Safety on every Kentucky charter flight
Safety is the first thing we consider for a trip out of Kentucky, and while brokers are not required by law to have any safety due diligence procedures in place, we go above and beyond. Before we send you a single option, we check who operates the aircraft, review that operator’s safety and incident history, and confirm that the pilots are experienced and current on the aircraft type you will be flying on.
Whether it is your family leaving Louisville for a week in Florida or a group of owners flying into Lexington for the Keeneland sales, you are entitled to know who is flying them.
Vetting Behind Every Trip
Every operator, aircraft, and crew goes through our internal due diligence before we present any options. Our internal standards meet or exceed what the FAA requires:
- FAR Part 135 charter operators for traditional private aircraft, or FAR Part 121 for airliner-size and group trips (or the foreign equivalent on international legs)
- Operator subscription to Wyvern and ARGUS reviewed where the operator participates.
- Pilot experience and operator incident history reviewed before we recommend an aircraft.
- Fewer than 60 brokers worldwide hold Premium Wyvern Broker Member status, and Air Charter Advisors is one of them.
Wyvern and ARGUS are independent third-party aviation safety organizations. They audit operators and maintain databases of operator safety records, and where an operator participates in one of those programs, we reference the audit as part of our review.
Part 135 is the FAA’s set of rules for on-demand, for-hire charter. It carries stricter operating, crew, and insurance requirements than FAR Part 91, the rules for private, non-commercial flying that cannot be sold as charter.
Crew qualification
FAR Part 135 sets minimum crew requirements by aircraft type, and some aircraft types are certified for single-pilot operations. Rather than make a blanket promise about crew size, we confirm that the pilots assigned to your flight are experienced and current on the specific aircraft type they will be flying on.
Who controls the flight
The certified operator holds operational control of every flight we arrange, and the Pilot in Command makes the final call on departure, routing, and landing. Maintenance is the responsibility of the air carrier and aircraft owners. It is their job to ensure they are up to date and in compliance with all laws and regulations.
We review that operator before you book, and an operator that does not meet our standards never reaches your quote.
Flying from Kentucky
Derby week in Louisville, and the Breeders’ Cup in the years it comes to Keeneland, bring more private aircraft into a handful of airports than they see the rest of the year, and the FAA manages the arrivals on those days. If you are flying in for one of them, book early. Your advisor will plan the airport and the timing with you, and will tell you as soon as anything changes on the day.
If you are coming back from abroad, the flight can clear customs at Louisville Muhammad Ali International, Blue Grass Airport in Lexington or Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, and your advisor arranges it.
For trips that leave the United States, landing permits and authorizations are generally applied for after a trip has been secured on the aircraft schedule, and sometimes the timeline is dictated by the local airport authorities. We will always do our best to ensure departure and arrival times meet your needs, but these are sometimes subject to the approvals of the local airport authority and government.
Weather
Ice and snow in the winter and strong spring thunderstorms are the weather we watch most often in Kentucky, and the spring storms arrive in the same weeks as the Derby and the Keeneland spring meet. Your advisor monitors conditions ahead of departure. If any changes are required due to weather and passenger safety, you can expect your advisor to reach out as soon as we are aware. Depending on the day, we may recommend expediting departure, delaying, or using an alternate airport, subject to scheduling and aircraft availability.
Ask us
If you have a question about an operator, a crew or an aircraft on your quote, ask before you book. The phone is answered 24 hours a day at 1-888-987-5387, or you can send your trip details through our contact page.
Our Kentucky charter FAQ page answers the common questions about booking, payment, travel documents and choosing an aircraft.