Collegiate Air Travel Safety

Qualifying Air Charter

Ensuring the air travel safety of your team, students, faculty, alumni, and staff is a large and important responsibility. However, with the right strategies and knowledge you will have the tools needed to promote safe, high quality air travel.

Collegiate Air Travel Safety

Written By: Shirley MasonSenior V.P. Market Intelligence

September 24, 2010

Qualifying a Charter OperatorFinding the right charter operator can seem like a daunting task. By following these recommendations you will develop the ability to identify qualified operators for your air travel needs.

It is recommended that only operators able to provide evidence of current air carrier certificates, consistent with the type of commercial operation being requested, be contracted to provide air travel. When chartering, be sure to demand two appropriately qualified and licensed pilots as a requirement for all passenger carrying flights. Charter providers should be pre-screened to allow for quicker response to on-demand, short notice air transportation. This can be accomplished either directly with the provider, or through a charter broker. The development of standardized qualifying criteria will facilitate this pre-screening.

Operator must1. be in possession of a current, air operator certificate issued by their country’s appropriate licensing agency (such as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 121,125,129,135).

Oper2. ator must have been consistently operating an aircraft under a valid air operator certificate for a minimum of 24 months. Require an on-site audit for newer certificates.

Operator3. must have a permanent, physical, primary office location containing the appropriate records applicable to the prior operational experience. These records must include appropriate pilot, aircraft, maintenance, training, and trip records.

Operator4. must have full-time staff including adequate management, pilots, administrative, and maintenance personnel.

The5. Operator should provide a current list of approved aircraft from an official approved operations document (i.e. FAA Operations Specifications, International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Air Operators Certificate, etc.).

4240 Airport Rd. Suite 300, Cincinnati OH 45226 // 513.852.1010 // [email protected] // www.argus.aero -2-

Audit6. the air carrier or use a third-party auditing firm to assure the air carrier meets regulatory requirements, industry best practices and any customer specific needs.

Check7. for any historical or current regulatory enforcement actions against the air carrier. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) recommends that this is obtained through a third party auditor or the regulatory authority that oversees the air carrier.

Obtain8. and review the liability insurance amounts on the aircraft. Liability Insurance minimums are dependent upon the type of the aircraft and operation (anywhere from $25,000,000 to $200,000,000 in coverage).

Provide9. the air carrier with a master vendor agreement which details the minimum service expected (aircraft, crew, insurance minimums, etc). Ensure that all agreements with the air carrier are in writing.

Qualifying AircrewHow do you know if the pilots are qualified? The following are the recommended minimum crew requirements and qualifications. Each is subject to change based on new and/or updated federal regulations or industry best practices. The below listed experience requirements depict common qualification guidelines. Supplemental criteria or other minimums may apply in certain circumstances.

Pilot-in-Command (PIC)1. Salaried employee of operator. • Cannot be a contract pilot.• Minimum total time of 3,000 hours• Minimum total PIC time of 1,500 hours•

Type r• ated in aircraft and minimum PIC time in specific type of 250 hours.


Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Rating• Current Class 1 medical• No signifi• cant accidents, incidents, or enforcement action in the previous 36 months.

2. Second-in-Command (SIC)Minimum total time of 1,000 hours• Minimum total PIC time of 500 hours• Commercial, multi-engine, instrument • ratingCurrent Class 1 or 2 medical• No significan• t accidents, incidents, or enforcement action in the previous 3 years.

NOTE: In the event the pilots do not meet the criteria established above, their combined experience and ratings must exceed the individual requirements set forth for each.

Qualifying AircraftIt is important to ask about the aircraft that will be used during your travel, therefore it is recommended to ensure the following:

Airc1. raft must be under the operational control of the certificated air operator employing the crew.

Aircraft2. may not have historical significant damage or serious maintenance anomalies.

Liability3. Insurance minimums apply depending upon the type of the aircraft and operation (from $25,000,000 to $200,000,000 in coverage). Hull insurance consistent with the value of the aircraft in the marketplace should be required.

Installed4. avionics equipment minimums (Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), and Reduced Vertical Minimum Separation (RVSM) may apply.


Maintenance5. Programs are established to ensure the aircraft are properly certified and maintained in a manner that ensures they are airworthy and safe. The Maintenance programs should be validated through an independent source to verify that the program includes the use of manufacturer’s and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) information, as well as company policies and procedures.

Management6. ensures that contracted maintenance, including repair and overhaul facilities, is performed by maintenance organizations acceptable to the CAA.

All mai7. ntenance tasks, including required inspections and airworthiness directives, are performed; that maintenance actions are properly documented; and that the discrepancies identified between inspections are corrected.

A sys8. tem that continuously analyzes the performance and effectiveness of maintenance activities and maintenance inspection programs is required.

A requir9. ed process to ensure that aircraft inspections are completed and the results properly documented.

10. Company policy manuals and manufacturer’s maintenance manuals are current, available, clear, complete, and adhered to by maintenance personnel.

Maintenance11. facilities are adequate for the level of aircraft repair authorized in the company’s CAA certificate.

Charter Broker RequirementsIf you decide to use a charter broker to set up your travel arrangements, you will want to ensure they meet any regulatory requirements and best practices set forth for air charter brokering. Air charter brokers must be very familiar with a range of FAA operational regulations and restrictions, such as requirements for certificated charter operators, flight duty, and rest restrictions, and the need for the charter operator to maintain complete control over its flight activity.

Unlike FAA-certificated charter operators, charter brokers acting either as an agent for the customer, an agent for the air carrier or the middleman currently are not required to be licensed and/or certificated by the FAA or Department of Transportation (DOT). However,


ARGUS understands the substantial role and responsibility you have in ensuring the travel safety of your students, faculty, alumni and air medical staff. ARGUS’ Aviation Travel Risk Management Services are tailored specifically towards the needs of your University and College and enables you to run the travel management program effectively and efficiently while mitigating travel-related risks. With ARGUS’ global experience in business, commercial and private aviation, we are uniquely able to provide the knowledge you need to ensure that all college and university travel is undertaken using safe, reputable air transportation providers.

4240 Airport Rd. Suite 300, Cincinnati OH 45226 // 513.852.1010 // [email protected] // www.argus.aero

the DOT has published enforcement policy notices that set certain requirements for all air charter brokers, which are summarized here:

Brokers1. must be clear with the customer/charterer, as applicable, in all solicitation materials, verbal and written correspondence, contractual documentation and word-of-mouth contact, that they are not the FAA licensed Part 121, 125 ,129 or 135 operator. The broker cannot create the false impression that they are direct air carriers in their own right by, for example, referring to an aircraft used in the air services they are marketing in a manner that conveys the false impression that they are the air carrier. Such phrases as “our fleet,” “our charters,” “our charter service,” “our aircraft,” “our crews”, “our flight crews” or “we operate a fleet of” have been found by the DOT to create such an impression, even if such phrases are qualified by footnotes or other disclaimers. Brokers may not represent themselves as a principal in a transaction (i.e., buying or selling air transportation for their own account) unless they have first received economic authority from the DOT to act as an Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) (see below).

It is in2. cumbent upon the broker to exercise due diligence to ensure he or she is arranging the charter service that is advertised. For example, if the broker is acting as an agent of customer, the broker must ensure it is, in fact, placing customers on licensed direct air carriers. Similarly, if the broker is advertising that charter customers will be placed on audited charter flights (e.g., “ARGUS Platinum Rated”), then the broker must ensure that the charter operator has met that audit/standard.

With these guidelines you now have the knowledge needed to ensure that your air charter travel is undertaken using safe, reputable air transportation providers.