The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governs aviation activity within the U.S. Their rules are designed to promote safe aviation and protection for pilots, passengers and the general public from unnecessary risk.
The Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR's) Part 135 sets more stringent standards on maintenance, operations, pilot duty days, and training for charter operations. A Part 135 operator must comply with specific requirements in regard to paperwork, maintenance and training. The operator is subject to additional surveillance from FAA inspectors and has less flexibility in conducting flight operations, e.g. legality of starting instrument approaches when weather is below minimums, take off minimums flying to airports with no weather reporting equipment, crew rest, etc. Scheduling flexibility and control are more complex because aircraft may be obligated to charter commitments. Some aircraft owners place their aircraft on someone else's Part 135 certificate.
In addition to FAA/FAR Part 135 certification, Jet-Guest's pro-forma charter agreement can require an even more stringent safety audit by independent companies such as Aviation Research Group (ARG/US) or Wyvern. Click below.
ARG/US
The Aviation Research Group (ARG/US) audit is designed to verify that an aircraft operation is organized and managed consistently with industry best practices and reflects a clear commitment to safety. An on-site audit by ARG/US can result in several ratings: Did Not Qualify (DNQ), Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum.
ARG/US’s Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) program has three major components: historical safety ratings, current aircraft and pilot background checks, and the results of an on-site safety audit.
For added peace of mind; ARG/US's TripCHEQ provides a comprehensive analysis of a jet operator's credentials for a specific trip. TripCHEQ system tracks pilot certifications, aircraft type ratings, accidents, incidents, violations, operator certificates and operational control of aircraft and results in a:
Green TripCHEQ—Operator is ARG/US Gold, Gold Plus, or Platinum rated, pilots are typed and certified and properly experienced, aircraft has no major accident or maintenance history.
Yellow TripCHEQ—Something is missing or un-verified, ARG/US analysts will contact the operator and obtain either the necessary information or let us know what is missing.
Red TripCHEQ—There is a known deficiency or the jet operator is unwilling to disclose information.
For more information about ARG/US please contact: sales@aviationresearch.com
Wyvern
Wvvern Pilot and Aircraft Safety Survey (PASS) system.
Each operator undergoes annual Wyvern audits to ensure that their operational and maintenance practices continue to meet or exceed The Wyvern Standard. In addition, each operator is monitored throughout the year for management, fleet and crew changes. Wyvern requirements far exceed FAA minimums. For example, The Wyvern Standard requires captains have a minimum of 4,000 total flight hours, while the FAA only requires captains have 1,500 total flight hours. The FAA doesn't require pilots to undergo flight simulator training or maintenance technicians to undergo formal manufacturer training, but Wyvern does.
