What minimum standard does the fractional ownership provider require for pilots?

To be considered for employment, a pilot should have at least 2500 hours of flying experience with a minimum of 500 hours flying multi-engine aircraft and 250 hours of instrument flying experience. Applicants should have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license – the highest level of pilot license available – and a first-class medical certificate. All pilots (both pilots-in-command and first officers) should be qualified by the FAA to fly their aircraft as captains.

How many days of training do pilots receive in their first year and each year therafter?

Intensive initial training and comprehensive recurrent training are critical components of a program’s safety commitment and require a significant investment of pilot time. Newly hired pilots should receive at least 28 days of training in their first year. Pilots with more than one year of experience with the fractional provider should get recurrent training with and organization such as FlghtSafety International twice a year for each of the subsequent years.

Do all pilots start with the program as first officers?

A fractional program should be structured so that every pilot begins his or her career as a first officer supported by a pilot-in-command who is type-rated in that aircraft and has been licensed by the FAA to act as pilot-in-command. A program’s new pilots should successfully have demonstrated their skills and knowledge in the first officer’s seat for a significant period of time before functioning as pilot-in-command. This is essential even thought the new pilots should also be type-rated on the aircraft and therefore qualified by the FAA to fly the aircraft as captains.

 

Who provides the program’s pilot training and what is the reputation of that organization?

A fractional ownership program should have a contractual commitment to an acknowledged worldwide leader in pilot training such as FightSafety International. Rigorous classroom instruction and extensive simulator training is critical. Simulator training is important because it allows pilots to practice managing situations that are impossible to recreate safely in a real aircraft. Only after passing the ground and simulator courses and an FAA check-ride do pilots receive FAA certification and an aircraft type-rating in the particular aircraft they were hired to fly.

Is there an in-house meteorology staff?

With up-to-the-minute weather information provided by professional meteorologist on site, a program’s pilots and dispatchers are able to plan the safest and most comfortable routes possible and make mid-course corrections when these are necessary.

Does the company designate a chief pilot for each aircraft type offered?

For every type aircraft in a program’s fleet, there should be a senior supervising pilot on duty at all times. These are individuals who have significant experience with a particular aircraft and can serve as on-the-ground resource to pilots in the air.

Do all aircraft within a type in the fleet have identical cockpits with identical avionics?

It is common for aircraft manufactures to modify cockpits over time in a single type of aircraft. Look for a fractional program that invests in identical flight decks in all aircraft of a particular type. When a pilot reaches for a particular control, it is always in the same place in the cockpit and the likelihood of error is reduced dramatically.

Where is fractional aircraft maintenance conducted?

The best fractional ownership programs contract with the aircraft manufacturers for maintenance. They implement and closely monitor quality assurance and aircraft acceptance processes.

Does the fractional ownership company conduct audits at the manufacturers’ facilities?

To ensure safety and conformity to specifications, a fractional program should have a team of auditors who inspect aircraft as they are being built and serviced at the manufacturers’ facilities.

What are the safety records of the various types of aircraft in the program’s fleet?

Some aircraft models simply have better overall safety records than others. Independent comparative aircraft safety reports are available from aviation consultants. Keep in mind that ilot recruitment, pilot training, aircraft standardization, and maintenance are all factors that contribute to a program’s overall safety evaluation.

 

Aircraft choices

The evolution and composition of a fractional ownership fleet should be guided by an understanding of and response to the needs of owners. Each business jet has a different array of characteristics including passenger capacity, range and speed, on-board amenities, and baggage capacity. With access to a diverse and well-balanced fleet, you are able to travel in the aircraft that best satisfies the transportation requirements of a particular business or personal flight. The more choices a program offers, the more aircraft in a fractional program, the better it can satisfy the transportation requirements of its owners.

In addition, one of the many advantages of fractional aircraft ownership is that owners have access not only to the planes they own, but also to their program’s entire fleet. For example, if you own a fractional share in a large cabin aircraft, you can interchange to a midsize or light jet to better meet the requirements of a particular trip. Conversely, some trips are better served by interchanging to a larger aircraft.

It is important, then, to evaluate the quality, not only of the specific aircraft type you choose to purchase, but also of a fractional program’s entire fleet. Below are a few key questions to ask that can help identify the fleet characteristics that will be most important to you.

Does the program offer a wide array of small, midsize, and large cabin jets to fulfill the varied personal and business transportation needs of owners?

A wide array of aircraft types allows owners to select aircraft which closely match their travel requirements and itineraries.

How old are the aircraft?

Determine the average age of the fleet. Remember the plane you purchase is not necessarily the one that you will fly on.

Are all the new aircraft being added to the fleet equipped with TCAS II and EGPWS safety systems?

Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II (TCASII) and the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) are state-of-the-art safety systems, which alert pilots to potential problems further ensuring safe operation. Also determine if all the program’s aircraft are equipped with an Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS), which allows the crew to continue to operate the aircraft safely even if the flight deck fills with smoke.

What is the maximum baggage capacity available in the small, midsize, and large cabin categories?

