Originally Posted by
runway30
Who has operational control?
That would be Mr. McKay. It does not matter if he phones the parties involved (the owner of the plane and the pilot who flies it) himself or delegates those calls to his secretary, Mr. Henderson or Donald Duck. If Mr. Henderson, through his connections, gets a better price for the plane it would indeed be a wise move to let him do the talking. As long as the invoice for the plane is paid by him (McKay) as well as the fee for the pilot (in case he has a commercial license). The ultimate responsinbility to perform the flight within the legal frame rests with the pilot in command. I have flown like that for a large company for years. Their lawyer and their insurance people were happy with it. Countless ramp inspectors found nothing wrong with it.