runway4 said:
Interesting... what does Viacom have to do with aircraft leasing?
[post="268887"][/post]
Aircraft N524AU was previously registered (prior to deregistration) to
Wachovia, not Viacom as per the FAA Registry:
http://162.58.35.241/acdatabase/NNumSQL.asp?NNumbertxt=524AU
But if it was held by Viacom, could it have been a deal brokered by US Airways board member, Robert L. Johnson?? Just a guess!!??
Robert L. Johnson to Make Key Investment in RolloverSystems and Take Board Seat
CHARLOTTE, NC, March 31, 2005
Johnson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American business history. Johnson founded and managed BET for 25 years and was the majority owner of BET Holdings until 2000, when he sold it to Viacom, Inc. in a $3 billion deal.
In 2003, Johnson purchased the NBA Charlotte Bobcats and WNBA Charlotte Sting, becoming the first African-American NBA franchise owner. Johnson serves on the boards of several Global 100 companies, including US Airways Group, Lowe's Companies and Hilton Hotels Corporation.
http://www.401khelpcenter.com/press_2005/p...ems_033105.html
Management & Trends
Botched Airline Merger Makes Huge Impact
Lisa DiCarlo, Forbes.com, 07.03.01, 12:00 PM ET
NEW YORK - They say that one man's meat is another man's poison. But it's rare that one man's poison is the meat of millions. Yet that's the situation for billionaire Robert Johnson and millions affected by the now defunct United Airlines/US Airways merger.
Johnson is the founder of Black Entertainment Television, a cable channel he sold to Viacom (nyse: VIA - news - people) in November for $2.7 billion. A member of the US Airways (nyse: U - news - people) board, he was picked to run DC Air, a regional airline hatched to appease federal regulators. Johnson had pledged to pony up about $140 million to get the airline off the ground, and American Airlines (nyse: AMR - news - people) promised about $82 million for a 49% stake. US Airways had even set up a holding company, Potomac Air, to build the infrastructure to start flying as soon as the deal was rubber-stamped by regulators.
Now that the merger deal is all but dead, Johnson's goal to establish the first majority black-owned airline is at the very least in a holding pattern. With no experience--his seat on US Airways board notwithstanding--in the airline industry, Johnson may be hard-pressed to raise capital.
Then again, he may not need it. Johnson, worth $1.6 billion, can afford to push ahead on his own if he were so inclined.