Meet Jaroslav Hajecek: Jetron’s New Helicopter Sales & Acquisition Manager

Jetron continues to grow and expand its expertise across the aviation market. As part of this development, we are strengthening our presence in the helicopter market with a dedicated focus on helicopter sales and acquisitions.

We are pleased to welcome Jaroslav Hajecek to the Jetron team as our new Helicopter Sales & Acquisition Manager.

Jaroslav brings more than two decades of experience in the aviation industry, with extensive experience in sales, customer relationships, account management and the helicopter sector. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with aviation customers and industry partners, building a strong understanding of their needs and the complexities of the market.

In his new role at Jetron, Jaroslav will focus on developing our helicopter sales and acquisition activities, expanding our network of operators, owners and industry partners, and helping clients navigate the complexities of buying and selling helicopters.

We sat down with Jaroslav to talk about his journey in aviation, what brought him to Jetron, and what he sees ahead for the helicopter market.

-       You have spent more than two decades working in aviation. What first drew you to the industry, and how has your career evolved along the way?

The interest inaviation has been with me since my childhood. I can still remember my first visit to a small local airfield, followed by countless air shows and aviation events. When the time came what school to study the decision was simple – I will be an aircraft mechanic. And so it happened that I studied aircraft maintenance, served in the Czech Air Force as a helicopter mechanic on the W-3A Sokol for a brief time and then life took me to the private sector working with companies such as Aero Vodochody, Honeywell and Bell Textron. The work in aviation truly blessed me with opportunities to interact with OEM’s and owners/operators of business jets and helicopters across Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India.

-       You have worked closely with helicopter operators, customers and industry partners. What do you think makes the helicopter business different from other areas of aviation?

The helicopter community has a slightly different market dynamics, missions, and atmosphere. Its driven largely by the way helicopters are used, and what purpose they fulfill. In the most part the helicopter operations involve search and rescue, firefighting, police work, surveillance, special missions, VIP transport and much more. The larger helicopter assets are in large majority used by various governments and specialized companies. Of course, there are many privately owned helicopters in the light to medium (both single and twin engined) as well that serve their owners in various roles. I would venture to say that the major difference is really the amount of time the helicopters stay in service with one operator, and the amount of investments apart from acquisition and operation/maintenance costs that customers are willing to invest into the assets in terms of avionics upgrades and interior refreshes for example.

-       What specifically attracted you to Jetron, and what convinced you thatthe company’s expertise, approach and ambitions made it the right place foryour next chapter?

It has been one of my career aspirations to evolve to an aircraft/helicopter sales role, and Jetron offers this exact experience and opportunity to learn and grow professionally. The primary attraction was the reputation of Jetron and the dynamics of the team. Another important aspect was the fact that we have crossed paths many times during my career with Marian Jancarik the founder and CEO of Jetron. All encounters were positive and up lifting. Marian’s professionalism and approach to customer service is exceptional and Marian is well respected in the business aviation community.

-       As Jetron continues to expand its presence in the helicopter market, what would you like to achieve in your first year in the new role?

At this point my immediate objective is to learn the way Jetron operates, prepare helicopter strategy and execute helicopter focused campaign to increase awareness across the aviation community about Jetron’s helicopter capabilities. Additionally I would like to explore the government sector. Most importantly however; I want to strengthen customer relationships and deliver the best solutions to our customers in terms of helicopter advisory, sales and acquisitions.

-       When it comes to buying or selling a helicopter, what do you believeclients value most — and what is often overlooked during the process?

The principles are same as a jet or prop transaction. What clients value most is integrity, honesty and transparency of information. The sale or acquisition of any aviation asset requires active dialogue and making sure that all parties understand the matter and needs of the customer. I would not say that there are things overlooked, because it involves legal advisors so that nothing serious is missed. However, what needs careful management is emotions on both sides of the table. What gets less attention sometimes are maintenance needs and its planning, and understanding terms and conditions of not only the aircraft asset sale but also programs, warranties and other support conditions. Careful explanation of these conditions is key managing the customers experience after the acceptance of the aircraft.

-       Finally, what excites you most about the future of the helicopter market, and is there a particular area, market or type of helicopter that you believe has strong potential?

The helicopter market is shifting slightly due to autonomous systems and drones in certain roles replacing the traditional helicopter roles. We will most likely continue to see changing roles which does not mean that helicopters will lose their importance and use cases. The challenge in finding the right match for customer missions is quite exciting. The market that will continue to grow is governmental fleets which I expect to be strong area for all the OEM players. The next market is firefighting, the fleet is aging and some operators will be planning to refresh their fleet. The corporate and private market is a third area where we will see some growth when the customers discover the flexibility a helicopter can provide to their business, privacy, and security.

A market that connects all of these and should not be overlooked is education and training. The world will need enough training capabilities to support the increasing demand for new helicopter pilots and subsequently maintenance crews. In the firefighting sector we will see medium to heavy twin helicopters with an important player being the refurbished fleet of UH-60 and the trusted Bell-412. The public sector for aerial ambulances and Search and Rescue we will continue to see the Airbus EC-135/140/145/160, Bell-429, 412, Leonardo AW-139 for example. The VIP/Corporate clients will enjoy the full variety across the OEM spectrum ranging from the entry level models like the piston powered helicopters Robinson R-22/44, Guimbal Cabri through light turbines Robinson R-66, Bell-505, Airbus A-125/130, Leonardo AW-109. For the higher end corporate VIP transport we will be seeing more of Bell-429, AW-109/169, Airbus EC-130/140/145. On the education and training sector I expect that sector to be dominated by light helicopters both piston and light turbines so Robinson R-22/44, Guimbal Cabri, Bell-505. I am also excited to see the new helicopter types entering the market most notably the Robinson R-88 and the world’s first commercially certified fly-by-wire helicopter the Bell-525.