Requirement for Starting a Charter
 

Hey guys,

I’m very new to the airline and pilot world. Actually I’m not really involved in it at all except for flying with a buddy of mine on a regular basis. He currently has a PPL.

I currently own and operate a decent sized landscape company in South Florida and run yachts for some locals.

I’ve been doing research on charter planes, specifically south Florida and the Caribbean. In order to operate a charter airline, I’ve read that I’d need an Air Carrier Operator license? Can I operate a single plane operation with a CPL? Or do I need an ATP in order to qualify for Air Carrier and to pilot the plane?

I’m getting a little burned out on landscaping, and I believe with my sport fishing connections and location I could build a decent charter clientele. What do you think?

I think I’m grabbing some popcorn because you’re about to get roasted. So pretty sure you know my view. Stick to cutting grass because you’re over your head in aviation.


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Hi Ihateusernames, thanks for the reply. Would you mind explaining your comment? I’m not sure why you reacted the way you did. Did I post in the wrong part of the forum? Is it because I obviously have no aviation experience? I’m just trying to learn and do some research based on what I’ve read about becoming a commercial pilot and starting a charter.

If there is a better place to ask these questions please let me know.

The requirements for getting into a charter operation seem simple at first blush, yet are anything but.

You'll want to hire someone to guide you through the process, if you can't find an operator certificate to buy, you'll be in for a lengthy certification process; plan on several years to set it up, and considerable expense.

You might consider working for a charter operation to get some insight into Part 135 operations, first.

Thank you JohnBurke. From everything I’ve read, your advice is correct. Can a pilot fly for a part 135 operation with only a commercial pilot license?

I think hundreds of guys in your position have proven the old saying true....
to have a million in aviation.... start with two.

fly for fun.

margins are even thinner than the landscaping business and with a pilot shortage here, your labor costs will be even higher than all the places that are now out of business, and they had cheap labor.

Yes, absolutely.

What operation you can fly for, however, is another matter, and largely depends on your qualifications. Today may charter operations are a bit harder-up for pilots than the used to be. It has been fairly common in the past, especially in good economic times, to require applicants to show up with a type rating, which could limit where one might apply. Today with many kids not bothering to do anything but go to the airlines, the scene is a bit different. Hiring is nearly always preferred to those who are type rated, however.

A commercial pilot certificate is enough to fly for charter, though it depends on what the operation is flying, where, the operators insurance, the clientele, etc.

Ah, I have read about the type ratings. Does that apply to all aircraft? Or mainly more complex planes such as multi engine and turbine powered aircraft?

I hear the same quote in yachting. "If you want to be a millionaire, start as a billionaire." Maybe you're right and there's not a way to enter the business at the moment. I can imagine there have been lots of dreamers who want to start an air charter service. With most people unable to run a successful multi-employee business outside of aviation, I would think a business involved in aviation would be even more complex based on FAA regulations, cost and other hurdles like the ones you mentioned.

I'm just on a fact finding mission to see how feasible starting a charter is.

I don't plan on purchasing jets anytime soon. Just dreaming of flying clients in and out of the Bahamas in a prop plane. Can you make a living running a prop plane around South Florida on your own? Buy a decent plane I can afford on my own. Get an Air Carrier Certificate and start marketing. Build the business slowly?

How have other Air Charters gotten started? Corporate contracts?

Figuring out type ratings and even getting one is the easiest part of starting a charter company. If you have not figured out the requirements for a type rating, odds are you will not be able to start a charter company. Don't take it as an insult. You simply don't know what you don't know. It is like someone saying, "I want to be a mutual fund manager, but first can someone tell me what a stock is?"

Most charter companies are started by several people with decades of industry experience. Even with that, most fail. The upfront costs are huge, the overhead is huge (insurance, training, documentation, maintenance, etc.), and the profits margin is narrow and erratic. Anyone starting a business will make mistakes especially if they are new to the industry.

Mistakes in aviation are EXPENSIVE. You cannot afford to learn these mistakes unless you are already extremely wealthy. Since you probably can't afford to learn these mistakes by making them yourself, you will need to hire others to help you. By the time you hire enough people to make up for you lack of experience/knowledge, there will be no point in you even being involved. Assuming you have money to burn and can afford to hire others to help you, you will still be a small operator. Odds are your intended market will already have larger charter companies that will drive you out of business due to economies of scale. If there aren't any charter operators in the area you want to operate out of, then that probably indicates a lack of customers that can actually afford a charter company.

The only person I know who did something similar to you was a person who sold their business and made so much that he never had to work again. He bought an airplane and started a charter company flying people to hunting sites. He got a handful of passengers a year, but operated the charter business at a loss. He was a rich person who wanted to play pilot.