Starting air taxi company

[azeman]

I'm just wondering if i wanted to start my own airtaxi company with me as the pilot (when i get my CPL, currently training for my IR), and choosing a 4 seater aircraft which is paid for, what other costs and what others things would i have to sort out before i can actually start operating? I have already chosen an airfield as a base, and i already know that i have to obtain my Air operators certficate. Im just looking for a basic insight on how air taxi operates?!!!! thanks

[tommoutrie]

If you're just getting your IR why don't you go and work for one of the many thriving air taxi companies and gain your insight that way.

[azeman]

Because there's no jobs about

[Daifly]

I'm with Tom; don't.

You'll never make money out of one aircraft with the huge costs of running an AOC. Go and look at the CAA's website for their guide to it and just tot up the expected salaries of the Postholders before you do anything else.

You'll wonder why we all do it when you do that!

[C550jockey]

Take my advice (and those above)....don't do it.
As much as I admire your enthusiasm for aviation, listen to those of us that have "been there, done that".
I used to try and make a living flying small biz jets. I hung my boots up three years ago and am now making triple the salary I was as a pilot..... Happy Days. :)

[redsnail]

Because there's no jobs about

And there's your clue about how successful your venture is likely to be.

[Ice Man]

Please take the advice of daifly and others. From someone who has spent a lifetime in aviation, I can confirm that the costs involved are huge and are not viable for the operation of one four seat piston aircraft. Pre JAR OPS/EASA it was a different matter!

When you gain your CPL you will be just starting your apprenticeship and it would be wise to gain valuable experience with an established air taxi operator, more importantly in a two crew environment where you can safely gain valuable knowledge from your captain.

Good luck!:ok:

[tommoutrie]

Azeman, its much easier than that. You can completely ignore everyone that posts on here and take the advice of the one person you can completely trust. You, yourself, said "because there's no jobs about". There are no jobs about because there's no work. There are no queues of customers waiting to fly in a seneca (or anything else actually) from the base airfield you brilliantly selected to some other place. No customers at all. And you've already done the research that you need because you've already identified that there's no jobs about. Start an air taxi company when times are booming and lots of people have big disposable incomes.

Ignore all of us but stick with the one person who's advice you should always listen to - you own.

By the way, if you have 2 million quid and want a consultant to help you out, pm me....

[mad_jock]

You can't even fly the aircraft these days fresh out of school for commercial flights as the Captain.

[PURPLE PITOT]

I fail to understand the amount of newbies, who must have recently passed the atpl exams, who have absolutely no understanding of the law in this respect.:ugh:

[Dan the weegie]

I fail to understand the amount of newbies, who must have recently passed the atpl exams, who have absolutely no understanding of the law in this respect.

I thought you had that figured out, it's because the training that we're given is thoroughly inadequate for the purposes of becoming a modern international pilot. Of course no-one dares tells you this until you get to an airline and it becomes blatantly obvious that you know the square route of Fannela Arbuckle. :)

And to the OP, trying to make yourself a job by starting an airline is not going to get you a flying job, it's going to get you a desk job while you try to manage the bonkers finances, overbearing regulatory bodies and occasionally difficult to manage employees while you try to occasionally get into the right hand seat.

It will steal all the joy out of the job and you will be left with less money than you started with (if you're lucky that is, if you're not you'll be left with nothing).

There's very few jobs out there for a reason, do not let your enthusiasm cloud your judgement, it is an enormous mistake.
Just be patient, network, take opportunities when you can to get into the industry even if it's not as a pilot and I say again, BE PATIENT and keep going.

Good luck.

EDIT: and just to be clear, you'll be amazed how little you know when you come out of training. Really, it's nothing other than how to point the aircraft in generally the right direction.

[More lookout]

Consider yourself an apprentice, go and work for an air taxi firm. As there aren't too many pilot jobs going, try and get involved with a bizjet company at an operations level. Money won't be great, but business is about networking and understanding the model. You may discover a way to start an air taxi firm. There again you maybe put off for life.

Good luck

[lisa humphries]

Brilliant Tom Moutrie, couldn't have said better myself!!!! :D

[ksjc]

Here in the US it's relatively easy to certify a "single plane/single pilot" air taxi operation. Many have started this way to later build up a company fleet with employees. Also, if you have the resources you can purchase an already established FAR 135 air taxi company...always several on the market.

Don't suppose any of this helps the OP but pointing out the situation is often different elsewhere..

[AviationIntelligence]

Well perhaps you have a fortune already, just not the knowledge and experience.

Good on you for being ambitious, nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that - but make sure you do all your research meticulously otherwise you might just as well go to the Casino and put it all either on Black or on Red - you have a greater chance of getting it right!

Use Blink's Business Model as a Case Study from before they started to where they are today - look how many aircraft they intended to start off with and look how many they actually have now. Then ask yourself why this week they were selling empty legs on their Mustangs between the following destinations:

1. Farnborough to Blackbushe - If you work out the Block to Block time, you'll probably find that Mo Farrah could do it quicker on his feet!

2. Blackbushe to Northolt - 18 Minutes or So Flying time

Once you have spotted the obvious mistake that no other Air Taxi Operator has, then click on this link and these guys Evers Consulting - AOC Application & Manual Writing (http://tinyurl.com/cfpud9v) (Don't know them, just know of them) will tell you exactly what you need to do (for a price)!

Very Good Luck, but please don't just throw money at the CAA until you are absolutely certain you have got it right. The bottom line is that if you can start up a business in a recession and survive, then you'll do just fine!