Tips When Buying Jets for Part 135 Charter Ops

Owners wanting to have their managed aircraft operated on revenue-earning charter flights will quickly learn that the best equipment and furnishings for private flights isn’t always ideal for charter customers. Chris Kjelgaard asks the experts for tips...

Those who buy business aircraft purely for their own private and business use often become immensely proud of their aircraft, striving to outfit their jets with the very latest in flight-deck and cabin equipment. In many cases such owners customize the furnishings and fittings to suit their individual style and needs.

But while pride in one’s aircraft and the wish to make it a tangible expression of one’s individuality are very natural emotions, they’re unlikely to be helpful for owners contemplating having their managed aircraft operated on charter flights in order to help offset operating costs.

The ideal attributes for an aircraft made available for charter hire may be substantially different from those which make it ideal from the owner’s personal viewpoint.

The qualities which make an aircraft strongly marketable for charter use start with the aircraft type, its age, its external paint, and its seating configuration.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many are chartering business aircraft for the first time. While they might not know their preferences fully the first time they book and fly, the technologically-savvy customers of today quickly come to know exactly what they want a chartered aircraft to offer, according to Kevin Kliethermes, Director of Sales for Flying Colours Corporation.

To such customers, aircraft type and age “does [matter] to a certain extent,” he says. This is because “there are quite a few new entrants” offering charters in today’s very strong market, “and if the aircraft looks old and dated, customers may have a different expectation in terms of safety”.

Owners “are better off” when the aircraft they make available for charters are “cleaner and newer-looking, because customers tend to choose their aircraft from pictures” (on charter operators’ websites or in printed charter guides).

Additionally, it is often best for business aircraft — particularly jets — used for charters to have neutral external color schemes, says Eric Zipkin, Founder and President of Oxford, Connecticut-based scheduled and charter operator Tradewind Aviation.

“In the bizjet world, a lot of business goes through brokers, and they want a white-label [generic-looking] aircraft,” he says.

Operating Economics and Seat Capacity

Next, says Zipkin, “You really need to talk about the [operating] economics” of the aircraft. “Some aircraft are better than others — for instance, the Cessna Citation CJ3 versus the Citation Bravo or Bombardier Learjet.”

Better operating economics can make all the difference to owners who want to make their aircraft available for charter: “The margin the owner makes per hour is sufficient to make it worth their while to charter” the aircraft out, he explains.

“Typically, low direct operating cost argues for newer, higher-capital cost aircraft — aircraft which have better fuel burn and are robustly supported” (by the OEM).

Tradewind Aviation is best known for its 18-strong scheduled and charter fleet of gunmetal gray-liveried Pilatus PC-12 turboprops, and its robust scheduled and charter route networks in the Northeast US, and in the Caribbean, operating from a busy base at San Juan. But Tradewind also operates US domestic and US-Caribbean charter flights with three Citation CJ3 Light Jets it manages for their owners.

“In today’s market we’re seeing a lot of new customers to the [charter] industry,” Zipkin notes. “They’re starting with Turboprops and Light Jets. They’re a very hot commodity right now.”

Passenger-seat capacity is an important consideration when buying, or outfitting aircraft for charter work, says Zipkin. Regarding the particular type of aircraft, “you want to default to a higher cabin capacity,” he suggests. “You can always sell an eight-seat aircraft to six passengers [for a charter], but you can’t sell a six-seat aircraft to eight passengers.

However, Zipkin recommends that would-be aircraft owners always take advice on aircraft selection from the Part 135 operators they have chosen to manage their aircraft. “It’s best to work closely with the Part 135 operator you will use,” he says. “They will be able to advise you as to what is the most suitable aircraft.”

Tips on the Avionics

Many owners of privately operated business aircraft want to install the latest avionics suites in their aircraft, on occasion replacing equipment items which are standard fit for the flight deck with newer, more highly functional aftermarket equipment. Doing so is not generally advisable for owners who plan on chartering their aircraft out, Zipkin and Kliethermes say. Both reckon charter aircraft should retain the standard avionics fit for the aircraft as originally delivered.

“To go through the general process that the FAA requires [for certifying an operator to operate Part 135 charters], a certain level of pilot training is required,” says Zipkin. “This needs to be available in simulators and in other aircraft of the same type” in the operator’s fleet.

