Shows / VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Up-to-date information on the state of the aviation marketplace and it's effect on aircraft valuation by the leader in aircraft valuation: VREF Aircraft Value Reference, Appraisal & Litigation Services
Episodes
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The 9 Lives of Syberjet: The $14 Million Mockup and the Jet Nobody Can Price | EP 65
The biggest business aviation convention of the year featured billions of dollars in real airplanes. But the display that set the internet on fire? A $14…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Haunted Hangar: Price-Gouging Ghouls, Zombie Listings & Money-Sucking Vampires | EP 64
The Truth About the Aviation Market: Halloween Special It's late. The ramp lights buzz. In a hangar you've never visited sits the airplane you've been watching…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The $535 Million Deal Every Piston Owner Needs to Know About | EP 63
What if your airplane lost value overnight—even though nothing happened to it? Same engine. Same hours. Same maintenance history. Not a single thing changed in…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Who Watches The Middle Man? | EP 62
To sell a house in Illinois, you need a license. To broker a used yacht in Florida, you need a license, fingerprints, a background check, and a bond. To sell a…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Price It Right or Pay to Lose | EP 61
A listener went shopping for a mid-’90s Piper Archer. Low time. No damage history. Original paint. Original panel. Engine close to TBO. The seller was asking…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Single Pilot Citation is Dead | EP 60
For more than four decades, one story helped define the legacy Citation market: This is the jet you can fly yourself. Your first jet. Your hands on the…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Flight School Closed. The Loan Didn't. | EP 59
A parent takes out a home-equity line. A student wires tens of thousands of dollars to a flight school. The school has experienced instructors, airline…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The $500k Loan Disguised as a Deposit | EP 58
Last episode, Jason explained why nobody should wire eight figures directly to an aircraft seller without escrow. This episode asks the uncomfortable…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The $500 Million Escrow Betrayal | EP 57
Somewhere today, someone may wire $40 million to an aircraft escrow company they’ve never visited, run by people they’ve never met—and barely think twice about…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Most Expensive "Peace of Mind" In Aviation | EP 56
An owner has been paying into an engine program for 11 years. More than $1 million contributed. The airplane is worth roughly $3 million. And the overhaul…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Market Split In Half: The Numbers Don't Lie | EP 55
The September 1 VREF value revision is live—and the numbers tell a very different story than the broad “strong market” or “weak market” headlines. Business jet…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Great Mooney Mystery: Six Questions The Record Doesn't Answer | EP 54
Jason Zilberbrand found something unusual on an ordinary corporate website: Luscombe Mooney Aircraft Company. Two historic general aviation brands. One…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The "Ferrari Problem" Is Coming For Aviation | EP 53
How does an entire market start pricing assets at numbers buyers have never actually paid? That’s the question behind Episode 53 of The Truth About the Market…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The $2 Million Loss Your Insurance May Never Mention | EP 52
An $8 million Citation CJ4 is sitting on a ramp. The owner isn’t flying it. He isn’t even in the country. A line guy hooks up a tug, gets distracted, and tows…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The "Red Hot" Jet That No One Is Selling | EP 51
In this episode, we cover: • Why the Challenger 3500 has become the industry’s favorite proof that the super-midsize market is running hot • What Jason found…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Aviation's Alphabet Mafia | EP 50
In this episode, we cover: • What public IRS Form 990 filings reveal about executive compensation • The reported compensation of the National Business Aviation…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Jet That’s Worth More Dead Than Alive | EP 49
In this mailbag episode of The Truth About the Market, Jason answers a question from Paul Bordeaux, Chief Pilot at Hargrove Engineers and Constructors: How…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Oshkosh: Where Dreams, Deals, and Bad Numbers Collide | EP 48
In this episode, we cover: • Why Oshkosh is the largest aircraft transaction event nobody calls a transaction event • How more than 700,000 people and 10,000…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Why Some Airplanes Sell In Days While Others Just Sit | EP 47
In this episode, we cover: • Why “the aircraft market” is never just one market • Why the better question is not whether the market is up or down, but which…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The $110,000 Upgrade That Could Tank Your Aircraft’s Value | EP 46
In this episode: • Why the DeltaHawk engine is one of the most significant piston-engine developments in decades • Why a clean-sheet aircraft engine matters in…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Confidence Recession Is Here: Why Aircraft Deals Are Freezing Before Prices Break | EP 45
