As the yachting industry deliberates a growing expectation of crew licensing, lessons from the world of aviation, which faced similar demands more than 20 years ago, may provide guidance.

At one time, all one needed to be a captain in aviation was a commercial pilot’s license and an airplane that could get off the ground. A little marketing and one was in business; earning a living flying hither and yon.

No more.

As equipment became more complicated – not to mention more expensive – and airspace more congested, the insurance companies, like they are beginning to do in yachting, got involved in the whole process and laid down the rules operators had to meet in order to be insured.

As the airline industry matured following World War II, the Federal Aviation Administration set regulations governing airline operations and later, charter operations as that industry also grew.

New classifications of pilots’ certificates evolved, the top one being the Airline Transport Pilot’s certificate which, at first, was solely required only of airline pilots, but eventually charter pilots as well. No pilot today may serve as captain of turbojet-powered aircraft unless he or she holds the ATP.

Both airlines and charter operators are required to develop operations specifications, general operations manuals, general maintenance manuals, and training programs both internal and aircraft-type specific, generally provided at third-party training facilities that charge between $6,000 and $60,000 for their services, depending on aircraft model.

Recently added to these requirements are formal safety management systems training. An industry has also emerged that “audits” an operator, issuing quality-control/quality-assurance ratings based on regulatory, advisory and training compliance.

Captains must return to training every six months, undergoing classroom- and simulator-based sessions and check rides to assure their competency. First officers and flight attendants return only once annually, but return to training they do.

Crew members must, in order to hold their certificates, submit to medical examinations as frequently as every six months and which, after a certain age, require an annual electrocardiogram. Random drug- and alcohol-testing is standard, especially if there is an incident or accident.

Aspiring pilots typically fund their initial training, which can come at high cost.

Kenny Cole of Vero Beach, Fla., has so far spent $75,000 to get his commercial pilot’s certificate with instructor endorsements.

“I went into this with my eyes wide open knowing how long it was going to take, how expensive it was going to be and how hard it was going to be,” Cole said.

Cole’s days are spent as an instructor while also getting in some jet time as a contract pilot.

“It’s going to take me another two years or so to get the time I need to take this to the next level,” Cole said, who, at 1,000 hours total time, is 500 hours away from earning his ATP and is currently spending $800 a month out of his $25,000-before-taxes-salary to repay student loans.

While all this may sound complicated, bureaucratic and expensive to any industry unfamiliar with such official requirements, consider how much yachting and charter aviation have in common.

Both industries are driven by and exist because of high-net-worth individuals. Both industries use high-value craft costing millions of dollars, and in both industries, incompetence can be fatal.

In both industries, core competence and years of experience are required if risks are to be mitigated and lives and property protected. In aviation, the rise to captain of jet aircraft can take as much as five years providing one has the prerequisite experience and credentials. In the airlines, it’s not uncommon for it to take as long as 10 years to make captain.

While the licensing and regulatory process in aviation may seem onerous, time-consuming, costly and overly bureaucratic, the process ensures only the most competent, tested and time-proven individuals are entrusted with commanding aircraft.

“The responsibilities and the liabilities we embrace and the risks we manage can only be done successfully if we put the right people in positions of high accountability,” said Chuck Simmons, director of operations for Houston-based Wing Aviation Charter Services whose minimum hiring requirements demand pilots hold the ATP and possess no less than 2,500 total flight hours.

“We fail our customers, ourselves and the industry as whole if we do anything less.

“Yes, the procedures we abide by, the policies we make and regulations to which we adhere are both complicated and, at times, cumbersome, but the safety records we achieve, the successes we enjoy and the confidence our customers place in us by that adherence demonstrates their necessity,” Simmons said.

Despite all the apparent red tape, Simmons said the benefits are clear.

“Overall, it’s the better-educated, higher-qualified applicants who are serious about their careers and committed to safety and professionalism who are sending us resumes.

“A lot of this has been brought about by insurance and FAA requirements and what our industry demands today in terms of licensing and experience,” Simmons said.

“Pilots wishing to make aviation their livelihood know they are going to have to meet stringent certification and experience requirements, and upper-level licensing is just part of that.”

Bob Howie is assistant chief pilot with Wing Aviation Charter Services in Houston. He spent 13 years as a writer with the Houston Chronicle, and is a lifelong boat owner. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com.