The Aircraft, Engines, and Business Models That Built Business Aviation w/ Richard Aboulafia and Kevin Michaels

The Aircraft, Engines, and Business Models That Built Business Aviation w/ Richard Aboulafia and Kevin Michaels

June 25, 2026 · 43 min · Episode 311

About this episode

This episode explores the evolution of business aviation and its impact on time management and connectivity.

Business aviation is often misunderstood because the aircraft are the most visible part of the story. The brands, the cabins, the speed, the ramp presence, and the culture around private aircraft tend to dominate the public imagination. But the industry was not built around image. It was built around utility.From the early aircraft companies in Wichita to the postwar expansion of aviation infrastructure, from Gulfstream’s focus on reliability and customer support to Learjet’s cultural impact, from Cessna’s utilitarian approach to the Falcon 20’s role in the early FedEx story, business aviation evolved around one central promise: giving people and companies control over time.In this episode, I talk with Kevin Michaels and Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Advisory about their book, Time Machines: Business Aviation’s Dynamic Journey. Kevin and Richard trace the forces that shaped the business aviation market across decades.The deeper story is not simply how business jets became faster, more capable, or more recognizable. It is how business aviation became an operating system for access, connecting companies, communities, executives, pilots, manufacturers, service networks, and…

More episodes of The Aerospace Executive Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Aerospace Executive Podcast podcast page.