Tom Lelyo
Tom Lelyo, founder of Jet Life Aero, went from youth ministry to selling over 60 aircraft in just three years as a top-producing salesman. Today, he’s dedicated to helping newcomers enter all areas of aviation sales, sharing the knowledge, skills, and connections that opened doors he never imagined possible.
Train AI Wrong, Wreck Your Aviation Brand
AI can fuel or fracture your aviation brand. In this how-to article, Tom Lelyo reveals how to train AI like your best co-pilot—or risk wreckage.
Handing AI your aviation brand without training is like giving a rookie pilot the keys to a G600 without type training.
It’s a risky move that can cause your sales and marketing to crash and burn.
The good news is that tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can help you save time and work smarter. First, though, you must train AI to think like you do before trusting it with your content strategy.
So, how can you use AI effectively? For starters, it can help you create stronger content to sell aircraft, fill charter legs and attract management clients. But to do that, you need the right inputs and the right prompts.
These first steps can mean the difference between consistent results and costly mistakes. Think of the following recommendations as your aviation brand’s AI Flight Manual.
3 Must-Have AI Files for Your Aviation Brand
1. Your Voice File
Your aviation brand’s personality in digital form. Inputs should include:
- Who you are: company story, team bios, FBO location, aviation roots
- What you stand for: mission, values, service philosophy
- How you sound: clear, exact, lifestyle-forward, or compliance-driven
Example: A Part 135 charter operator with a strong safety culture should sound authoritative and precise, not casual or slang-filled. Consistency strengthens your aviation brand in every customer interaction.
2. Your Client Profile
This is the “type rating” for your ideal customer. Include these descriptors to create your personas:
- Aspirations: buying their first jet, cutting downtime, improving operations
- Pain points: resale uncertainty, complex regulations, unclear broker value
- Misconceptions: charter revenue offsets ownership, cheapest is best
- Objections: trust, transparency, turnaround concerns
When AI understands your client as well as you do, it can create content that connects with buyers, aircraft owners or hangar tenants. This connection, in turn, will help your marketing stand out in a crowded market.
3. Your Offer and Process Map
These are your sale playbook inputs. Include:
- What you sell: acquisitions, charter, management, upgrades, hangars
- How you sell: from inquiry to LOI to close
- What sets you apart: market intel, global reach, in-house maintenance
- Preferred CTA: book a consult, request listings, schedule a flight
When AI understands your offer, it can create sales copy, drip email campaigns and proposals that convert. Just remember to always edit and refine the style so it sounds human. The value of that first draft is the time it saves while keeping your aviation brand consistent, persuasive and competitive.
Action Step
Write each file in plain language. Save as:
- [CompanyName]_AI_Voice.pdf
- [CompanyName]_AI_Client.pdf
- [CompanyName]_AI_Offer.pdf
Note: When using ChatGPT, upload the right files and give it a specific mission that reflects your aviation brand’s style and goals.
3 Aviation-Specific AI Prompts to Use Now
Aircraft Sales Listing Prompt
“Use the voice and client profile from these PDFs to write a compelling sales listing for an off-market Gulfstream G550 targeting a Part 91 corporate flight department. Include up to five highlights, pedigree and a call to action.”
- Charter Sales Email Prompt
“Use the voice and client profile from these PDFs to write a persuasive email to a fractional aircraft owner frustrated by peak-day limits. Position our Part 135 charter program as a flexible solution. End with a 15-minute call invite.” - LinkedIn Thought Leadership Prompt
“Use the voice and client profile from these PDFs to write a LinkedIn post for an aircraft management company. No emojis and no em dashes. Cover three common mistakes new owners make and show how we prevent them. Keep it approachable with a soft CTA.”
Train AI Like Your Best Co-Pilot
In business aviation, trust and accuracy matter. That’s why AI will never replace your sales team or your marketing brain.
Give it poor inputs, and it can damage your aviation brand instead of building it. Train it well, and AI becomes a dependable co-pilot, working nonstop to keep your brand sharp, consistent and competitive.