Controller & Executive Controller Are Your Ideal Copilots For Aircraft Sales
Controller and Executive Controller have earned their outstanding reputation with aircraft buyers and sellers around the world. For more than 45 years, these Sandhills Global brands have consistently delivered comprehensive advertising solutions, unparalleled exposure, and sales-enhancing tools to sellers worldwide, whether they’re listing one piston plane or managing a fleet of executive jets.
With their respective focus on general and corporate aviation, Controller and Executive Controller are the most trusted resources for new and used fixed-wing and rotary aircraft listings. Sellers reach an international audience of private buyers and businesses via upscale print publications, the Controller.com trade site, and the Controller app for iOS and Android.
Controller
Introduced in 1980, Controller magazine continues to serve buyers and sellers of single- and twin-engine piston aircraft, light sport planes, piston and turbine helicopters, and other civilian aircraft. The weekly publication reaches decision-makers and enthusiasts throughout North America via subscription or copies at select fixed base operators (FBOs).
Each issue of Controller magazine delivers hundreds of for-sale listings with photos, specifications, and seller details. Its clean, easy-to-read format provides unrestricted visibility of available aircraft, aviation parts and components, and services.
Executive Controller
Sleek and glossy as the airframes within its pages, Executive Controller showcases investment-quality aircraft in a premium, tangible format. Executive Controller tantalizes corporate buyers and discerning customers with a bevy of business jets, turboprops, and turbine helicopters for sale, lease, or fractional ownership. Launched in 1992, the publication caters to a global buying audience with a new edition every four weeks.
Spanning The Globe Online
Controller.com brings together all the aircraft advertised in Controller and Executive Controller magazines, as well as Controller EMEA (serving EMEA at ControllerEMEA.co.uk) and Aviation Trader (serving Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific at AviationTrader.com.au). Controller.com is responsive, so it’s as easy to use on a mobile device as the Controller app.
Since 1996, Controller.com has served as a 24/7-accessible platform for all types of aircraft. Tens of thousands of users worldwide regularly visit the site in search of everything from common Cessna Citations to niche aircraft such as piston and turbine amphibious floatplanes, agricultural crop dusters, homebuilt and experimental craft, piston and turbine military trainers and warbirds, and even entire aviation businesses.
The site also features for-sale listings for parts, components, drones, hangars, avionics, and flight simulators. There’s also a new ground support equipment category for fuel trucks, tugs, and other items used by ground crews to tend aircraft, clean runways, and respond to hazards such as fires.
Controller EMEA
Controller EMEA is the definitive general aviation resource for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Its biweekly publication offers large-format editorial ads that receive priority placement in print and online, plus photo listing opportunities on the front cover. Controller EMEA is distributed to subscribers, aircraft owners, and select FBOs throughout the area.
ControllerEMEA.co.uk supports dozens of languages and currencies, defaulting to British English and pounds. The site mirrors all listings on Controller.com and AviationTrader.com.au, but prioritizes aircraft for sale in the EMEA region.
Powerful Search & Buying Tools
You can click an aircraft category or manufacturer icon on the homepage of Controller.com to begin browsing, or type a keyword or phrase into the search bar. There are also drop-down menus for category, manufacturer, and model to narrow your search for aircraft, components, and avionics for sale.
The site’s faceted search filters let you fine-tune the listings in your search results, such as by model year, price, total time, number of seats, region, Wi-Fi availability, and other parameters. Seller contact information may include phone, email, video chat, Messenger, and/or WhatsApp.
You can look up N-numbers and photo galleries at Aircraft.com, estimate operating costs with Aircraft Cost Calculator (AircraftCostCalculator.com), check values with AircraftValuation (AircraftValuation.com), and apply for financing through CurrencyAir.
Ads For Every Circumstance
Whether you’re selling a used VIP helicopter or a new twin-piston trainer, Sandhills has a wide range of ads to meet your needs and budget. Each aircraft featured in print includes a listing on Controller.com, and the type of print ad you select determines where its online listing falls in buyer search results.
Editorial ads, available in Executive Controller and Controller EMEA, come with premium listings with the highest ranking on Controller.com. These large, elegant ads devote from half a page to two pages to a single aircraft. Editorial ads are extremely effective at drawing buyers’ attention with large, high-quality photos and generous space for detailed specifications and feature lists.
Featured listings from other paid print ads come next in online placement. In order of their online rank, these come from ads on priority pages in all Controller titles, such as the front and back covers, centerfold, and others. Next are featured listings from small, single-aircraft photo listings in print, then from full-page, half-page, and smaller ads with room for multiple aircraft.
After featured listings on Controller.com come general listings, which allow consistent advertisers to post items not included in their print ads. Aircraft sellers with a Controller-hosted website can link back to their company site to draw more traffic.
Digital Marketing
Many sellers strategically combine print ads with digital banner ads. These static or animated ads can appear on the Controller.com homepage, a specific category page, a parts page, or in weekly email updates sent to registered Controller users.
Aircraft sellers can also send email blasts to Controller’s massive user base. Custom-made by Sandhills' design experts, email blasts are highly effective at generating leads from an interested audience. Start your approach by contacting your Sandhills representative today.
A version of this article first appeared in Sandhills Magazine. You can find current and back issues in the Sandhills Magazine Archive.