Looking for business partners for new charter operation

[mikewm]

There is a very good chance that in the near future I will be starting a new charter business in the Caribbean. I am a Canadian citizen so it will have to be based outside of U.S. and French possesions; i.e. somewhere along the likes of St. Vincent, Barbados or Turks. I have $250K US in capital, an MBA (Montreal's Concordia University International Aviation program: will be complete 10/03) 4000 hrs (Arctic and U.S. high density commuter time) and 6 years of industry experience at smaller Cdn charter ops where I did everything from maintenance to check-in, fuelling and flying (including some of the worst weather in the world in Baffin Island and Greenland).

What I am looking for are other partners (preferably maintenance engineers / pilots) who may be interested in joining in as minority working partners. I don't think its unreasonable to expect a manager to want to invest in their own company if they believe in the possibilities, but I agree its not for everyone. It is a sensitive issue but I don't see it as buying a job if you also share equally in the profits. Its more like just getting your fair share but I admit it isn't as pleasant as showing up to work for someone else.

What I absolutely don't want are people who are only looking to gain experience and then move on. I think 5 - 7 years is not an unreasonable committment and as part owner, you would also be entitled to a proportional share of distributed profits and your entire capital would be protected by debt covenants arranged thorugh legal counsel.

I would use the majority of my capital as general working capital for day-to-day expenses so if things don't work out, I'm really the only one who loses. There would also have to be an understanding that we would be guests on this island and I think its only proper to help the less fortunate in their community each week, either through volunteering or something else.

I won't be ready for about another 2 months but I would like a feel for the level of interest in this. Initial free capital on your part would be in the $100,000 US area (or assets pledged to that amount, either borrowed or leased but title remains in your name) and I'm hoping for about 3 - 4 partners. There are ways to access that amount of capital quite easily if you PM me.

I think you should also be aware of the risks in anything like this but in general, a well run, customer service driven air charter carrier adequately capitalized and properly researched before-hand can do quite well from what I've seen. I'm not looking to get rich at this but I'm certainly willing to take a chance. I mean, how many airline pilots have lost far more in divorce court and now have nothing but bad memories from the experience (not to mention the monthly cheques).....Thanks and please PM me for any more details.......

[Captain Stable]

Any other reasons than those stated for your preferred base locations?

I only wonder because, AFAIK, SVD is well-catered for with Mustique Airways and SVGAir located there and BGI also has a Mustique Airways base and TIA as well as services from people like HelenAir etc.

I know nothing about the Turks and Chaos Islands...

Your experience sounds good except in one vital area - bureaucracy. There's LOTS of it in the Caribbean. Be prepared for filing umpteen copies of GenDecs for every flight. Be prepared for all sorts of odd curveballs to be thrown to you both by DCA in Antigua and the regional CAA offices both in Antigua and Port of Spain, Trini.

Be prepared for much anti-white prejudice. You weren't (I assume) born there, you're not (I assume) black, so be prepared for all sorts of people to use locally-owned operators instead of you.

Get a local lawyer, and make sure he's GOOD. Make sure he's got as many local politicians as possible in his back pocket and be prepared to buy one or two more. As you may gather, standards of probity and ethics are not exactly on the same footing as the USA, Canada and the UK - but everyone knows the rules, so a little palm-greasing is accepted as normal.

You don't say what types you are wanting to operate. Be sure you know your airfields. Most of the Grenadines (Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union Island) have rough-ish, SHORT strips. STOL performance is pretty much a must. BN2 and DHC-6 country. Helio Couriers and Turbo Porters not allowed as only one donk up front! Bequia always has hellish crosswinds and turbulence on approach. Mustique is surrounded by hills so you don't want to get hemmed in fully loaded and one fan stopping. Canouan - hmmm - well, put a pile of rocks 300' high on each side of your garden path, strew the path liberally with boulders, put large expanses of water at both ends, tear the sides off your garden shed, encourage goats and the odd donkey to wander around and heat the whole to 40degC and you have Canouan. Compared to that, Union Island is quite civilised. You just have to fly between two hills and then make a dirty dive to get on.

Ensure engineering is well-catered for. Best is to find a non-local. Best in my experience was Basil Norman on ANU. Dunno if he's still going. Spares are always a problem - nothing available locally, so everything - even stuff like Hammerite or Dzus fasteners have to be sourced in the USA or UK. Make sure you can get them into the country. It's NOT always straight-forward.

Anywhere you are going to operate to/from ensure you have good agents who have no connection with any of your competitors.

Finally, always always pay your bills on time. Late payment will get you talked about. Getting talked about in the wrong terms will cause all the business to vanish. And make sure everyone else pays before departure! :ok: