I bet the guy who gave his helo for nothing for a local cause was dobbed in it by some jealous wellwisher
I'm sure thats absolutely right. Lets face it, most minor transgressions never come to light until something goes seriously wrong, at which point the CAA etc crawl over you, your licence and your aircraft. How may people pilots have made an ILS approach with non-FM immune equipment; flown without a chart or that second pair of glasses that their medical requires? Its a bit like having no MOT on your car - most people only get caught out when stopped for something else!
Bronx: Laws can never be made that simple - I've spent 20 odd years trying and sometimes succeeding in getting a favourable interpretation of some statute or regulation for a client.
The helicopter was very unfortunate and who knows whether he was correctly advised by his lawyer. The main point in my view about this is that there has to be an
agreement which suggests something formal and of legal force, with something of value passing the other way. A mere expectation that someone might get publicity or someone's business in the future does not seem to be enough.
I think this has been talked almost to death