If it isn’t available, “it becomes much more difficult to train and qualify pilots. You don’t want to have an orphan avionics suite [in any given aircraft] — it is much less efficient to operate that way.”

“A consistent OEM approach is the best,” Kliethermes adds. “Otherwise there will be training, obsolescence and certification issues. If multiple aircraft in the fleet are odd ducks, you will have limited crew available to fly them, or you’ll have to train the entire crew to fly two different airplanes.”

“Charter operators look for modern cockpit platforms that are well supported and reliable,” says Ann Pollard, an Aircraft Sales and Acquisitions Representative for Duncan Aviation. “Reliable equipment and a solid support network are key factors that enable charter operators to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime.”

While standardized avionics suites are important for charter aircraft, “Legacy avionics systems can be expensive to maintain,” Pollard argues. As a result, “Many operators elect to participate in avionics protection plans.

“These programs are often transferrable to new owners, for a small fee. The two notable programs are the Corporate Aircraft Service Program (CASP) offered by Rockwell Collins, and MSP Avionics from Honeywell. Both programs are similar in how they work.”

For an annual fee, any time that an avionics unit fails, the operator can order an exchange part from the manufacturer and this is shipped via overnight delivery at no additional cost. All exchanges and freight charges are covered.

“In today's age of avionics platforms of EFIS displays and integration of what used to be multiple units into one unit,

in many cases the cost of one exchange part could be more than what one of these programs costs for an entire year,” Pollard adds. “The protection plans offer a way for operators to streamline their budgets and avoid expensive surprises.”

Tips on Cabin Management Systems

The best cabin management systems for charter aircraft are those which are “easy to operate and maintain,” notes Zipkin. “There’s kind of a minimum standard [for CMS functionality] in the charter business, but then not a great deal more.”

However, from the viewpoint of a large MRO company which performs many cabin refurbishments, Kliethermes doesn’t see charter aircraft CMS requirements in quite the same way. “From a charter perspective, people are becoming increasingly savvy.

“They like to have the bells and whistles, and they know how to operate them. The market is becoming more educated about the feature sets available,” he says.

“Charter operators want passengers to be able to use their devices to stream content to and from their phones; to stream to the bulkhead monitor; and to get the moving map [display] to their phones,” Kliethermes adds. But operators "don't necessarily... want passengers to be able to change the lighting [from their devices] or move the window shades up and down — that’s not a huge deal for a charter flight.”

However, an increasingly important CMS issue for charter operators is “control of the audio by the clients,” says Kliethermes. “How do I get that on the aircraft? I need Bluetooth capability. There is a movement to better audio systems, and Bluetooth [control] is increasing in popularity. It’s now in almost all Flying Colours refurbishment projects.”

From the owner’s standpoint, CMS choice “is a trade-off,” says Kliethermes. “Can you spend $1m or less and still provide all the functionality needed? The more complex [the CMS] is, there can be more potential issues. It’s always a difficult line to walk.”

Tips on Connectivity

Connectivity is “always top of the list” in terms of cabin requirements for charter aircraft, notes Kliethermes. “It’s very important for charter operators — it’s the difference between a customer booking or not booking an aircraft.

“Whatever the aircraft type happens to be, you book with the one that has the connectivity.”

Arguing against the need for charter operators to install very sophisticated cabin management systems in their aircraft, Zipkin says: “Cabin entertainment is almost a thing of the past these days” — passengers prefer to bring their own electronic devices on board and stream content from those devices.

As a result, “Connectivity is more and more important: People expect it, and the next level is supporting twoway streaming to and from electronic devices.”

But while having broadband capability is a must now for charter aircraft, “You might not turn up the spigot completely, but you would want the ability to ratchet up” bandwidth over time, as wireless connectivity technology continues to evolve, and as customer demand gradually increases, Zipkin suggests.

“There are two ways to look at it. You can get the cheapest” workable option, “or you can get the best technology available in the longest run, going forward. That also speaks to your target horizon for [ownership of] the aircraft.” For example, if the owner plans to keep the charter aircraft for ten years, then they should install a connectivity system which can be upgraded throughout that ten-year period.

