In 2002, a small flock of independent contract pilots and flight attendants congregated at the NBAA Convention to discuss what they could do to promote themselves as skilled and trained business aviation professionals operating at the highest standards recognized by the industry. Out of that informal meeting came the Independent Business Aviation Contract Professionals Association, or (thankfully) IBACP.

Prominent in the fallout from the February 2005 Challenger 600 runway overrun at Teterboro Airport is a reminder of the kind of double-binds in which the FAA and its field offices can ensnare operators.

Among business aviation temporary flight crew providers, three companies tend to dominate: AirCare Crews, Corporate Aviators, Inc. and Jet Professionals International (JPI). AirCare Crews