I


t wasn’t long ago that cost-sharing fl ights in GA essentially meant fl ying with friends buying the bacon sarnies for lunch, stumping up for the landing


fee perhaps, or paying towards the cost of the fuel and that was about it, but times have changed. Now, a greater proportion of the costs can be shared between more people which, among other things, has led to the rise of cost-sharing fl ight websites rather like fl ying versions of Airbnb. You’ve probably seen the stories in the press, how it can be quicker and cheaper for people to take a private fl ight to Carlisle than let the train take the strain, or how they can get a bird’s-eye view of the Jurassic coastline in a private aircraft for £60 or so. It’s all come about with the introduction of an EU regulation (EU Commission Regulation 379/2014) which says that costs no longer have to be shared equally. Although the legislation doesn’t specifi cally allow the advertising of fl ights, it doesn’t prohibit it. So pop ‘fl ight-sharing’ into Google and sites such as Wingly, and Coavmi are right at the top of the list off ering all manner of seats on private fl ights and, unsurprisingly, thousands of UK PPLs have already signed up to take part. All of which sounds good because


everyone likes to fl y more, particularly if someone else is helping to pick up the bills – and more fl ying increases currency and skills, benefi ting safety. Flying and cost-sharing with friends is


still pretty straightforward and little apart from the proportion each person has to pay has changed; now, how much each individual person pays is not prescribed but the pilot must pay something. For those fl ying with friends or fl ying club members, working out the actual cost-sharing between pilot and passengers (up to six including the pilot) is probably now much simpler. Direct costs, such as fuel, airfi eld charges and any aircraft rental fee, if it’s hired, can be split between those on board, but anything not directly related to the fl ight, such as the annual cost of keeping, maintaining and operating an aircraft for example, cannot be shared and no profi t can be made. But how does it work under the new fl ight-sharing websites with someone


Flying more is one of the benefi ts


Weight and balance can be an issue


you’ve never met, and what happens, say, if the weather doesn’t quite turn out to match the forecast? Suppose the passenger doesn’t turn up on time or the aircraft goes tech – and what about insurance, licences and, from the passenger’s point of view, safety? This new world of cost-sharing


could be something of a minefi eld with pilots of diff ering abilities fl ying people they’ve never met before, but EASA and the new websites have taken the idea quite seriously. EASA has designed a Charter of best


practices, to be signed by all of the web platforms, their individual charters will inform passengers and pilots not only on the diff erent safety levels of a GA fl ight compared to a commercial air transport (CAT) fl ight, it also includes a safety- relevant tool box with a checklist for pilots on how to deal with passengers prior to and during the fl ight, as well as an online


Passengers might be more nervous


training module on passenger handling. As part of this Charter, web-based platforms commit themselves to share safety-related data with EASA and national authorities. In 2016 a Europe-wide Working Group examined the ramifi cations of the new rules and perceived no additional safety risks were posed by advertising fl ights. The idea is that it should increase safety more widely by encouraging pilots to fl y more frequently.


With pilots and aircraft now eff ectively being more available to a wider audience, one of the obvious questions is over


licences, profi ciency, hours and currency. None of the


websites want to be party to falling foul of the law, so a pilot’s licence,


Summer 2018 CLUED UP 7 ➤


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