Duncan Aviation recommends Gogo’s AVANCE L5 terrestrial 4G cellular Wi-Fi system to its customers, says Pollard, as the system is able to offer streaming capability to and from multiple devices in the cabin.

However, Kliethermes says that today streaming is becoming much more important, so bandwidth is becoming much more important.” Satcom connectivity is growing in popularity because of the higher bandwidths, lower rates per megabyte and greater area coverage provided.

Kliethermes says the costcompetitiveness of very high bandwidth satcoms will only increase further as more new entrants join the 

Business Aviation satcom connectivity market. (The same goes for air-toground systems too).

“Competition will make it more palatable for high-bandwidth systems to be installed in smaller aircraft,” he predicts. “Today, we’re seeing it [being installed in aircraft] down below Bombardier Globals, into Bombardier Challengers.”

Of course, Gogo is reacting to the growing cabin connectivity competition. “Duncan Aviation is partnering with Gogo and is providing engineering and certification services for completion of the first-article Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for the Gogo 5G system,” Pollard says.

“Duncan Aviation will use the experience and data from certifying the first article to modify all of its fullequipment AVANCE L5 STCs to include Gogo 5G, which will cover more than 30 aircraft models,” enhancing the in-flight connectivity experience for passengers.

Tips on Lighting

Brightness, quality and passenger control of cabin lighting are increasingly important considerations for owners and operators of business aircraft operated on charter services.

“The lighter the cabin is, the better,” says Zipkin. “New charter customers are usually not accustomed to being in a smaller airplane. The better the lighting, the more you can surmount” the feeling passengers have of being in a small cabin environment.

“LED lighting is the way it is going,” Zipkin notes. “It is very, very nice to have in business jets. You get very much more longevity of components.”

Kliethermes agrees. “LED lighting is huge – all the old fluorescent lighting is being replaced. We’re seeing brighter lighting and brighter cabins.”

Moreover, Kliethermes is “seeing requests grow to handle lighting via phone apps, even for changing the coloring of the lighting — and even for some charter aircraft”. Interest from charter owners and operators in passengers being able to control cabin lighting levels and colors using their mobile phones “probably lags behind private [Part 91] a bit, but it’s a simple app download when you get on the aircraft.

“We’re definitely seeing that more and more,” he continues. “It’s not a first-time [customer] thing. But then, the customer becomes a long-term client and wants a particular aircraft because of the [lighting] options.”

Tips on Furniture and Fittings

Cabin furniture materials and finishes are highly important considerations for owners buying aircraft that will be made available for charter operations. Making sure that the furniture coverings and fittings are robust, longlasting and easily maintainable is of critical importance. The aircraft “can’t be out of service because someone spilled red wine or there’s a tear” in the seat cover or carpet, says Kliethermes.

Owners should bear in mind that aircraft made widely available for charters generally operate more flying hours than those operated purely on private flights. “From a charter perspective, durability is huge,” he adds. “Coloring [of furniture coverings, carpets and finishes] is important. Red wine and blue jeans are terrible for cabins.”

Furniture coverings need to be made of tough materials, such as Ultraleather. Window linings also need to be made of durable materials. Carpets and furniture coverings can’t contain silk because it is too fragile – they need to be made of strong materials and they shouldn’t be light in color. So, white-leather seats are a nono, as are light-colored carpets.

“There are many beautiful interiors you can’t maintain for a charter aircraft,” says Zipkin. “It needs to be hard-wearing. A good refurbishment shop can provide insight into what wears well and what does not.”

High-polish veneers on wooden panels are not good from a maintainability perspective, he warns. Additionally, “an innocuous interior allows the aircraft to age well from a style standpoint”. Neutral cabininterior colors — particularly “earth tones,” are best, says Kliethermes. 

“Another often-overlooked

feature on charter aircraft

is the configuration of the main entry door and stairway...“

Tips on the Galley

Highly equipped galleys usually aren’t necessary in smaller aircraft operating US domestic charters, which tend to comprise under three hours’ flight duration, according to Zipkin. “In the US domestic market, people are less demanding than in the international market.”

Kliethermes says that, “on normal aircraft for Part 135 charters, as long as there is a decent microwave [cooker], coffee, beverages and the ability to take care of catering”, those necessities will amply suffice for most charter passengers.

