Finding An Aircraft Charter Company That Works For You
While commercial airlines may be able to serve the flight needs of the general population some people need a little bit more out of this life. By chartering an aircraft you can soar into the skies in a plane or helicopter that is under your control. You might do this for business reasons or simply personal reasons, as long as you have the money and it seems right to you then it’s something that is definitely worth trying. But to get the optimum aircraft charter experience you need to make sure you are working with the right company.
To start your search out you need to look at the options available to you. Figure out where you want to leave from and where you want to go and look for companies operating at the airport you’re starting from. You could pay the fees necessary to fly in a plane operating outside of your area but this adds additional costs to an already expensive process so it should be avoided whenever possible.
The next thing to look at is what sort of plane you want. Charter companies aren’t like rental car operations where the company might have just about every modern make and model. Many small charter companies might only have a handful of aircraft and each one may be the same model. If you have your heart set on flying a Bell 525 then you have to specifically search out companies that have that model in their fleet, otherwise you will have to search around until you can find the next best thing. It’s best not to get too hung up on any particular aircraft, instead you should focus on more general things like whether you want a helicopter or plane, whether you want a fancy executive plane or something more utilitarian.
Finally you need to look at the cost of working with the different companies you are considering. Remember to inquire about all of the costs involved. When you rent a Beechcraft you will also need proper Beechcraft maintenance, which should be included in the cost you are given but it might not be. The best companies will be up front about the fees they charge you but there are less reputable groups that will try and sneak in hidden fees to get more out of your so look at the fine print
Another crucial question to ask is whether you want to fly the plane or not. Some people decide to charter a helicopter to fly themselves after looking at the price of different helicopters for sale. This is a smart decision but understand that not all companies will rent their planes to just any pilot, there are strict standards and many companies won’t work with any outside pilots, no matter how much they’re willing to pay. So if you want to pilot look for companies that cater to people such as yourself, and if you don’t want to fly the aircraft yourself then you should look at the people who will be flying your aircraft if you decide to hire them. After all, an aircraft is only as good as the person who is piloting it.