The National Business Aviation Association has launched a Part 135 Check Pilot-Operator Connection Registry, a new resource designed to address one of the more persistent operational challenges facing on-demand and air charter operators: locating qualified check airmen for required pilot evaluations. Under 14 CFR Part 135, operators must ensure that pilots receive recurring proficiency checks, competency checks, and line checks conducted by personnel who are specifically qualified and FAA-authorized in the relevant aircraft type and operational context. For smaller certificate holders with limited fleets and lean staffing structures, sourcing those check airmen internally is frequently impractical, and the broader market for qualified contract check pilots has historically lacked any centralized coordination mechanism.
The registry functions as a matchmaking platform, connecting Part 135 operators who need check airman services with qualified individuals who hold the appropriate credentials and aircraft-specific qualifications to fulfill those roles. This is a meaningful operational distinction: not every ATP-rated pilot or even every type-rated pilot qualifies as a check airman under Part 135. Candidates must meet specific experience thresholds, hold FAA authorization to conduct checks within a given operator's operations specifications, and in many cases coordinate directly with the FSDO overseeing that certificate. The NBAA registry appears to streamline what has previously been an informal, word-of-mouth process that created bottlenecks for operators, particularly those operating single-aircraft fleets or niche turboprop and light jet categories where the pool of qualified check airmen is narrow.
For working pilots on the check airman side of this equation, the registry represents a potential avenue for expanded professional engagement and supplemental revenue. Experienced captains who have completed check airman training and received FAA authorization under their own or a previous employer's Part 135 certificate may retain those qualifications and offer services to other operators, but without a structured marketplace those arrangements were difficult to advertise or find. The registry formalizes that supply side of the equation, giving operators confidence that listed individuals have been vetted against basic qualification standards, even if operators must still confirm specific ops spec alignment with their own POI.
The broader significance of this initiative reflects a pattern of NBAA stepping into coordination roles where regulatory complexity and market fragmentation create friction for members. The association has built similar resources around topics such as international operations, drug and alcohol program compliance, and emergency procedures standardization. In an environment where FAA workforce shortages have already strained certificate processing timelines and where many Part 135 operators are experiencing growth pressure from increased demand for charter and fractional services, tools that reduce administrative friction carry real operational value. For chief pilots and directors of operations managing Part 135 certificates, the registry reduces reliance on informal networks and may help compress the scheduling lead time required to arrange required checks, which directly affects pilot scheduling, revenue operations, and regulatory currency compliance.