FAA Part 135 Archives

FAA hits five private jet operators for illegal charters

August 24, 2021September 4, 2021by Doug Gollan

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing $1.2 million in fines against PottCo Airlease, PottCo Tactical Air, Wikert Air, Oracle Aviation, and East Shore Aviation

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed civil penalties totaling $1,228,671 against five private aviation companies for allegedly conducting illegal charter flights, according to a release from the agency.

Five companies were tagged: PottCo Airlease, PottCo Tactical Air, Wikert Air, Oracle Aviation, and East Shore Aviation.

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Biden’s mask mandate may extend to private jet charter flights

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021by Doug Gollan

President Biden’s Executive Order promoting COVID-19 safety for air travel could impact private jet charter and jet card flights

President Joseph R. Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel could end up including private jet charter and jet card flights.

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Illegal private charter flight reports take a “dramatic uptick”

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020by Doug Gollan1 Comment

Newcomers looking for deals and cash strapped private jet owners are causing a surge in illegal charter activity. However, FAA enforcement often misses the mark, industry experts say

Illegal charter can be deadly. Last year’s death of European soccer star Emiliano Sala came on an aircraft not authorized for commercial charters in Europe. It was flown by a pilot who wasn’t qualified. A 2018 Falcon 50 crash that killed both pilots in South Carolina found that maintenance records weren’t up to date. The pilots were not qualified to fly Part 135 charter flights.

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COVID-19 raises illegal charter concerns a year after Sala’s deadly plane crash

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020by Doug Gollan

As private jet travel attracts price-sensitive newcomers, illegal charters with unqualified pilots and aircraft are creating new dangers

“We’ve just got done with a case..The PIC (Pilot-in-Charge) was not typed in the aircraft and the SIC (Second Officer-in-Charge) was a student pilot with less than 50 hours. That’s one of the most unsafe things I’ve seen. This stuff goes on. It happens.”

– FAA Inspector

Back in 2016, I was visiting the headquarters of Jet Linx Aviation in Omaha, Nebraska. Walking with its CEO Jamie Walker between a series of meetings, he suggested I write about illegal charters. He said it was a subject he didn’t think was getting enough attention.

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