Jetrader

At a Glance: Jordan Calhoun of Jackson Square Aviation

Jetrader spoke with Jordan Calhoun, vice president of marketing for North America at Jackson Square Aviation and an ISTAT Professional Development Program (PDP) graduate, about what he likes about the industry, the most challenging part of his profession and more. 

Jetrader: What do you like most about the aviation industry?

Jordan Calhoun (JC): The aviation industry is fast-paced, challenging and multifaceted. It is somehow close-knit, while being full of a global and diverse array of colleagues and stakeholders. I love this business for these reasons, and it is for these reasons I intend to stick with this industry for the entirety of my career.

More specifically to my particular role, I enjoy working closely with airline fleet and finance teams to understand the “hows and whys” of their fleet and financing demands and providing solutions. But I also love this industry for a reason that often goes unsaid or is taken for granted: It’s highly rewarding to play a small part in a complex ecosystem that fabricates and sustains safe and rapid global highways in the sky, routinely spanning oceans and continents, as humanity had only dreamed of until 100 years ago.

Jetrader: What is the most challenging part of your profession?

JC: The primary challenge of this job is also what keeps me intrigued. It’s the consistent task of working with teams to build solutions to endless problems and challenges. As a global business, we are intrinsically at the whim and mercy of much of the human strife, regardless of which continent, country or province it may occur.

Most issues and struggles impact the delicate balance of humanity’s flow around the globe. Since we eagerly burden ourselves with making this flow our profession, there are seldom periods of respite when we aren’t solving the localized ripples from a crisis in another location. These crises are always nuanced, so past solutions can’t be recycled for present problems, forcing creative and specialized results.

Jetrader: Which ISTAT Professional Development Program cohort did you participate in?

JC: ISTAT PDP Americas 2022.

Jetrader: What inspired you to apply for the ISTAT PDP, and what did you hope to gain from it?

JC: I’d been cognizant of the development of the ISTAT PDP course because a JSA colleague, Shannon Ackert, has been an instructor in the course from the beginning. The course is able to attract world-class experts in their professions in aviation as lecturers. As an avid pupil of our business, it was only natural for me to apply.

I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the parts of the business that I’m not always privy to as an aircraft lessor, to better understand the intentions and motivations of my counterparties. I was able to improve this understanding with the course’s comprehensive curriculum.

Jetrader: What was the most valuable lesson or insight you took away from the program?

JC: Aside from the excellent material, the greatest takeaway from the PDP program is the network that’s built over the multiple weeks spent in a handful of cities with the same peers. I greatly value the friendships I built during my PDP class and the knowledge they’ve shared with me. There are diverse professional experiences across our PDP group, and we lean into capitalizing on them. To this day, we use each other as a resource and help each other where possible because we all want to see each other succeed in this industry.

Jetrader: What advice would you give to someone early in their aviation career?

JC: Don’t shy away from industry resources to build your community and network in this business. There have been profound and thoughtful developments in programs geared toward new entrants in aviation over the past few years. These programs are educational, supportive, collaborative and purposeful to help you succeed in this industry — like ISTAT PDP.

I encourage all who are newer to aviation to invest the time into researching the programs that are out there and getting involved where able. The outcomes of these programs provide a deeper education, expanded network among peers, and relationships with industry experts and mentors.

Jetrader: Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of aviation?

JC: Growth. This business is a growth industry, and with that comes new opportunities, which is exciting to me. There will always be more people and thus more demand for air travel. I look forward to the new entrants and expanding incumbents in this space. I look forward to the technological leaps that are at our doorstep; the pivots from the conventional that groups like JetZero are addressing head-on.

I look forward to the future challenges that come with planning, producing, delivering, financing, maintaining and trading more aircraft than the previous year. It is exciting that a byproduct of this growth is that more people can access and experience flight for the first time.

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