As international businesses grow, airspace regulations loosen, and diplomats and celebrities take a bigger world stage, demand for private aviation around the globe builds. And while many people see the need to charter, lease or purchase aircraft, the selection of an inappropriate aircraft can become a safety and financial nightmare. In my line of business, I hear all sorts of stories of aircraft owners getting burned by undisclosed damage history, inaccurate market valuations and unscrupulous advice. Since I’m a huge advocate of using business aircraft as a competitive advantage, these tales turn my stomach.

Truthfully, there are few standards to protect the consumers of these large ticket assets. Therefore, I believe it is very important for buyers to obtain sound counsel about the type of aircraft they purchase, the conditions under which it is bought, and how much it is truly worth—in today’s market and when they want to resell it. Obtaining this kind of counsel before purchasing an aircraft helps eliminate costly mistakes and keeps the market from becoming inflated with a plethora of brokers vying for the same buyer’s business. When a broker makes inquiries on behalf of a buyer, the buyer is insulated from sharks smelling blood in the water.

Because of his or her relationships with other professionals in the industry, a broker can often find out information about price expectations, the seller’s level of motivation, and any skeletons in the pedigree of an aircraft. A good broker or consultant also can help with negotiations, pre-purchase inspections, import or export complications, and referrals for legal or tax matters, management, training or financing. In short, the good ones usually pay for themselves in spades. A final word to the wise: aviation consultants and aircraft brokers are not required to have any formal training or licensing and are not held to any code of ethics. A reputable broker or consultant will provide references and be well respected among his or her competitors. Double check.

René Banglesdorf is the CEO of Charlie Bravo Aviation.

New Zealand’s Arista Marine has unveiled plans for a stylish new superyacht support ship dubbed the Phantom. The 79-t. vessel is designed in the form of a catamaran giving it the carrying capacity of a much larger mono-hull vessel, Superyacht Times reports. The catamaran layout not only provides extra stability but also lends itself well for use as a mobile beach club with a large open deck close to the water, accessible via swim stairs. This not only frees up valuable space on the mother ship but expands the owner’s entertaining options.

There is also a small swimming pool on the foredeck of the Phantom as well as a bar and galley for food and beverage preparation. The deck has plenty of shade, and below decks there is an air-conditioned lounge when guests require a respite from the sun. Staff for the mother ship such as beauticians, valets and security can be accommodated on the supporting vessel, allowing the owner to devote even more space on the main craft to his needs. Finally, the Phantom can be built to operate as an occasional helicopter landing pad, perfect for owners who do not want to devote deck space on the mother ship for a helipad.

RM Auctions, the official auction house of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, will present a stunning selection of classic Ferraris at its sale in conjunction with the event on March 10 in Florida. No less than eight examples from the Modenese Prancing Horse are poised for the auction podium. Headlining the offerings is an exceptional 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale, s/n 0465 GT, featuring rare 410 Superamerica-style, Pinin Farina Berlinetta coachwork. One of just four examples built, 0465 GT remains unique among its peers thanks to numerous special-order items including gauges, telescopic steering wheel, high bolster seats, twin fuel tanks with twin fillers and a custom lowered driver’s window crank. Immaculately presented, it carries Ferrari Classiche certification and is a multiple award-winner; it’s expected to fetch up to $1.6 million.

“This 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe Speciale epitomizes the quality and breathtaking aesthetics of Ferrari’s early coachbuilt cars. Spectacular in presentation, it is a true work of art, deserving of close inspection,” notes RM’s West Coast specialist Shelby Myers. Other notable Ferraris on offer include a beautifully restored 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, s/n 1755 GT, featuring rare covered headlights and finished in its original Avorio (Ivory) color (Est. $600,000 – $800,000); a highly desirable, Ferrari Classiche certified 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder, s/n 15417 (Est. $1,100,000 – $1,300,000); and a well-documented, matching numbers 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta, s/n 09721, with recent cosmetic freshening and engine overhaul (Est. $1,200,000 – $1,400,000).

Bonhams’ upcoming Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia sale in Oxford, UK on March 3^rd will feature a couple of cool cars with interesting provenance. For starters there’s this1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-Litre roadster which the flamboyant star acquired in 1987, whence it became known as “OK Elton” due to its number plate OKE 1, which the lucky bidder will be getting as well. Estimated at up to $110,000 it’s a score even without the imprint of Elton’s backside on the seat as the E-Type is one of the most beautiful sports cars ever made.

The there’s the 1961 “barn find” Ferrari 250GTE 2+2 Series 1 Coupé that belonged “Dino” De Laurentiis, the famed Italian producer who won Oscars for La Strada and Nights of Cabiria. With coachwork by Pininfarina, the car was conceived as a 2+2 without sacrificing the 250’s elegant good looks or sporting demeanour, all of which the GTE has in spades. Having had only a few owners, the 250 GTE is being offered by the family of the late owner who bought the car in 1967.  Rob Hubbard, Senior Specialist at Bonhams, notes that the car “represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire an original and untouched early Ferrari 250GTE, ripe for sympathetic restoration by a fortunate new owner.” A new owner with an extra $100,000, that is…..

Acclaimed auction house Gooding & Company has just announced the consignment of the Drendel Family Collection of 18 Porsches for its upcoming Amelia Island sale in March.  Recognized as the world’s finest private assemblage of its kind, the Drendel Family Collection consists of both road and race cars spanning 25 years of Porsche history from 1973 – 1997. With 10 of the 18 lots being offered without reserve, and the occasion marking the first time many of these historically-important racing stars have ever been offered for sale, the bidding is sure to give new meaning to the word “fierce”. The big draw is this 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, estimated at up to $4 million.

