Questions You Should Ask Your Aircraft Charter Operator
No matter if you use the assistance of a charter agent or contract directly with an aircraft charter operator for your next private jet charter flight, the tough questions must be asked to assure your flight satisfies all regulatory and safety requirements. All things considered, during an accident is the wrong time to learn that you have chartered an aircraft not approved by the Federal Aviation Administration or perhaps not covered by a suitable amount of insurance coverage.
You or your broker should ask the following questions to ensure compliance with aircraft charter industry criteria and also ask for these confirming documents:
1. Are you a certified Part 135 Air Carrier? Request a copy of the air carrier certificate and verify that the name of the charter company you have got in contact with is the same as what's stated on the certificate.
2. Is the aircraft I am thinking about Part 135 approved? Request a copy of FAA Operations Specification D085 and verify the fact that plane you desire to charter is in reality on the aircraft charter company's Part 135 certificate.
3. Do you have current Department of Transportation approval? Request a copy of DOT certificate OST-4507 to verify that the jet charter firm possesses the economic ability to operate public charters.
4. What is your insurance coverage for that aircraft? A quality operator will have 25 million dollars in liability insurance coverage on turboprop planes, as well as 50 million dollars in liability coverage for light jets. Expect better coverage in mid and heavy sized aircraft. Request a Certificate of Insurance for the aircraft you are going to be chartering.
5. Have the jet pilots designated to my personal flight received simulator training within the last 12 months in the type of aircraft being chartered? Flight Safety International, CAE Simuflite, and Simcom are the generally approved training suppliers.
6. Does your business have a Safety Management System (SMS) in place? The presence of an active Safety Management System, with a Director of Safety on staff, shows that the company addresses basic safety matters proactively instead of retroactively, or, when an accident has occurred. It is also a sign that the company has adopted industry best practices.
7. Are you IS-BAO qualified, ARG/US ranked, or Wyvern recommended? The very best charter firms have elected to have their operations and safety programs audited by independent third parties. Request date and outcome of previous audit. Learn about jet safety ratings for additional detailed information.
8. Have you had any accidents/incidents/violations? Request a full explanation of any basic safety record which is less than ideal.
The replies to these few questions will provide you the information needed to make a wise choice as you pick your aircraft charter service provider.
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