How to Staff a New Aircraft Type

How Do I Staff a New Aircraft Type

Quick Answer

Staffing a new aircraft type should begin as soon as the acquisition is confirmed, ideally 90 to 120 days before delivery. Flight departments need to confirm type ratings, FAA medical status, currency, background checks, drug and alcohol compliance, workers' compensation coverage, and whether the need is permanent, temporary, or both.

Adding a new aircraft type to your flight department is one of the most operationally demanding transitions you can make. The purchase or lease agreement gets signed, the delivery date gets set, and somewhere in that process, the staffing question surfaces. Often too late.

This article walks through what it actually takes to staff a new aircraft type correctly, and where most flight departments get into trouble.

The Timeline Problem Is Bigger Than You Think

Most directors of aviation underestimate how long it takes to put a qualified, current, type-rated pilot in a seat for a new aircraft type. You are not just finding someone. You are finding someone, vetting them, confirming their credentials, and then in many cases getting them into type rating training before they can fly.

Type rating courses for aircraft like a Gulfstream G650 or Bombardier Challenger 350 vary by provider, candidate background, and whether the training is initial or a recurrent course, but initial programs typically run two to four weeks. FlightSafety, CAE, and SimuFlite all maintain wait times that shift with demand and time of year. During peak seasons, you may be looking at a six to ten week lead time from the point you identify a candidate to the point they are current and legal to fly your new aircraft.

If you signed the purchase agreement and then started the staffing search, you are already behind.

Start Before the Aircraft Arrive

The staffing process for a new aircraft type should begin the moment the acquisition is confirmed. That means identifying your crew requirement, deciding whether you need contract support, a permanent hire, or both, and getting a staffing partner involved immediately.

A common scenario: a flight department is transitioning from a midsize jet to a large cabin aircraft. They need two type-rated pilots for the new platform. Their existing crew holds type ratings on the current aircraft, not the new one. Someone has to go to training. Meanwhile, the new aircraft arrives in 60 days.

Starting that search at the 60-day mark is a problem. Starting it at the 120-day mark gives you options.

Contract Crew as a Bridge

One of the most practical tools a flight department has during a platform transition is contract crew coverage. While your permanent pilots are in training for the new type, you can use type-rated contract crew to cover trip obligations on your existing aircraft or fill the seat on the new platform if you have someone type-rated available through your staffing partner's network.

IFCC maintains a network of type-rated professionals across a wide range of corporate jet platforms, including Gulfstream, Challenger, Falcon, and others. When a flight department calls us mid-transition, we can often identify who is type-current on the specific platform and available on the dates that matter.

Every IFCC contract crew member placed through our staffing model is employed by IFCC as a W-2 employee. Background checks, drug testing, FAA currency verification, and workers' compensation are handled before anyone boards your aircraft. That structure helps reduce the classification, documentation, and workers' compensation exposure that can come with direct 1099 arrangements.

What You Need to Verify Before Placing Any Crew

Regardless of whether you hire directly or work with a staffing agency, the verification checklist for a type-rated crew member should cover:

Current type rating for the specific aircraft (not just the family, the specific type). FAA medical certificate, valid and current. Most recent flight review or proficiency check. Drug and alcohol testing consistent with your operation's requirements. Background check covering criminal history, driving record, and identity. Workers' compensation coverage if the individual is not a direct employee.

If you are using a 1099 contractor, most of that verification falls on you. If the person you placed has something disqualifying on their background, or if they get injured on the job without workers' comp in place, the exposure lands on your flight department. A W-2 staffing agency can handle much of that employment-administration burden, which is a meaningful operational difference when you are already managing a platform transition.

Permanent Hire vs. Contract: How to Decide

For a new aircraft type, you typically need at least two pilots capable of flying that platform. The question is how many of those seats are permanent positions versus contract coverage.

If the aircraft is a permanent addition to your fleet, permanent hire makes sense for at least one of those seats. Start the direct hire search at the same time you begin planning the transition, because the search, interview, offer, and training cycle for a permanent placement runs three to five months in a tight talent market.

Contract coverage makes sense when you need immediate capacity while the permanent hire process runs, when trip volume is irregular and you do not need a full-time second pilot year-round, or when a current crew member is transitioning to the new type and needs time to complete training.

Many flight departments use both. A staffing partner who handles both contract placement and direct hire search can manage the full picture without you coordinating across multiple vendors.

The Talent Market Is Not Getting Easier

The pool of type-rated pilots for high-demand aircraft platforms has contracted. Experienced crew members with current type ratings on large cabin jets are in short supply and know it. Compensation expectations have increased. Passive candidates, those not actively searching job boards, represent a real portion of the available talent.

If your search is limited to active job boards, you are competing in the most visible and most competitive segment of the market. A staffing agency with an established candidate network gives you access to pilots who are not advertising their availability but would consider the right opportunity.

Starting the search early, before you are in crisis mode, also changes your position. You can take the time to vet thoroughly, compare candidates, and make the right hire rather than the fastest one.

What a Staffing Partner Should Be Able to Tell You

When you call a pilot staffing agency about a new aircraft type, the first conversation should give you a clear picture of what they have in their network. Ask whether they have type-rated crew for your specific platform, how recently those crew members have flown it, and what the typical lead time looks like for placement.

IFCC has been placing type-rated aviation professionals since 2002. If we can fill the request, we tell you. If we cannot, we tell you that too. Our 99.7% trip request fill rate is built on 24 years of network development, not on overpromising.

If you are planning a platform transition and want to talk through your crew requirements before the timeline gets tight, contact our team. Same-day response. No obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should a flight department start staffing for a new aircraft type?

As soon as the acquisition is confirmed. Ideally 90 to 120 days before delivery. That timeline gives you enough runway to run a proper search, get candidates into type rating training if needed, and have qualified, current crew in place on day one.

How long does type rating training take for a Gulfstream, Challenger, or Falcon?

It varies by aircraft, training provider, and whether it is initial or a differences course, but most initial type rating programs run two to four weeks at a simulator training center like FlightSafety or CAE.

Should we use contract crew during an aircraft transition?

Contract crew is one of the most practical tools available during a transition. While your permanent pilots are completing type rating training, contract crew can cover your existing aircraft or fill qualified seats on the new platform. It keeps your operation running while the hiring process works through its timeline.

Is a W-2 aviation staffing company safer than hiring contract crew directly?

For supplemental aviation crew needs, a properly structured W-2 staffing arrangement shifts many employer-of-record responsibilities to the staffing agency and can reduce direct misclassification exposure for the flight department. Flight departments should still consult legal or HR advisors on joint-employment obligations specific to their situation.

What should we verify before placing a pilot on a new aircraft type?

Type rating for the specific aircraft, current FAA medical certificate, recent flight review or proficiency check, drug and alcohol testing consistent with your operation's requirements, background check, and workers' compensation coverage. Do not skip the verification step under time pressure.

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, tax, HR, or aviation regulatory advice. Flight departments should consult their legal, HR, tax, and aviation compliance advisors for guidance specific to their operation.

Sources

FAA Type Rating Rule (14 CFR 61.31)

IRS Worker Classification Guidance

FAA Drug and Alcohol Program Page