“Even on [US] transcontinental flights, 90% of clients will be comfortable with the standard galley offering. The other 10% will search for their jets accordingly.”

But for “flights of five hours or more, there is a different expectation,” Kliethermes adds. “There will be differences in how you store beverages and prepare food, etc.” This is particularly true for aircraft operated on long-haul international charters and in markets outside North America.

Pollard agrees. “A lot depends on the mission, cabin size, and passenger count. Ovens, microwaves, wine coolers, coffee makers and espresso machines are all amenities that can be combined into the functional and beautiful galleys found in today’s business jet cabins.”

These features are very popular with charter passengers and aircraft owners alike, she notes.

Cabin Storage, Baggage Capacity, Lavatories and Aircraft Access

Owners and operators of aircraft used for charter flying also have to take into account several other equipment factors that can strongly impact the desirability of an aircraft for charter operations, says Pollard.

For instance, “While cabin storage isn’t as much of a challenge on Super Mid-Size or Large Jets, it can be a real issue on Light and Mid-Size Jets,” she says. Duncan Aviation often reconfigures cabinets to allow for more efficient storage of catering and cabin supplies.

“Well-designed galley and lavatory storage can reduce cabin clutter and enable operators to stock a wider range of catering and passenger amenities, thereby improving the passenger experience,” Pollard adds.

“Internal and external baggage capacity is also a key factor for charter aircraft,” she continues. “Passengers are not always familiar with the size of aircraft baggage compartments, so it is important for operators and brokers to explain the limitations. There's a reason that aircraft with larger baggage compartments tend to be more popular charter aircraft, particularly for Light and Mid-Size Jets.

“In the charter world, not being able to fit all of a customer’s luggage is often referred to as a ‘Bagtastrophe’ and is dreaded by crew members and passengers alike. Passengers prefer aircraft that can accommodate bulky items such as golf clubs, skis, and even precious works of art.”

While not a topic that commands much media discussion, “Lavatory size and functionality is important to passengers, particularly on longer missions,” Pollard notes. “There are many ways to increase the functionality of small spaces.

“Pop-up lavatory storage compartments can create places to keep essentials, and luxury amenities and slight shifts in fixtures can give passengers greater access to them.” Providing sufficient washroom space to ensure passengers feel comfortable at

all times, is a must, particularly for longer-haul flying.”

Another often-overlooked feature on charter aircraft is the configuration of the main entry door and stairway, Pollard shares.

“Aircraft with wider doors and entry steps with handrails provide easier access for the elderly, or for passengers with mobility challenges, and stand-up cabins with flat floors are very also popular features.”

All of these factors increase the sense of space and relaxation for passengers.

Cabin Air Filtration and Purification Considerations

Of course, today, more than ever, owners and operators of business aircraft available for charter have to make guaranteeing the continuing health of their passengers as much of a priority as assuring their passengers’ safety.

“One of the primary reasons people choose to fly private in the age of Covid-19 is to minimize the risk of exposure to contagions,” Pollard says. Duncan Aviation and Flying Colours perform retrofit installations of Aviation Clean Air’s (ACA’s) plasma ionization cabin filtration system, and both have seen a significant increase in demand for the system.

“This component is designed to work with an aircraft’s existing environmental control system as an active air- and surface-purification system,” Pollard explains. “‘Active’ means it’s not passive like an air filtration system that works only when air passes through it.

As the aircraft flies, the ACA system cleans and improves air quality throughout the aircraft by disabling harmful pathogens and neutralizing odors and allergens. Charter clients frequently ask their providers what measures are being taken to combat the spread of Covid, and measures like this provide an added level of comfort.”

In Summary…

So, as you will see, there are multiple areas of the cabin, cockpit and the aircraft’s exterior that an aircraft owner or operator must consider when planning to make it available for Charter.

An aircraft management company or MRO center will be able to talk these through with you in greater detail to ensure you plan and execute an aircraft refurbishment in a way that will maximizes the potential revenue you can make from your aircraft when it isn’t flying privately for you. ❚

CHRIS KJELGAARD

has been an aviation journalist for 40 years, with a particular expertise on aircraft maintenance. He has served as editor of ten print and online titles and written extensively on many aspects of aviation. He also copy-edits most major documents published by a global aviation industry trade association.

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