Thread: "Selling by the Seat" Part-135 On-Demand
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Old 09-14-2018 | 08:17 AM
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Originally Posted by flyingisok
Hey y'all,

Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm a soon-to-be retired AF pilot and looking to start up a very modest 135 operation.

I recently came across a publication by NBAA about selling Part-135 by the seat on a scheduled basis (as opposed to on-demand).

https://www.nbaa.org/admin/options/c...y-the-seat.pdf

Quote...

"Under the definition of “on-demand” in the FAA regulations, 14 CFR 110.2 (Definitions), a Part 135 on-demand operator can operate up to four round-trips a week in the same city-pair market utilizing nine-seat or fewer non-turbojet aircraft, or any size rotorcraft aircraft when the departure location, departure time and arrival location are held out to the public (i.e., “scheduled” operations)"

I guess what that's saying is that if I used a C402, C208, PC12 etc, I could do charter, but also limited scheduled service if I wanted to.

So, here's my question for all of you folks who are more familiar with the part 135 world than I am. Why aren't more Part 135 operators doing this? What am I missing?

Is it
A) Legally questionable
B) Hard to market scheduled service
C) Not as financially lucrative as charter
D) Something else completely

Thanks for any insight!
I and another member here (also a AF officer) tried to do this recently. You need a LOT of money and some good lawyers to deal with the FAA. We eventually ran out of money just trying to get the FAA to approve us. We both bought a company that had a 135 cert and were applying for our own and had lots of opportunities but the FAA just killed us with bureaucracy. Be very careful you have a good lawyer who knows how to deal with the FAA or you waste a ton of money and get nothing to show for it. If the local FSDO doesn’t like your idea or doesn’t want you to start (more work for them and a lot of risk for approving) they will stick you in bureaucratic hell until you go away.

This isn’t a buy a plane and sell a seat sort of endeavor. It will take a minimum of 2 years before you can even put a website up. Our POI demanded we take ours down. All it said was coming soon.

There is a lot of truth to the joke you need 2 million to make 1 million in aviation.
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