The Rich Somers Report Breaking Down the Private Jet World: Pilots, Pay, and Aviation Secrets | Captain Curt E475
Mar 14, 2026
Captain Curt (Kurt Marker), a private jet captain, broker, and aviation specialist active on Instagram as Captain Kurt. He demystifies private aviation economics, empty-leg discounts and charter hacks. They cover jet buying vs pre-owned markets, refurb and maintenance costs, ATC and staffing impacts, pilot pay paths, and semi-private alternatives like JSX and Piaggio turboprops.
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ATC Political Donations Influenced Controller Pay
- Curt recounts ATC PAC political donations funneling union money to campaigns, influencing outcomes and pay raises.
- He cites controllers donating from paychecks into a PAC that later helped elect a president who increased controller pay.
Maintenance Is The Costliest Ownership Risk
- Maintenance unpredictability is the single biggest ownership cost, often exceeding fuel on repairs.
- Curt shares being stranded for seven days with a nearly $200k nose wheel steering repair flown in by Gulfstream mechanics.
Refuel At Low Cost Airports To Cut Bills
- Plan fuel uplift strategically to save operating costs by refueling at cheaper airports like Phoenix or Oklahoma.
- Curt notes Aspen fuel can be >$10/gal versus Vegas $4–5/gal, and some small airports drop into the low $3s.