LEAR45

At what point does a company flying schedule need to be to add a third pilot?

ovrtake92

We just recently added a third pilot because of the fact that noone could take a vacation without having to hire contract which can get expensive. Also, our department was flying like crazy and it was getting ridiculous with only two. However, lately we have been very slow so it would seem like a bad idea to hire a third pilot if for the sole purpose of having a busy department. So in the end it comes down to the fact that if you have the resourses to hire a third pilot it is a good idea if for no other fact that you have a fully functional flight department that does not rely on contract pilots in the event of vacation or sick time. Or worse if somebody quits, you dont have to panic over getting someone hired right away.

geosynchronous

The NBAA uses two formulas based on either flight hours per year or days available per pilot. Senior pilots or pilots that fly multiple types for a department may not be available as much because of accrued vacation time and/or more weeks per year at training.

Without getting in to the nitty-gritty, a good reference is 600 hours per year for a one aircraft flight department with two pilots; that warrants considering adding a third. It also depends on how well the department manager documents all of the ancillary time that pilots spend not flying the aircraft. Many H/R types with corporations are dumbfounded by the concept of "duty time" and working outside of a cubicle.

When H/R sees that you are flying 600 hours per year, they equate that to not working 1480 hours in that calendar year.

trafly

Many flight departments and 135 management companies start looking at 400 hrs./yr. This is highly dependent on the type of trip you fly and days flown each month. Do you fly 10 hour legs 4 days a month or 1 hour legs, 4 legs a day, 25 days a month? As Overtake noted, one major factor is the increased availability of the aircraft should one pilot get sick, injured, go on vacation, etc...

stinsonjr

To me this is one of the biggest advantages of the FRACS. How big does a flight department have to be before it makes sense to have an in-house flight department as opposed to going the fractional route? Sorry if this is thread creep, just interested in the thought process and advantages of an in-house department in comparison to fractionals.

ovrtake92

That's a good question that Im sure a lot of wealthy people and corporations put a lot of thought into. I sure dont know all the numbers associated with the two operations but I do know that some people who can afford their own flight department do so because the like the comfort level and security of knowing their crew. Nothing against fractionals but it is similar to jumping on an airliner in that you dont know the crew or maintenance personel and they dont know you. (Minus losing the luggage and mean flight attendants). We have a great owner and we know what he likes and dislikes. He is also a very nervous flyer and has to know his pilots and maintenance people very well. SO its just one of those personal preference things if you have the money and a good department manager it works great. If I was loaded I would just use a fractional because it would be a lot less stressfull than having a flight department.

stinsonjr

Is there ever a time when an in-house flight department makes more sense? I understand some large operations - Wal-mart, Exxon, etc needing their own department. It would be an interesting spreadsheet to make if I had the correct data - insurance, operating costs, acquisition, tax benefits, crew costs, etc. I imagine that given the great rise in fracs, and the value people see there is a significant value proposition...would just love to see the numbers.

trafly

Actually, a corporate flight department makes tons of sense for many operators, depending on hours and type of usage. It's incredibly complex, but each type of operation (flight department, frax, charter...)makes sense for a given situation, based on trip type, hours flown, etc...

FlyerJosh

300-400 flight hours per year is typical for a part 91 corporate operation. 500-600 year for a typical 135 charter operation.

FlyerJosh

Based on "numbers", many corporate flight department don't pan out from an accounting standpoint.

My company operates a Citation. We track annual expenses, hourly expenses, and trip expenses. Not including fixed costs (crew/aircraft acquisition/hangar) and fixed maintenance costs (overhaul, calendar inspections), it costs, on average, about $2.40 per passenger mile. Obviously that is significantly more than many charter/fractional/airline alternatives.

However the capability to have total operational control (including departure time, arrival time, airport, operational criteria/policies, and most importantly crew) is very important to my company. We know how our aircraft is maintained and cared for both in the air and on the ground. We know exactly who has flown the aircraft, under what circumstances, and who has access to it at all times. Those are just some of the factors that companies can't control with fractionals.

While it might look good at first glance, a lot of the "convenience" of the fractionals actually cost the owner more than if they operated their own department.