For Part 135 operators, staffing rarely becomes a problem at a convenient time. A pilot calls in sick before departure. A trip gets extended. A maintenance issue appears at a remote destination. A peak travel week fills the schedule faster than expected.
The result is familiar: operations managers searching old emails, calling former contractors, and trying to confirm qualifications late at night.
The solution is not simply “hire more people.” Strong aviation staffing is a repeatable system for finding, verifying, scheduling, and retaining qualified crew before the pressure hits.
These 12 practical hacks can help Part 135 operators, charter companies, and flight departments build a more reliable staffing operation.
Important: Contract crew must still be integrated into your approved training, qualification, operational control, maintenance, and safety processes. The FAA’s Part 135 certification guidance and 14 CFR Part 135 are the right starting points for regulatory requirements.
The worst time to look for a contract pilot is when a flight departs in six hours.
Instead, maintain a short list of pre-vetted contract pilots for every aircraft type and operating region in your fleet. Include likely backup candidates, not just the person you call first.
Your bench should identify:
A bench gives you options when the first-choice crew member is unavailable. It also reduces the temptation to accept an unknown candidate simply because the trip is urgent.
Every flight department has a “database,” even if it is spread across spreadsheets, email threads, phone contacts, and group texts.
Consolidate that information into one searchable record for preferred contractors. Add notes after every trip: Was the pilot punctual? Did they follow company procedures? Were their communication and cockpit resource management strong? Would you hire them again?
A preferred-contractor database should be operational, not just a list of names. It should tell your team who is qualified, who is available, who has worked well with your department, and who should not be called again.
If your team changes, the relationship history stays with the operation instead of disappearing into one manager’s inbox.
Availability is only useful when it is current. A pilot who was available last month may now be assigned to another operator. A flight attendant may have upcoming recurrent training. An A&P mechanic may be committed to a scheduled inspection.
Use one central system to track:
Avoid relying on spreadsheets and group texts as your primary source of truth. Tools such as CertiFly are designed to make qualification and availability information easier to organize and review.
Last-minute staffing becomes much harder when qualification checks begin after the trip is already urgent.
Create a standard verification process for every crew member before they enter your active bench. For pilots, that may include type ratings, medical certification, recent experience, training records, background checks, and identity verification. For flight attendants, include emergency training and aircraft-specific requirements. For A&P mechanics, verify certificates, type experience, and any required company authorization.
The goal is not to eliminate your team’s responsibility to make final qualification decisions. The goal is to avoid discovering missing or expired documentation when passengers are already scheduled to depart.
A verified network can accelerate this process. CrewBlast, for example, provides access to more than 15,000 aviation professionals with identity and biometric verification powered by CLEAR, alongside background checks and qualification review.
Many operators have separate processes for pilots, cabin crew, and maintenance personnel. That can create unnecessary administrative work and fragmented records.
Whenever possible, use one aviation staffing workflow for all the roles your operation regularly needs:
A single process makes it easier to standardize onboarding, collect documents, compare candidates, and see where staffing gaps are developing across the operation.
It also helps managers avoid solving one staffing problem while overlooking another. A flight may have two qualified pilots but still need a flight attendant or an A&P mechanic at the destination.
When a trip is urgent, calling contractors sequentially is slow and limits your options. By the time the fifth person responds, the best candidates may already be committed.
A staffing platform lets you broadcast a clearly defined requirement to a qualified network at once. Include the aircraft type, role, dates, locations, schedule, expected duties, compensation, and response deadline.
The right candidates can respond directly, giving your team a faster way to compare availability and fit. This is particularly useful for aircraft such as Gulfstreams, Citations, Challengers, Falcons, and Embraers, where type-specific experience matters.
CrewBlast reports a 98% crewing success rate across more than 350 registered operators, using global matching based on aircraft type, location, and real-time availability.
Do not reinvent onboarding every time you bring on a contract crew member.
Create one digital packet that includes:
A standard packet reduces errors and gives contractors a consistent experience. It also makes it easier to demonstrate that temporary crew members received the information they needed before operating on your behalf.
Reliable contractors remember which operators pay on time.
Before the first assignment, make payment terms clear. Explain the rate, travel expenses, per diem, cancellation policy, invoice process, and expected payment timing. Then follow the process consistently.
Fast payment is more than an accounting benefit. It is a competitive advantage in aviation staffing. When contractors know your operation is organized and dependable, they are more likely to accept your trips first, even when another operator offers a similar assignment.
If a payment issue occurs, communicate early. A short delay with clear communication is easier to manage than silence.
A&P staffing can be especially difficult when an aircraft is away from its home base.
Develop relationships with reputable maintenance shops and independent A&P mechanics in the locations your aircraft visit most often. Confirm their aircraft experience, response times, documentation practices, and after-hours availability before an emergency occurs.
Keep a record of:
These relationships complement your internal maintenance team and give your DOM more options when unscheduled work appears.
Holiday travel, major events, sporting calendars, and seasonal business cycles can create predictable staffing pressure.
Review your upcoming schedule at least six to eight weeks ahead. Identify:
Then pre-book critical contract pilots, flight attendants, and A&P mechanics. Early planning gives you better candidates and more negotiating flexibility than a last-minute search.
Recruiting gets attention, but retention determines how often you need to recruit.
Ask your best contractors what makes an assignment worth accepting. Common factors include predictable communication, accurate trip details, fair compensation, efficient onboarding, professional treatment, and fast payment.
Track performance on both sides. Contractors should meet your operational and safety standards, while your company should provide the information and support needed for them to succeed.
A dependable contractor who understands your operation can be more valuable than a new candidate with slightly more experience but no history with your team.
You cannot improve what you do not measure.
At a minimum, track:
Review these numbers by aircraft type, location, role, and season. If Challenger SIC requests take twice as long to fill as Citation PIC requests, that is useful planning data. If one base consistently has an A&P shortage, you can address it before it disrupts operations.
The best aviation staffing process depends on your team’s capacity and preferences.
With CrewBlast Managed Staffing, operators can send in a crew requirement and have the CrewBlast team manage the search, review candidates, recommend qualified professionals, and coordinate placement.
For flight departments that want to manage sourcing internally, CrewBlast OS provides self-service access to the network, preferred-contractor management, unlimited contract and full-time crew sourcing, and availability tools such as CertiFly. The subscription is listed at $699 per month with no annual contract.
Part 135 staffing will always include surprises. Illness, schedule changes, maintenance events, and unexpected demand are part of operating aircraft.
But the response does not have to be improvised.
Build your bench early. Verify credentials before the trip. Centralize availability and currency. Maintain strong contractor relationships. Use data to understand where your staffing process breaks down.
The goal is not simply to find someone who can cover the next flight. It is to build a repeatable system that consistently connects your operation with qualified, available aviation professionals. Before the clock starts counting down.