so as I understand it,, a pilot can not make a profit if he takes me up in his legacy lancair? correct?

 

but he can make me pay him fuel and "rental" cost of the plane, yes?

 

now suppose after the flight I would give him an extra "donation" of $25 - would that be legit?

Hi...

 

In private flight the pilot is not paid, and all aircraft operating expenses are generally paid by the pilot. In some countries such as the United States, aircraft operating expenses for a flight may optionally be divided with any passengers up to a pro rata amount. For example, if aircraft operating expenses total $120 for a flight with pilot and three passengers, each of the three passengers could pay not more than $30 (one fourth) of the expenses with the remainder paid by the pilot.

 

The extra $25 would not be "legit"...

 

Regards,

Scott

 

 

Not really, but you could always get him a nice Christmas present.

 

If you really wanted to 'pay' him for the privilege you could just fill up his car's tank with petrol / diesel to 'cover' his cost of getting to the field, but I mean most guys with a PPL would be more than happy just to have the airplane fuel and landing charges covered TBH...

 

Regards,

Ró.

ok.. I like that, so other perks are ok..

I've always wondered about this rule. Is it strictly enforced? I mean, renting an airplane almost daily with different people showing up each day would raise a few eyebrows I suppose, but the incidental flight where you take some friends with you, and they cover all the costs for the privilege or you take your family along and they reimburse you for the costs since it was their idea... It's technically not allowed, but I don't think the $30 more or less will really cause consternation, right?

Accepting money might invalidate the terms of the pilot's insurance depending on its terms.

This is what is so strange to me.. Can't I give money to whomever I want for whatever reason? If so.. then I could give the pilot as much as I want.

The way I understand the rule, he just can't make me pay or send me a bill.. yes?

The rules don't apply to the passengers - only the pilot - as he is the only one responsible for insuring all regulations are followed... Realistically - would anyone find out - probably not - and it's probably done all the time... This is one activity - though - where if you get comfortable flaunting rules and regulations - that mindset could get you killed...

 

Regard,

Scott

This is what is so strange to me.. Can't I give money to whomever I want for whatever reason? If so.. then I could give the pilot as much as I want.

The way I understand the rule, he just can't make me pay or send me a bill.. yes?

 

The way these rules generally work is that what matters is what the FAA calls the transfer of money from you to the pilot, not whatever label you stick on it yourself. If the FAA feels that your transfer of money represents 'compensation or hire' for the flight it doesn't matter whether you call it a 'donation', a 'little extra' or 'I went crazy and decided to randomly give my money away'.

 

Note: I am not a lawyer, I do not hold any kind of law degree in any country, the above does not constitute legal advice.

ok.. I like that, so other perks are ok..

 

In spirit of the regulation, no. They are not. The key word in FAR 61.113(a) being "compensation". Rather or not an inspector can regulate "perks"? I don't know!

 

Give 61.113 a read and you'll see a hand full of explicitly stated ways a PPL holder can make money. They're pretty limited.

 

As for the Legacy: No experimental may (like a PPL holder) carry passengers for compensation or hire with a few odd exceptions. http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part91-319-FAR.shtml