Heli-Charter start up requirements??

[Flyboy-F33]

I'm a fixed wing pilot with about 1000 hrs (not commercial)

Occaisionally we all aspire to dreams of our ideal job/business/whatever. And mine would be running a single helicopter charter business based around (say) a Jet-Ranger or Long-Ranger.

Apart from the capital costs of the Heli and the cost of getting a CPL(H) What is involved?

Am I kidding myself? (I suspect I am) Could it financially viable? Anyone else had any experience of such a venture or maybe worked for one?

All attempts to put me out of my misery will be greatfully received.

[The Nr Fairy]

Flyboy :

Tell you what - give me all the money you've out aside for this venture, and I'll go and try it for you. If it doesn't work I'll be the first to tell you. :D

[Hilico]

I used to have this fantasy about being given a B206 and thinking I'd better start a charter operation or it's going to go rusty (me being non-licenced). Then I had a quick look at the cost of the hangar, the apron, two pilots, two mechanics, the spares, the office and equipment, the secretary/Ops/QA person (that could be me I suppose) and then the AOC approvals.

I concluded that if someone gave me the buildings, staff and approvals and I had to buy the 206 out of my spare change, it would prove a lot cheaper.

[Another KOS]

How do you make a small fortune in aviation - start with a large one.

[Jed A1]

It's tough, there is no doubt about it. It seems to get tougher as the years go by and the bureaucrats take over.

The adage about small fortune and large one is entirely correct. For the last business plan I put together I thought about every contingency I could possibly imagine (some bizarre ones). These I used for our funding requirements. I was out by a factor of three!

What I forgot to add in to the plan was a contingency for a pilot and engineer trying to put us out of business by stealing our clients. I also forgot about the pilot breaking back into the offices (after we let him go) and stealing parts and documents. The subsequent investigation by the authorities following malicious accusations from the above two leading to a month's grounding. Hangar collapsing in torrential rain. Finding bogus parts on the machine after we bought it. A new set of blades (strongly suspect the engineer mal treating them) etc etc.

Think about looking at leasing in a machine (by the hour). This way the financing, insurance, hangarage (possibly) and maintenance can be somebody else’s problem. If you have a bad month you have a lot less to worry about. If you have a mechanical problem you won't be wiped out before you've got going.

You have to have a niche. Do something better than anybody else does or do something that everybody else does where nobody else does.

You can't beat experience with the machine you operate. A fresh CPL won't do it. You need 1,000's of hours around you. If it's not you, then hire in the most experienced person you can find. Remember tough, that experience is not just doing the same thing for 1,000's of hours, it comes from being in lots of different scenarios and environments.

Don't worry about the above too much. If you really want to do it, go ahead. Any sensible, level headed business person wouldn't but if you want to have fun you can't beat it. Who knows, you might just make some money at it!

Just imagine $10,000 a hand blackjack.