I'm just looking for info on how a charter service works. Are there minimum flight time requirements for pilots? Do these flights file IFR flight plans or can they be flown VFR? Do charter flights have flight numbers like airline flights do?
Read Part 135 of the FARs; it's a real page turner. That's the chapter that applies to small airplane charter. You have to have an operating certificate, and each company will have their own rule book (ops. specs.) approved by the feds, which are basically just bits and pieces that specify what you can and can't do. You could theoritically be VFR only, but your services probably wouldn't be very useful to your customers.
It's been a while, but I think a pilot needs 500 hours total time to be PIC of a VFR flight, 1200 for IFR. That's just for basic single pilot airplanes. Larger airplanes require a little more, but the real limitation will be what the insurance company requires, which will be 3000 or more for PIC of a jet.
Yes, I know I can read the FAR's. They are just cumbersome and I thought I would ask people who actually deal with this on a daily basis. That's all. I wasn't trying to be a pain.
I'm just looking for info on how a charter service works. Are there minimum flight time requirements for pilots? Do these flights file IFR flight plans or can they be flown VFR? Do charter flights have flight numbers like airline flights do?
This really depends on what the mission is, and what type of operation you're looking at running. In the end you do have to obtain an operator's certificate and obtain opspec's from the FAA. This will tell you what you are allowed to do.
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Yes, I know I can read the FAR's. They are just cumbersome and I thought I would ask people who actually deal with this on a daily basis. That's all. I wasn't trying to be a pain.
Sorry, I wasn't trying to bust your chops, I was just suggesting some light reading to a Dod physicist, just in case you weren't familiar with the FARs. I think I answered most of what you asked, except the flight number question. Some companies use an airplane's N#, but some apply for a radio call sign that they'll use with a flight number.
No offense taken! I just deal enough with government crap during my work day that I was just trying to avoid digging into the FAR's. But I will anyhow.
My main objective was to verify information given to me from a charter pilot. Not sure I believe everything I have been told. But that is just the scientist in me.
If you have a more specific question, and one that you would rather not put on a public forum, you can send me a private message. I'm not sure I have the tech savvy to figure that out but I can try. I'm not an attorney, and I can't quote a lot of the regs, but I do know the intent behind most of them. I flew well over 6000 hours in the 135 realm.
Oh, I am fairly certain I am being told some tall tales (to quote you). I would rather take any discussion about it offline, though. I don't know if he peruses any of these forums, though I doubt it because he is about as computer savvy as a girafffe. Me, I'm just looking for answers.
He loves to brag, though! He's a big important pilot (no offense to any other pilot). BFD, I'm a physicist. It's not a competition. Though I am a pilot, just not a commercial one, so I guess that makes me beneath him!! (In his mind, anyway).
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