The Porsche 917 racing program was of course one of the most successful in the history of motor sport and for many the 1973 917/30 Can-Am Spyder represents its pinnacle. With a 1,000 hp turbocharged flat-twelve, American racing champion Mark Donohue’s 917/30 was so dominant that the Can Am Challenge Cup was disbanded and the other manufacturers withdrew due to their inability to compete. One of four examples completed at the Porsche factory, the example on offer has been meticulously restored and presented in the iconic Penske-Sunoco livery, in which it raced at the Monterey Historics and was displayed at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and Rennsport Reunion.

According to a new report in the London Daily Mirror, Microsoft mega-mogul Bill Gates plans to bring his superyacht to London for the 2012 Olympics this summer. The news that Gates even has a superyacht may come as a surprise to some. Though he certainly has the cash for an entire fleet of the things, the shabby billionaire is known for his un-ostentatious means of travel. And truth be told, the question of Gates’ superyacht ownership is far from clear. Rumors have long, ahem, been floated that Gates owns a 200-ft. yacht called Goygpus, which sounds appropriately geeky to us and is obviously a play on rival Microsoft kingpin Paul Alllen’s yacht Octopus.

Here’s a photo from shipspotting.com allegedly of the Goygpus, of which next to nothing is known. The battleship gray paintjob certainly seems low key enough for Gates. And at a mere 200 ft. it won’t attract much attention among the megayachts docking in London for the big event. At 414 ft. the Octopus is more than twice as large, and the Mirror says that Roman Abramovich plans to put in an appearance on the even larger Eclipse, though it’s surely too big to get anywhere near the marina. The paper also says that the Maltese Falcon will also be on hand for the festivities. We’ll wait and see.

Kidston of Geneva is the kind of place billionaires, oligarchs and other high rollers call when they feel like adding to their car collections – the kind that occupy entire buildings in neighborhoods we can’t even afford to visit. At the moment they have a 1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia, a 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Le Mans Long Tail coupe and a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400SV lying around, to name a few. Recently they came into possession of this eye-popping 1955 Jaguar D-Type, which some ridiculously rich fellow snapped up in next to no time. The asking price? A mere $4.75 million.

One of the most successful and iconic sports cars of all time, the ex-Bib Stillwell, Frank Gardner, Jack Davey, ‘Dickie’ Attwood and Angus Spencer-Nairn D-Type as it’s officially known boasts an extensive early racing record and well documented subsequent provenance. Not merely eligible but highly in demand by organizers of the world’s most exclusive events, Chris Keith-Lucas said of it, “In my opinion the car remains one of the best production D types in existence.” Next time you’ll just have to act a little faster with the fountain pen and checkbook….

Some celebs go for gigantic superyachts controlled via iPad, or ultra-fast testosterone-powered vessels designed to remove the undergarments of any eligible females within a 10-mile radius. When you’re one of the world’s sexiest supermodels however, what you really need is a super-stylish craft that serves as the perfect backdrop for your curves. And that’s just what Aussie stunner Miranda Kerr kitted herself out with in Sydney recently, where she was spotted cavorting aboard a classic mahogany Comitti motor launch.

La Dolce Vita, as the vessel is called, is billed the only Italian-made wooden speedboat imported to Sydney available for charter, handbuilt at the Comitti Wooden Boat Company in Italy on the shores of Lake Como. The 26-foot Portofino model can do 47 knots in high style, and served as the perfect setting for the Victoria’s Secret stunner’s itsy bitsy white bikini. Founded in 1956, Comitti adheres to the old school Italian boatbuilding tradition, using only the finest materials in the world. While Miranda messed around on the yacht shooting pix for Vogue, her other half Orlando Bloom was left to wander the streets of Sydney.

Patrick Dempsey gets paid millions of dollars to make love to beautiful women on the big screen. This should automatically disqualify him from doing anything else that’s way too much fun. Yet the dashing actor, who’s a Steve McQueen-style car buff, was tapped by Aston Martin to take the wheel in the North American debut of their wicked new Vantage GT4 racer. We ask you, is that fair? Closely based on Aston’s V8 Vantage road car, the GT4 is fitted with a bespoke 4.7-liter V8 engine producing 420 hp.
Dempsey gets to drive the hell out of it in the 2012 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) under the Toronto-based Multimatic Motorsports banner. He completed his first run at the Daytona International Speedway where the two GT4s in competition qualified P3 and P24, only managing one timed lap because of yellow flags. We call it lulling the competition – and with the likes of Audi’s new R8 GRAND-AM on the track, it’s pretty fierce – into a false sense of security. And anyone who dismisses Dempsey as a poncey pretty boy is in for a surprise….

We’ve enthused in past posts about ‘A’, the eye-popping 390-foot megayacht designed by Philippe Starck for 38-year-old Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. The sci fi submarine-looking vessel cost over $300 million to build to the designer’s specs at Blohm + Voss and carries a crew of 35 – all outfitted in Starck-designed uniforms. The other day Melnichenko’s yacht invaded picturesque Phang Nga Bay in Phuket, Thailand, startling the locals. Apparently only a world-class luxury resort could tempt the billionaire and his gorgeous fashion model wife Aleksandra off the vessel.

A source told The Phuket News that Melnichenko and his wife Aleksandra left the craft’s comforts last weekend for a visit to The Naka Island, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, in Phuket. “[Mr. Melnichenko’s personal] chef came ahead and tested the food,” the paper notes. “Then the security team came and had a look around. Only then did the couple arrive “in a futuristic looking landing craft”. “They stayed on the beach on Naka for about an hour, but the tide was going out,” the source added. Aleksandra was worried about not getting back to their yacht, it seems, and decided not to stay for dinner despite their personal chef’s thumbs-up and declined the offer of a luxury suite. From what we’ve heard of the stunning Naka, they ended up – ahem – “missing the boat” anyway…