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Aviation Research Group/US
s a leader in the field of corporate aviation safety and operational information. Our data and analysis covers a wide range of topics from aircraft operating costs, to safety and marketing databases.
Responding to an industry-wide need for objective, non-intrusive, and fact-based safety analysis for part 135 charter operators, ARG/US has developed a rating system: The CHEQ report (Charter Evaluation and Qualification report). The CHEQ system has three major components: Historical Safety Ratings, Current Aircraft and Pilot Data, and On-Site Safety Audits. Analysis of these components results in four potential levels of safety rating: Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum. Each level reflects analysis and ranking based on increasing amounts of detailed information on the charter operator.
DNQ Rating - An ARG/US rating of DNQ, or Does Not Qualify, can result from three areas: A poor historical safety rating based on the data collected an analyzed, a significant safety issue with a pilot or aircraft operated, or a finding of specific safety of flight issues during an on-site safety audit. Most issues that cause a DNQ rating stand a good chance of being corrected over time.
Silver Rating (US Only) -
ARG/US conducts in-depth research into multiple public databases to uncover accidents, incidents, enforcement actions, and certification data relating to the operator. Records that are located are assigned a score based on the official cause, violation, or other data on record. Older records have less impact on the score and are omitted after ten years. The total of all found records results in a Historical Safety Record score, with the higher score reflecting a greater number of negative events. Those operators with CHEQ scores better than one standard deviation from the median score for their size of operation are assigned a silver rating. Operators with the worst (highest) historical safety ratings do not qualify for the ARG/US silver rating.
Gold Rating (US Only) - For those operators who provide data on the aircraft operated, and the pilots employed, ARG/US will evaluate for a Gold Rating. The Gold level is assigned to operators who meet or exceed the established ARG/US standards for safety history and crew experience.
Gold Plus Rating - This rating is awarded to operators who meet all Gold rating requirements, and have undergone an ARG/US on-site safety audit. The operator has been found to have effective and documented policies and procedures which should be conducive to safe future operations.
Platinum Rating
- The highest level of ARG/US safety ratings is awarded to those operators who meet the criteria for Silver and Gold, and successfully pass an ARG/US on-site safety audit. The ARG/US audit is a true process audit administered by trained and experienced aviation auditing professionals to evaluate the operator against industry best practice standards. A Platinum rating requires a functioning Safety Management System, and clear and workable Emergency Response Plan, and appropriate written standards, training, implementation, and adequate historical records for all major aspects of Operations and Maintenance within a flight department or Charter company.
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