Fellow Instructors, on Trial Lessons, do you...?

[DFC]

I would however get in trouble if I cost shared a sightseeing trip with an unlicensed friend and then let them fly the plane.

Don't know about your local rules but in most places for a private flight (eg cost sharing) the only person that needs a licence is the pilot in command - who is responsible for the safety of the flight. There is no requirement for the person "manipulating the controls" to have any qualification. Same applies to instructional flights. (not talking about the radio - just flying!!)

There is no requirement to hold an instructor rating to teach someone to fly. They can learn everything - but they get no credit for the training received because it is not training for a licence. It is simply a private flight. The person learning can not pay for the purpose of the flight otherwise it is public transport.

But then again exactly how am I as a Mech Eng degree qualified ATPL/FI qualified to say who would or wouldn't get a medical/license?

A person with no education or qualifications would be able to say that a blind person will never get a driving licence or a pilot licence and they would correctly predict that a blind person won't become a brain surgeon.

Last time I checked, charging someone lots of money for something that they don't need and can get no useful benefit from is termed a "rip-off".

I know what he would take on though a Flying school for refusing to allow a lesson under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 if there was no safety reason for refusing it.

That has made me laugh. I have a picture of a blind person getting driving lessons in the middle of Edinburgh because the Driving school could not refuse them under the Disability Discriminatiin Act.

I really wanted to get him up even if it was just in the back but after a discussion with his dad between us we decided it wasn't safe.

The Dad was correct. Putting the student in the back and trying to get them to fly the aircraft from there is not just unsafe it is unbelieveable that anyone would even suggest the idea.

The lengths people will go to in order to make money...........if of course the story is anything other than a poor wind-up.

[Crash one]

I am not an Instructor, I am a low hrs NPPL. So please excuse me for poking my neb in. I think Mad Jock is dead right, I also think that passing off a TL "customer" to any PPL willing to fly them for free is, or could be, a bad idea. Instructors are, I believe, trained to handle the situation of a panicking pax>>>? The average PPL is not? Is this scenario worth comment?

[mcgoo]

Instructors are, I believe, trained to handle the situation of a panicking pax>>>?

No, just told to punch them on the nose to get their attention!

[Crash one]

Punch em on the nose kick em in the bollocks, whatever. But I wasn't taught that, not during flying training anyway!!

[mad_jock]

I was told to belt them round the back of the head with the fire extingisher.

see another example of lack of standardization in FIC's

[Crash one]

Non standard but specific to local knowledge. The right hand stick on my a/c used to be removeable till I put a bolt through it, can I use that?

[Crash one]

Don't know about your local rules but in most places for a private flight (eg cost sharing) the only person that needs a licence is the pilot in command - who is responsible for the safety of the flight. There is no requirement for the person "manipulating the controls" to have any qualification. (Quote, DFC) Does this mean it is quite legal to let the Pax do all the flying? (NPPL PIC).

[mad_jock]

Answer to the first question no that would not be a good idea taking your means of control of the aircraft out of its socket to belt someone.

And there have been quite a few threads on the pax having a shot of the controls. There isn't a problem legally its just you have to cover your bum with insurance if anything goes wrong.

[DFC]

Does this mean it is quite legal to let the Pax do all the flying? (NPPL PIC).

As said above, yes this is 100% legal provided that the owner / operator does not have a rule preventing it or the insurance company does not preclude such.

It is a legal way of a non-instructor member of a syndicate "checking out" a new member - the new member is a passenger who does all the flying, the PIC makes sure that everything is safe (and takes control if necessary).

Never foregt that the final responsibility for the safety and legality of the flight rests with the PIC be they solo, with a fellow pilot, a passenger who is flying the aircraft or some box of electrical components which is flying the aircraft (autopilot).

Finally, there is nothing illegal with setting the aircraft up in the cruise and not touching the controls for 3 hours. In that case, no one is flying the aircraft (manipulating the controls) - but the PIC is keeping a very close eye on what is happening!!