Qualifications

When staffing for an aviation department, coordination among personnel from several key departments – including the human resources and aviation departments – is critical. The human resources department can ensure compliance with federal and state employment regulations and conformity with company standards. The aviation department manager has knowledge of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements and specific aviation skills. Utilizing expertise across the company will help to ensure that new hires meet the needs of the flight operation.

The specific requirements and qualifications for new crewmembers will vary depending on the nature of the flight operation. For example, the employee qualifications for a flight department that routinely uses ultra-long range aircraft for international trips may be different than those for the company the only makes domestic flights, or the small business using a turboprop to make relatively short flights within a given region of the country. The following general guidelines can be utilized and adjusted as necessary:

The captain/Pilot in Command (PIC) should:

• Hold an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate with appropriate type ratings.
• Have logged a minimum of 3,000 flight hours with 500 flight hours in the type of aircraft utilized by the business.
• Hold a first-class medical certificate.
• Meet all currency requirements regarding instrument flight time and night landings prior to flying any required trips.
• Be able to pass an instrument competency check in the category of aircraft to be flown.
• Have logged (if the pilot will be flying as a captain on turbine-powered aircraft) 500 hours as PIC in turbine-powered aircraft.

The first officer/second in command should:

• Hold a commercial certificate with appropriate category and class ratings.
• Hold an instrument rating.
• Have logged a minimum of 1,500 flight hours.
• Hold a second-class medical certificate.
• Meet all currency requirements regarding instrument flight time and night landings prior to flying any required trips.
• Be able to pass an instrument competency check in the category of aircraft to be flown.

NBAA’s Management Guide contains several sections with helpful resources on flight department employee qualifications:

• Section 1.5: Department Staffing Guidelines
• Section 1.6: Aviation Department Personnel
• Section 1.7: Pilot Qualifications