Every person has dreams of having a Swiss Alps vacation and skiing the Swiss Alps.

Most resorts have easy cruising terrain and excellent learning programs. Many have dedicated slopes and lifts just for learners and beginners. And while après-ski may be much more lively in some larger ski centers, Swiss ski resorts are equally well-tuned to the needs of families, with family-friendly lift passes, lodgings, and packages.

Some skiers love first tracks in fresh powder, others prefer groomed trails—both will be happy skiing in the Swiss Alps.

Everyone loves great scenery, dependable snow conditions, and a good network of lifts; Switzerland promises all these and a choice of resorts to appeal to every taste.

Vincent Jets has chosen its favorite Swiss slopes for your next winter vacation….Zermatt.

As the highest winter sports area in the Alps, with ski terrain at altitudes between 2,500 and 4,000 meters and more than 2,133 meters of vertical drop, Zermatt rises directly behind the town and is visible from much of the mountain’s 360-kilometer trail system, which connects two countries and three resort towns. The other side of the Matterhorn is in Italy, and one of the greatest moments in a skier’s lifetime is skiing over the Theodul Pass and down into the Italian trail system.

The world’s highest 3S cableway opened for the 2019 season after 2.5 years’ construction work. The “Matterhorn glacier ride” carries 2,000 skiers an hour to the Matterhorn Glacier, at 3,883 meters altitude, where you can ski year-round.

A free Zermatt Skiguide app uses GPS to help skiers navigate between mountain locations, with time and routes adjusted to the user’s skiing style, safety concerns, weather, and the currently open lifts and pistes.

Along with offering skiing and snowboarding 365 days a year in a postcard setting, Zermatt is famous for its long ski runs, with terrain for all skill levels. Beginning skiers and children will find non-threatening terrain as well. From here, experienced skiers can access the gondolas, chairlifts, and a cable car up to the Rothorn’s trails and snowfields.

Children up to age nine accompanied by an adult with a multi-day travel pass free on the mountain lifts, and the free Wolli Card, valid for one year, gives them access to the Gornergrat Bahn and free lodging in some Zermatt hotels. All skiers pay only for the mountain areas they ski, with the new Easy SkiCard that bills only for actual rides taken. This season Zermatt becomes the first destination in Europe to be a partner on the Ikon Pass, allowing access to 41 ski destinations on five continents.

New on the mountain for 2020 is the Stoked Kids Club in the Schweigmatten, a snow sports school that has the latest learning aids and a conveyor belt lift on kid-friendly terrain. New, too, is the creative new terrain in Snowpark Zermatt, a course challenging riders with tunnels, hills, banked curves, jumps, and obstacles. It will also be possible for the first time to toboggan down the Alps’ highest toboggan run on a Snooc, a toboggan with a seat-mounted above a single ski.

Overall, it’s safe to say, we are ready to take flight this ski season…straight to Zermatt!

The Play Boy plane had solid black paint with the white rabbit logo on its tail, the Big Bunny was one of the most epic planes of all time. It created envy among other executive-jet owners. Not just transporting Hefner, but acting as the brand’s winged ambassador, spreading the message of lust and luxury. Behind all the luxury, and occasional charitable missions, it always consisted of a flight crew including a pilot, first officer, flight engineer, and two to three Jet Bunnies working to keep passengers happy and flights safe and seamless.

In the late 1960s, Hefner was looking for a large corporate jet and initially looked into the Lockheed JetStar, the largest corporate jet available at the time. But after extensive research, Hefner waved the suggestion away. “This is going to be a flying mansion. And I need a dance floor and a bedroom with a round bed. I need something with international capability,” More searching turned up leading into the DC-9 fan jet. The aircraft manufacturer agreed to create a special model of the plane: a stretch version with extra fuel tanks that could take Hefner across the Atlantic. Hefner approved the plane but was against the standard two-aisle, 100-plus passenger configuration. He hired designers to create an aircraft wanting it just as lavish as his mansions. Boxes of Twinkies were stashed so they’d never run out on long flights. A bottle of Pepsi had to be waiting for Hefner when he boarded (to be refreshed every hour), and a glass of cold milk served with his meals.

“As it was under construction, the FAA took a look at it and said, ‘Wait a minute, this does not meet our specifications,’ ” Rosenzweig recalls. Everything that had been done to that point had to be ripped out, costing more time and money. From then on builders followed the precise weight and design restrictions set by the Federal Aviation Administration. Even the plane’s unmistakable paint scheme and an array of lights shining on the Rabbit Head design required approval. But the final result was well worth the effort.

