New Bill Would Make FlyteNow Legal

[Gubbins]

This thread is getting boring. Let me ask a question for anyone who might still actually be paying attention.

Would you, as a pilot, actually offer seats on your flights? Insurance, regulations, etc. aside, would it be worth the time, effort, and payload hit? It seems that logistical issues for small planes would invitably sink the business model.

Nope. I wouldn't. I don't even like giving free rides after discussing my personal liability with my attorney .

 

[Brad Z]

Nope. I wouldn't. I don't even like giving free rides after discussing my personal liability with my attorney .

But even if liability wasn't an issue, would you?

 

[DJTorrente]

But even if liability wasn't an issue, would you?

At this point in my life, probably not. When I was in college I regularly worked the ride boards to subsidize gas money for my weekend trips home. If I had my PPL (possibly IR) and access to a plane back then, I'd have done that in a heartbeat.

 

[steingar]

Folks claiming a ride-sharing service as the end of GA aren't looking around very well. They aren't minding their surroundings. Not living in the moment. Whatever other Jedi cliche I can come up with.

GA is already dying folks. It is withering away, as pilots get older and fewer folks step in to fill the ranks. I don't think there is really that much you can do to hurt it at this point. My airport used to have a tie-down area that was full of airplanes when I started 15 years ago. They just bulldozed it. I'm told there are empty hangars as well. Hell I'm told, the one next to it has an aircraft frame in it and little else (unless you count motorcycles).

Yeah, this could get bad if pilots allow pressure from others to stop them from acting like pilots. I've done the ride share thing to the Show, I was PIC and made certain the guy knew it. Had a good time, I'd do it again.

Thing is, non pilots get in my airplane, they hear all about how dangerous GA is. They hear all about how I might turn around midway if I don't like what I see. They hear all about how we could wind up sleeping at our destination or driving home if I don't like what I see.

But half my flights are just me flying to fly going somewhere local for lunch. Give me pax and I might really do some travel. So long as pilots act like pilots, this will work fine. The minute someone caves to some mouthy passenger, we get problems.

 

[TK211X]

I really only have one problem with this if programs like this get legalized.

Idiots & Stupid people.

I think thats the reason the FAA had a problem with this under different pretenses. Whats to stop a crazy eyed joe from grouping with a pilot and wreaking havoc? Not to mention suicidal people and terrorist will just have a stop n' go place like jihad express or something.

 

[dtuuri]

Thing is, non pilots get in my airplane, they hear all about how dangerous GA is. They hear all about how I might turn around midway if I don't like what I see. They hear all about how we could wind up sleeping at our destination or driving home if I don't like what I see.

You're right. FlyteNow is not practical for private pilots, it's better for commercial pilots. They should use the website to rent under-utilized airplanes to non-pilots and hook them up with commercial pilots with the skills to finish the job. Of course, if it's safe enough for private pilots to take strangers on a third class medical, commercial pilots shouldn't need a higher class either.

Frankly, IMO, that idea is legal right now if the commercial pilot has a second class medical.

dtuuri

 

[Phoenix]

I really only have one problem with this if programs like this get legalized.

Idiots & Stupid people.

I think thats the reason the FAA had a problem with this under different pretenses. Whats to stop a crazy eyed joe from grouping with a pilot and wreaking havoc? Not to mention suicidal people and terrorist will just have a stop n' go place like jihad express or something.

Suicidal terrorists are going to be stopped because online flight sharing is against the rules.

 

[Phoenix]

Flytenow is a perfect recruitment tool. Getting people that have some interest in little planes, some need of travel that is met by little planes, and some amount of money. Thinking Young Eagles is golden and Flytenow rotten is illogical. I'm convinced most pilots are weak of ego and threatened by the idea of new pilots. Those new pilots might be better then them, or able to afford a cooler plane.

Folks claiming a ride-sharing service as the end of GA aren't looking around very well. They aren't minding their surroundings. Not living in the moment. Whatever other Jedi cliche I can come up with.

GA is already dying folks. It is withering away, as pilots get older and fewer folks step in to fill the ranks. I don't think there is really that much you can do to hurt it at this point. My airport used to have a tie-down area that was full of airplanes when I started 15 years ago. They just bulldozed it. I'm told there are empty hangars as well. Hell I'm told, the one next to it has an aircraft frame in it and little else (unless you count motorcycles).

Yeah, this could get bad if pilots allow pressure from others to stop them from acting like pilots. I've done the ride share thing to the Show, I was PIC and made certain the guy knew it. Had a good time, I'd do it again.

Thing is, non pilots get in my airplane, they hear all about how dangerous GA is. They hear all about how I might turn around midway if I don't like what I see. They hear all about how we could wind up sleeping at our destination or driving home if I don't like what I see.

But half my flights are just me flying to fly going somewhere local for lunch. Give me pax and I might really do some travel. So long as pilots act like pilots, this will work fine. The minute someone caves to some mouthy passenger, we get problems.

