Owning a private jet raises a staffing question almost immediately: hire and manage flight crew directly, or place the aircraft under a management company. The right answer depends less on aircraft size than on how much time an owner wants to spend on operations rather than flying.
Direct employment of flight crew
Owners who fly frequently and want full control over crew selection, scheduling and aircraft culture often hire pilots directly. This gives a consistent crew who know the aircraft and the owner’s preferences intimately, but it also means the owner carries recruitment, recurrent training scheduling, payroll, and regulatory compliance as an ongoing responsibility, whether or not the aircraft flies that month.
Third-party aircraft management
Many owners, particularly those newer to jet ownership or flying less than a few hundred hours a year, place the aircraft under a management company that handles crew employment, maintenance scheduling, regulatory compliance and often charter placement when the aircraft is not in use. This adds a management fee on top of running costs, but removes a significant administrative burden, and an established management company typically brings buying power on fuel, parts and insurance that an individual owner rarely has alone.
What a good management arrangement should cover
Beyond flight operations, a management agreement should clearly address maintenance tracking and record-keeping, regulatory compliance under the applicable operating rules, insurance administration, and, where relevant, charter revenue splits and utilization reporting. Owners considering management should ask for references from current clients with a similar aircraft type and usage pattern, since a management company’s strength in one segment of the market does not always carry over to another.
There is no universally right answer here. The decision generally comes down to how many hours are flown per year, how much administrative involvement an owner wants, and whether the priority is maximum control or minimum time spent on operations.
Choosing between a midsize and an ultra-long-range jet is ultimately about matching capability to your real flying pattern — and once that choice is clear, the next priority is execution. Timing matters, and at IST Yacht & Jet we know how to source, negotiate, and deliver the right aircraft faster than the market standard, cutting through the usual delays and intermediaries.
To arrange a private consultation, reach out directly: