Types of Sharing Business Aircraft

Private jet owners are the individuals who are mainlyhour for hour for similar aircrafts, that is one cannot
involved in business aviation and are most likely totrade two hours on a Citation for one hour on a
enter into aircraft sharing arrangements. FromGulfstream. But an hourly charge can be levied for
occasional users to industry veterans, there arethe differential operating costs. Interchange
different types of sharing structures which are basedsometimes of include leasing where FAA permits
broadly on certain issues like legal, regulatory,"wet" interchanges, whereby each party provides its
operational, economic, tax, liability, and disclosureaircraft and crew to the other. "Dry" interchanges
perspectives. Some of these sharing structures arehave are also permitted where each lessee uses its
Time Sharing, Interchange, Joint Ownership, Dryown crew. Normally "dry" leasing has always been
Leasing and Fractional.more common in the private carriage camp than
Time Sharing: This is specifically allowed under"wet" leasing.
§91.501© (1) of FAA. Time Sharing is anCo Ownership: This is an old practice since decades
arrangement whereby a person leases his airplanewhere companies mutually agree to share ownership
along with flight crew to another person and noof an aircraft. There is no prohibition on doing so as
other charges are collected, other than for any directper the law. Each co owner has the right to operate
expenses incurred during with the flight, like forthe aircraft independently or contract out individually
example twice the cost of fuel must be paid. Thisor collectively for management services. These
charging restriction is its main limitation. This leasing ofarrangements are viewed to be private from an FAA
the aircraft along with the crew is also sometimesperspective and not subject to the Truth in Leasing
known as "Wet Lease". It is most useful for shortprovisions. The co owners would be unable to charge
term arrangements where full cost recovery is noteach other for operating the aircraft.
essential.Each method has its own sets of advantages and
Interchange: Specified under $91.501© (2) oflimitations and hence has to be chosen appropriately
FAA. Interchange is an arrangement mainly useful forkeeping in mind your annual flight hour requirements,
two or more companies, where each of them ownsthe type of aircraft you wish to fly and both the
an aircraft. They exchange aircrafts to swap timelocation of your starting and destination places.
which is mutually convenient. The exchange must be