I’m curious if anyone has thoughts on “advertising” myself as a safety pilot in the Chicago area. Any legal issues with doing this? Any place you’d recommend posting? I’m just interested in getting up in the sky more often. IFR rated private pilot with about 250 hours.
Safety Pilot - where to find those in need?
- Thread starter M.Sove
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Lndwarrior
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Gary
If you're not charging someone and your sharing fuel costs I don't think it could be classified as holding out.
POA or local Craigslist or Nextdoor for possible ads.
POA or local Craigslist or Nextdoor for possible ads.
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Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
Find and reach out to flying clubs in surrounding airports. I would also reach out the FBO's at these airports and ask them if you could post on their bulletin board, have them give your name out if anyone asks, etc.
RussR
En-Route
There has to be a local FB group for Chicago area pilots. Ours here in OK always has posts from people looking to do what you are, so I'd definitely try that.
Yep. Local flying groups, whether online or offline, are usually the best bets.
Sometimes, just walking around the ramp or hangars on a nice day when folks are washing their airplanes can lead to contacts.
The open question is, are you trying to get paid or get some kind of benefit for these piloting duties?
MauleSkinner
Touchdown! Greaser!
Financial considerations have little, if anything, to do with holding out.
That's kind of why I asked whether @M.Sove was expecting some kind of benefit. Back in 2012, the Chief Counsel was asked whether a safety pilot is required to pay a pro rata share of expenses because the safety pilot is receiving "flight time" compensation. The specific answer was
Section 91.109(b) prohibits a pilot from operating a civil aircraft in simulated instrument flight unless a safety pilot is present. As such, both pilots are required crewmembers during the portion of a flight that is conducted in simulated instrument conditions. The safety pilot is not required to pay a pro rata share of the operating expenses of the flight regardless of whether he is acting as PIC since neither individual is a passenger.
The safety pilot could offer to pay a pro-rata share of the costs of the flight, but there is no requirement that he do so, and not doing so is not a violation of§ 61.113.
It doesn't go quite as far, but the overall tone always sounded to me like, "when it comes to two pilots sharing a flight we really don't care what you do." And my take is that it especially applies to the very common requests to locate or to be a safety pilot.
Matthew
Touchdown! Greaser!
Cancer got my flying partner/safety pilot. We had a pretty good deal where we’d swap SP duties with each other regularly.
It’s time I found another regular SP. But rather than advertise my services or look for advertisements, I have plenty of connections with other pilot buddies.
If you’re looking to SP or for an SP, ask your most recent CFI or another CFI you know. They will know someone, even if it’s themselves.
It’s time I found another regular SP. But rather than advertise my services or look for advertisements, I have plenty of connections with other pilot buddies.
If you’re looking to SP or for an SP, ask your most recent CFI or another CFI you know. They will know someone, even if it’s themselves.
A regular flying buddy is a great thing to have. When I was in Colorado, my friend Chris and I flew together regularly. trading off safety pilot duties. About every other month, we would get together after work, fly a few approaches, and then go out to dinner. There are probably some other flights mixed in there, but my logbook shows 90 flights together over the course of 13 years. (And I had a Guinea pig when working on my CFII 
)
On topic: we met at work. I was a lawyer in a software company; Chris was a short-term contractor on the software development team. Discovered we had something in common.
)On topic: we met at work. I was a lawyer in a software company; Chris was a short-term contractor on the software development team. Discovered we had something in common.
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Ralph Parmenter Bennett
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Well sure, OK, follow the above good advice for a safety pilot, But, consider a simpler, less complicated, low-cost way to go is to make use of your non-pilot spouse/SO, as a safety pilot. She says little, looks wherever, is never critical and is quite happy to receive a post flight Margarita for just compensation.
Unless that spouse is already at least a private pilot, those flying lessons don’t sound like “low cost.”
And if a non-pilot, breaking regs can be expensive too.
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This is very helpful! Thanks for the info.
I’m new to this site and I don’t see how to DM you! Am I missing something very obvious?