Choosing how you are going to operate your aircraft is potentially the single most important decision you can make.
The decision can be difficult to make and several variables need to be taken into consideration. However, the decision essentially comes down to two options; self manage and self navigate requirements or, choose a reputable aircraft management company to work with. A reputable aircraft management company, such as Air Partners, gives aircraft owners complete freedom from the complexities of day-to-day flight operations. When you choose Air Partners, you choose peace of mind from knowing your aircraft is being handled professionally and efficiently by the best in the business.
Here’s a look at the key aspects of managing an aircraft and the key differences between self managing and using Air Partners, part of the Take Flight Group to manage your craft or fleet.
1 – Maintenance
Maintenance involves routine checks and monitoring of your aircraft to ongoing reporting and scheduling, and large scheduled maintenance to emergency repairs. In a self management scenario, this is left up to you. In working with our group you’ll find AircraftWorks operates under the most stringent maintenance procedures in private aviation today. Your aircraft is continuously monitored by specialized maintenance coordinators, providing extensive support to keep your aircraft airworthy. Team members continually improve safety operations by participating in comprehensive annual maintenance training programs.
2 – Cost Offsetting by Charter Revenue
The idea is to leverage down time, offset operating costs, and generate revenue. When working with Air Partners, you may elect to turn your aircraft’s idle time into revenue for you by allowing your aircraft to become a part of Air Partners charter operations. An extensive marketing program professionally promotes your aircraft to a large retail charter client base built from more than 13 years of leading the private jet charter business. We also receive thousands of flight requests from other operators, brokers, and corporate flight departments.
3 – Flight Operations
Operations involves a great amount of logistics, team scheduling and training of your flight team. When working with Take Flight Group, Air Partners performs all flight operations and manages crew activities to maximize the operations of your aircraft. These activities include conducting and coordinating classroom and simulator training for crew members, scheduling crew and aircraft for flights, providing flight crew travel support, arranging on-board catering and ground transportation, facilitating crew communications, dispatching and following flights, making international travel services available, and taking care of unplanned aircraft repair for quick trip resumption. When self managing, access to a qualified team to handle each of these requirements is often not available.
4 – Compliance
Regulatory requirements for your aircraft involve ensuring compliance with both domestic and international regulations. Often intricate and extremely time consuming, compliance is best left to the professionals, either through outsourcing or working with a management company. Air Partners handles all your domestic and international behind-the-scenes travel requirements to make every flight hassle-free. From maintenance and trip feasibility analyses to participating in specialty programs such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Visa Waiver Program, Air Partners exceeds all domestic and international regulations outlined by agencies including Transport Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration, International Civil Aviation Organization, Occupational Health and Safety, and Canadian Transportation Agency to name a few.
5 – Protection and Confidentiality
Depending on your work or simply your preference, anonymity may be a priority for you. When self managing, your aircraft ownership and flight paths become publicly available. Whereas Air Partners recognizes and respects your need for confidentiality and has many programs in place to ensure your travels remain private. Air Partners has the ability to prevent your tail number from being published to the public through means such as flight tracking websites. We can further shield you from public exposure by utilizing Air Partners call-sign in your flight plans instead of your aircraft’s registration number. By collaborating with Air Partners and through a proactive approach that prioritizes your privacy as a key mission, you, your passengers, and your aircraft are guarded from the public eye.
6 – Risk Management
Owning an aircraft can expose you to a number of risks, operational, security, or financial risks. In self managing your craft, it can be challenging to mitigate these risks. Air Partners will assess these risks and achieve greater safety and security goals for you and your aircraft. Rigorous programs such as an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and Safety Management System (SMS) elevate you and your aircraft to an exceptional level of preparedness for any potential situation. Additionally, Air Partners provides real-time threat assessments for current and future travel plans and provides specialty emergency training to crew members to deal with inflight emergencies of all kinds.
7 – Costs and Savings
Regardless of management plan, there are many ongoing costs and fixed costs, regardless of hours flown, in operating an aircraft. Savings come into play when operating several craft at one time either by owning a fleet or operating with a management company. The combined procurement power of Take Flight Group allows Air Partners to obtain extensive cost savings and deep discounts for our clients. Receive extensive cost savings on critical operational expenses such as jet fuel, FBO fees and services, crew member travel and training, aircraft insurance and maintenance, travel emergency medical services, technical, navigation, and communication subscriptions, international services, and additional private jet charter.
8 – Flight Crews
Requirements for flight crews involve recruitment, training and retaining of those you trust to fly your asset and yourself. Selecting and allowing only the best in the industry to serve as your crew, Air Partners will provide your highly qualified crew members. In addition to recruiting, hiring, and training your crew, Air Partners manages all the daily details of your aircraft’s personnel requirements. From administering payroll, employment taxes, and health benefits to managing ongoing employee relationships and conflict resolution, your crew is taken care of by a professional team with industry knowledge and expertise.
9 – Finance and Administration
With costs easily escalating into the ten’s of thousands and more, you’ll want a highly organized finance and accounting system for your asset. This will enable you to make the most educated decisions when it comes to your aircraft’s operation. Air Partners’ finance team will work closely with your designated financial representative to provide customized reporting and easy-to-comprehend invoices. Each invoice is reviewed and audited for all aircraft-related costs and included in one simple monthly statement, tailored to your specific needs.