Baggage capacity varies by aircraft type and can be a key element of flight planning for different trips owners may take. A wide array of aircraft in the fleet can help ensure that the right aircraft can be available for the right trip.

Are the aircraft equipped with private lavatories?

Since not all aircraft are equipped with private lavatories, inquire about the lavatory facilities on all aircraft types, especially the light or small aircraft offerings of the fractional provider. This will ensure owner convenience and maximum privacy.

Which aircraft amenities are offered?

Telephone Fax

SATCOM VCR/DVD/CD

Internet Access Airshow System

Customer Service

When you purchase a fractional interest in a private jet, you are buying more than a physical asset – you are also acquiring a personalized travel management service. The quality of service will be a critical component of the value you derive from your fractional interest. Some of your customer service questions should include:

How well does a program live up to its scheduling commitments?

If the program promises that an aircraft will be made available within four or six hours of an owner’s request, determine if that commitment is consistently honored. Get a list of owners you can call to verify the reliability of service.

Do owners have a dedicated team of customer service specialists to ensure the quality of their travel experience and overall customer satisfaction?

Your interaction with a professional, dedicated customer service and fleet support staff will ensure that every aspect of your trip will be handled efficiently and that the quality of the interaction is controlled. This includes scheduling, aircraft interchange, route planning, dispatch requirements, ground transportation, security (when required), and catering.

How large is the program’s fleet?

Fleet size is a significant factor in how quickly and effectively a fractional program can respond to owners. The more aircraft a program has dispersed across the U.S., Europe, and the world, the more likely it is that an aircraft will be accessible when you need it.

Are there auditors who regularly monitor the airports served by the program?

A fractional company should employ staff who research, inspect, and monitor conditions at airports served by the program. In this way, they can ensure that pilots and owners are advised of any possible flight planning and scheduling considerations before flights are cleared to land there.

Are there FAA-certified flight dispatchers?

While FAA certification is not a requirement, it is an added benefit and an important differentiator of fractional programs. FAA certification and FlightSafety training ensure that a program’s pilots are effectively supported since all aspects of flight planning are created and double-checked by aviation professionals who are uniquely qualified to perform these crucial dispatch tasks.

Does the company have on-staff meteorologists?

The FAA does not require meteorologists to be maintained on staff. However, a dedicated in-house weather operation utilizing state-of-the-art equipment to obtain and interpret data directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s satellites gives pilots up-to-the-minute weather information. Pilots and dispatchers can use this information to plan the safest and most comfortable route and make en route changes when necessary.

What is the provider’s overall commitment to quality?

State-of-the-art facilities are a good indication of a program’s overall commitment to customer satisfaction and quality.

Visit their operations center before you decide.

Since precise measures of customer service can be difficult to define, it is instructive to determine how much of a program’s new business is generated through referrals from existing owners. If an individual is not delighted with a program’s service, it is unlikely he or she will refer friends and associates. You will want to know if owners are compensated for providing referrals. Be sure that the recommendation is based on satisfaction not compensation.

Worldwide operations – critical to global travelers

According to industry statistics, some 70% of people who fly on private jets frequently travel outside the U.S. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future and means that worldwide operations are increasingly important to fractional aircraft owners. They want to be able to utilize their fractional interest practically anywhere they fly for business or personal use.

To the extent that your require international travel, you will want to determine whether the fractional ownership program offers safe, seamless, worldwide operations and is truly global in scope. Here are some key considerations:

Seek out a fractional aircraft ownership program that manages international air travel themselves, and does not subcontract the entire service through a third party charter company. Your safety and service expectations when flying abroad should be equivalent to those when you are flying in the U.S. you will want to learn about their bases of operation, their infrastructure, their processes, and their records for service and safety. Most of the questions mentioned here can be asked of the fractional program provider’s international program. Due to the complexity of this additional consideration, knowing that the international travel is manage directly by your fractional program is of great value and comfort.

Make sure the program’s owners have guaranteed access to fractionally owned aircraft overseas and can interchange to other aircraft types that may be better suited to a particular trip.

While owners often decide to fly abroad commercially and then arrange to use fractional ownership locally, determine if you have access to fly internationally in a wide body aircraft capable of long-range, non-stop flight.

Financial strength – evaluating the fractional aircraft program provider

Becoming an owner in a fractional aircraft program means far more than simply purchasing an asset. You are, in effect, entering into a long-term business relationship with a company. For this reason, most prospective fractional owners include an evaluation of a company’s financial strength and commitment in their considerations.

If a fractional program or its parent company experiences financial difficulties, the program’s focus on maintenance, pilot training, and other critical issues could be compromised. This would negatively affect the value of your asset under their care as well as the service you receive.

And, if the program were to discontinue operations, fractional aircraft owners in that program would be faced with the task of coordinating a sale of their plane with all the other owners of shares in that specific plane Furthermore, they would have to accomplish this at the same time that many other planes from that program would be put up for sale in the market. This would likely be time consuming, complicated, and result in the owner recouping less of his or her original investment.

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