license: other
license_name: tensorust-sample-license
license_link: https://tensorust.com/datasets/part135-operators/
pretty_name: Part 135 Charter Operator List (free sample)
language:
- en
tags:
- tensorust
- sample
- aviation
- government-data
- finance
size_categories:
- n<1K
configs:
- config_name: sample
data_files:
- split: train
path: sample.csv
- config_name: summary
data_files:
- split: train
path: summary_by_home_state.csv
Part 135 Charter Operator List: free sample (Tensorust LLC)
Every FAA-certificated charter and air ambulance operator with its fleet, and how much of it the operator does not own.
Headline: 1,793 operators hold FAA Part 135 certificates and fly 11,358 aircraft on their OpSpecs (4,812 jets, 2,833 rotorcraft), and for 1,255 of them more than half the fleet is registered to someone else: the operator flies the airplane, an owner, trust or leasing entity holds the title, and the insurer and lender have to price both.
This repository is a free teaser, not the dataset. It holds 25 example rows and a summary table with no names in it. The full file has 1,793 rows and is sold by Tensorust LLC: https://tensorust.com/datasets/part135-operators/.
Files here
| file | what it is |
|---|---|
sample.csv |
25 rows of the full file (the same sample shown on tensorust.com) |
summary_by_home_state.csv |
row counts and totals by home state across the full file, no entity names (groups with fewer than 3 rows are folded into "Other") |
Summary by home state (largest groups)
| Home state | rows | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| AK | 275 | 9,192 |
| FL | 176 | 10,860 |
| CA | 139 | 8,120 |
| TX | 111 | 12,263 |
| DE | 92 | 4,688 |
| (blank) | 60 | 9,005 |
| UT | 48 | 11,952 |
| MT | 39 | 1,338 |
| AZ | 38 | 2,244 |
| NY | 36 | 2,947 |
| WA | 36 | 1,260 |
| NV | 36 | 2,020 |
| TOTAL | 1,793 | 130,085 |
Full table: summary_by_home_state.csv.
What the full file has
- 1,793 rows
- Key fields: designator, operator, cfr, chdo, aircraft, jets, turboprops, pistons, rotorcraft, total_seats
- Parquet and CSV, a README with sources, method and limits, and the build script
- Free 25-row sample (no personal contact data)
Coverage: All 1,793 Part 135 and 121/135 certificate holders on the FAA list (1,786 Part 135, 7 Part 121/135); 11,518 aircraft-level fleet rows. FAA Part 135 list fetched Nov 6 2026, aircraft registry copy of Nov 5 2026; built Nov 6 2026
Columns in the full file
| column | meaning |
|---|---|
designator |
FAA certificate designator |
operator |
Certificate holder name |
cfr |
Part 135 or 121/135 |
chdo |
Certificate-holding district office |
aircraft |
Aircraft on the OpSpec |
jets |
Turbojet or turbofan aircraft |
turboprops |
Turboprop or turboshaft fixed-wing aircraft |
pistons |
Piston aircraft |
rotorcraft |
Rotorcraft |
total_seats |
Seats summed over the fleet (registry type data) |
avg_year_built |
Average year built |
oldest_year |
Oldest year built |
self_registered |
Aircraft registered in the operator's own name |
registry_matched |
Aircraft matched to the registry |
distinct_registered_owners |
Distinct registered owners across the fleet |
top_models |
Most common make and model on the OpSpec |
home_state |
Most common registry state for the fleet |
managed_or_leased |
Matched aircraft registered to someone other than the operator |
managed_share |
managed_or_leased over registry_matched |
ont_oid |
Tensorust ontology organization id for the operator |
ont_sources |
Public sources the operator appears in |
ont_federal_awards_fy25plus |
Operator's federal awards FY2025 on, USD (ontology) |
Get the full file
| tier | price | includes |
|---|---|---|
| Region or fleet-type file | $500 | Every operator in up to 3 states, or every jet, turboprop or rotorcraft operator nationwide, with fleet mix, age and managed share. CSV and Excel. |
| National operator and fleet file | $2,200 | All 1,793 operators plus the 11,518-row aircraft-level fleet file with registry joins and non-individual registered owners. |
| Quarterly refresh | $5,500 a year | The national files re-run each quarter, with new certificates, surrendered certificates and aircraft added or removed per operator marked. Internal use, unlimited seats. |
Email mattbusel@tensorust.com with the tier and a billing contact, and we will send a proper invoice (ACH or card). The file is delivered once the invoice is paid. Details and the live sample: https://tensorust.com/datasets/part135-operators/. All datasets: https://tensorust.com/datasets/
Method and limits
Download the FAA's list of certificated Part 135 holders (one row per aircraft on OpSpec D085), join each N-number to the FAA aircraft registry MASTER and ACFTREF files (98.9% matched), classify engine and aircraft type, compare the operator name with the registered owner name to count self-registered aircraft, roll up per operator designator, and join the operator to the Tensorust ontology (646 matched). fleet.csv keeps the aircraft-level rows with owner names only for non-individual registrants.
Not flight activity or revenue, not safety records, and not ownership findings: a different registered owner usually means a managed, leased, fractional or trust-held aircraft, not a violation. Individual owners are shown as (individual), and no street addresses are included. Registry match is by N-number as of the registry copy used.
Sources
- FAA Certificated Aircraft Operators, legal Part 135 holders, https://www.faa.gov/about/officeorg/headquartersoffices/avs/faa-certificated-aircraft-operators-legal-part-135-holders.xlsx
- FAA Aircraft Registry releasable database (MASTER, ACFTREF), https://registry.faa.gov/database/ReleasableAircraft.zip
- Tensorust ontology (operator organizations)
License
The sample and summary here are free to view, analyze and cite with attribution to "Tensorust LLC, https://tensorust.com/datasets/part135-operators/". The full dataset is licensed separately per tier. No resale or redistribution of Tensorust data without a written license.
Tensorust LLC, Tuckahoe NY. mattbusel@tensorust.com | https://tensorust.com