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Hi. My family has a couple of aircraft for personal use(Cessna 172 and 210). We would like to
charter them to earn a little extra money. Is that possible in the US? How can I do it?
-- David Flores, October 16, 2016
If you want to devote the rest of your life to FAA regulatory compliance, becoming a charter operator makes sense, but generally as with most other things in the U.S. you must "go big or go home" (have 25 jets, not two piston aircraft) to come out with a profit. What most people would do in your situation is look for partners or dry lease customers. If the customer can fly or hires his or her own pilot(s) then you don't need to devote yourself to running an airline.
-- Philip Greenspun, October 16, 2016
I'm not an expert (this is really an aviation law question, not a pilot or instructor question), but selling seats actually requires Part 121 compliance! Selling the whole aircraft is a 135 operation. People traveling together for a common purpose can share expenses under FAR 91 but that's about it. See https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all- news/2014/october/pilot/counsel for some unfortunate interactions between these regulations and a startup's business plan.
-- Philip Greenspun, October 17, 2016
Thank you Phil. We normally fly from SAT to AUS daily. What if I want to sell my available seats? I need to be Part 135? Will that be viable?
-- David Flores, October 16, 2016