Managing a Private Jet

[AircraftOperations]

Hi,

I have often kept an eye on Pprune without registering before, but I now find a need to register as I am trying to get some professional information.

I have been asked to look into the possibility of managing a private jet on behalf of some clients. It would be for their own personal use, with the possibility of making it available for charter.

Is there a good place or good people I can speak to confidentially to get information on the following....?

Registering the aircraft (G-reg for charter, or VP-reg/N-reg for private ops?)
Looking into an AOC if required, or using someone else's.
Crewing the aircraft (How many sets of crew for the aircraft and sourced from where?)
Basing the aircraft at a suitable airport (Where runway length, hangarage, cleaning, maintenance, fuel, flight planning are available)
Finding the right maintenance firm or sourcing the correct engineers to help keep in the aircraft in the air and perform checks when the hours are up.
Looking into any issues regarding flight plans/overflights/permits.
And would staff working on this require any specific qualifications or simply have to have a good working knowledge of CAA/JAR etc etc.

At the moment, I have been asked not to go to any firms offering all of these services already (the usual FBOs) but to look into this myself.

Would the CAA's SRG be a good place to start?
Can anyone on here help me?

Much appreciated.

[TheOtherSide]

Check your PM's

[Daifly]

It is fairly simple to operate an aircraft yourself privately - although you won't be able to deliver the same cost savings that the specialist companies can purely because you have one aircraft against the 10's or 20's that they do.

For charter it becomes uneconomical though as the costs of running your own AOC for one aircraft are prohibitive in reality. Piggy-backing is an option, but you'll not find too many operators that keen to help these days (liability being what it is!)


I suppose it depends, my advice would be that if you have been given the opportunity to run it and its something that you really want to do, then give it a go (nothing to lose etc). If it's something that you're not really sure you want to get involved with, have never done before at all or you're just doing the potential owners some favour, then I'd really consider the option of using a management company as they will deliver as personal a service as you could give them, but the owners will get a better financial deal.

There are so many potential pitfalls that if you've not done it yourself before (you don't say whether you have or haven't) you'll find them - and they all tend to be really expensive...!

Good luck if you take option 1, someone on here will always offer help and advice and if you want to investigate option 2 drop me a PM ;)

[AircraftOperations]

Thanks to all so far for posts and PMs.

I will start getting back to people once I have run a few things past my managers and they make decisions such as whether they wish to pay for consultations.

Just wondering... which department at the CAA handle areas such as this?

The SRG or another?

Thanks.

[Chilli Monster]

CAA's SRG (Safety Regulating Group) are a regulator, and as such you will be expected to know what you want to do and how you want to achieve it before you go to them for approvals for AOC's etc.

I would decide want you want, where you want it and how best you will achieve it before venturing anywhere near the CAA (which, if you go down some routes, you won't need to do anyway).

[McCusker]

best idea is to get your company to get a 25 hour card in netjets and see if they need a corporate jet.
:8

[Daifly]

Or charter and see that it's cheaper than Netjets...! ;)