Charter management for owners
For owners with idle hours who are weighing a charter certificate.
The short version.
Three things worth knowing first.
- 01
Your aircraft joins an operator's Part 135 certificate. On every charter, the operator picks the crew and makes the go or no go call.
- 02
Charter demand peaks on the days you probably want the aircraft yourself.
- 03
Charter income usually covers part of the fixed costs. It almost never makes the aircraft free.
What changes when you sign.
- 01
The airplane
A conformity process adds it to the operator's certificate. Maintenance then follows the operator's program, often on tighter intervals than you kept under Part 91.
- 02
The calendar
Many agreements have you block dates ahead, and the operator sells what is left. Whether you can pull the aircraft back on short notice is a term to read.
- 03
The revenue
You receive a share of what the operator collects. The direct costs of each flight come out of your share before it is income.
- 04
The wear
Every charter hour is an hour off the engines and a step closer to the next inspection.
The right question is whether the income, minus the wear and the calendar you give up, beats leaving it in the hangar.
Questions worth asking.
Put these to anyone you talk to, including us.
- How does the operator sell: its own desk, the wholesale market, or both?
- Would my aircraft compete with aircraft the operator already manages?
- What third party audit rating and insurance limits does the operator carry?
Want the answers for your situation? Call a pilot at 615.652.9091
Where a pilot helps.
The operator you choose will fly, insure and charter out your aircraft. Our written standards set out the questions we ask before recommending any trip, including airframe condition and the crew's experience on type. For an aircraft you own, we discuss those same details alongside the management agreement.
Keep a copy of this guide.
Enter your name and email to open, download or print this guide.
- The short version
- What changes when you sign
- Questions worth asking
- Where a pilot helps
Your details are used for this guide only. This does not subscribe you to marketing. Privacy policy.
Questions after reading?
Tell a pilot about the aircraft and the hours you fly.