Andy arrived in New York with his team and lawyers and met Hardy at the hotel. Hardy told them about the purchase of the aircraft and then said, "I have already communicated with the military and asked them to issue a purchase contract first."
"My plan is to set up an airline company, use the contract to get a bank loan, and use the loan to pay for the purchase of the aircraft."
"Andy, you have a lot of things to do next. First, register an airline company. Second, contact the military to complete the purchase contract. Third, use this contract to find a bank loan."
Andy nodded and praised, "Boss, this is a great idea. Using airplanes as collateral for loans and using the loans to buy airplanes is equivalent to us getting 51 airplanes for free."
"Andy, the prices of these planes are relatively cheap. The price of C-53 is 38,000, and the price of C-47 is 36,000. The actual value of these planes is far more than this price. I hope you can talk to the bank and lend more money. After all, the operation of the airline will require a lot of funds in the future." Hardy said.
Andy admired his boss even more. He was not satisfied with getting 51 planes for free, and wanted to make some money from them. Even the operating costs had to be paid from these planes.
He took the art of getting something for nothing to the extreme.
"Okay boss, I'll do my best." said Andy.
......
Andy acted very quickly. Registering an airline was not complicated and it was the easiest thing for Andy's people.
We then contacted the military, and the Logistics Support Bureau was very cooperative, mainly because Brigadier General Williams was watching over it. We got the purchase contract within a few days.
25 c-53 troop transport aircraft.
25 c-47 cargo transport aircraft.
1 'scrapped' B29 Flying Fortress.
The C-53 costs $38,000 each, for a total of $950,000.
The C-47 costs $36,000 each, for a total of $900,000.
The scrapped B29 Flying Fortress is priced at $150,000.
The total price is exactly 2 million.
The B29 Flying Fortress costs $650,000, and even its scrap price is much more expensive than the C-47. Hardy has no objection to this price, mainly because it is difficult for others to buy it even if they have money.
Two cars drove into the airport belonging to the Logistics Support Bureau. It was so huge, said to be more than ten square kilometers, with hundreds of airplanes parked here, and there was no end in sight.
Hardy and Brigadier General Williams got out of the car, followed by Andy, while the others stepped back. They walked to a plane, and the Brigadier General patted the fuselage and introduced it with a smile:
"Douglas aircraft have a very good reputation and are durable. They are called 'air trains'. The standard load capacity of the C-47 is 2.7 tons, and it can also carry three tons in an emergency."
"The standard C-53 has 28 passenger seats, but airlines often change the number to 36."
"The C-47 has a range of 2,600 kilometers, so it can easily travel around the country. Even if it's flying from New York to Los Angeles, it only needs to refuel once."
At this point, General Williams approached Hardy and said in a slightly lowered voice, "I have specially asked someone to select these 50 aircraft of yours. They are the best of this batch. Don't worry about using them. I estimate that they can be used for several more decades."
"By the way, I've also had someone provide you with enough spare parts. As long as the engine doesn't have any major problems, I estimate that the spare parts will be enough for five years."
Andy followed the two men, heard what the general said, and looked at the boss Hardy next to the general. He admired his boss's ability to make friends.
He knew that Hardy and Brigadier General Williams had only just met each other, but judging from the current situation, the two seemed to be old friends for more than ten years.
I have to admit that Hardy is very good at interpersonal communication. Among the people Andy knows, few can compare to Hardy. This is definitely one of the abilities that a successful person must possess.
Several people walked up to the B-29.
Compared with the C-47, the B-29 is much larger, with a length and wingspan of more than ten meters and a height of more than three meters higher.
Brigadier General Williams introduced the data of the B-29 to Hardy.
The B-29 has a payload twice as heavy as the C-47, reaching 5.4 tons, and a flying speed of 100 kilometers per hour faster. Its overall capabilities are much stronger than the C-47.
The most important thing is that its endurance is amazing, which can reach 9,000 kilometers. With this aircraft, Hardy can drive it to any country in the world.
Hardy likes this B-29 from the bottom of his heart.
This is a truly meritorious fighter plane that gained great fame during World War II and was called the "Super Flying Fortress". It is now the most advanced transport aircraft in the world.
The two boarded the plane and sat in the cabin.
Everyone else stayed outside.
Hadi smiled and said:
"General, I haven't congratulated you on your promotion to deputy director of the Security Bureau yet. Isn't it time to change the star on your shoulder?"
Just a few days ago, Brigadier General Williams was officially promoted to Deputy Director of the Logistics Support Bureau, with much greater power than before.
Williams laughed and said, "It has been submitted. It will take some time for approval. It is estimated that it will not be available until May or June."
