Ham, I think it would be helpful for you to narrow your criteria. First, because most of your research needs to precede SnF. If yours is a normal experience, your time at SnF will be far more fleeting than you expect. There is just gobs of things to see (I challenge you to not be captured for a while at the Dynon booth, looking at/playing with their SkyView system <g>) and the a/c models of interest to you will, inevitably, be surrounded by tire kickers and seriously interested pilots while the exhibitor(s) will be pestered by many showgo'ers who simply want to 'talk flying' (much to the exhibitor's frustration). Just getting into a given model's cockpit (a very good suggestion) can be time-consuming and patience-trying.
Another reason you need to wrap up most of your research ahead of SnF is that you need to sort out demo flight opportunities sooner rather than later. (Skype will be your friend while in UAE). There are a long list of demo flight-related issues that, depending on the mfgr, can arise...and so talking with the mfgrs/distributors of interest to you ahead of time will allow you to anticipate how demo flights can be scheduled. (Some will do demos at nearby Plant City - before, during and/or after SnF. Some will have a 2nd a/c at the show, doing demo flights...while others will have one a/c stuck in place at the exhibit. Do you need your pilot license? (Some request to see your FAA medical ticket). What criteria will they use to allow a demo flight - this can be very loosely administered or they can be more demanding. (You have a very convincing story to tell...but it's knowing to whom and when to tell it that makes the research necessary. Showing up at the booth mid-morning, I think you'll find that day's demo flights all booked). And after all, how can you seriously consider any a/c without putting hand on stick?
For the sake of challenging and considering them, here is a straw man of criteria I'd suggest you consider. Fewer are better than more, because you'll otherwise limit your choices too much...and let's face it, there are likely multiple a/c that can fit the mission so, at purchase time, it may well be one mfgr's or distributor's painful need to move a given a/c that makes the choice financially unbeatable. Multiple final choices allows you to make this crummy economy work in your favor.
-- Rotax powered (just about a 'given' anyway, unless your potential partner is an A&P)
-- Tri-gear (for ease of instruction and lower insurance premiums)
-- Side X Side seating (for far better instruction)
-- Initially omit the folding wing criterion, because it reduces your possible choices significantly (e.g. bydanjohnson.com's PlaneFinder search engine, with the above three criteria produces 20 possible a/c but with folding wings only 4 - see
http://www.bydanjohnson.com/index.cfm?b=2&m=4 ) Perhaps this can be a deciding factor at the time of purchase.
-- Mfgr. has been building microlights (European term) or U/L a/c for 5+ years. An arbitrary number, yes...but if you read the FAA LSA Survey results, you'll find numerous LSA mfgrs have very limited manufacturing experience, and this also raises the question of how likely those newer businesses are to remain in operation. What do you do if needing an a/c part for an S-LSA a/c when the U.S. distributor or U.S. manufacturer is no longer on the scene? Look e.g. at Rans' U.S. built S6 - see
http://www.rans.com/_RTF/S-6LSmain2.htm just for the sake of a counterpoint to a/c like the Eurotrek. Perhaps 2000 flying a/c, manufactured for over 20 years, and built by a company that's been in operation even longer.
-- Consider used S-LSA a/c. The rule has been around long enough that you can find used models of almost all these a/c now...including BTW used models being hawked at Sebring's LSA show by flight schools (which is some sobering news, to be sure).
Beyond this, add criteria carefully...as it's better to have lots of choices when 'doing a deal' among distributors/retailers/mfgrs.
Personally, I think you would be enormously complicating your business (and your business plan) to add a partner. This would be true even if the person was a long-standing and trustworthy friend. It would raise a series of potential complications if it was someone you didn't know intimately. This is of course just an opinion uninformed by the specifics that would exist. But sad to say, many many people seek involvement in aviation-related businesses not because they are good at business but simply because they like the setting.
_________________
Jack
RAF Florida State Liaison
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