H500

Guess an investigation may have been quite interesting, hey ho!


Nigel, are you an MP? Not doing anything wrong until book fiddling found out eh!
If I came to you for a pleasure flight, would you be telling me that I wouldn't be paying for a pleasure flight as such, but simply hiring the aircraft?

I refer to the CAA publication;
Oh look, mention of the words safety and standards! So maybe it's not just me that thinks an AOC holder would be a safer bet for my pleasure flight.

Do you do extensions?

No i am not an MP !!!! And no i wouldnt take you for a joy ride ...but if you wish to do a formal lease for a number of hours then that could be arranged properly and legally . Dont be fooled by the CAA ...they have to do something to justify charging you many thousands to make sure you are safe dont they ? I still dont see how a flight in the same helicopter and same pilot can have different safety just because some forms are filled in ...do you ?? In fact the rules say that sometimes an owner is NOT allowed to use a companies professional AOC , CPL all whistles 10,000 hr pilot ....but CAN use a PPL or newly qualified cpl with no experience or company behind him . Explain that one to if you can .
example . you own an AS 350 ( no floats )and have it on company X AOC and wish to use it yourself for a private flight say to Battersea. You are low hr PPL and want the AOC to provide you with pilot just to be sensible . or maybe you will be returning in the dark and have a new night rating but want to be safer with experienced pilot .

The real laugh about having an AOC is where you can land and where you cant.
Here's an example PPLH with less than 100 hours can take 4 pax and land in a EC120 at The Saunton Sands Hotel perfectly legally. Yet the same aircraft on an AOC with a professional pilot in with say 10000 hours on type is not allowed to land there as the site does not have 550m take off run ( that is the distance required for a 120) Now please tell me SS which would you prefer to be a pax in ?

In reality there are very few private sites /gardens that would be legal for public transport . There is no point getting upset as all they will do is make it illegal for private as well !!! There are so many areas that they have got it all wrong that it makes you wonder whether they are not actually just eco warriors in disguise slowly ridding the skies of polluting choppers !! When it comes to safety how can it possibly ever be safer NOT being allowed to have an experienced CPL ???

I'll take the one that doesn't crash just outside the pub thanks!
:p

If one is going to terminate the flight in spectacular fashion as mentioned above, then the local IS the only place to do it :E

Cannot think of a better place to give myself that group hug and CRM de-brief along with a pint and a packet of crisps :ok:

I've heard about that one griffo, isn't it called the 'Hip flask Defence'?
:suspect:

SS
I like your political answer :ok::)

Guess the old pork scratchings aren't an option out there Griff ;)

Jon

Joy Rides and AOC's
 

This issue stops being theoretical when there is a crash and the ensuing stewards enquiry kicks off, ably assisted by insurance company lawyers looking for reasons not to pay up for the owner/operator/pilot/hull/pax laibility claims etc. I have seen that happen too many times in the past 20 years.

There are ways that pax can pay, but ensure the small print in your insurance policy will come to the rescue if you have a bad day - as that may well cause more of a problem than the CAA.

The CAA leaflet about Fare paying Pax is too generalist, and does not cover the ground in sufficient detail - probably for reasons that we all know and suspect to be true.