Nacelle Partners serves as your aviation workforce partner — running payroll, benefits, workers' comp, and HR so you can focus on operations.
Running an aviation business is complicated enough without having to fight for basic employment services that other industries take for granted. Here's what we hear from operators every day.
Fuelers, ramp crews, A&P mechanics — the backbone of any FBO or MRO — get declined by mainstream HR and insurance vendors. Standard providers see "aviation" and walk away. Nacelle was built specifically to cover these workers.
Small operators — an FBO with 18 employees, a Part 135 charter with 30 staff — can't qualify for large-group health rates on their own. Individual market plans are expensive and thin. Your team deserves real medical, dental, and vision coverage at a price that doesn't eat your margins.
DOT drug and alcohol testing programs, FAA personnel records, multi-state payroll tax filings, OSHA requirements for ground operations — aviation HR compliance is genuinely complex. Most operators handle it reactively, and one audit or violation can cost far more than a proper compliance program.
Traditional workers' comp policies require a large upfront deposit and then hit you with a year-end audit — often resulting in an unexpected true-up bill that can run tens of thousands of dollars. For businesses operating on thin margins, that's a cash flow disaster waiting to happen.
Three steps. One agreement. Everything handled — without you giving up a single day-to-day decision about your operation.
You hire, schedule, direct, and manage your employees exactly as you do today. Nacelle doesn't get involved in your day-to-day operations, flight decisions, maintenance calls, dispatch, or customer relationships. Your supervisors give the orders. Your team follows your procedures. We are invisible to your customers and to your operational chain of command.
100% operational control stays with youYour workforce is brought onto the Nacelle employer platform under a straightforward employer services agreement. From that point forward, we process every payroll, file all federal and state employment taxes, enroll your team in benefits, handle workers' comp coverage through our carrier, manage HR administration, and maintain compliance across all applicable employment laws — all on your behalf. One agreement replaces the stack of vendor contracts, insurance applications, and broker relationships you're currently managing.
One employer services agreement covers everythingBecause Nacelle pools aviation businesses across our platform, your employees gain access to what large corporations take for granted: large-group medical, dental, and vision plans at rates unavailable to a 20-person FBO on its own; competitive workers' comp coverage with no deposit required; 401(k) programs with employer matching options; and a modern HRIS system with self-service access for your team. The size of our network is your competitive advantage in recruiting and retention.
Fortune 500 benefits at small-business pricingEvery item below is included in a single employer services agreement — no add-on fees, no separate vendor relationships.
Nacelle's aviation WC program covers the workers other providers decline — with pay-as-you-go billing, zero down payment, and correct class codes from day one.
Pay-as-you-go WC premiums tied directly to your payroll cycle. No large deposit required to get coverage in place. Start covered from day one without a cash outlay.
Our specialists know aviation class codes. Ramp crews, mechanics, fuelers, and flight crew are classified correctly from day one — no generic codes that drive up your rates for work that doesn't match the risk.
Real-time premium reconciliation means your WC cost tracks your actual payroll — debited each pay cycle. Your exposure is always current, never accumulated. No surprise true-up bill waiting at year-end.
Managing payroll, benefits, workers' comp, and HR through separate vendors is the default — but it's also the most expensive, most time-consuming, and most error-prone option.
| Doing It Yourself | Nacelle Partners |
|---|---|
| ✗ Multiple vendors — payroll, benefits, WC, HR | ✓ One aviation workforce partner |
| ✗ Large workers' comp deposit required upfront | ✓ $0 WC down payment |
| ✗ Year-end WC audit with unpredictable true-up | ✓ Pay-as-you-go — no audit, no surprises |
| ✗ Small-group or individual health plan rates | ✓ Large-group plan access via Nacelle's network |
| ✗ HR managed internally or not at all | ✓ Dedicated HR consultant included |
| ✗ DOT/FAA compliance gaps and manual tracking | ✓ DOT/FAA compliance support built in |
| ✗ Multiple invoices, multiple logins, multiple calls | ✓ One monthly invoice, one platform, one team |
Aviation isn't one industry — it's dozens of distinct operations, each with different workforce profiles, risks, and regulatory obligations. Nacelle is designed to cover all of them.
Fuelers, ramp agents, line service technicians, and customer service staff are the core of your operation — and among the hardest to cover. Nacelle's platform is built from the ground up around FBO ground workers, including the aviation-specific class codes and WC coverage most carriers decline outright.
A&P mechanics, avionics technicians, quality inspectors, and shop staff work in a high-skill, high-risk environment. MRO employers need workers' comp underwriters who understand the difference between a line mechanic and an inspector, and benefits competitive enough to attract certified talent in a tight labor market.
Charter operators manage pilots, dispatchers, and ground crews across multiple bases — often in multiple states. Multi-state payroll, DOT drug and alcohol testing compliance, and benefits that work regardless of which city your crew is based in are non-negotiables. Nacelle handles the complexity so you can focus on the manifest.
CFIs and ground instructors often work variable schedules, and student-workers add complexity to payroll. Flight schools need employment administration that handles instructor compensation correctly, onboards new hires quickly, and provides competitive enough benefits to retain qualified CFIs who have options.
EMS, offshore, tour, and utility helicopter operators manage crews in demanding and often remote environments. Workers' comp that understands rotorcraft operations, benefits that help recruit specialized pilots, and payroll that works for irregular schedules and multi-base deployments are all standard on the Nacelle platform.
The UAS industry is growing fast, and workforce requirements are evolving with it — remote pilots, payload technicians, data analysts, and ground support all on the same payroll. Nacelle provides employment administration for UAS companies that are too large to operate informally but too specialized for generic HR vendors.
Straight answers about how the Nacelle employer services model works.
No. You retain full operational control. You hire, fire, schedule, supervise, and direct your workforce exactly as you do today. Nacelle only handles the administrative employer functions — payroll processing, tax filing, benefits enrollment, workers' comp, and HR compliance. Your employees follow your procedures and answer to your supervisors. We handle the back office.
We can transition your team over from any existing payroll provider — typically in under 30 days with zero interruption to payroll. Our onboarding team handles the data migration, employee notifications, and system setup. Most clients see their first Nacelle-processed payroll within two to four weeks of signing their employer services agreement.
Nacelle's workers' compensation program is available in most states. Our team will confirm availability for your specific locations during the quote process. If your state has unique workers' comp requirements or operates a monopolistic state fund, we'll walk you through the options that apply to your situation.
Rather than paying a large annual premium upfront and reconciling at year-end, your workers' comp premiums are calculated each payroll cycle based on your actual wages paid and the applicable class codes for each job type. The premium is debited automatically alongside your payroll. This means your WC cost is always aligned with your current headcount and hours — no deposit required, no annual audit, no surprise bill when your workforce fluctuates.
We work with aviation businesses from 3 to 300+ employees. Most of our clients have between 10 and 75 workers. Whether you're a single-location flight school with a handful of instructors or a regional FBO chain with crews at multiple airports, the Nacelle platform scales to fit your operation — and your cost per employee actually decreases as your headcount grows.
Get a quote and see exactly what your aviation business would pay — payroll, benefits, workers' comp, and HR all-in. Most clients are fully onboarded within 30 days.
Or call 1-800-NACELLE