"By the way, Hardy, regarding the consultant of the security company, I would like to recommend General Nussen to you. General Nussen was invited by President Franklin Roosevelt to serve as a member of the National Defense Advisory Committee, responsible for industrial production. He served as the director of the War Production Administration and the industrial production inspector of the Army Department. He retired in 1945 and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general before his retirement."
"To be honest, I worked under General Knudsen in the past, and it was because of his promotion that I was able to reach my current position. I was able to be promoted smoothly this time, and I asked General Knudsen to help me contact his former military friends."
Hardy had never heard of General Knudsen, but that didn't stop him from being excited.
Lieutenant General,
Director of the War Production Administration.
He is definitely a big boss in logistics. The logistics department can deal with almost all the troops. If you have something to do, even if the other party just makes a phone call and you are qualified to visit them, it can save you a lot of trouble.
He is willing to spend any amount of money to have a relationship with such a big shot.
"That's great. Please ask General Williams to help contact General Knudsen and see when he is free so that I can visit him in person," said Hardy.
Williams smiled and said, "Haha, General Knudsen lives in Detroit after retirement. He has a farm in the countryside and lives a leisurely life. I will contact him for you later."
......
After returning to New York from Virginia, Hardy asked Andy to contact the bank and have them come over to discuss loan processing.
What,
Go to the bank and beg for a loan?
The pattern is small.
In the conference room of the Hilton Hotel, Andy invited six bank loan executives at once, including Citibank New York, First National Bank of New York, Mellon Bank of New York, Bank of America, First National Bank of San Francisco, and Wells Fargo.
These people come here because of the Hardy's sign.
Hardy is now a top figure in the business world. He owns HD Security, HD Films, Maybell Television, Playboy magazine, Barbie dolls, and Rocky Mountain Mineral Water; all of these are real money-making enterprises.
Andy sent invitation letters to these banks, indicating that Mr. Hardy was preparing to enter the aviation industry and invited them to discuss loan matters.
What is a bank?
It's a business.
The purpose is to make money.
When banks lend money, they first consider the risk and then the return. Hardy holds a large amount of high-quality assets, and the bank has no doubts about his ability to repay the loan.
After receiving Hardy's invitation, all these banks sent people here eagerly, and most of them were people at the level of heads of the bank's credit department.
Andy smiled and said to them, "Thank you for coming. Let me introduce myself. I am Mr. Hardy's financial advisor. My name is Andy. Before discussing the loan with you, I would like to ask you to read a contract first."
Andy handed the folder to the staff, who showed it to the credit managers of each bank.
The content of the contract was very simple, it was just a purchase contract. Hardy established an HD Airlines and owned 100% of the shares. HD Airlines purchased 51 obsolete transport aircraft from the military.
The contract indicated that the deal had been completed, meaning that Hardy now had 51 aircraft.
51 aircraft are definitely heavy assets.
"Mr. Hardy is really generous. He purchased 51 aircraft at one time. This will immediately make the airline one of the top 10 in the United States," complimented a manager.
Some people also asked in confusion: "What is the performance of the retired aircraft and how many years of service life are left?"
Andy smiled and explained, "Although these aircraft are second-hand, their performance is absolutely fine. We have asked Douglas maintenance personnel to take a look. These aircraft are basically about 80% new. After the company's systematic maintenance, they will be fine for another 20 to 30 years."
"The factory price of the C-53 and C-47 is about $200,000. I believe everyone has an estimate of their current value. We have asked experts to evaluate and if these aircraft are resold, they can definitely be sold for around $110,000."
In fact, Andy exaggerated this point a bit. It is absolutely impossible to sell it for 110,000, but it is absolutely no problem to sell it for 80,000 or 90,000. Even if Hardy sells it now, he can still earn more than 2 million US dollars.
Think about how easy it is to make this money. Without extremely strong social connections, who would help you make this money?
Andy glanced at all the bank managers and said:
"HD Airlines is preparing to use these aircraft as collateral to obtain a US$5 million loan from the bank for five years. We hope that the loan interest rate will be reduced by one percentage point from the normal loan interest rate."
As soon as Andy said this, the managers immediately started grumbling.
"Using these aircraft to mortgage a loan of NT$5 million is too high. NT$3 million is more appropriate."
"The current loan interest rate is 4.250%. A one percentage point reduction is too much. Banks will not make any money at all."
Andy had guessed the managers' reactions and said with a smile, "After HD Airlines is established, it will have a large amount of business and generate a large amount of liquid funds. These funds will naturally be placed in the bank that cooperates with us."
Cash is king at all times, and airlines are also cash-rich companies. Large amounts of funds are deposited in banks, and banks can continue to make money by lending with this money. For banks, cooperating with such companies with sufficient cash flow will benefit them the most.
"Everyone, our conditions are already here. You can go back and discuss it. If anyone wants to accept it, please contact me."
.......