pilotweb.aero | Pilot June 2018 | 3Preflight
Editorial
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@Pilot_mag Pilotmagazine
I
n a press release entitled ‘Sharing the
cost of flying – Are UK pilots making
the most of the rule change?’ the Civil
Aviation Authority reminds pilots about
the opportunities brought about by the
relaxation of ‘cost sharing’ rules across
Europe four years ago.
‘Private pilots are... allowed to carry
passengers who are not friends, family
or flying colleagues,’ observes the CAA.
‘Previously, the pilot of a GA aircraft
keen to carry passengers was bound by
a number of restrictive rules designed to
prevent the pilot benefiting financially in
any way. Profit is still not permitted but
the costs can now be shared as set out in
the rules.’
What makes this newsworthy in 2018?
‘As a result of the relaxation of the rules,
European GA pilots can now sign up with
dedicated online flight sharing services
to help fund their recreational flying,’
continues the press release. ‘These
services match pilots with passengers for
specific journeys and co-ordinate the admin
between the two parties. Pilots who take
advantage of these services can build up
their hours and therefore their experience.’
Pilot’s editorial team has gone online
to discover what kind of services are
being advertised, and see just who is
offering them. As you might expect, some
of the pilots involved have considerable
experience and are using their own
aircraft. However, a significant number
are offering sight-seeing trips and some
of the individuals involved have such low
hours it is easy to imagine they have just
completed their PPL training.
The CAA’s Head of GA, Tony Rapson
offers further information and comment
on his blog. Thousands of European
private pilots have now signed up with
flight sharing services and Rapson notes
that ‘some of these web-based platforms
have signed up to a charter developed
by the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) on cost-shared flights and are
doing much to manage the [associated]
risks’. The Charter – a surprisingly short
and succinct document by previous EASA
standards – can be found at http://www.easa.
europa.eu/charter-promote-safety-non-
commercial-general-aviation
‘Flying with strangers is a totally
different experience to taking family or
friends for a spin,’ cautions Tony Rapson,‘so we at the CAA are very keen that
pilots who do embrace these new-found
opportunities fully understand the risks
involved... Flying with strangers opens
new potential issues ranging from
security and personal safety to insurance
implications’. To help pilots understand
the pros and cons of cost sharing
with strangers the CAA has produced
CAP1589 Cost sharing flights – GA guide
(also available online).
‘Ultimately, the clear intention of
relaxing the cost sharing rules is to
allow pilots to fly more – building skills
and experience – while sharing their
passion for aviation with others. Providing
passengers and pilots understand and
stick to the rules, then that intention can
become a reality.’
We certainly agree with the ‘allowing
pilots to fly more’ bit, as this magazine’s
contributors have argued for years that the
more you fly, the better and safer a pilot
you become. However, we still feel bound
to ask how good an idea it is to be trying to
subsidise that learning experience by taking
up paying passengers.
So here’s an alternative proposal,
addressed to the authorities and Treasury
alike: if you truly understand the link
between hours flown/training and
flight safety, why don’t you make more
strenuous efforts to contain or even
reduce fees and costs, and – are you
listening there in Westminster – make
flight training, like other professional
training, VAT-free?Is this entirely good news?
Philip Whiteman, EditorSubscription offer: See p96 for the latest subscription offer