Tag: safety standards

Deadly Charter Flights: An industry group is expressing concern about illegal charters a week after a troubling report on a 2017 Learjet crash

by Doug Gollan
Private jet charter safety

Football star Emiliano Sala’s death when the Piper Malibu he was flying crashed is raising safety issues days after a report cited pilot qualifications in a 2017 Learjet crash in the U.S.

A letter sent today by BACA, The Air Charter Association (of Europe), to its members is highlighting safety concerns in the sometimes murky world of private jet charter, which includes piston and turboprop aircraft in addition to jets.

This comes days after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said both pilots in the May 15, 2017 crash of a Learjet 35A during its approach to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey failed to follow company standard operating procedures. Both pilots died and there were no passengers onboard.

Teterboro crash pilot not qualified

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JET CARD INSIDER: At Sentient Jet, It’s Safety First, Middle And Last. Oh, And By The Way, Guaranteed WiFi Is Coming

by Doug Gollan Leave a comment

Sentient Jet’s membership brings high-touch service, closed fleet sourcing and a fractional-like VIP lifestyle program starting at $127,325 for its Light Jet card.

 

When one looks at the jet card market, there are clearly a lot of providers and lots of concepts percolating. Since many are new and they are privately held companies, it’s difficult to tell how much traction they are getting. At the same time, there is a core of established players, and that includes Sentient Jet, which claims to have invented the jet card circa 1999. It started when an entrepreneur jet owner was frustrated his management company wasn’t generating enough charter hours. Last week, Private Jet Card Comparisons spent a day at Sentient’s new headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts, just outside Boston to take an intense look at the company. It is part of Kenn Ricci’s Cleveland-based Directional Aviation empire. Think Flexjet, but as Sentient’s CEO Andrew Collins puts it, “We’re great neighbors, but we don’t live in each other’s houses.” 

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Does Your Private Jet Operator Meet IS-BAO Standards?

by Doug Gollan

The International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), developed by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and its member associations, is a recommended code of best practices designed to help private aviation operators and corporate flight departments achieve high levels of safety and professionalism. IS-BAO is an industry standard built for operators, by operators that provides standards based on the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS). Both the FAA and CAA in Canada recognize IS-BAO as meeting the ICAO standard. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) also recognizes IS-BAO as an industry standard for business aircraft operations. 

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