Monday, October 4, 2010

Move 24: Own a Plane, Own a Jet

There is seriously no better Move than to pull up to the private terminal at the airport, walk up the steps of the plane, and have it take off. Having a plane waiting for you is the ultimate move, and is one that even the office of President of the United States has learned and used well -- there is a reason for Air Force One, and that is convey the tremendous power and prestigee of the President. You need one of those too, and yes, it has to be a Jet capable of getting to far-flung international destinations in a timely manner.

It's important to remember that The Moves are all about the subtle and unpretentious signals that subliminally force people to realize your wealth and power.  Having a jet is borderline pretentious, so it absolutely only can come up in conversation if very subtle ways like, "I'll take the jet down to Houston tomorrow afternoon, and then meet you back here for dinner."  Never refer to your bird as "my private plane" or anything that would sound like bragging. If it does come up, make sure you complain about commercial travel, and the necessary evil of having to have a way around that mess.

Flying on regular commercial planes these days is a bit of a drag, as there is endless security, waiting around terminals, and certain other requirements designed to inconvenience you -- even with the Admiral's Club and First Class seating. Having you own jet eliminates all those time-wasting details required for normal people. And of course, the Pilot and attendant add to the numbers of Your People that are available to handle things for you wherever you happen to land.

If, God forbid, you can't afford your own plane, you might be able to get away with a shared lease, or other group arrangement. The downside is that the Jet really does need to be available at your beck and call at a moment's notice, so it's best to just have one and let people borrow it or lease it from you -- that puts you in the pilot's seat, so to speak, and gives you the "oh, you can take the jet there this weekend" loan move on top of that.

On top of this Move you can also add getting your pilot's license, and having an antique plane that you're restoring for the fun of it.

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