Ironbird Podcast

Most companies don’t make it 80 years. Priester Aviation has. But according to Chairman Andy Priester , longevity isn’t about protecting the way things have always been done. It’s about recognizing when the business, the customer, and the industry are changing, then being willing to change with them. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Andy to unpack the evolution o...

What if your FBO could be performing 50% better without building another hangar or dramatically increasing traffic? In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Anthony Banome, founder of Banome Inc. , to explore why many independent FBOs may be operating far below their true potential. Drawing from his experience at Meridian in Teterboro and Fontainebleau Aviation in Opa-lo...

Private aviation software has traditionally been expensive, disconnected, and heavily dependent on manual work. Wingstack founder Del Castillo believes AI is about to change that. In this episode, Dan and Del discuss how AI has dramatically reduced the cost of software development, why Wingstack decided to offer its platform to brokers for free, and how smaller aviation businesses can use better t...

A missing aircraft record can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, it can delay an aircraft sale for months or even reduce its value by millions. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Stuart Illian, Co-Founder of Bluetail, to explore one of the most overlooked yet financially important aspects of aircraft ownership: records management. Stuart shares r...

Aircraft transactions are rarely as simple as matching a buyer with an airplane. In this episode of The Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Emily Deaton, CEO of JetAviva, to discuss how one of the industry's most recognized aircraft brokerage firms approaches buying, selling, and advising aircraft owners. Emily explains why JetAviva's model differs from traditional brokerages. Rat...

AI is already entering aviation operations. The problem is that most companies adopt tools before defining how decisions are actually made within their organizations. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Toby Benenson , founder of SayFlight , to discuss the growing role of AI in business aviation and the operational risks companies are overlooking. Toby brings nearly...

Buying more software will not fix broken processes. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Greg Jarrett, CEO of Stack Aero, to unpack why aviation companies struggle with technology adoption and what separates useful software from expensive shelfware. Greg has worked on both sides of the industry, first as a charter broker and now as a software founder building systems...

Aircraft don’t need major failures to disrupt operations. In many cases, it’s the smallest maintenance issue that causes the biggest problems. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Sam Wolfe of Alpha Maintenance to break down how AOG (Aircraft on Ground) events actually play out in real operations. From something as minor as missing speed tape to frozen aircraft doors...

Aircraft ownership can create massive financial exposure long before the first flight. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Thomas Alston, CEO of Aero & Marine Tax Professionals, to break down one of the most expensive and misunderstood risks in private aviation: sales and use tax. Many aircraft buyers believe simple strategies, such as registering in another sta...

Are winglets really worth it, or are most aircraft owners thinking about them the wrong way? In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris breaks down what airplane owners often misunderstand about winglets and why they matter far beyond appearance. The conversation looks at how winglets can affect range, fuel burn, climb performance, payload flexibility, and overall mission efficiency. The...

Luxury is easy to fake. Trust is not. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Simon Blackford, co-founder of Ellidore, a luxury lifestyle membership service built for high-net-worth clients who want more than bookings and basic access. Simon explains how Ellidore operates like a multi-family office for lifestyle. Not by investing clients’ money, but by helping them spen...

Mechanical issues happen. What matters is whether you can recover fast without forcing the customer to eat the cost. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Charter Flight Support Founder and CEO Josh Allen, and COO Erin Donnelly, to break down what Charter Flight Support actually is, how it’s deployed in the real world, and why most people misunderstand it at first. Th...

Most charter sales don’t fail because of price. They fail because the process makes customers give up. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast , Dan Harris sits down with Greg Johnson , President and CEO of Tuvoli , to unpack one of the most broken parts of private aviation: how trips are sold, paid for, and tracked. Greg has spent decades inside the industry, from running FBOs and charter broker...

AI is everywhere in aviation right now. Most of it sounds impressive. Very little of it actually works at scale. In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Co-Founder and Chairman of FL3XX Paolo Sommariva , one of the few operators who has lived on both sides of the problem. From launching a regional airline in Europe, to building an air taxi concept before its time, to no...

