It reaches us often, and almost always in the same words: "the aircraft is sitting there, can I get something out of it?". The short answer is that it depends which certificate it flies under, and that there is no shortcut.
Why we cannot send you requests
We work with certificated operators and aircraft available in Central America; outside the region we coordinate on request.
Carrying passengers for compensation requires an operator certificate. An aircraft registered for private use does not have one, and that is not a pending formality: it is the difference between two distinct activities.
If we sent you a request, we would be putting you into an operation your insurance probably does not cover and your authority does not authorise. We are not doing you that favour.
What usually gets proposed, and why it fails
"I only charge the costs." This is the most-cited route and the one that causes most trouble. Cost-sharing rules are narrow and vary by country; an owner's reading rarely matches an inspector's.
"The passenger rents the aircraft and hires the pilot separately." This arrangement is well known, it has a name in the industry, and authorities look at it closely precisely because it is well known.
"They are just friends chipping in for fuel." It may be true. It is also what everyone says, and the burden of showing it is yours the day someone asks.
The problem with all three is not the fine. It is the insurance. A private-use policy tends to exclude carriage for compensation, and that exclusion surfaces exactly when the cover is needed.
The routes that do exist
Lease the aircraft to a certified operator. They add it to their certificate, operate it under their procedures, and you receive what was agreed for the lease. It is the usual route and the one that does not leave you exposed.
Obtain your own certificate. It is a long process with a permanent fixed cost. It makes sense if the volume justifies it and you want to be in this business; it does not make sense to monetise an idle aircraft.
Or accept that the aircraft costs what it costs. That is a legitimate answer and the one many owners choose once they do the full sums.
The sum worth doing first
San José to Drake Bay is 83.5 nautical miles; San José to Tamarindo, 97.1. These are short legs, and revenue per flight hour on short legs is lower than people assume, because ground time is not billed and does consume the day.
And if you are going to lease to an operator, the revenue passes through their margin. Do the calculation with real utilisation hours, not with the hourly rate you see published.
What we can do
If you take the leasing route, talk to certified operators in your area. And if one of them lists their aircraft with us, yours would come in through that door, not through its own. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
What we will not do is send you a request directly. Not out of rigidity, but because the day it went wrong the problem would be yours, and we would have caused it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I receive requests with my private aircraft?
No. Carrying passengers for compensation requires an operator certificate. We work with certificated operators and aircraft available in Central America; outside the region we coordinate on request.
What if I only charge costs?
Cost-sharing rules are narrow and vary by country. An owner's reading rarely matches an inspector's.
What is the real risk?
The insurance. A private-use policy tends to exclude carriage for compensation, and that exclusion surfaces when cover is needed.
What routes exist then?
Lease to a certified operator, obtain your own certificate, or accept the cost of the aircraft.
Is getting a certificate worth it?
If you want to be in this business and volume justifies it. Not to monetise an idle aircraft.
Does the revenue add up on short legs?
Less than assumed: ground time is not billed and consumes the day.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.