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Ventura Air Services is a Part 135 on-demand charter and Part 91 aircraft management company headquartered at Republic Airport (KFRG) in Farmingdale, New York. The company operates a fleet of approximately 17 aircraft — primarily Citation Excels and Challenger 604/605s — with plans to grow to 30 aircraft within two to three years. Ventura employs approximately 52 people (early 2025) with plans to hire 25 more, and is estimated to have 30-40 pilots on staff. The company is ranked as the 25th largest Part 135 operator in the United States by annual flight hours.
Ventura is non-union and has no AirlinePilotCentral listing. Sam Wolf serves as CEO (promoted from President in March 2025), and Nik Tarascio — who has led the company since 2010 — transitioned to Executive Chairman. The company was originally founded in 1955 as a boutique charter operator on Long Island, making it one of the longest-continuously-operating charter companies in the Northeast.
For interview purposes, Ventura is best described as a growing, mid-size Part 135 operator with Long Island roots, a mixed fleet of light and large-cabin jets, and an aggressive growth plan to nearly double its fleet. Captain compensation averages approximately $122,000 annually, and the schedule runs 15 days on / 13 days off. Ventura is actively hiring with three or more open positions.
Sources listed at the end of each profile. Data compiled from public filings, airline newsrooms, AirlinePilotCentral, Glassdoor, FAA records, and industry publications.