 

[denverpilot]

Flytenow is a perfect recruitment tool. Getting people that have some interest in little planes, some need of travel that is met by little planes, and some amount of money. Thinking Young Eagles is golden and Flytenow rotten is illogical. I'm convinced most pilots are weak of ego and threatened by the idea of new pilots. Those new pilots might be better then them, or able to afford a cooler plane.

Not really. Nobody learns to drive because they're excited to go to work for Uber...

And no newbie is going to say, "Oh, I can fly people around? I better get right on that $10K+ Private Rating!"

It's not a good "recruitment" tool at all.

Can't think of any reason pilots would feel threatened by a newbie either nor ever seen that behavior.

Piloting for fun, nobody cares whether you're new or not other than to offer up cautionary tales, and piloting for a living is always logbook and seniority based so nobody new is ever a threat.

(The latter almost to a fault, even if the newbie has a better natural skillset and work ethic.)

Doesn't matter in the slightest. The logbook rules the aviation world. Your concern that the newbie would be "better than them" is moot per the rules of commercial aviation.

Only folk that might care are the air show performers. They actually compete for eyeballs, but the maneuvers are generally the same and again, besides the raw talent necessary, the logbook rules, when it comes to getting a low level aerobatics waiver.

 

[Henning]

You're right. FlyteNow is not practical for private pilots, it's better for commercial pilots. They should use the website to rent under-utilized airplanes to non-pilots and hook them up with commercial pilots with the skills to finish the job. Of course, if it's safe enough for private pilots to take strangers on a third class medical, commercial pilots shouldn't need a higher class either.

Frankly, IMO, that idea is legal right now if the commercial pilot has a second class medical.

dtuuri

But right now, there is no insurance product to cover it since all the pilot and plane requirements for a Commercial policy aren't met unless they do drug testing and 100hr inspections as you need with Pt 91 sight seeing flights.

 

[Phoenix]

Recruitment to learn for themselves not to fly others. Flytenow model exposes people to aviation, people that have an interest and need. Perfect new pilot population you know the one we are always lamenting not being able to find or get in an airplane.

Not really. Nobody learns to drive because they're excited to go to work for Uber...

And no newbie is going to say, "Oh, I can fly people around? I better get right on that $10K+ Private Rating!"

It's not a good "recruitment" tool at all.

Can't think of any reason pilots would feel threatened by a newbie either nor ever seen that behavior.

Piloting for fun, nobody cares whether you're new or not other than to offer up cautionary tales, and piloting for a living is always logbook and seniority based so nobody new is ever a threat.

(The latter almost to a fault, even if the newbie has a better natural skillset and work ethic.)

Doesn't matter in the slightest. The logbook rules the aviation world. Your concern that the newbie would be "better than them" is moot per the rules of commercial aviation.

Only folk that might care are the air show performers. They actually compete for eyeballs, but the maneuvers are generally the same and again, besides the raw talent necessary, the logbook rules, when it comes to getting a low level aerobatics waiver.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

You're right. FlyteNow is not practical for private pilots, it's better for commercial pilots. They should use the website to rent under-utilized airplanes to non-pilots and hook them up with commercial pilots with the skills to finish the job. Of course, if it's safe enough for private pilots to take strangers on a third class medical, commercial pilots shouldn't need a higher class either.

Frankly, IMO, that idea is legal right now if the commercial pilot has a second class medical.

Not quite. If FlyteNow is arranging both the pilot and the airplane, they'd need a 135 cert and all that entails.

Now, if they had PlyneNow to find the airplanes and PylotNow to find pilots separately, maybe that'd work.

 

[dtuuri]

Not quite. If FlyteNow is arranging both the pilot and the airplane, they'd need a 135 cert and all that entails.

Now, if they had PlyneNow to find the airplanes and PylotNow to find pilots separately, maybe that'd work.

True, the details need to be carefully thought out. I think I could do it.

dtuuri

 

[denverpilot]

Recruitment to learn for themselves not to fly others. Flytenow model exposes people to aviation, people that have an interest and need. Perfect new pilot population you know the one we are always lamenting not being able to find or get in an airplane.

I've given a lot of non-pilots rides in two decades. Exactly zero showed any interest in doing it themselves. Don't think it'd be as effective a recruiting tool as you think. The vast majority of people just want to get from one place to another. They don't care how.

 

[Phoenix]

I've given a lot of non-pilots rides in two decades. Exactly zero showed any interest in doing it themselves. Don't think it'd be as effective a recruiting tool as you think. The vast majority of people just want to get from one place to another. They don't care how.

Then why risk children's lives with Young Eagle flights?

 

[denverpilot]

Then why risk children's lives with Young Eagle flights?

I don't. Seems like a question for FAA and those who do, but tends toward proving the point that if they have one set of rules, Flytenow is certainly a more acceptable risk between consenting adults?