Podcast: The Truth About the Market Host: Jason Zilberbrand, President & CTO, VREF
Episode Overview
In this Thanksgiving special, Jason steps away from depreciation curves, absorption rates, and market chaos to talk about something aviation doesn’t celebrate nearly enough: gratitude.
But don’t worry — this isn’t some soft, sentimental detour.
This is an episode about the real aviation world we all live in: the chaos, the beauty, the people who keep airplanes flying, the market that refuses to die, and the stories that could only ever happen in this industry.
Including the true story of the time Jason simultaneously cooked a Thanksgiving turkey and negotiated the sale of a Global Express with a buyer in Turkey.
Episode 13 is part celebration, part confession, part industry-wide love letter — and part reminder that aviation is still here, still resilient, and still miraculous, even in its messiest moments.
What You’ll Discover in This Episode
- Why aviation has perfect comedic timing — and an uncanny ability to humble you at the exact moment you feel invincible
- The overlooked everyday miracles of flying
- The PT6 spool-up.
- The sunrise on a frozen ramp.
- The quiet intensity of a controller juggling 18 airplanes and four emergencies.
- The real backbone of aviation — the invisible people who keep the entire system alive
- Mechanics. Line techs. Instructors. Avionics wizards. Dispatchers. Ramp crews.
- The people who show up long before and long after anyone else.
- The giant truth aviation professionals never say out loud: we are terrible at gratitude
- Why the aviation market simply refuses to die — even after recessions, pandemics, supply-chain collapses, interest rate spikes, and predictions of doom
- How passion — not spreadsheets — has kept general and business aviation unbreakable
- Why private aviation will always outcompete commercial airlines (and why TSA practically guarantees it)
- The human side of aircraft values — what every VREF number actually represents
- A widow settling her husband’s estate.
- A mechanic keeping a dream alive.
- A broker grinding until 3 a.m. to get the deal closed.
- The Thanksgiving Day Global Express story Jason has never told before
- How he cooked a turkey
- …while fielding a real-time offer
- …from a buyer in Turkey
- …for a large-cabin jet
- …on a holiday
- …with a kitchen full of guests.
- Why, after everything the industry has endured, aviation is still standing — tired, bruised, more expensive than ever… but standing
Jason’s Truth
“Aviation only works because humans show up with pride. Aluminum doesn’t hold this industry together — people do. And passion, more than economics, is why aviation is still here.”...
Complete show notes can be found at https://vref.com/news/episode-13-aviation-gratitude-and-a-global-express-11-25-25
Brought to You By
VREF — The Trusted Name in Aircraft Valuations and Appraisals.
Whether you fly a piston single or manage a business jet fleet, VREF keeps you grounded in data that matters.
Know what your aircraft is really worth — before you buy, sell, or finance — at vref.com.
