Special Delivery. It was the cabin. “No question about it,” said chief pilot José R. Santana of Baltimore’s Segall Group. When the company was purchasing its first aircraft, the Beechcraft G36 Bonanza stood out against the competition thanks to its cabin. But what was it exactly? Was it the extra legroom offered? Was it the comfortable seats that offered flexible configurations? Was it the stowable executive table? Or was it the climate
The Beechcraft G36 Bonanza’s still got it. control system with dual zones, so that pilots and passengers were both able to control their environment? “Take your pick,” said Santana, who also serves as associate vice president of Retail Sales & Leasing for the retail brokerage firm. “The Bonanza’s cabin gives us the type of experience that we want our clients to have. The spaciousness and quality of the cabin really won us over, and the G36’s handling characteristics and robust avionics give us confidence in flying our clients and our employees.”
0 5 I B e e c h c r a f t F l ye r
“When our aircraft came through the
Full-time use of a business aircraft
last stage before it went into paint, a
means Segall Group can expand its
group of employees posed for a photo in
geographic footprint and grow other
front of it while holding a sign that read
parts of its business, such as shopping
‘E-4000,’” Santana said. “They sent us the
center development. Their Bonanza goes
picture, and we could see the pride the
to plenty of client meetings, too, because
employees had. That made us proud.
company CEO Andrew G. Segall and
Another confidence booster: the Bonanza
The picture immediately went up on
Chairman Mark S. Segall are also pilots.
is the longest continuously produced
the wall in our office.”
aircraft in history with more than
Segall Group uses their Bonanza to
18,000 units delivered since 1947. Segall
conduct site visits and client meetings
Group took delivery of the 4,000th
while brokering real estate deals in
The Bonanza is the longest continuously produced aircraft in general aviation history.
G36 Bonanza in June at Beechcraft’s
the Mid-Atlantic region for national
headquarters in Wichita, Kan.
retail and restaurant companies such
To be fair, though, Segall executives were
as Domino’s Pizza and T-Mobile. With
cautious about purchasing the aircraft when they learned that the former company, Hawker Beechcraft, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. “We wondered if we were buying into a failing company, but as we looked into it more, we decided our concerns were not correct,” Santana said. “We were quite happy to see how strong Beechcraft is coming out of the financial reorganization, and we are proud to support an American company that has such a storied history and delivers remarkable products.”
“As our transportation needs grew and we began taking clients with us on site
the possibility of having the CEO of a nationally branded restaurant on board, it’s easy to see why the cabin was as important to the company as the Bonanza’s technology, reliability and performance record. Santana, who has had his pilot’s license since age 17, introduced Segall Group to the benefits of business aviation soon after he joined the company four years ago. The company had often taken all-day drives to meet with clients in other markets, spend the night and then drive back the next day. Once Santana arrived, the company began to lease
Segall Group’s decision to purchase
aircraft, meet clients, take them on a
a Bonanza was validated during the
tour of potential site locations and fly
manufacturing process.
back in time for dinner.
visits, we realized ownership was the next step,” Santana said. “We looked for an airplane that matched the feel of our brand and our image, and the Beechcraft Bonanza is the top-of-theline aircraft in its category with an outstanding reputation.”
A group of Beechcraft employees standing proudly in front of the 4,000th Bonanza as it rolls off the assembly line. Opposite page. Beechcraft officials hand over the keys to Segall Group’s new G36 Bonanza.
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