The team, the manuals, and the in-country presence that carry an application through to certification.
The Air Operator Certificate marks the point at which a seaplane project becomes a seaplane airline. The prerequisites are a completed business plan and all the CAA manuals — Parts A to D — together with the standard operating procedures. My role is to assemble and lead the team that can produce those documents and carry the application through the authority process.
Building the team
I recruit the team required to process the AOC application: the Managing Director, Director of Flight Operations, Director of Maintenance, and Safety and Quality Manager. To provide in-country oversight, I also hire a local representative — usually a former CAA employee — to help complete the CAA manuals and documents required for the AOC.
Staying in-country
An AOC application succeeds on responsiveness. The team is in the country most of the time, readily available to answer the authority’s questions and sort out problems promptly. I provide the expertise to ensure the AOC complies with international seaplane laws and meets all seaplane-specific regulations and requirements. In this area, general aviation consultants most often come up short.
Type add-ons to an existing AOC
For operators who already hold an AOC, the same expertise applies to a shorter path: adding an amphibious seaplane type to your existing certificate. I have done this repeatedly — adding the C208 and DHC-6 under the helicopter AOC at Trans Maldivian Airways, the C208 at Villa Air, the C208B EX at Air Juan in the Philippines, and first-of-type amphibious seaplanes onto AOCs in Nigeria.
The next step
When the CAA has approved the AOC in principle and requires a demonstration or proving flight, you choose one of two paths: Entry to Service, if your company has its own Accountable Manager, or On-Site Aviation Management, if you want hands-on leadership through the start-up and beyond.
→ Next: Entry to Service or On-Site Aviation Management · Previous: Full Aviation Business Plan
