Fractional ownership is a simple concept to understand but not so easy to appreciate. That is, of course, unless you have already been through the process of buying a brand new super-car, using it 4 or 5 times a month and then selling it 10 months later, only to take a colossal kick in the wallet, thanks to insurance, depreciation and maintenance.

The concept is nothing new, pilots have been doing it for decades, simply because the purchase cost, maintenance, storage and depreciation is so extreme that it’s nowhere near practical to own your own plane, especially for the amount of time per year you’re likely to use it. In theory it works and makes undeniable sense but is a difficult step for someone to take, especially when dealing with super cars, items which a huge number of people harbour lifelong dreams of owning and loving.

Fractional ownership is most sensible for businesses, where the warm feeling of ‘ownership’ is irrelevant and the costs of depreciation and maintenance are far more apparent. But why should they get all the fun – the concept is tried and tested and it works. That’s why there are so many fractional ownership clubs available to this date and more spring up every year. What’s the difference here because isn’t that what V International is, another Ecurie 25 or P1?

Dig a little deeper and you find out that’s not the case at all. The founders of V International, father and son team Bob and Paul Green, are the men behind Diamond Aircraft’s UK distribution – the plane which we featured over a year ago on the front cover of Lusso. This is why amongst the ‘standard’ supercars on the list of vehicles V International operate you will also find the Diamond twin and single engine light aircraft, a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter and a yacht.

Although this might seem a little pointless if your only experience of an aircraft is from the runway-steps to the comfy seats then don’t fear because if flying doesn’t take your fancy, the costing and points system still works out competitively only using the cars. But it’s also possible to have pilots for the helicopters and planes (paid for with your V International credits) or, if you fancy getting even more involved, turn your flights into flying lessons and work towards a pilot’s licence and then, next year when you have to ‘pop to Scotland’ for a meeting – it could take you less than 2 hours, not 20. Should I ever become a member of V International, this is what I would do. The idea of swapping traffic jams for clouds, potholes for turbulence and Ginsters for sick-bags is a real turn on and it is for this reason that I structured an overly complex day which included the plane, helicopter and a Ferrari 360 that eventually culminates in an appointment for afternoon-tea at the legendary Stoke Park Club.

My day began at Gamston Airfield where, after saying hello to the V International founders and finding out the latest plans for V International’s progression, we make our way outside the hangar to the ice white Diamond DA42 Twin Star is sitting patiently on the tarmac. It was around 12 months ago when we were last around this plane and although I never actually got a chance to go up in the DA42, I could not help but be impressed by it. Whilst a number of small, light aircraft maintain a utilitarian style, the DA42 is made up of beautiful curves, carefully positioned graphics and details and a cockpit which is not too dissimilar to the Jaguar I would be driving later in the day.
This was to be my first time in a light aircraft and despite a healthy understanding of physics and thousands of hours flying Eurofighters on the computer (in the name of research, of course) I could not seem to shake off a tiny feeling of nerves. Bob Green, the most senior bod at both V International and Diamond Air UK, was to be our pilot today, so we threw our equipment on the back seat and climbed in to the cabin. On with the headsets and it was time for the pre-flight checks which consisted of pressing a ‘test’ button and then waiting for the OK from the computer. A quick radio conversation with the local airport let us know the necessary weather information for the autopilot, flip the ignition on both engines and we’re away, taxiing out on the apron.

With my hands and feet safely tucked as far away from the controls as possible Bob pushed the power to 100% and we accelerated towards the end of the runway. Hurtling forwards in the DA42 feels similar to being in a race-car on a bumpy track, the small, hard wheels and thin walls vibrate and shake the cabin excitedly and then, less than halfway down the runway the noise stops, the vibrations cease and, apart from a few shakes, everything becomes eerily quiet; we’re airborne.

We’ll be flying low today, so we can keep the ground in sight at all times and after ascending for a few minutes to around 1,500 feet, it’s on with the autopilot and that’s it … job complete. The autopilot took us to 5,000 feet and put us on our merry way – one big straight line from Gamston and Duxford. Bar a few radio calls to the different airfields we would be passing, there was nothing else that needed doing – this flying stuff is definitely for me. With nothing to do but look out of the windows, my mind turned to V International’s services and how they could be put to practical use. For starters, if you like the idea of flying but have never been in a light aircraft, then I assure you that the ability to learn to fly as you travel will prove exciting, useful and a sensible use of your credits.

If you want to make use of the planes and the helicopter but have no interest in learning how to pilot them, then V International can arrange a pilot on your behalf or you can join forces with another V International member who is interested in simply building up their flying hours, without using their credits.

The use of the yacht is pretty obvious and so is the use of the cars. Blanket insurance and the ability to pay for everything V-related through credits ensures that the only cost you ever have to worry about is that of joining. But, where most companies require you to pay the joining fee up front (creating a cash-flow downside to the fractional ownership scheme) V International are planning to allow members to pay monthly through a finance agreement and even pay the interest for you, so where you may have been paying a few thousand pounds a month in insurance and storage, you can simply exchange the same amount of money every month for your V International membership and call upon the services whenever they are needed. It only costs £5,000 to join and that grants you lifetime membership, 10,000 points will cost you £25,000 per year, but when you realise just how much usage that grants you – it doesn’t seem so scary anymore. Paid in installments, it works out to be equivalent to insuring a couple of nice cars or maintaining and storing an aircraft. Considering all the above is taken care for you by V International, it actually starts to look like you’d be saving, not spending money.