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Main ImageBeing An Airline

2Excel is now the world’s only globally-accredited formation aerobatic airline - a huge accomplishment for the Company. In simple terms, this means 2Excel has been given permission by the regulatory body, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), to fly passengers on close formation aerobatic sorties anywhere in the world. We can advertise for and fly fare-paying passengers, each of whom is properly insured and is flown under internationally agreed rules laid down in the Joint Aviation Requirements.

A requirement of becoming an airline is an Operations Manual that lays down the airline’s rules and regulations. Dedicated to safety and efficiency of its operating procedures, 2Excel’s Manual is a book in excess of 500 pages. The Company has three accountable officers who provide oversight and management of the key areas within the airline: engineering, flying and ground operations. The accountable officers act under the overall supervision of the Accountable Manager and creator of the airline, former Wing Commander Chris Norton. Read more

 

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Chris, how long did it take you to write the Operations Manual?


It took three months all told, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of Brian Synnott and Mal Jorgenson of the Civil Aviation Authority, Rod Player at Pegasus Power and Mike Cotton of Brooklands Engineering.

What sort of rules does it have?


The primary aim of 2Excel’s airline is to enable its passengers to experience safely the thrill of formation flying and, (if they wish) formation aerobatic flying, in high performance aircraft flown by exceptional pilots. Consequently, the whole of the Operations Manual sets out procedures, processes and standards that promote safe operations.

Who grants the Air Operator’s Certificate?


The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the Ministry of Transport’s aviation department, and the CAA is empowered to assess and authorise public transport flying operations by Operators (of which we are one). The Certificate means that the CAA have assessed all of the Company’s rules, regulations, procedures and practices against the internationally accepted rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and found that the 2Excel complies with those regulations across the board. With it, and according to the rules laid under it, 2Excel can legally fly fare-paying passengers.

Do you need to do anything to make sure you are up to date?


We need to follow every one of the hundreds of processes that we put in place to govern our operations. And we need to continually re-assess those processes to ensure that they remain applicable. If we see a need to change them, we have to apply to the Authority (the CAA) to do so. We also need to keep abreast of the overarching rules (the Joint Aviation Requirements and any National edicts) in order to make sure that as the higher processes change, our operations remain compliant.

Sound likes a lot of work. How are you regulated?


Every year we need to be re-accredited. This means that we are audited and assessed by inspectors from the CAA in order to ensure that we are operating as safely as we said we would and to confirm that we are following the procedures laid down in our Operations Manual. I’m happy to say that we've been awarded our Certificate for our second operational year without a hitch.

 

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