About Nacelle Partners

Our Story

Nacelle Partners was founded on a simple observation: aviation businesses face workforce challenges that most providers simply don't understand — and most won't even try to solve.

The Problem

FBOs, MROs, Part 135 operators, and flight schools kept hearing the same answer from payroll companies, benefits brokers, and HR firms: "We don't work with that type of business." Ramp crews, fuelers, A&P mechanics — the people aviation runs on — were being left without benefits, without properly classified workers' comp, and without the HR support that every employer needs.

The Gap

Aviation businesses that did manage to cobble together a solution were juggling three or four vendors — separate payroll, a standalone workers' comp arrangement, a benefits broker, and an HR consultant who didn't know the FAA from the DOT. Each relationship meant another invoice, another login, another enrollment period, and nobody talking to anyone else.

The Solution

We built an aviation-exclusive employer services platform that wraps payroll, workers' compensation, employee benefits, HR administration, retirement, and HR technology into a single agreement. One partner. One invoice. One team that actually knows your business.

The Difference

Nacelle's workers' compensation program is built around the NCCI class codes aviation employees actually work under — ramp agents, mechanics, fuelers, flight crew. Not the generic codes that most providers assign when they don't know the difference between a line service tech and an office clerk. Correctly classified from day one means accurate costs and no surprises.

The Result

Aviation businesses across the country — FBOs, MROs, charter operators, flight schools, and helicopter companies — now have access to Fortune 500-level health plans, pay-as-you-go workers' comp with no down payment, and the full HR infrastructure that used to be available only to large companies.

The Name Behind the Company

What is a Nacelle?

In aviation, a nacelle (pronounced nuh-SELL) is the aerodynamic housing that surrounds and protects an aircraft's engine. It's the shaped cowling wrapped around a jet engine on every commercial flight — streamlined on the outside, protective on the inside.

The nacelle doesn't generate the thrust. The engine does that. What the nacelle does is enclose, protect, and allow the engine to operate at its best — shielding it from the elements, reducing drag, channeling airflow, and making the whole system work efficiently.

Remove the nacelle, and the engine is exposed. It can still run — but it won't run well, and it certainly won't run safely at altitude.

The Metaphor

The real engine of any aviation business is its workforce — the ramp crews, mechanics, fuelers, dispatchers, and pilots who keep operations running every day.

We named the company Nacelle because that's exactly what we do: we wrap around your workforce and protect it.

Payroll & tax compliance — keeps wages flowing accurately every cycle
Workers' compensation — protects your people when injuries happen
Benefits & retirement — makes your team competitive in a tight labor market
HR & compliance — reduces drag from employment law complexity

"Just as the nacelle lets an aircraft engine do its job without friction, distraction, or exposure — Nacelle Partners lets your operation do its job without the workforce administration overhead that weighs most aviation businesses down."

Built on the Right Partnerships

Nacelle Partners combines aviation industry expertise with best-in-class payroll technology, specialty workers' compensation, and national benefits programs.

NACELLE

Pay-As-You-Go Workers' Comp

Workers' Compensation

Aviation-Specific Workers' Comp Program

Nacelle's workers' compensation program is built around the specific NCCI class codes aviation employees work under. Ramp crews, A&P mechanics, fuelers, and flight staff are classified correctly from day one. Costs are calculated each payroll cycle based on actual wages paid — no down payment, no year-end audit, no surprise bills.

Employee Benefits

Large-Group Health & Benefits Plans

By pooling aviation businesses across our platform, Nacelle unlocks access to large-group health, dental, and vision plans that small operators can't qualify for on their own. Medical, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA, FSA, and ICHRA — at rates your employees can actually afford.

Technology

Modern Payroll & HR Platform

Nacelle runs on a purpose-built employer services platform that connects payroll processing, tax filing, benefits enrollment, workers' comp billing, time tracking, and employee self-service into one system. One login. Real-time data. No duplicate entry between systems.

Distribution

Aviation Industry Network

Relationships with aviation industry associations, airport authorities, and appointed broker partners nationwide. Our network helps us reach aviation businesses across every segment — FBOs, MROs, charter operators, flight schools, and beyond.

Our Commitment to Aviation Businesses

We actually cover aviation workers

Ramp crews, fuelers, A&P mechanics, line techs — the people most workforce providers won't touch. We built our entire program around the employees aviation businesses actually employ.

No year-end billing surprises

Traditional workers' comp programs require large upfront payments and year-end true-ups that can hit you with bills you didn't budget for. Our pay-as-you-go billing calculates costs on actual payroll, every cycle. You pay what you owe — nothing more.

One platform, everything connected

Payroll, benefits, workers' comp, HR, retirement — all under one agreement, one invoice, one login. No juggling vendors. No data entry in three different systems. No "check with your other provider."

Fortune 500 benefits at small-business prices

Because we pool aviation businesses across our platform, your employees access group health plans, dental, and vision at rates unavailable to a 20-person FBO operating alone.

We know aviation compliance

DOT drug testing programs, FAA requirements, OSHA standards for aviation workplaces — our HR team knows the regulatory landscape your business operates in. Aviation-specific expertise from day one, not generalists guessing.

30-day onboarding, long-term partnership

Most businesses are fully onboarded within 30 days. From there you have a dedicated HR consultant, a named account manager, and a platform that grows with your operation. We're here for the long term.