Taking its first test flight in February 1969, the Big Bunny debuted as the world’s largest and costliest business aircraft, at 119 feet and $5.5 million (about $38 million today).

The plane included movie projectors and seven built-in screens situated throughout the jet played color videotapes, at a time when only about 33 percent of households had color televisions. The Big Bunny included a disco dance floor, a lavatory with a full-length mirror, and a seating area where the chairs could transform into comfortable sleeping areas. The biggest luxury of them all was Hefner’s private suite, complete with an elliptical bed covered in satin sheets, an electric blanket, and a striped bedspread made of Tasmanian possum fur. His bathroom held a shower with not one, but two showerheads and recessed seating.

Completing the luxurious design were the Jet Bunnies: trained flight attendants specially chosen from among the hundreds of women working as Bunnies in the Playboy clubs. They dressed in Bond-girl-Esque outfits and white scarves.

“If you go over five pounds above your ideal weight, you will automatically be suspended from flying until you have reached your ideal weight again,” warned the 130-page Jet Bunny manual. “At no time can you display boredom or irritability. You must be, above all, the epitome of a charming, well-mannered young lady.” “Every place we went, it was like something that you read about in books,” one Jet Bunny had said. “It was far more than I had expected, ever. It was the trip of a lifetime.”

The Big Bunny didn’t just serve as a flying palace. It also extended the philanthropic arm of the Playboy brand. This was achieved through various high-profile missions, beginning in July 1970 with the transport of a male gorilla named Jack. A resident of the Baltimore Zoo, Jack had been promised to the Phoenix Zoo as a breeding companion for its female gorilla. But when other methods of transportation fell through, actress Amanda Blake put a call through to Hefner to request a loan of the jet. He happily complied. Much more impactful was the Big Bunny’s involvement in what came to be known as Operation Babylift. The Vietnam War-era effort to bring orphans from the war-torn country to families in the United States required more planes than the military easily had at its disposal. Hefner offered to provide assistance, this time at the behest of actor Yul Brynner. In April 1975 the plane transported 40 infants across the country safely, from San Francisco to Denver and then New York, with assistance from the nonprofit group Friends of Children.

Many other celebrities occasionally leased it for their own travel as well.  Elvis Presley took the Big Bunny for his 1974 tour, and Sonny and Cher chartered it for their international tour. Other A-list passengers included Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Shel Silverstein, Roman Polanski, and Rod Serling, creator of the Twilight Zone, who filmed aboard the plane.

The iconic plane-now in retirement and its Jet Bunnies had helped Playboy Enterprises reach new heights long after the jet was grounded, the winged symbol of sex and prestige lives on as a reminder of the Playboy legacy.

If you haven’t picked up the newest issue of Korn Ferry’s Briefings Magazine this summer, get on it!

Through Korn Ferry, both Briefings Magazine and Briefing for the Boardroom publications attempt to increase the understanding of how strategic talent decisions contribute to competitive advantage, growth, and success.

Pick up this quarter’s leadership and talent magazine for great insights to help leaders lead, and to see Vincent Jet’s make an appearance!

If you have ever been on the flats searching for that perfect bonefish and your eyes gaze upon the horizon and you get lost in the translucent place where the sky meets the water you have arrived at ” Black Fly Lodge”. The profound meeting of calmness, soulfulness, and extreme relaxation.  

Your heart slows, your mind eases and the only thought you have is peace and serenity as you scan the endless blues of the Atlantic Ocean and Marsh Harbour looking for that perfect fish.

June Kemp’s life is about this… the hunt, the exhilaration of the catch, the accomplishment of the challenge, the pure calmness that comes over you as you feel the line tighten between your fingers. Having fished offshore and flats for the past 25 years in The Bahamas, it is not just a passion but an entire life. Her “job” is the boss lady to Blackfly Lodge located on the southern end of Abaco. A 5-star fishing lodge with access to some of the biggest trophy fish in the Bahamas. This 8 room fully appointed lodge caters to the most discerning of fishermen and women. Blackfly Lodge has its own executive chef who creates culinary delights from some of the biggest offshore catches that June and Clint Kemp bring ranging from wahoo and yellowfin tuna to stone crabs and lobster from their very own traps. The Blackfly Lodge staff welcomes you like family and makes sure that you have nothing to worry about other than your cast.

In this hectic time of life when you feel the squeeze of pressure tell yourself, “your soul needs this”… sit around the fire at night with a glass of rum, a smooth cigar, and a group of friends new and old, and let yourself relax. You will be more than happy you did.

