Advice Needed, How to start a Charter?

[FlyFlyFly]

I would encourage you to go to work for a 135 operation and learn a little first. There is quite a bit to running a legal and safe operation. It si a business that operates on pretty thin margins and you may find that if your main objective is to fly, that running a 135 op is not the way to do it. I think our CP and DO flew about 20 hours apiece last year.

 

[HMR]

Are you sure it wouldn't be easier to take all your money, borrow alot more and throw all of it out the window on your next flight?

The retiring DO at a large SoCal charter co. recently said: "I've been at it for 30 years and I don't know how anyone can make money in this business". He ran a tight ship and I think he was referring to how hard it is to compete with the bottom feeder, low paying, crappy mx, fly-by-night outfits that we so often see.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Make a business plan, but don't spend too much time on it yet, as you have to have a good amount of money to start an aviation business. Get the cash first, and then worry about the details (you won't really have to even do this if you follow my instructions).

Get as many credit cards as you can and max them out on cash advances. Sell as much stuff as you can to raise cash. Cash in all your savings. Go to all your family and freinds and squeeze as much money out of them as possible. Try to get some bank or small-business government financing. Try some venture capitalists who specialize in small businesses. Stay away from loan sharks, as the interest is outrageous.

There! Now that you've spent several months gathering a decent amount of capital, take a few days to look at the pile of cash in your living room, or the big numbers on your computer screen when you look at your account balance. Enjoy the big dollars you've raised.

Next, withdraw all your money, or take the pile of cash out from under your matress, go into the backyard, and burn it all with a lot of gasoline!

Now, you've tried your hand at a charter flying business, and it's over. No more hassles or headaches, and you've gotten it out of your system.

Next, try raising money for a business that will actually succeed!

Good luck!

Cliff
YIP
!!!

 

[flyinlow67]

Or, you can do like my boss does and run crappy planes illegal when you let them get away with it, run unqualified people on the runs, bitch about every dime,etc. I am ready to go drive a truck!

The easiest way to make a million in this buisness, is to start with two million.

ATPCliff, nice 235. Have about 100 hours and some LONG X-countries. Great plane.

 

[hawkerjet]

well i'm not sure if this is a dream of yours or a business decision, either way it's doable. i personally know 2 people who started from scratch and obtained 135 certificates. 1 at LGB FSDO in 1995 and another at the LAX fsdo a couple of years ago. the first one was a single plane single pilot ce 421, which months later was granted multiple aircraft. the latter was for a gulfstream operation (GII). both of them took over a year to accomplish. one thing you'll need to have is an aircraft. i believe the feds have lightened up on the types of aircraft and proving runs required, but you'll still have to get the size of aircraft ie small jet, mid, super mid or large, and have one at least on a lease before you can approach the faa. persistance, patience and tenancity better be in your make up when dealing with the feds.

 

[CorpLearDriver]

whichever way you choose, if you're knowledgeable and persistent, and have a good fsdo to work with, you're probably looking at a 16 to 24 month headache if you're lucky.
good luck!!!!

It depends on how experienced you are on setting things up. I once knew a guy that from starting the process until certificate in hand, two weeks. But that was 10 years ago. Times and requirments change. But the optimum word here is experience.

The business plan you suggested was a very good idea. It helps to know a lot about the market you want to enter. TEB, FRG and FLL there are a number of 135 (and especially in FL - 134.5) operations. Competition can be fierce if not deadly.

What about financing? Start-up isn't cheap. Sometimes it is better to buy a 135 certificate offered with the sale of an airplane, but you still have to know your market. I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but you have to be realistic if you don't want to loose your shirt.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[CorpLearDriver]

well i'm not sure if this is a dream of yours or a business decision, either way it's doable. i personally know 2 people who started from scratch and obtained 135 certificates. 1 at LGB FSDO in 1995 and another at the LAX fsdo a couple of years ago. the first one was a single plane single pilot ce 421, which months later was granted multiple aircraft. the latter was for a gulfstream operation (GII). both of them took over a year to accomplish. one thing you'll need to have is an aircraft. i believe the feds have lightened up on the types of aircraft and proving runs required, but you'll still have to get the size of aircraft ie small jet, mid, super mid or large, and have one at least on a lease before you can approach the faa. persistance, patience and tenancity better be in your make up when dealing with the feds.

Proving runs for each aircraft type is 25 hours. You can apply for lower proving run hours but if something goes wrong and you can't complete it in that time, you'll end up doing all 25 hours. The feds have the discression to say they have seen enough with less than the 25 hours even without the application for the lower hour requirement. We put a Learjet on a certificate with only 12 or 13 hours flown during the proving runs. But this was an additional aircraft, not a startup.

 

[Tired Soul]

The boss-man and me are playing with the idea of 135 with a (brand new) C182.
Read through the previous posts and the links and the "Director of operations" seems to be the big hurdle.
One plane, max 4 pilots, single pilot VFR/IFR operations, do we really need a Director of Ops.?
We intend to use the plane for flight instruction mostly with the occasional 135 on the side.
This mean we would need to get a guy in just to be DoO?
Can somebody please clarify this?
Thanks

 

[aeronautic1]

How do you make a million dollars in the aviation business?

Start with two million!!

 

[TimsKeeper]

never heard that one.......in the last 30 seconds on this board....good one.