to see the arrival of this first aircraft, which is owned by the founder of the VLJ Flying Club and fully managed by TAG," said Matthew Sheble, TAG's Program Manager for the VLJ Flying Club Program. "This proof-of-concept demonstrator gives us the opportunity to show the market not only what Eclipse does to enhance business productivity and personal travel options, but also show the advantages of the TAG managed VLJ Flying Club concept."
TAG Aviation will support the VLJ Flying Club as a sales agent for Eclipse aircraft shares and as the aircraft management company providing assistance to the Owners with their FAR Part 91 operations, including aircraft scheduling, maintenance management, accounting, reporting and standards oversight.
The next VLJ Flying Club Eclipse delivery is scheduled for late 2007. As one of the world's leading business jet management organizations, TAG Aviation is among the first to manage a VLJ. The VLJ Flying Club is a collaboration between TAG Aviation USA and aviation investor Rolf Illsley.
"The Eclipse is the first of this new generation of aircraft to lower the capital investment barrier to business jet ownership," stated Illsley. "The VLJ Flying Club's combination of shared ownership and aircraft management further lowers the barrier for the business jet user."
The VLJ Flying Club is a shared ownership program operated under FAR 91 scaled to daily, rather than hourly, travel use. Each aircraft is flown under the operational control of the Owner under FAR Part 91 by a full-time, professional, two-pilot crew. Quarter share owners will have exclusive use of their aircraft for at least fifty days each year, under an equalized access scheduling system, without restriction on daily flight hours. The simplified financial structure sets a share purchase investment, monthly fees based on share size, plus daily trip and hourly flight fees. Aircraft will be based where the Owners are located.
Sheble explained, "Our research indicates the VLJ will serve both business and recreational markets. The VLJ business traveler will be regionally- focused, needing to visit several office or plant sites in as short a time as possible, on a monthly or weekly basis. The recreational traveler might have a second home that's five hours by car, but less than an hour by jet and near one of the thousands of local airports accessible to the VLJ."
Each aircraft in the VLJ Flying Club program can support a shareholder group of up to four. Owners will self schedule, providing ownership groups with a defined scheduling system as well as personal assistance with travel management and support.
Jake Cartwright, TAG Aviation USA President and CEO, continued, "VLJ Flying Club harnesses TAG's thirty years of management experience and expertise on behalf of each Owner. We've adapted our experience and expertise to provide an integrated aircraft and travel management program in a service package tailored to VLJ capabilities and economics. The VLJ Flying Club represents not only the safest and practical VLJ shared ownership program, but a great value, as well."
In additional to Sheble, the VLJ Flying Club is supported by TAG Aviation sales, operations and client services personnel on behalf of the aircraft Owners.