Charity Flights
 

AIC 50/2000 makes clear the requirements for PPL holders carrying out fund raising flights. This includes operating limits which mean an operating radius of 25 nm from departure aerodrome. If the PPL is paying a share of the cost e.g. 25% for a total of four people, would this flight be legal under the normal rules for passenger carrying by PPL's? A 100 nm round trip is being planned. I would be grateful for any informed opinions.

This is VERY similiar to what i was about to post. Is it legal to take people on pleasure/site seeing flights and charge them an equal share? Technically they are only paying their respective fraction of the total cost (i.e my share would be equal or greater to theirs)
Is this a grey area or am I missing something? This could reduce the cost of hour building to approx £25 an hour!

Cost sharing is one thing, pleasure flights with strangers/members of the public is something else, even if you don't make a profit and do share the costs. I would be very surprised if that were legal.
Ian

You have to be careful with the definition of cost sharing. Shareable (?!) costs do NOT include an allowance for maintenance, airframe depreciation, insurance or other fixed costs - really I think it's just fuel and landing fees.

However the ANO makes no reference to the pilot's relationship with the cost sharing passengers.

Flying Lawyer?

Presumably if one were to offer a flight as a prize for a local fete and one were to cover the entire cost oneself, that would be legal....er...ish (I hope)

Sorry New Bloke, the CAA have happily prosecuted for less than that.

The limitations of a PPL are something like:

No hire, reward or valuable consideration.

Cannot provide a service

Cannot do aerial work.

The only let out is the Charity Flight exemption, if you can't meet that requirement the option is take 3 months off work, stump up £10,000+ and get a CPL (you still need a PT CofA though).

I don't like to put a damper on anyones flying ambitions, but you never know whos watching.

A helicopter pilot recently got a three month jail sentence and a huge fine for doing charity flights with only a PPL. It's not quite the same situation, as he did do some rather stupid things, but it's a sobering thought all the same. There's a discussion about it on a PPRuNe thread somewhere - Rumours and News I think.

I knew it was too good to be true, just wondering what everyone elses stance was on the subject.

From the replies to my original post, for which I am grateful, it would seem that AIC 50/2000 must apply to PPL charity flights. We do meet all the requirements for experience, currency and PTCofA but wanted to fly over 25 nm and land somewhere else. It seems that you can apply to the CAA for exemption of some restrictions. Does anyone have experience of doing this?

I suggest you re-read the Appendices to the AIC VERY CAREFULLY. Especially the bit about flights no further than 25nm from the aerodrome and being local flights only - NOT landing away.

Are you sure you really want to be looking at charity flights, where YOU pay for the flight and the passengers make a donation to a registered charity, or Cost sharing - which is totally different, and the rules for that are contained in the ANO (No more than 4 pob, costs shared EQUALLY between all on board).

The general principle at work here is that if an unsuspecting member of the public pays for a flight in an aircraft, they have the right to expect that aircraft, crew and facilities are of the high standards expected for public transport flights.

There are some exceptions made, including the charity exemptions in the AIC, and the cost-sharing provisions for a PPL. The assumption there would seem to be that a consenting adult chipping in to cover only the costs of the flight knows what he or she is getting into. But any payment over and above that (or even instead of that, as might be the case for a charity flight beyond the exemptions) makes it public transport.

Get them to give you cash!

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hhhiiisssssccrrrraaaacckkkllesssshhhhhh

The CAA requirements for charity flights are quite stiff. i used to offer a flight as a raffle prize at my daughter's school's christmas draw. CAA told me that i had to meet the requirements or I would need a CPL and the charity would need an Air Operators Certificate.

Decided the game wasn't worth the candle in the end.

SSD