In this episode, we cover: • Why Bitcoin’s selloff is a useful comparison for what is happening in aviation • Why “meltdown” always depends on the time frame…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Blood In The Hanger: Why Smart Buyers Win The Market Turns | EP 43
Everybody hates a down market. Sellers hate it. Brokers hate it. The guy who bought at the top really hates it. But here is what nobody wants to say out loud…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The “Hot Market” Lie That Costs Aircraft Owners Millions | EP 42
Not every aviation mistake happens in the cockpit. Some happen in the purchase agreement. Some happen in the asking price. Some happen at tax time. Some happen…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The $4 Million Deal That Died in Court: One Aircraft Transaction, Years of Litigation | EP 41
In this episode of The Truth About the Market, Jason walks through a real legal case in which he served as an expert witness. Certain names and details have…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Free Valuation Trap: Why “Instant AI Aircraft Values” May Cost You More Than You Think | EP 40
In this episode of The Truth About the Market, Jason responds to a new claim making the rounds in aviation: that legacy aircraft valuation methods are “broken…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Contract Trap That Kills Aircraft Deals: Why Bad Assumptions Cost Buyers Millions | EP 39
In this episode of The Truth About the Market, Jason breaks down: • Why most failed aircraft deals are caused by mismatched assumptions, not bad aircraft • How…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Post-COVID Boom Is DEAD: Why Q2 Is Forcing Aviation Back To Reality | EP 38
In this episode of The Truth About the Market, Jason breaks down the Q2 2026 market numbers and explains why the aircraft market has fully unwound from the…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Charts Are Lying: Why The Aviation Market Is Moving Were Data Scrapers Can't See | EP 37
Everyone is looking at charts right now. Asking prices. Inventory counts. Scraped listing data. AI-generated market summaries. And most of them are missing the…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
The Aircraft Market Lost Its Nerve: Why Falling Prices Still Won't Make Buyers Move | EP 36
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF The headlines say the pre-owned aircraft market is flourishing. Deals are…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Why Bad Deals Start Before the Pre-Buy, and Why Your Network Matters More Than You Think | EP 35
General aviation buyers love to compare airplanes. Vision Jet versus Epic. Jet versus turboprop. Speed versus payload. Range versus cost. But that’s only part…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
What Your Insurance Quote Is *Really* Telling You | EP 34
Why Aircraft Coverage Is Becoming a Market Signal, Not Just a Cost Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Aircraft…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
Too Many People, Not Enough Closers: Why Aircraft Deals Are Getting Slower and Messier | EP 33
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Aircraft transactions used to be simple. Buyer. Seller. Broker. Attorney…
- VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market
When Markets Don’t Break… They Slow: Why Aviation Risk Is Now Showing Up in Time, Not Price | EP 32
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF The first shock is always obvious. Fuel moves. Rates stay high. Headlines hit…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Asking Price Lie Why Listed Aircraft Values Mean Far Less Than People Think | EPISODE 31
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF In aviation, one of the most trusted numbers is often the least reliable. It…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Low-Time Lie: Why “Hangar Queen” Might Be the Most Dangerous Phrase in Aircraft Shopping | EP 30
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF “Low total time” sounds like a selling point. In aviation, it often is. It shows…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Comps Illusion: Why Aircraft Sales Data Isn’t What You Think It Is | EPISODE 29
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Most people in aviation believe they understand the market. They look at comps…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketWar, Fuel, and Frozen Deals: How Iran Is Reshaping The Aviation Market | EPISODE 28
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF The aviation market doesn’t collapse the way people expect. And right now, it’s…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketWhy the Pre-Buy Isn’t About Maintenance…It’s About Risk | EPISODE 27
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF In aviation, few moments create more tension than the pre-buy inspection. Deals…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Aviation Market Is Breaking: Why Some Aircraft Are Holding Value While Others Nosedive | EP 26
Podcast: The Truth About the Aviation Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF For years, people talked about the “aircraft market” as if it were a…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Next Aviation Downturn Won’t Start With Airplanes | EPISODE 25
