Finding 135 charter for sale

[Anne]

How does one go about finding a Part 135 charter operation for sale? I plan to call the FSDO to find out about starting a new Part 135 and writing the ops manual. And I will ask about purchasing and relocating a Part 135 from somewhere else. But where would I find one for sale?

 

[English]

The local POI here says that 135 certificates are not for sale - the business is for sale and the 135 certificate is an asset that might go along with the company. In any event, he would require recertification if anyone in his district attempted to do this.

There are consultants how deal with this type of thing, including writing the manuals.

As far as finding out if certificates are for sale? I think most people would be crazy to publish that kind of information on a public message board such as this. But, you never know, there are some crazy people on this board! So, good luck with your search.

 

[Anne]

I don't understand. Why wouldn't someone lead me to a publication or broker or source for finding a charter service for sale?

I wasn't expecting to find a business for sale here, but I thought maybe someoen would know where to begin looking.

But you have me curious. What would be crazy about publishing something like than on a forum? Obviously, I have a lot to learn!

 

[falcondriver]

I was going to buy a 135 certificate about 6 months ago. I found out real quick that it's not that easy. It's more of a transition than a purchase. It's pretty complicated.
FD

 

[mike1mc]

I believe that you can "buy" a 135 certificate, but the FSDO will require a new Ops Manual, Training Programs, Ops Specs and everything else you can think of UNLESS the original management personnel listed in the Ops Specs stay with the company. This would include the Director of Ops, Director of MX, and Chief Pilot. I'm not sure how accurate this info is, just passing it along.

 

[English]

I don't understand. Why wouldn't someone lead me to a publication or broker or source for finding a charter service for sale?

I wasn't expecting to find a business for sale here, but I thought maybe someoen would know where to begin looking.

But you have me curious. What would be crazy about publishing something like than on a forum? Obviously, I have a lot to learn!

For example, I know of an operation that is trying to "sell" its 135 certificate. However, if I were to publish the organization's name here, the local FSDO would be all over the transaction. That is why I wrote what I wrote, that it would not be wise to publish information such as that.

My original suggestion stands, that you find a consultant (hopefully well-connected) that can get you going in the right direction. Otherwise, get your own certificate.

 

[AirSeattle]

You can also put "Atlanta FSDO" in your search engine and follow the links to their certification stuff. Includes sample Ops Manuals and all sorts of stuff right here on the internet. You'll also get a pretty good idea as to the amount of paperwork, red tape, (headaches!) etc you'll be getting yourself into. It's a good resource for this type of thing.

Good Luck,

joel

 

[falcondriver]

I agree the Atlanta site has a bunch of good info.
FD

 

[100LL... Again!]

If I'm not mistaken, the FAA has pretty much done away with buying 135 certificates. Again, you would most likely have to retain at least 2 of the 3 required mgmt personnel. Moving to another FSDO's region would be very complicated. SAtaring your own 135 is even more complicated.

The FAA is trying to make 135 certs more like getting a 121 cert in terms of the hoops you need to jump through. In my opinion, this is a VERY good thing. It is going to help weed out the low-buck quick-profit types from starting new operations. The last thing we need is more fly-by-night cargo operators making it impossible for a legitimate business to turn a profit.

Tough for new entrants, though.

 

[350DRIVER]

Most of the above information is right on the money. You will run into many problems even if you can get away with "buying" a 135 certificate. There are too many operators that are trying to half a$$ things as it is now so I applaud the FAA for taking the whatever proper steps they deem to be appropriate in trying to prevent this from happening more frequently.. 135 operations need to be held to the same level of safety/standards that the 121 carriers are held to. I think you may surprise yourself if you really researched this area of aviation and saw what some operators can actually get away with, most go undetected until some accident/incident occurs then they are pretty much gone/adios when FAA steps into the picture.

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ps> There is a company in Denver that will do everything you need to be able to present to your local fsdo for the certificate, I believe the costs are somewhere in the ballpark between $4000-6000. I was offered the same amount of money from a person who had two turbo-prop aircraft and after a few phone calls I didn't walk I ran in the opposite direction. Very time consuming to put it nicely....