Thank you for these answers, confirms my suspicions but always good to ask.
My contact suggested this basis below (using 'Volvo' as a fictitious 'client',and WKA as aeroplane owner), which aligns mostly with yours.
Thanks, Sam.
As far as I know, if I am paid by volvo for my duties as pilot, and WKA is paid for renting out the plane, then we should not be infringing on any AOC requirements.
You would, in this situation, be the broker, hence you do not need an AOC to act as broker. I would be pilot to an individual client, hence I do not need to have an AOC to offer my pilot duties, and WKA would be an aircraft rental service, hence they would not need an AOC to rent their aircraft.
In terms of the plane and I being allowed to do this work:
The FAA 14 CFR Part 119 states:
An AOC is not required for the following operations:
"Provided there is a seat configuration of 20 seats or more, excluding any required crewmember seat, or a payload capacity of 6,000 pounds or more, this part does not apply to—
(1) Student instruction;
(2) Nonstop Commercial Air Tours ….
(3) Ferry or training flights;"
We would fall under option (2), making it permissible as far as FAA is concerned, so me and the plane being FAA concerned, are allowed to conduct the work.
Clearly this is a grey zone in the law rather than explicitly stated as being a legal exception. I wonder if it would maybe be worthwhile getting an aviation lawyer to quickly look over the legality of the situation, especially in Belgium?