Now that the dust has settled regarding Section 179 Deductions and we have some certainty that businesses will be able to deduct up to half the cost of equipment and machinery placed newly in service, many businesses are eyeing what asset purchases might make the most sense.

The list of equipment varies according to the business, but often includes new computers, trucks and the occasional business aircraft.  One thing that is rarely considered would be a flying car.  Granted, flying cars are not available yet on dealers’ lots, even for tech hungry giants like Google.  That being said, there are vehicles matching this description which will be available in the very near future, meriting consideration.

While a business will be able to deduct half the cost of the purchase, it is still money being spent.  This falls under the common term “bean return” (or the more technical term, “return on investment”).  So let’s look at the bean return of a flying car.  You’re going to put out $150,000+ for a vehicle that seats two.  How does this benefit the business?

Sales is often the lifeblood of any company.  A flying car, which can replace a considerable portion of commercial flight and rental car costs for a sales team, is certainly worth looking at.  Especially if, by using a flying car, one can send the team for day trips to reduce the additional cost of overnight stays.  Up to 300 mile trips each way seems to be the sweet spot for this kind of vehicle, as that allows two hour travel time each direction and plenty of time for meetings in between.

The cons include having to train existing staff how to fly or hiring new staff who already have that skill.  There are currently over 500,000 pilots in the United States alone, so there is a fair-sized pool to draw from.

One very large benefit that may be overlooked is employee retention.  An outstanding salesperson can be worth their weight in gold to the company, and they often know it.  Supplying such a person with a sexy flying car such as the Switchblade, plus pilot training, could do wonders in keeping such staff engaged with the business and unwilling to leave.  You would be giving valuable staff a huge benefit as well as a tool that could greatly increase their productivity. Imagine your top sales people being able to get in front of 2-3 times the number of prospects.

When one looks it over, a flying car could be useful in all manner of business dealings to enhance the growth of the company: from tech support and onsite audits, to helping keep management connected to activities in their region.

Besides, it’s a flying car.  When is the last time you had a business tax write-off as fun as that?

-Martin Swift