A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Aftermarket services provider C&amp;L Aviation Group (Booth C10618) arrives at NBAA 2017 with valuable advice on the three cabin upgrades that deliver the biggest boost in aircraft value. On the eve of the NBAA show, Larry Dean, president of the Group’s C&amp;L Jet division, noted the range of available upgrades can include soft goods (seat leather, fabric and carpet); galley or food service equipment; cabin management systems (including connectivity and entertainment systems); and major refurbishments, which include all of the above in addition to upgrades of wood, headliners and sidewalls. But which provide the most return on investment when bringing a preowned aircraft to market? Dean spoke to brokers from leading firms to come up with C&amp;L’s Top Three List:

 


#1: Carpet. The cabin carpet is typically the interior item most in need of replacement. The “turn spot,” where passengers pivot to the right and flight crews pivot left is usually the most worn area, and also one of the first things potential buyers see. A carpet upgrade provides a big improvement in “buyer appeal” for a relatively low cost. One way to preserve the carpet is to place a throw rug in the spot.

 


#2: Cabin seats and upholstery. The “chairman’s seat,” or most used seat in the passenger cabin, is typically first to wrinkle in the seat pan, a condition also known as “butt dimples.” However, don’t recover just one chair. If one seat is particularly worn, recover all of the chairs in that group, if not in the entire cabin, C&amp;L advises. If the cabin includes both chairs and divans, an artful mix of newly covered seats in coordinated materials with divans that were in good shape to begin with can produce a very nicely maintained cabin without a complete overhaul.

 


#3: Cabin connectivity and electronics. North American buyers are demanding Wi-Fi in the cabin, and in these skies both air-to-ground (ATG) and satellite systems are available. Air-to-ground systems provide fast and more economical service than satellites, according to C&amp;L.

 


Dean noted that galley and lavatory upgrades are not as important as fresh, new carpet and upholstery or an upgraded Wi-Fi system, and may not be worth the cost of recertification often required for major improvements. “Interiors do not fully translate into a higher resale value, but it does make the aircraft stand out from the crowd,” Dean concluded. “It puts them at the top of the market for the specific model.”

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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