Uber Taxi. By Private Aircraft? Surely Not Posible/Legal?

[Wageslave]

As reported by the BBC. I know they're not the best accredited meeja sensation-pushers these days but this report seems pretty scary to me, especially their de-facto promotion and complete lack of warning and condemnation of what is surely a criminal fraud?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34544208

[zz9]

Why would it be fraud? PPL are allowed to share fuel costs with passengers, even the basic Sport Pilot licence in the US is allowed to carry a passenger and let them pay their share of fuel, landing fees etc. This service just allows someone to hitch a ride and pay their share of fuel.

[deanm]

Not just fixed-wing, either:

UberChopper Brings Desperately Needed Excess To Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | TechCrunch (http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/28/ubercapitalism/)

Dean

[jack11111]

Trust me, I'm a FAA licensed pilot. "Welcome aboard."

[vector4fun]

[Best hillbilly drawl]

"Yawl hold on, aahm gonna try sumthin!"

:}

[peekay4]

Already some threads on this & similar endeavors:

http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/570165-skyuber-how-even-legal-easa-land.html

UberChopper is still in marketing/promotional phase, but will be launched as full blown (possibly franchised) commercial charter services under AOC, not a PPL ride sharing service.

[AC560]

Why would it be fraud? PPL are allowed to share fuel costs with passengers, even the basic Sport Pilot licence in the US is allowed to carry a passenger and let them pay their share of fuel, landing fees etc. This service just allows someone to hitch a ride and pay their share of fuel.

You can do all that even as a sport pilot in the US, you cannot though hold out (i.e. advertise your services) though without the appropriate operating certificate.

Flight-Share Deemed Illegal by FAA in Blow to AirPooler - Bloomberg Business (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-15/flight-share-deemed-illegal-by-faa-in-blow-to-airpooler)

[TIMTS]

https://www.flyblade.com/

Using low time and inexperienced pilots, and old aircraft, to keep prices down. The level of cowboy varies, but always present.

[PURPLE PITOT]

Darwinism taken to the extreme! At least it will clear out a few idiots:D

[2EggOmelette]

The Hire part is the catch. Cost sharing will not be considered a legal defence if the flight was for the sole purpose of transporting a passenger from A to B. I am guessing the CAA will be quietly getting all their ducks in a tidy little row before.....

[Pace]

This has all been covered in the other thread and has NOTHING TO DO WITH UBER the taxi company but someone using that name to make a connection with UBER and purely promoting cost share in private aircraft which is nothing new or different and frankly with the volume available not workable

Pace

[GlobalNav]

So the traveler is "sharing the cost"? The pilot is only recovering "cost" and not making a profit or being compensated for his time? I would think anything beyond covering the cost of the flight is a commercial enterprise and covered by commercial operating rules (135/121) which bring a boatload of expensive requirements and regulatory oversight.

[PastTense]

December 18, 2015 - On Friday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against Flytenow, Inc. in the case of the FAA vs. Flytenow, Inc. (No. 14-1168 (http://avstop.com/December_2015/flytenow_vs_faa.pdf)). After giving oral arguments in their case before the court in September, the court ruled "Flytenow’s petition for review is denied".
Flytenow, Inc. was an internet based company that started in 2014, similar to Uber's business model which provided an online business that connected private pilots with cost-sharing passengers.


Pilots And Cost-Sharing Passengers Receive A Blow By DC Court Of Appeals (http://avstop.com/December_2015/pilots_and_cost_sharing_passengers_receive_a_blow_by_dc_cour t_of_appeals.htm)

[aterpster]

Jack11111:

Trust me, I'm a FAA licensed pilot. "Welcome aboard."

After the crash, the family usually says, "But, he was a good pilot.":eek:

[Wageslave]

Why would it be fraud?

Because offering a charter service whilst using PPL pilots is fraudulent.

[MarkerInbound]

At least in the the U.S. legal system fraud is a very specific crime involving a false statement made to influence a person or giving false information so that a person will take an action that results in financial gain to the person who made the statement. So what's the false information?

The better description is, "It's illegal."