Help Please: Family & Friends on Trial Flights

[weloveseaplanes]

Gidday Gidday All,

Introductory Trial Flights are sometimes conducted by flight instructors with the family or friends of the student on board. Calling up flying schools they all say that 'yes passengers other than the student may be onboard on a trial flight when the aircraft is being flown by the trial student under the supervision of the instructor'.

What NZCAA CAR or AC, or written reference, allows this please.

Thank you for any guidance.

Weloveseaplanes

[thunderbird five]

Actually, the aircraft is being flown by the instructor. She, or he, is in command of the flight, and authorised to teach.
(I haven't attempted the passenger part of the question.)

[Aussie Bob]

I think it is usually written into the operators ops manual. Mine allows it so long as no emergency’s are simulated, the stipulation is that the passengers must be potential students or actual students.

Its all good unless something goes wrong, then all bets are off.

[Horatio Leafblower]

In Aus it is pretty cut and dried (although not always as we would like to have it):

Is it an instructional flight?

Yes = no pax, and candidate can manipulate controls under guidance of instructor.

No = it is either a private flight or a Charter flight, and pax can't touch controls.

Honoured more in the breach than the observance, I imagine.

Sorry I have no insight into the NZ Regs.

[flyinkiwi]

I couldn't find anything specific in the CARs that defines what a trial flight is and any restrictions that may apply, or even training flights in general. The reality at the organization I fly with is that trial flights have been allowing passengers in the back since I've been flying. As it's under the command of a CPL holder with an Instructor rating I don't see how it could be illegal. My wife was in the back during my trial flight, she had a better time than I did!

[chimbu warrior]

There is nothing about it in Part 141, however there is a small reference hidden in the definitions in Part 1 as follows -

Air transport operation means an operation for the carriage of passengers or goods by air for hire or reward except—
(1) a commercial transport operation:
(2) an adventure aviation operation:
(3) a helicopter external load operation under Part 133:
(4) an agricultural aircraft operation under Part 137:
(5) a trial flight.

Interestingly "trial flight" is not defined anywhere, but this is about the closest that you will find.

[andrewr]

I can't answer about the regulations in New Zealand. In Australia, relevant regulations seem to be:

CAR 228

(1) A person commits an offence if:
(a) the person manipulates the controls of a registered aircraft during flight; and
(b) the person is not:
...
(ii) for an aircraft other than a balloon--authorised under Part 61 of CASR to pilot the aircraft.

CASR Part 61

61.112 Flying as a student pilot
(1) Subject to regulations 61.113 to 61.115, a person who does not hold a pilot licence is authorised to pilot an aircraft if:
(a) the pilot in command of the aircraft is a flight instructor and the flight is for the purpose of the person receiving flight training; or
...

61.113 General requirements for student pilots
...
(2) A student pilot is not authorised to pilot an aircraft carrying passengers.


CAR 249

(1) The pilot in command of an aircraft that carries a passenger must not engage in any of the following types of flying:
(a) flying training given to a student pilot;
(b) practice of emergency procedures in the aircraft;
(c) low flying practice;
(d) testing an aircraft or its components, power plant or equipment.

My reading of that lot is that if you have a passenger, people without a pilot license, including student pilots, are not allowed to touch the controls. Once you have a pilot license you are no longer a student pilot and you can receive training carrying a passenger - but not practicing emergency procedures.

[Stickshift3000]

Just assume that all persons on board - other than the PIC - are ‘students’.

[andrewr]

Just assume that all persons on board - other than the PIC - are ‘students’.

It seem to be a myth that students don't count as passengers. I haven't found that in the regulations.

Once you have a license all conditions related to flight without a license would no longer apply. I suspect this is the situation where another student might be a passenger on e.g. a nav. But you would not be permitted to practice emergency procedures e.g. a forced landing.