Flight Options Pilots

Pilots

Leaders in the sky. At your service.

Our pilots are the faces that greet you and escort you to your jet, the voices that answer your questions and walk you through procedures, and the minds that keep you safe. It’s no wonder we invest so much to recruit and retain the best pilots in the industry and make sure they remain leaders in the sky.

Through highly selective recruitment and training programs, our pilots and crew provide an unsurpassed level of commitment, expertise, professionalism and skill that exceeds the exacting standards of Federal Aviation Regulations, Part 135. Type-rated by the FAA, Flight Options® pilots complete two annual training events – one in a flight simulator and one in aircraft with an FAA Certified Check Airman. No other jet operator provides this level of training for their pilots.

The combined experience of the crew members onboard your Flight Options flight averages over 25 years, and over 20,000 flight hours. And since our inception, our pilots have logged more than 1.5 million hours of flight time and have flown more than 964,000 legs. Having flown over 16,000 legs into and out of difficult terrain such as Aspen, CO, as well as operating in diverse locations such as London and Tokyo, the highly experienced crew members aboard your Flight Options aircraft are ready to take on any mission.

Extensive ground and flight training

Flight Options’ unique combination of simulator and aircraft training ensures our pilots are the best trained in the industry. Pilots are trained for every conceivable situation that can be replicated in the simulator environment and also trained in the real-world aircraft environments in which we operate.

Because of our industry-leading standards, crew member experience and top-of-the-line training programs, we have the safest and most professional pilots in the industry.

  • Every Flight Options pilot holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate as well as being FAA type-rated and Part 135 Pilot-In-Command (PIC) qualified in the aircraft they fly.

  • All Flight Options pilots receive extensive ground and flight training. New pilots complete seven days of Part 135 Basic Indoctrination classroom training prior to simulator and aircraft training. Each year, along with recurrent simulator training, pilots return to the classroom for two days of recurrent Part 135 Indoctrination training. In addition, our pilots receive periodic training on seasonal or new information via a distance learning web-based learning management system.

  • Each Flight Options pilot completes a Part 135 Initial training program that consists of systems classes and simulator training and checks. Checks include a Part 135.293 aircraft competency check and Part 135.297 instrument proficiency check in a full-motion, level D (FAA’s highest rating) simulator at CAE SimuFlite. Each pilot returns annually to CAE SimuFlite for classroom and simulator training and requalification. Simulator training is conducted by CAE SimuFlite instructors who are specially trained on Flight Options’ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Simulator evaluators are also specially trained and authorized by the FAA to conduct checks for Flight Options.

  • In addition to simulator training, Flight Options provides aircraft training that exceeds regulatory requirements by conducting eight days of Initial Operational Experience (IOE) training for each pilot and an additional eight days of Pilot-In-Command (PIC) Upgrade training for pilots the company designates as PIC. Following PIC Upgrade training, each PIC receives a Part 135.299 Line check.

  • Each pilot receives additional aircraft training six months after simulator qualification or requalification. Each pilot completes eight days of Annual Line Training and PICs complete a Part 135.297 instrument proficiency check.

Learn more about the level of training and professionalism that goes into being the best in the industry. Visit our Operations Control Center Tour page to view a first-hand testimonial from one of our highly experienced pilots.

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