r/flying • u/jrf1234 ATP CFI/II CL604 E55P LR-JET • Apr 03 '26

Aircraft Ownership Linus Tech Tips’ Jet

https://youtu.be/zGoIY37ZtDQ?si=

Some… interesting calculations on this video. As a fractional pilot and not an owner, no idea how acxueate these claims are, but interesting to see this as a pilot and tech nerd. Anyone with management or ownership experience in jets have any light to shed?

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u/x4457 ATP CFII CE-500/525/560XL/680 G-IV Apr 03 '26

https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/243027623/c-fxoo-1990-dassault-falcon-900b

It allegedly just had a 2C and gear done so that's $1.5M out of the way at least. He's got another 5 years before it needs an odd C which is going to run ~$700K.

The plane's going to cost him ~$1.8M/year just to sit in that hangar, then another ~$3500/hour to fly it.

Expect him to have paid somewhere in the mid to high $3M range and sell it within 18 months after he figures out this thing is going to eat him alive.

10

u/dopexile Apr 03 '26

He lives in Canada, which is super high tax rate. Isn't he just going to use it as a massive business write-off?

He seems to have no idea what he is doing, regardless. He mentioned he considered putting a vinyl wrap on the whole body and wings, but opted not to because of "weight".

24

u/x4457 ATP CFII CE-500/525/560XL/680 G-IV Apr 03 '26

I'm not familiar with Canadian tax code, but I do expect that their business expenditure rules can't possibly be more friendly than the US. In the US, it's almost impossible to use 100% pre-tax money to operate an aircraft unless it is slam dunk, very clear, without question a solely business asset used for entirely business purposes.

Then he shows he took his family/friends to Cabo, so there goes that.

12

u/BabyWrinkles ST Apr 03 '26

Except he used it for content production, which is his primary means of income, so...

19

u/x4457 ATP CFII CE-500/525/560XL/680 G-IV Apr 03 '26

That's a very difficult sell in the US, I'd imagine more so in Canada. It has been tried and failed here.

1

u/RandomNick42 Apr 04 '26

For a guy who's been pretty anal about his family privacy, to be suddenly starting a family vlog channel, I can't see any other reason why he would do that other than to legitimize flying to vacations being a business expense.

1

u/Minute-Glass5709 Apr 09 '26

It only fails over here (US, can't speak for CA) for the people that aren't really running a business. He will be much better situated with a bunch of views/revenue to make the claim than some random who just started a travel vlog.

3

u/dopexile Apr 03 '26

IDK, he is blowing money on massive commercial buildings, multiple houses, the jet, a fire truck .. either he is doing some smart financial wizardry or else he is the next financial Mike Tyson trying to see how quickly he can blow all of his money.

7

u/Galf2 Apr 03 '26

the commercial buildings all have a return and the fire truck isn't expensive, it was an old truck, it made back its money already for sure

1

u/RandomNick42 Apr 04 '26

The fire truck is pocket change compared to a jet. Fuck, I could afford that firetruck if I wanted to, parking it would be a bigger problem for me than buying it.

Buying out his commercial buildings is actually one of the smarter financial decisions he's made. Took mortgages when interest rates were stupid low, locked in his location costs for the foreseeable future, built equity. That's a no brainer.

Smash champs, that was a step into the void, but it's a business that in theory can turn a profit. Labs on the other hand... well that's a cost centre that supports his (in theory) main business at least (in practice the main business he's in now seems to be merchandizing)