Keeping Up With Jerry Jones

The high-flying NFL owner on going big, moving fast and always making an impression – and the helicopter that helps him do all three.

- Michael Verdon

Jerry Jones may have revolutionised the business of professional football with lucrative television contracts and state-of-the-art stadiums, but even he didn’t anticipate the impact his Airbus Corporate Helicopter, DC-1, would have on the Dallas Cowboys’ brand.

He says: “We originally got the ACH145 for transportation. We wanted to commute between The Star, our headquarters in Frisco, and the stadium in Arlington (both in Texas), but it also had to get us to other businesses along the Gulf Coast and North Texas.”

The logistic advantages were immediately obvious. The commute from The Star’s practice field to AT&T Stadium dropped from a one-hour drive to a 13-minute flight. The helicopter’s 644km range reaches remote areas of Texas (where Jones has other business interests) and since DC-1 can land anywhere, the 233km/hr cruise speed is more efficient than a small airplane. Jones also uses the chopper to hunt wild game from the air on his ranch, making sure to replace the executive interior with camouflage surfaces for the occasion.

But it has been the promotional benefits that most caught the Cowboys’ owner by surprise. According to Jones, flying DC-1 over metro Dallas or landing on scrubland in South Texas is the best billboard imaginable for the US$5.8 billion sports franchise. “It lends an aura to the Cowboys, whether we’re circling the stadium and landing next to fans on game day or carrying business associates and sponsors,” Jones says. What he underestimated, he says, “is just how interesting the helicopter is for our fans. It gets their attention and keeps them thinking about us.”