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Aviation doesn’t collapse because airplanes stop flying. It tightens when…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketIs Your Aircraft Worth More DEAD Than Alive? — The Brutal Truth About Part-Out Economics | EP 24
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Most aircraft don’t die in a dramatic way. There’s no crash. No grounding order…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe 7 Mistakes That Cost Aircraft Owners Millions | EPISODE 23
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Most aircraft losses don’t make headlines. There’s no accident report. No…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Fuel That Broke General Aviation | EPISODE 22
Why the End of 100LL Isn’t About Lead… and Never Was Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF When the FAA formally…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketWhy “Engine Overhauls Don’t Add Value” Is the Most Dangerous Take in Aviation | EPISODE 21
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF In this episode of VREF: The Truth About the Market, Jason addresses a growing…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Aircraft Financing Hit List: Top Banks, Financiers, Credit Unions, and Brokers | EP 20
Episode Summary Aircraft financing looks like a simple rate-shopping exercise… until you’re the one stuck in a bad structure, a surprise covenant, or a…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Ladder Is Gone: Why New Aircraft No Longer Make Sense the Way They Used To | EPISODE 19
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Episode Overview In this episode, Jason breaks down a shift many people in…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketIs Aviation Ready for AI? | EPISODE 18
Episode Overview Artificial intelligence is coming for aviation — fast… But is the industry actually ready for it? In Episode 18 of The Truth About the Market…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation Market’Twas the Night Before Christmas… and the Market Remembered Gravity | EPISODE 17
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Episode Overview In this end-of-year Christmas special, Jason steps back from…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketAviation’s New Privacy Crisis: How ADS-B, FAA Reform & Public Tracking Are Colliding | Episode 16
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO, VREF Episode Overview In this episode, Jason takes you deep into one of the most…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Six Brokers You’ll Meet in Aviation (and How They Quietly Shape Every Deal) | EPISODE 15
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO, VREF Episode Overview In this eye-opening episode, Jason reveals one of the least…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Weirdest Aviation Market We’ve Seen in Years | EPISODE 14
Episode Overview In this episode, Jason breaks down one of the strangest dynamics to hit aviation in more than a decade — a market that’s slowing down and…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketAviation, Gratitude, and a Global Express | EPISODE 13
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO, VREF Episode Overview In this Thanksgiving special, Jason steps away from…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketWhy Your First Airplane Is (Probably) the Wrong Airplane | EPISODE 12
Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF, ASA appraiser, expert witness, 30+ years in aviation. Episode Overview In this episode, Jason pulls back the…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketWhen Aircraft Sit: Understanding Value in a Slow Market | EPISODE 11
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO, VREF Length: ~35 minutes Theme: Why aircraft aren’t selling — and what fair…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Great Engine Shortage: Why Your Program Might Not Save You | EPISODE 10
Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO, VREF Length: ~45 minutes Theme: The global engine crisis—what caused it, how it’s…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketIs NBAA Still Relevant - And What it Says About the Future of Business Aviation | EPISODE 9
Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO of VREF Length: ~28 minutes Episode Overview In this episode, Jason Zilberbrand takes a hard, unfiltered look at the…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketTime Kills Deals: How Aircraft Transactions Really Close (and Blow Up) | EPISODE 8
Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF, ASA appraiser, expert witness, 30+ years in aviation. Topic: The messy middle between accepted offer and title…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketThe Truth About Off-Market Aircraft, Back-to-Back Deals, and Why You Still Need a Broker | EPISODE 7
Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Aircraft Value Reference & Appraisal Services Summary In one of the most revealing episodes yet, Jason pulls back…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketWhat the Market is Really Saying | EPISODE 6
Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Aircraft Value Reference & Appraisal Services Overview In this episode of The Truth About the Market, Jason turns…
VREF | The Truth About the Aviation MarketCan I Afford That Airplane? | EPISODE 5
Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President of VREF Aircraft Value Reference & Appraisal Services Introduction “Can I afford that airplane?” Jason tackles the question…