Blog + Updates
Field Notes
Field Notes is operator-level analysis on lower-middle-market aviation: succession dynamics, regulatory shifts, certificate arbitrage, valuation dislocations, and the systems that turn fragmented shops into scaled platforms.
No fluff. Just signal.
FAA Certificate Backlog Is Creating a Once-in-a-Lifetime Acquisition Window
The FAA's 18 to 36 month certification backlog has turned existing aviation certificates into one of the most valuable and under-recognized assets in lower-middle-market M&A. For operators with certificates already in hand, the moat has never been deeper. For acquirers who understand the arbitrage, the window is now.
The Pilot Shortage Isn't a Headline; It's a $50B Opportunity.
Between 72,000 and 649,000 pilots will be needed globally through 2042. That is not a staffing problem. It is a structural economic shift that is repricing every asset in the flight training, pilot staffing, and aviation workforce pipeline. The operators who own this infrastructure are sitting on something far more valuable than they realize.