Jeff, who prefers to be referred to only by his first name, along with his brother Christian of Arizona-based JR Garage and JR Aviation, and pilot Leipert of California-based @FlyWithOwen, are revolutionizing airplane flipping. By buying, flying, and eventually selling planes that they invest in, they're able to refurbish general aviation aircraft to their former glory while enjoying the benefits of owning a diverse fleet of aircraft. From purchase to sale, the team is documenting every stage of the resale and sharing that content on their YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok channels. Each step of the refurbishment, and nearly every flight in between, is filmed and shared, giving followers a glimpse into what it's like to own an airplane.
Leipert and Jeff, both 23, met while attending the Sun and Fun Air Show in 2019. Both are well-known on social media, with Leipert on Instagram and TikTok channels that offer a glimpse into life as a corporate pilot, and Jeff on his and his brother Christian's JR Garage YouTube channel, which features car reviews, vehicle project vlogs, road trips and more with a youthful perspective.
Drawn together by their shared social media presence and desire to take the brand to new heights, Jeff brought Leipert onto the team to assist with the brothers' first aircraft purchase, a Cirrus SR20. “This was our first aircraft purchase to take our first steps into the aviation industry. It's very different from reselling cars,” Jeff explains. “Cars are very simple in the big picture — you can buy them anywhere, do a little tinkering and they'll sell. But with airplanes, there are a few more steps to get to that point.”
The brothers first became interested in aviation thanks to their father, a pilot, taking the family to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Jeff was four months old and Christian was two on their first visit to Oshkosh in 1999. The family attended the event for the next five years and returned to Oshkosh again in 2017. It was then that the brothers fell in love with aviation and all things fast. “We got to see the big planes in person and were instantly hooked,” Jeff says. “For as long as I can remember, my brother and I have been fascinated by cars and anything with a motor and wheels that goes fast.”
Jeff has a goal of earning his pilot qualification within the next year and got his start as an entrepreneur in the automotive industry by buying, repairing and selling cars with his brother. Their YouTube channel, “JR Garage,” has garnered over 1.2 million subscribers since its launch in 2016, and their new channel, “JR Aviation,” has amassed almost 60,000 subscribers since the launch of their first video in 2019.
From purchase to sale, creating compelling, eye-catching photo and video content with these aircraft is central to the team's business model. Viewers can accompany the team on their aerial adventures as they explore the busiest and most remote flying locations. Videos featuring new custom interiors, instrument panels and paint jobs, hectic trips through Class Bravo airspace at San Francisco International Airport, fun flights to Catalina Island and backcountry adventures on private airstrips in remote Montana and Wyoming have captivated aviation enthusiasts across social media, eagerly waiting to see what the team has in store for their next aircraft.
“These planes are always in motion,” Jeff explains. “We're always taking them on fun trips. We're shooting YouTube videos for my channel and Owen's channel, we're also posting Instagram content and TikTok. It's a win-win-win. We have followers who love the content, and we're making money from it. We're getting sponsorship from the content, and we have companies that want to see parts installed on planes and exposed to hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people. It's a great win-win for the company and for us. We get to install parts that would cost a lot of money, sometimes for free and sometimes at a steep discount.”
“There's never a dull moment when you own one of these planes,” Leipert said. “As two people who are passionate about aviation, we'll definitely be flying these planes a lot.”
When the aircraft is not being used as a content creation tool, the team uses it for personal flights, commuting and scouting deals for business.
Leipert earned his private pilot's license soon after turning 17, quickly earned it, and began flying around the country for California-based aircraft brokerage Rafferty Aircraft Sales. “I quickly built up hours in jets and turboprops and got a job with Gulfstream, where I've been for the last two years.” When he's not flying around the world piloting his Gulfstream G-IV, Leipert spends his time creating content for his social media channels. His Instagram and TikTok accounts have amassed a combined 450,000 followers.
The most common question these young entrepreneurs get is how they managed to buy and sell expensive cars and planes on their own at such a young age. “I've been a serial entrepreneur my whole life,” Jeff says. “My brother and I had big dreams of one day owning a cool car or plane, but we definitely couldn't afford it at the time, and we didn't grow up in a wealthy family, so the idea of owning these things was actually a pretty far-fetched dream, but not impossible. We started at a very young age and are actually professional numismatic collectors… We buy and sell rare coins, collectibles, and other tangible investments. We've been doing it since 2009, so it's been about 13 years now… We work hard at it and buy cool cars that we can make money off of with some of the profits, and buy planes that we can make money off with some of the profits. Everything we buy produces a profit. I've bought 40 cars in my life, and I've only lost money on one or two, and every plane I've bought has been profitable. We're very frugal, so we try not to lose money.”
Liepelt officially came on board as an investor with the brothers' second purchase, their first of a Beechcraft Bonanza F33A. “It had been really well taken care of, we were really lucky,” Liepelt said. “We bought it without even seeing it, brought it back to Arizona, gave it a brand new interior and really enjoyed it for a year.”
“It was hard to lose that one, but we just bought this one,” Jeff added, pointing to the freshly painted F33A behind him, “and this one took a lot more time and attention.”
When the trio purchased their 1988 F33A Bonanza, it had a striking yellow fuselage and wings with a navy blue tail. That paint job quickly earned the plane the nickname “Banana Bonanza.” Since then, the plane has been completely re-beautified inside and out, including a new interior by Aviation Creations of Phoenix, Arizona. Diamond-stitched gray leather seats perfectly complement the original interior and the plane's brand new paint job by Master Aircraft Services of Wickenburg, Arizona. The color scheme features a super-cool Apollo Gray base coat, Virga Metallic Blue Flake paint that sparkles in the sun, and metallic black accents.
The airplane also received a complete upgrade of the instrument panel with the help of Avidyne Avionics. “That's it, this airplane is all finished,” says Jeff. “It's got new paint, new interior, new avionics, a mid-range engine and it's ready to go, but we're not done yet. We also want to put in a tip tank, we want to put in a turbo normalizer. The project is never finished.”
For now, the plane's three-bladed Hartzell propeller and 285-horsepower Continental IO-520 series engines are being retained.
As with any project, once Bonanza is complete, the team plans to keep it, create content for it, and enjoy the investment before taking it to market.
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