Based in New Jersey, Edgar Alacan has been active in the aviation industry for over a decade. Since 2008, he has served as managing director of Jets.com, a company specializing in private jet charter services. Edgar Alacan is also knowledgeable about aircraft operators’ independent rating systems such as ARGUS.
Founded in 1995, ARGUS International is one of the leading independent providers of third-party safety rating scores for charter operators. Jet flyers widely recognize the ARGUS safety documentation and ranking system throughout the United States. ARGUS has an overarching, proprietary, algorithm-based rating system that scores charter operators based on a detailed analysis of their safety history and data. The algorithm amasses each operator's safety performance data, evaluates it, and compares the result with their peers. An operator's rating can be found in their ARGUS CHEQ report.
The lowest ARGUS Rating is "Does Not Qualify" (DNQ). Charter operators who fail to meet ARGUS safety standards due to a lackluster safety history are delineated as DNQ. ARGUS Gold is a satisfactory rating that shows that ARGUS safety requirements are met or exceeded by an operator. Historical safety analysis, pilot background check, a minimum of a one-year operating certificate, aircraft operational control validation, and a single-engine turbine certificate (or an advanced certificate) are required for ARGUS Gold ranking.
ARGUS Gold Plus is an uptick to the ARGUS Gold rating. An ARGUS Gold operator who passes an ARGUS on-site safety audit or registers with the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations is promoted to ARGUS Gold Plus. If an operator successfully meets the criteria for ARGUS Gold Plus and also has a comprehensive emergency response plan and an active safety management system (SMS), they are eligible for an ARGUS Platinum rating. ARGUS Platinum Elite, the highest ARGUS rating, is exclusively awarded to operators who meet the ARGUS Platinum requirement and successfully maintain it, as evidenced by real-time vetting.