On this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Jean De Looz, COO of MySky, for a deep, practical conversation on aircraft finances, scalability, and why process matters more than tools in business aviation. Jean shares how MySky evolved from a Swiss-based cost auditing firm into a full aviation spend, quoting, and financial intelligence platform, and why most operators struggl...

Private aviation is packed with advanced machines… and surprisingly archaic software. In this episode, Dan Harris sits down with Flyhouse Co-CTOs Desh Desai and Deepak Soder to unpack what it actually takes to build a platform inside an industry that still runs on phone calls, spreadsheets, and “we’ve always done it this way.” They break down the real hurdle behind digitizing private jet booking:...

In 2008, the economy was collapsing — and Anthony Tivnan decided to launch a private jet company. Today, Magellan Jets moves over $150 million in annual charter while leading the industry’s shift toward automated pricing, fractional programs, and AI-driven operations. In this episode, Dan Harris sits down with Anthony Tivnan, President and Co-Founder of Magellan Jets, to unpack how the company was...

Safety is not a department. It is an enterprise system. In this live panel, Dan Harris sits down with Al Mann, Rob Cox, and Michael Parrish to map what safety really looks like when pilots, maintenance, leadership, and systems work as one. From getting mechanics to buy in, to digitizing squawks, to choosing when to keep work in-house vs. moving to a 145, the group shares practical ways to reduce r...

Digitization is changing how private aviation sells, books, and delivers service. The hard part is doing it without losing the human touch. In this live NBAA conversation, FlyHouse’s Jason Firestone and Roddie Hoyle sit down with Portia Jensen-Corsetti of Portside to map the real work behind click-to-book, from cleaner data and schedule visibility to pricing logic and operator buy-in. They walk th...

Private Jet Trends 2025: What the Data Is Really Saying Live from NBAA Las Vegas , Dan Harris sits down with two of the most data-driven minds in private aviation: Doug Gollan of Private Jet Card Comparisons and Richard Koe of WINGX . Together, they bridge the gap between customer sentiment and actual flight data to explore what’s really happening in the charter, fractional, and jet card market. T...

Recorded live from NBAA in partnership with Flyhouse Private aviation is entering a new era — one driven by integration, scale, and service. In this live NBAA session, Flyhouse CEO Jack Lambert and Sun Air Jets CEO Brian Counsil join host Dan Harris to discuss the landmark acquisition that’s redefining what an aviation company can be. They unpack the full-circle vision behind the deal — combining...

How Curt Marker Balances Jets, Real Estate, and Reputation Guest: Curt Marker, Pilot & Real Estate Investor Host: Dan Harris, IronBird Partners Podcast Not every pilot sticks to the cockpit. In this episode, Dan Harris sits down with Curt Marker — a third-generation pilot, experienced Gulfstream captain, and thriving real estate investor — to talk about what it really means to build a sustaina...

What happens when your private jet client knows more than your sales team? In this episode, Dan Harris speaks with Kimberly Herrell , CEO of Schubach Aviation , about what it takes to stay relevant in a market where clients are getting smarter, younger, and more values-driven. From building trust with first-time charter clients to keeping high-frequency fliers loyal, Kimberly shares real-world les...

Guest: Casey Miller , Founder & President, Latitude 33 Aviation Host: Dan Harris , Iron Bird Partners Podcast Some people enter aviation through spreadsheets. Casey Miller was raised in the cockpit. In this episode, Dan Harris talks with Latitude 33’s founder and president, Casey Miller — a pilot, entrepreneur, and operator who turned a side hustle into one of the most respected charter and ma...

You’ve vetted the aircraft. You’ve seen the badge. You think you're covered. But what if the biggest threat to your safety isn’t mechanical — it’s organizational? In this episode, Dan sits down with Al Mann , Director of Safety at Flyhouse and former VP of Safety at Wheels Up , to break open the hidden flaws in how private aviation defines — and often misrepresents — safety. Al doesn’t just manage...