What Are the Regulations Surrounding the Small-plane Industry?

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Since the Independence Day Plane Crash, conversations surrounding the regulations and safeguards of the aviation industry, especially when it comes to small aircrafts, are once again reigniting.

Many have asked if small aircraft companies are regulated or if their operators have a body that they must account to?

Well, on a recent episode of On The Record, with host Jerome Sawyer, two licensed aviation CEO’s Captain Anthiniqueko Gibson and Captain T.J. Thompson, explained each company has a specific inspector.

Captain T.J. Thompson – Chief Executive Officer, Blessings Aviation Charter

“That inspector come every quarter, sometimes they’ll just pop up when you taxi and say hey, I wanna see ya weighting…I wanna see your tech log. I want to see if you’re flying this aircraft with any open snags…because any deficiencies, for instance, you had an item written up the previous day and it’s not signed off…that’s a violation, [and] they could actually ground that aircraft.”

So what’s the process, and what must a company do before it can legally carry passengers for payment in the Bahamas?

Captain Anthiniqueko Gibson – CEO, Bahamas Evac Services

“There’s a very excruciating process that you go through, the regulatory boarding to…an air operator certificate. I think it’s five stages, [and] if I remember correctly, it has everything to do with every aspect of the airplane, every aspect of training licensing signage, safety demos, you name it.”

Another issue that’s come up is what’s known as hacking. So how can you tell who’s legit?

Captain T.J. Thompson – Chief Executive Officer, Blessings Aviation Charter

“Numerous of websites they had, documentaries out [on] social media…it’s been going on for years, so I don’t understand why public don’t know who is AOC operated. If you go on the website, it’s all [licenses], it’s all published. In the FBO’s on these islands, [they] have all the AOC licensed operators…”

Despite this, many say they utilize hackers due to insufficient airline operators on islands, but these aviators see it differently.

Captain T.J. Thompson – Chief Executive Officer, Blessings Aviation Charter

“Lets say you wanna go to Andros, you don’t want to spend more than 50 bucks on the airlines ticket to go…and someone’s offering you to go to via destination for a fraction of the cost. You take a risk…you’re not asking the questions. Are you regulated? Are you certified? Do you have a medical?”