What to expect from an aircraft manager

Define the service scope

An aircraft management proposal should identify the tasks the provider will perform, the authority needed to perform them, and the information the owner will receive. Broad descriptions such as maintenance coordination or owner support need a written scope before proposals can be compared.

Start with the work the aircraft requires: scheduling maintenance, collecting estimates, tracking open items, organizing records, arranging pilots, coordinating travel, and reviewing invoices. Assign responsibility for each task. Include exclusions, such as work the owner handles directly or services billed separately.

The checklist in this article is a recommended way to evaluate a proposal. It does not describe a standardized package or establish that every provider offers the same services. The appropriate scope depends on the aircraft, its use, and the responsibilities the owner wants to retain.

Owner responsibilities and maintenance authority

Under 14 CFR 91.403(a), the owner or operator is primarily responsible for maintaining the aircraft in an airworthy condition, including compliance with applicable airworthiness directives. Hiring administrative help does not remove that responsibility.

The management arrangement should distinguish coordination from the performance of maintenance and approval for return to service. Section 91.403(b) requires maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations to comply with the applicable regulations, including Part 43. A management title does not itself confer maintenance privileges.

Identify who communicates with the maintenance provider, who authorizes spending, and how the owner receives the resulting status and documentation. Keep those administrative assignments separate from the technical determinations made by appropriately authorized personnel.

Source: 14 CFR 91.403: Owner/operator maintenance responsibility

Maintenance scheduling and status reports

A maintenance schedule should show the source of each due item, the applicable date or utilization limit, the planned shop visit, and any prerequisite such as parts availability. The person maintaining the schedule needs a defined method for obtaining current aircraft times and incorporating completed work.

For an active visit, request updates that distinguish completed work from estimates of future completion. A part received, an installation completed, testing completed, and records completed are separate milestones. A forecast should identify which milestones remain and who supplied the estimate.

Agree on reporting frequency and escalation conditions in advance. A change affecting a planned trip, a request for more spending, or a delay in a critical part may warrant an update before the next scheduled report.

• Work completed and work remaining, with the date and source of the update.
• Outstanding decisions, the person responsible, and the response deadline.
• Estimated completion time and the assumptions behind it.
• Effect on planned aircraft use and the next scheduled update.

Spending approvals and changes in scope

Define the amount and type of spending that the manager can authorize without further approval. State whether a limit applies per task, per invoice, or per maintenance event. Also define the treatment of related charges, including shipping, travel, and subcontracted work.

Troubleshooting authorization should describe the diagnostic work being purchased and when the shop must request further approval. An allowance to investigate a fault is not necessarily an authorization to replace components or complete a repair.

Maintain a connection between the request, estimate, approval, revised scope, and invoice. Each change should retain its date and approving person. The owner should be able to identify what was authorized without reconstructing a series of phone conversations.

Spending limits are negotiated controls, not universal industry amounts. Select them based on the aircraft, the expected work, and the owner’s preferred involvement.

Records and owner access

Section 91.417 specifies maintenance and inspection records and aircraft-status information that owners or operators must retain. Its provisions address total time, life-limited parts, inspection status, applicable AD status, and certain alteration records, with different retention requirements for different records.

A practical records arrangement should identify the location of originals, the organization of electronic copies, backup responsibility, and owner access. Confirm how new entries are collected after a shop visit and how missing or incomplete documents are followed up.

An administrative spreadsheet can help track dates and requests, but its entries should point to the supporting records. Do not treat an unsupported status summary as equivalent to the documentation it summarizes. Apply the actual retention requirements to each record category rather than adopting a single deletion schedule for the entire file.

Source: 14 CFR 91.417: Maintenance records

Fees and invoice review

Compare the complete charging structure: recurring fee, hourly work, travel, after-hours charges, vendor markups, and any referral compensation. Ask which services are included and which require an additional authorization.

For a useful comparison, give each prospective provider the same list of tasks and expected activity. A monthly price is difficult to compare if one proposal includes invoice review and another bills for it separately.

Request access to the underlying vendor invoices and a clear separation between vendor charges and management charges. Invoice review should reconcile the bill with authorized work and identify unexplained differences. Define who raises questions with the vendor and who follows them through to resolution.

Coverage and transfer of the account

Document service hours, the primary contact, the backup contact, and the response expected outside normal hours. Backup coverage requires access to the current work list and approval limits, not just the primary contact’s telephone number.

Before engaging the provider, review the process for transferring records, vendor contacts, upcoming appointments, and unresolved work at the end of the arrangement. Establish the format and timing of that transfer in the agreement.

The completed proposal should leave an owner with a named contact, a defined reporting schedule, known spending authority, an understandable fee structure, and continued access to the aircraft’s records. Any unresolved item belongs in the proposal discussion before work begins.