Paul,
Well obviously I have, having worked with Landscapes Unlimited. While some would automatically assume there is too much profit in their bid, if they are low bid among responsible contractors, why should I care? I do know for a fact, that they were experts in keeping other forms of overhead low. They didn't even have an equipment warehouse for the first twenty years of their existence.
And, after choosing to live in Lincoln, NB, its not like they have as easy access to quick commerical flights as some of the rest of us. I have occaisionlly done the math of flying private with 5-6 employees vs 5 airline tickets at the last minute and its not always extravagence. Add in the shared corproate lease that most of those guys had, and it can make sense for a busy contractor. I bet few have planes now anyway.
Add in the fact that I would prefer that my contractors make reasonable profit, and I see no harm in it. According to the AGC, the average contractors profit is about 1% anyway, not enough for the risk they take. Granted, it might be more, and then spent on high overhead items like planes, which is their perrogative.
Related, but what gca's had planes? I know William Mitchell had one, and also Bob Graves, although both were props. Can't recall any others who regularly flew themselves into jobs. Now, I know a lot who fly themselves into a frenzy, but that is an entirely different story!