Questions You Must Ask Your Aircraft Charter Operator

No matter if you utilize the services of a charter broker or contract specifically with an aircraft charter operator regarding your upcoming private jet charter flight, the hard questions need to be asked to assure your flight meets all regulatory and safety standards. After all, during an accident would be the wrong time to find out that you've chartered a plane not accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration or not covered by an appropriate amount of insurance.

You or your broker really should ask the subsequent questions to assure conformity with aircraft charter business criteria and request these verifying documents:

1. Are you a certified Part 135 Air Carrier? Get a copy of their air carrier certificate and check that the name of the charter firm you've got in contact with matches what is listed on the certificate.

2. Is the plane I am looking at Part 135 authorised? Obtain a copy of FAA Operations Specification D085 and validate the fact that aircraft you wish to charter is actually on the aircraft charter company's Part 135 certificate.

3. Do you hold recent Department of Transportation authorization? Obtain a copy of DOT certificate OST-4507 to validate that the jet charter company has the economic authority to operate public charters.

4. What exactly is your insurance coverage for that plane? A top quality company will possess 25 million dollars in liability insurance coverage on turboprop aircraft, and 50 million dollars in liability for light jets. Expect enhanced insurance coverage in mid and heavy sized airplanes. Obtain a Certificate of Insurance for the jet you are going to be chartering.

5. Have the pilots assigned to my flight received simulator training during the prior 12 months for the model of jet being chartered? Flight Safety International, CAE Simuflite, and Simcom are the generally accepted training providers.

6. Does your company have a Safety Management System (SMS) in place? The occurrence of an active Safety Management System, with a Director of Safety within the company, demonstrates that the business handles basic safety issues proactively rather than retroactively, or, after an accident has occurred. It's also an indication that the firm has put into practice industry best practices.

7. Have you been IS-BAO qualified, ARG/US rated, or Wyvern recommended? The best charter companies have elected to have their procedures and safety systems audited by unbiased third parties. Obtain date and final result of previous audit. Read about aircraft safety ratings for more detailed facts.

8. Have you previously had any accidents/incidents/violations? Get a complete explanation of any kind of basic safety record that is less than perfect.

The answers to these few issues will offer you the facts necessary to make a prudent choice as you choose your aircraft charter provider.

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