Vincent Jets is ecstatic for this destination of the season (Black fly). Holiday flights are now available for booking, and all small planes are ready for your safe and custom arrival to the Bahamas. June and the team at Blackfly Lodge hope to share their world with you one day and the marvelous fly fishing adventure. Until then, tight lines! 

How do jet take-offs work and the benefit of flying private?

One of the benefits of flying by private jet is the ability to fly to and from many more airports than are available to most commercial airlines. Since private jets come in a variety of sizes, from turboprops to long-range jets, airports with smaller runways can accommodate smaller aircraft than the traditional commercial-size aircraft. This is what ultimately directly affects the takeoff speed required for liftoff. So how do you know what aircraft can land at which airport? It all depends on the length of the runway and the amount of runway a specific jet needs to take off. And just how much is that?

Aircraft manufacturers produce complex calculations to determine the required take-off distance and take-off speeds for every flight scenario. A few factors that determine the required take-off distance could include the aircraft design, aircraft configuration/flap settings, temperature, wind direction and strength, and runway surface and slope. 

Airlines or private jet operators rarely take off within the shortest distance possible, even when it’s perfectly safe to do so. Short distance take-offs reduce the engine’s life and increase maintenance costs. Therefore, pilots are encouraged, when suitable conditions apply, to use reduced take-off and land thrust procedures. This takeoff run uses less engine thrust thus increasing the lifetime of the engine and saving unnecessary maintenance costs. Ultimately take-off and landing is not some magical method, in fact, much engineering goes into the engines just as how a rocket booster for rockets has detailed engineering.

If you’ve ever gone hiking with a heavy backpack, you know it requires more energy than traveling light. The same theory applies to aircraft: the heavier they are, the more difficult it is for them to achieve flight, and if it’s a light aircraft it is easier.

For safety reasons, the FAA places weight restrictions on all aircraft. This is known as MTOW (maximum takeoff weight). In addition to the empty weight of the aircraft, it includes any additional mass that it will carry, including crew, passengers, baggage/cargo, and fuel. 

Let’s say a private jet charter with the crew and minimal passenger load requires just 5,000 feet for takeoff. That same aircraft with a full payload could easily require 1,000 more feet for takeoff. This is because it will need the extra field length to generate the higher speed (and subsequent lift force) needed to overcome the additional weight and wheel drag.

For safe, reliable private jet charters, talk to a Vincent Jets air charter associate. It is our pleasure to arrange business and leisure itineraries for clients all over the world.

Vincent Jets Top 5 Summer Destinations

written by Jaclyn R. Marsh. April 2019.

Anyone else ready for Summer vacation? While there are plenty of scheduled airline flights to places like The Bahamas or Europe, this is a list of Vincent Jet’s top 5 vacation spots that are worth visiting, and best reached by private jet, especially if you are planning a quick spur of the moment getaway.

LANAI, HAWAII

While its current owner is Larry Ellison, he has hired Four Seasons to manage its best beach resort. Once a former pineapple plantation, when you get there you will be like a local, and with dozens of private beaches, its own shipwreck, trails for four-wheeling and horseback riding, sporting clays, and two championship golf courses plus an elaborate spa. With no nonstop flights from the U.S. mainland, chartering a private jet means you will add two days to your vacation that would otherwise be spent connecting in Honolulu.

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE

Once called the European version of The Hamptons, Deauville is a good spot to explore the beaches of Normandy and the incredible World War II history. By flying into Deauville – Normandie Airport, you will save yourself a two-and-a-half hours train ride and the bumper-to-bumper peak season traffic as Parisians head north to avoid the summer heat.

HAMPTONS, NY

The Hamptons which stretch all through the south shore of Long Island’s eastern beaches is a weekend favorite for New York City residents during the summer.  Power brokers from Wall Street, athletes, celebrities- all enjoy the white sand beaches and house parties. Top New York clubs open pop-up clubs throughout this region, and several airports handle a steady flow of private jets and helicopters.

GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND

Best known as Europe’s most elite ski destination, during the summer Switzerland is an outdoor playground for hiking, climbing, rafting, and biking to horseback riding. Getting to Gstaad from either Geneva or Zurich means at least two to three trains or several hours by car, or even longer when narrow mountain roads get backed up. Gstaad Airport can handle private jets as large as the Gulfstream G650.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA

Located on 11,000 acres with over 700 guest rooms and suites, this location was used as an underground bunker designed to house the U.S. Congress during the Cold War in case of a nuclear war. The drive from Washington D.C. can take over four hours, but lucky for you Greenbrier Valley Airport is 12 minutes from the top resort. There’s championship golf, an extensive spa, lots of outdoor activities…even a casino!

