After having flown with various companies in the UK over the years I know there's a lot of grey areas that operators often get quite good at exploring... Now picture this if you will!
Could You buy a PC-12, then sell it in 100(random number) fractions to 100 different people, sort of like an extreme fractional ownership model. Each of the 100 fractions would then entitle each of the fraction owners to 5 hours(random number again) per year and pay you as the Aircraft manager and possible pilot to manage and fly the aircraft?
Technically You wouldn't then be operating the aircraft as a commercial flight because You are not being paid for the flight, but for managing the aircraft for a private individual. The fact that there is 100 private individuals in this "club" doesn't change the fact that the aircraft is privately owned and managed. That individual could also invite his friends to come along on a jolly, without that making the flight any more commercial. If that friend then decided to pass a donation on to his friend to cover fuel expenses (without paperwork) that technically wouldn't affect the non-commercial status of that flight...
I know I am sailing around the grey areas of EU-OPS and ANO, but am I talking complete and utter bullocks or could it theoretically be done??
Any comments are very welcome
Cheers
Mjolner