Start your own airline...
 

Just got back from Kenya. Very impressed with the Cessna Grand Caravan (thks to East African Air Charters) and the Flamingo Airways low-cost operation (part of Kenya Airways).

Would something like this be viable in the UK flying out of small-ish strips? Book over the web. Compete with the trains. There's big demand for Cornwall and Devon judging how busy they are.

Maybe web-based ticket would get round the problem at Biggin? It would be a great hub. Or a grass strip like Redhill?

How difficult is it be to get something like this off the ground? Being a beancounter in the real world I can knock up business plans and organise funding...but CAA approval, etc?

Any takers to assist with an initial appraisal document.

...or should I stick to dodgying numbers.

PIC1DAY:

That sounds like a good idea ("easyProp"? :) ). I'm not sure, though, what the single-engine IFR regulations are in the UK, i.e. can you fly pax on a Public Transport C of A in a single-engine plane? Restricting operations to VFR would be rather a limitation (!), so it might be necessary to either choose a twin (worse economics) or wait for changes to the SEIFR regulatory environment (not sure where these are at).

There's no shortage of decent routes if the economics work, but I'd just check out the regulatory situation first.

If that turns out OK, then let's talk! :)

Cheers
Cyrano

Ref: Caravan Ops In The UK
 

Some years ago, there was an attempt to start up a caravan operation feeding Fedex at Brussels, the CAA declined to accept an aoc based on the Caravan be it the 1 or Caravan 2.

As I remember, an Irish operator was using the Caravan and feeding for Fedex out of Shannon or maybe Dublin.

As has been stated the advent of flying commercially under VFR in the UK is a near on dead issue with the CAA.

I myself have significant experience in start ups, Business Plans and also in raising very substantial funding from the venture capital market .

Rogers Aviation at Cranfield may be able to assist further with enquiries respecting Caravan operations in the UK as they used to be the authorised dealers, and obviously did research on the topic.

Hope this is of some help, and if you require any further details, please do not hesitate to communicate.

Remember Martini ?- this was tried a few years ago and, I believe with the help of Cherie Blair, rejected by numerous courts in favour of CAA 'no single engine IFR for public transport ops'.
great aeroplane but wholly unsuitable for the UK, apparently.

Caravan Ops
 

I can only imagine that if one was to paint it up in "TNT" colours and place the a/c with a certain operator at Luton on his AOC, then it may get some chance to fly, but failing all the above, its a real dead issue.... remember Air Cymru?..........

The IFR Single engine debate still continues and there are those among us who believe that for at least cargo if not pax also clearance will be delivered in Jan-Mar next year.

Inmarvia
 

Your expertise in raising start-up funding is it limited to aviation related enterprises or do you fund other projects such as real estate, condo/hotel type developments?