Jetrader - Spring 2014 - 11

"Pete personifies what this organization
was all about when we started it in 1983
... that would be partying! But seriously
folks, in addition to being a founding
member of ISTAT, Pete has consistently
been a supporter of the organization
from being the first Chairman of the
ISTAT Foundation to supporting the conferences and other ISTAT activities as a
speaker ... or should I say "performer,"
and as a sponsor.
I have had the privilege of purchasing many aircraft from Pete over the
years, and he was always a pleasure to
work with and has maintained a high
level of professionalism. All of the members of ISTAT can be proud that we are
honoring one of our own with the 2014
ISTAT Award."

"Our 2014 ISTAT Award Recipient is Mr. C.N.
Seidlitz, better known to most of us as
Pete. I am proud to have known Pete for
over 20 years now and served with him
on the ISTAT and Foundation Boards. Not
only has Pete been willing to give of his
time and treasure to ISTAT, it was he,
along with fellow Board members Steve
Fortune and Oakley Brooks, who created
the forum for ISTAT to give back to our
industry when they established the ISTAT
Foundation in 1994. Pete is rare in his talent as an outstanding aviation business
leader, respected and admired by his associates, his clients and even his competitors.
Thank you, Pete, for your service and commitment, and most important to me, your
friendship. Congratulations on receiving
this very deserving 2014 ISTAT Award."

Jep Thornton

Willow Aviation Services, LLC

other. In those years, used aircraft were
an afterthought. On the finance side, aircraft disposition was an afterthought. With
airlines, as well as the manufacturers, the
used aircraft group was not a priority. The
people who worked in that area didn't get
the same level of respect as they do today.

their company. It's also an acknowledgement of the partners at Bristol who have
worked shoulder to shoulder with me for
so many years.

Ron Baur
United Airlines

Tom Heimsoth

Aerolease Aviation LLC

"The fleet group while at Continental
and later United, had the good fortune
of working with Pete and the Bristol
team on many aircraft deals over the
past years. Pete's deep understanding
of the industry, creativity and personal
integrity allowed us to place many aircraft all over the world. While some of
the deals were complicated and at times
stressful, Pete's good humor made the
experience enjoyable. We are extremely
pleased to see Pete recognized for his
contributions to the industry."

JT: Explain how you've seen the industry
change over the years.
PS: Information is much more readily available, and communications have
improved dramatically. When we first
started Bristol, we had a joint venture with
Hong Kong Bank, and we did nothing but
sub-Saharan African deals. The magic was
that if you were willing to go to some of
the bizarre places in the world back when
it was more of a challenge to do business
there, you gained information that was
worth something. Today that information
is readily available, but you had to be 'on
the ground' in those days.
JT: What does it mean to you to be
selected as the ISTAT Award Winner?
PS: I'm surprised and pleased and obviously honored. I view it as an acknowledgement well beyond me. It's recognition of
all the other individuals and companies
like mine who have contributed something
to the industry, regardless of the size of

JT: What accomplishments are you most
proud of?
PS: Certainly, I'd list family first. That's
the most relevant source of payback in life,
and I've been fortunate to have a great
wife and daughters who have been a great
source of support for me.
I've been very lucky to be associated
with, in my company as well as in other
companies, a very superb group of people.
We've always worked on the assumption
here [at Bristol] that the guy across the
table is probably smarter than we are, so
you are better off being direct and honest
because you are not going to fool anyone
at end of the day.
I value the fact that the company, if
nothing else, has a reputation for having
decent, honest and direct people amongst
the partners. It's a way to differentiate the
product. Aircraft brokerage used to be, and
in some parts still is, a very sleazy business. But it's a business where even the
less-than-honest guys can mess with you
in several different languages. There is a
base intelligence that is an entry fee into
the business.

JT: What do you love about aviation?
PS: I love the challenge. At this point,
it's certainly not about the money-it's a
fun business. The key to doing deals is that
you have to have the ability to communicate cross-culturally and an ability to solve
puzzles. A deal is like a puzzle-you have to
be able to satisfy needs on both sides and
be able to foster effective communication.
JT: You mentioned that one of the perks
in your early years in the business was
the international travel, and by now
you've had your share of travel around
the globe. Is traveling to other countries
something that still interests you?
PS: Sure, now I'd like to go back and see
them! Now I cut out red-eyes, breakfast
meetings-things that eat away at your
health. I don't over-schedule anymore, and
I just enjoy my time. I've been doing it
so long that friends who were low-level
guys at airlines have grown into high-level
positions. It's fun to see them; they are
friends. The payoff is in the relationships.
I feel like I happened to blunder into a
profession that not only provides a livelihood in excess of my skills but something
that I look forward to doing every day.
I didn't study aircraft brokerage in graduate
school, so I think I've come a long way for
a creative writing major in college.
Jetrader * Spring 2014 11

Jetrader - Spring 2014

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