Just a question. Would corporate/fractional/charter pilots pay a freelance, licensed Aircraft Dispatcher to file flight plans for them and flight track them? I'm an FAA certified Aircraft Dispatcher and was curious about starting a company from home to flight plan, file, and track small operators or even private pilots for them for a small fee and would like your input to see if it would even be worth it. Please provide your thoughts either way.
Flight planning/flight tracking question
- Thread starter E6Birdman
- Start date
MikeOH58
Well-Known Member
In my opinion I don't see how you could possibly compete against ARINC, Universal, World, Jeppesen, or even fltplan.com. Too big, too many resources.
Flight tracking........maybe? My previous job was a two person, single pilot jet operation. The pilot not working would do the tracking, but the extent of it was checking in within 30 minutes from proposed landing, nothing en route. I may have considered using a small third party tracker had I known it was available and reasonably priced. I think if you were to do that you may also want to provide a custom emergency response plan to your clients.
Goodluck.
Flight tracking........maybe? My previous job was a two person, single pilot jet operation. The pilot not working would do the tracking, but the extent of it was checking in within 30 minutes from proposed landing, nothing en route. I may have considered using a small third party tracker had I known it was available and reasonably priced. I think if you were to do that you may also want to provide a custom emergency response plan to your clients.
Goodluck.
Thanks MikeOH58. Do you think Part 91 guys would pay me a small amount like $25 to flight plan for them using fltplan.com? Say a private or even commercial pilot decides to go flying later today and they log on to my website with departure and arrival airports, ETD/ETA, and aircraft information. I look at the weather and if all looks good I reply to them with the route, altitude and file the plan with ATC. All they need to do is go to the plane, preflight, taxi out, open the flight plan, and go.
MikeOH58
Well-Known Member
I can't speak for GA hobby pilots, but I can't imagine a single professional pilot paying for that service. In the same amount of time it will take to log into your site and provide that information, I can just log into fltplan.com and do the same thing. Fltplan.com already provides information about most recent filed/cleared by atc routes.
KLB
Well-Known Member
It would be difficult to market something like that. Fltplan.com is literally a few simple key strokes from having a flight plan filed for domestic flights.
You're probably correct. That's why I am asking. I appreciate your input. I guess I'd be hoping there are people out there that are either too busy or lazy to do it themselves. I could even send them the Nav Log. Maybe GA guys or student pilots
I would only be providing them with the data. However you bring up a good point. I would have to put a disclaimer in there.
TrustMeI'maPilot
Well-Known Member
There are days we do 4-6 legs with times and destinations changing throughout the day, so I'm constantly changing the flight plan. It takes me less than a minute from start to finish on fltplan.com, so there's no way I'd pay someone to do something that is so easy and takes so little time.
Now if you want to track down rental cars and catering and figure out the best way to buy vs tanker fuel on a multi-leg day, there might be a market. I wouldn't pay but there might be a market. That's the biggest time suck when flight planning for me.
Okay thanks. I appreciate the info.
MikeOH58
Well-Known Member
Merely providing data is along the lines of fltplan.com providing most recent filed and cleared routes. Thats fine. But you say....
[QUOTE="E6Birdman, post: 2504822, member: 27924"Say a private or even commercial pilot decides to go flying later today and they log on to my website with departure and arrival airports, ETD/ETA, and aircraft information. I look at the weather and if all looks good I reply to them with the route, altitude and file the plan with ATC. All they need to do is go to the plane, preflight, taxi out, open the flight plan, and go.[/QUOTE]
In my opinion this business is an ambulance chasers dream case.
[QUOTE="E6Birdman, post: 2504822, member: 27924"Say a private or even commercial pilot decides to go flying later today and they log on to my website with departure and arrival airports, ETD/ETA, and aircraft information. I look at the weather and if all looks good I reply to them with the route, altitude and file the plan with ATC. All they need to do is go to the plane, preflight, taxi out, open the flight plan, and go.[/QUOTE]
In my opinion this business is an ambulance chasers dream case.
In my opinion this business is an ambulance chasers dream case.[/QUOTE]
Okay, thanks. You're probably correct.
bucksmith
Did you lock the doors?
I agree with the concerns already posted and I would add that individually speaking, we are way too cheap to pay for something like that...Why not just hit up smaller 135 operators and one person show flight departments. Walk around the local airports and look for a pilot cleaning a king air. Another sure sign is a corporate aircraft of some kind with a lawn mower (tug) parked next to it in the hangar...
Haha, thanks bucksmith.