Quest recieved their 135 certificate to be able to carry revenue for clients that have similar routes. It is a way to help offset costs and bring in some extra money. Max 135 duty time is 14 hours with 8 hours flight for single pilot. All of the runs are below that. 5-8 hours duty being common with 3-5 hours block. The longest runs can reach 10-11 hours duty with 7 hours block.
Flying 91 legs has a huge adventage as far as take off minimums. Under 135, we would not be able to use many airports due to visibilty in the winter or spring time. You may be able to see all the way down the runway perfectly, but if the weather is saying 1/4 mile due to sensor location, you cant take off under 135 single pilot.
It is always up to the pilot if they would like to use an alternate, many times this is discussed when you duty on for work, and arrangements can be made.
Our FOM also closely matches part 135 duty and rest scenarios even while operating part 91. We also have scheduled hours for the standby pilots. We are not on call 24/7 and the company is very serious to not disturb us during our rest period.
Last edited by twebb; 10-12-2015 at 10:13 AM.