Vincent Jets is ready to get you to your favorite summer destination, visit www.vincentjets.com for more information. No membership fees, no contracts, after all, every day is fly day!

Every day is fly day here at Vincent Jets…learn more about Founder, Joseph Vincent at north jersey.com or pick up the newest issue of 201 Magazine!

5 Reasons For Your Consideration.

When To Think About Flying Private. 

1. You have a large group of important people: The more people that need to go somewhere, the more it will make financial sense to fly private. If you take a group of 8 extremely well-paid employees, who would usually fly first class, the time saved flying private can justify the cost difference alone. Not to mention, flying private boosts productivity. These employees can work in total privacy whereas if you’re in first class on a commercial flight, you have no clue who is next to you listening.

2. You are in need of a multi-stop itinerary: If you have a group that needs to be to and from multiple locations within a short period of time, going private makes sense with time, hotel accommodations, and food.

3. You will be using a frequently discounted route: At Vincent Jets, as with any carrier, certain routes cost less than others. If you are flying from Teterboro Airport to West Palm Beach or from Santa Monica to San Jose, for example, your flight provider will get you the best deal they can.

4. You fly routes that commercial planes don’t offer: Hauling your family or company from Santa Barbara to Orange County for a trip by car or bus can be a hassle – while commercial airlines don’t typically make this route, a charter company like Vincent Jets does.

5. You’ll be facing inclement weather: When you have an important meeting or family emergency, a private plane can often fly around, over, or under nasty weather, while local storms will ground commercial aircraft.

“Everyday Is Flyday at Vincent Jets.” – Joseph Vincent, Founder. 

To Our Loyal Friends & Family, 

As a valued client of Vincent Jets, we appreciate the continued trust you put in us and our aviation partners. During this time we will continue to provide the same exemplary services and convenience that have been our hallmarks since day one.

We have been working with and adhering to all mandates and requests that have been suggested by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  We will implement and go beyond all of these recommendations. These mandates include how we sanitize and disinfect our aircraft in between flights and how we respond if a passenger is showing symptoms. Our team will continually make updates and amendments based on all governing bodies. The safety and security of our clients and crew will always be of paramount concern.

I would like to focus on what’s next for us and for you. We will always be there and ready to fly to your next destination.  We will always continue to abide by the principles that have set us apart from everyone else; on-demand travel with our live market pricing with top-notch service. Your family’s safety and security have always been our top priority and will continue to be so. Vincent Jets wants you to focus on looking towards the good times. How about the next family trip to Turks & Caicos? Skiing Steamboat in Colorado? Even something more exotic, like walking through the bazaar in Marrakesh, or enjoying a lazy afternoon savoring wine & cheese in Paris or Napa Valley. We will get you there!

Together we will get through these trying times and emerge stronger from them. Rest assured we will get to that happy place again and it will be sweeter.  If you have any questions, concerns, or travel needs please do not hesitate to email or call us. The Vincent Jets team is here for you 24/7. Focus on the good coming, because Every day will be Flyday soon enough!

Thank you and God bless,

Joe Vincent

CEO, Vincent Jets

Vincent Jets is a pet-friendly private jet company, and If you are planning to fly with a pet the team at Vincent Jets offers a few suggestions and would love to help with a few common questions you may have. 

We suggest reducing the animal’s water intake 4 hours before boarding the plane to mitigate the chances of a mishap; be sure it gets lots of exercise on the day of the flight so that it will be less restless if not relaxed, and bring along the animal’s favorite toy or blanket to help ease the stress of flying. 

The United States Department of Agriculture, which regulates air transportation of pets within the United States, requires that to fly in a plane—commercial or private—an animal must be at least 8 weeks old and in good health. Depending on your destination, you may need additional paperwork for international travel.

Every day Is Flyday at Vincent Jets, so let us answer any common questions you may have…

Do pets fly in the main cabin along with passengers?

Yes – your pet will be right in the passenger area with you.

Do pets need to stay in kennels/cages while in flight?

Dogs and cats can be loose in the cabin.  Birds, reptiles, etc are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Are there size/breed restrictions for dogs on private jets?

There are no size restrictions, but for bigger dogs, a larger aircraft is often recommended for their comfort.

Can you provide food for my dog/cat or do I need to bring my own?

It’s up to you – we can arrange for any kind of food on the aircraft or you can bring your own.

We are animal lovers to the core at Vincent Jets and we are proud to provide a fantastic experience.  Pets are part of the family, and they receive royal treatment on every Vincent Jets charter flight!