Whopity your so right in much of what you say. Sadly though the French DGAC have proved impotent as well but at least they have issued a view and encourage flying clubs not to facilitate, although they did so 5 years ago and since then nothing. Wingly and Airbnb are advertising, with impunity, these private flights in France. The faux pas from EASA is europe wide.
What we don't have is a definition of "direct flying cost. In my estimation a 160 hp aircraft owner will need to budget* £6-8000 per annum (Maintenance, Insurance and hangarage) before the average 4 seater aircraft ever leaves the ground. Shared over 100 hours this comes to £80 an hour. Such an aircraft will burn in the region of £45-50 an hour in fuel with engine depreciation of £6 per hour and a 50 hour inspection probably being £350 so another £6-7 per hour as a direct result of flying. This gives us £80 (annual charges) + £58 (direct) totalling £138 per hour which bears no relation to what is being charged as advertised on wingly. If you remove the annual costs as not being direct and therefore not recoverable the figure dives to £58 per hour. The charges advertised are normally per person and not on a simple division of the operating cost but as a discount depending on the number of passengers carried.
Now just to complicate things the law allows you to build into your direct operating costs the hourly charge an aircraft hirer/leaser will demand (doesn't have to be a flying club) which will be anywhere between an inclusive £150-200 per hour wet from a flying club. Nothing in the regulations bars the aeroplane supplier from making a profit. The aeroplane supplier and the private pilot could be the same person if things are structured so. I'm not sure how UK flying clubs are dealing with this, whether or not they are banning their members from using their aircraft for these flights or facilitating.
The profit bells ring loudly. EASA have made fools of europe's NAAs none of whom saw this coming. The FAA in the U.S. have simply banned these flights. In the UK we have some very sensible basic rules for charity flights, are these rules also redundant? I can't see how they can remain effective.
* obviously costs will vary and could be less or more.
Last edited by Fl1ingfrog; 9th Aug 2020 at 17:35.