An Overview of Options to Fly Private
There are basically 4 ways to get involved with flying private:
- Buy a Plane
- Buy a FRACTION or a plane
- Buy a membership to a program that gives you access to planes
- On demand charter (pay as you go)
Buy a Plane
Buying a plane is a big commitment. Generally the low end of buying a jet will start at $4 million for an older model light jet and go up to $35 million for a more modern heavy jet. After acquiring the asset you’d then need to decide how to have it managed. The easiest way to have a plane managed is chose an operator. The alternative of creating your own flight department and hiring pilots, etc. can represent a pretty steep learning curve.
Buy a Fraction of a Plane
Buying a fraction of a plane is an easy way to enjoy many of the benefits of owning a plane without many of the hassles. These programs generally allow you to get involved at significant savings to owning a whole aircraft.
Card Membership
Card membership is a way to commit to a certain amount of flying without having to buy into owning anything. Generally card programs either give access to a fractional fleet of planes or arrange flights in the open charter fleet.
On Demand Charter
On demand charter takes advantage of the thousands of aircraft that air openly available in the charter fleet. Generally finding these aircraft is done by working with a broker who can save time and money as opposed to a consumer calling the operators of the aircraft directly.