Legalities behind selling block-hours

[Blue Albatross]

Hi All,

I'm not looking for a full-on legal answer here (just to put you all at ease), rather a devils advocate type advice on the following topic.

I have a French registered aircraft based outside of France, but within an EU member state (i.e. The Netherlands). I get to fly her about 5-6 hours a month during the Spring/Summer season, and 1-2 if I'm lucky during Autumn/Winter.

As a way of utilising her more and thus contributing to the costs of the annual, and maybe some minor upgrades here and there, I was thinking of selling block hours (say 15 or 20 hours) at a fixed price. The person's interested would have to arrange their own insurance and be checked out by me in the plane before being allowed to take her up.

My questions though are around the validity and legality of doing this. I'm conscious that maybe I might not have the right certification of use of the plane (private versus public) and I know that my PPL privileges prohibit me from making a profit from flying, but as an airplane owner, how does this work as I would not be running an operation with a view to owning an AOC and simply want to cover the running costs of the plane, rather than make a profit on her. Do I need to register this kind of activity with the CAA or equivilant either here or in France?

I would really appreciate your feedback, experience, advice particularly if you've done this yourself and have come up against the bureaucracy I might have to face with the Dutch authorities.

Also, is it perhaps wise/unwise to created some for of administration (company, group etc) to manage and track the costs under? Bearing in mind that my intention is not to sell "shares" in the aircraft, rather just the right to flying hours at a fixed wet price.

Thanks in advance