"Bart" wrote in message
oups.com...
Wade Hasbrouck wrote:
"Mxsmanic" wrote
If you have understanding passengers, fine. If they are going to a
wedding or job interview, though, this is a serious problem.

Again you are inferring that the Private Pilot can ignore FAR Part 91 and
FAR 61.113 when they want to help out friends. If a friend comes to me
and
says "I have a wedding or job interview to go to, could you fly me
there?",
this would most likely be considered a violation of 61.113, and would be
illegal for a Private Pilot to do.

That's absurd. Someone asking to be flown somewhere is in no way a
violation of the FARs. If it were, most GA pilots would be in violation
almost every time they fly.

Case in point - you said in a previous post:

" I had a coworker who wanted to go have lunch at PWT (Bremerton
National) on a Saturday morning."

So by your own interpretation, *you* are in violation of FAR 61.113.

No I am not...

Amongst my coworkers, it is no secret that I am now a Private Pilot. It is
also no secret to them that I enjoy going to PWT for Fish and Chips, as I
have told them on many occasions that I think they are some of the best
around. So, when said coworker said he wanted to go to PWT for lunch, it is
not a violation of FAR 61.113, because I was wanting to go there for lunch
as well...


In order for a violation to occur, there has to be compensation (which
may or may not be monetary) which the above situations, as described,
do not include.


FAA says that "compensation" may not always be tangible, which is more of
what my point was getting at... Respect and regard gained from doing a
favor for someone, especially someone like a direct manager, can be
considered compensation.

i.e. if my manager had asked me to fly fly him to Portland to pick up the
car he bought in Portland off of E-Bay, and even though I pay for the entire
flight, that is a violation of FAR 61.113. Same thing can be said of
friends asking you to basically be a basic "taxi service" for them by taking
them to job interviews or weddings or what ever event, if you don't have any
other reason for the flight, it is my opinion you are asking for trouble
from the FAA. And even if you did have a reason for the flight, you might
get some uncessary attention from the FAA.



Not at all. You could have commitments to friends or relatives to
transport them here or there, with no money involved.

FAA could still consider this as flying for compensation, which is
prohibited under Part 91 and FAR 61.113. FAA has said that compensation
doesn't have to be monetary in nature to violate FAR 61.113.

Again - in his scenario, no compensation is described, so it is
perfectly legal. The word "commitment" does not inherently imply
compensation. A commitment is merely an obligation to an agreement.

Compensation doesn't have to be "described" in the commitment/agreement to
get you trouble with the FAA. If you are agreeing to transport friends
around, while you aren't receiving anything tangible, the respect they will
have for you and regard that they will hold for you is considered to be
compensation by the FAA, and is a violation of FAR 61.113. As a private
pilot, I am not a taxi service for my friends.

Private Pilots have to be very concious of "why" they are flying, and if I
ask myself before every flight that I take passengers on "Why are we
flying?", and if the answer doesn't involve me in some way, (other than I am
their mode of transportion) i.e. I don't have a real reason myself for doing
the flight, then I am probably asking for trouble from the FAA, and while it
may be tough, I probably should say "no." to the friend and the flight.

If you are "committing to friends and family to transport them", and that is
the only reason for the flight, you are now an "air taxi". Just because I
have a Private Pilot Certificate doesn't mean I can be a "taxi service" for
my friends and family and transport them around where ever they want to go
when they want to go.