Gary,

As a private pilot you can transport people for medical services, you
just cannot charge for it, nor can you split expenses.

There are a number of public benefit flying organizations for which
you could volunteer to fly, they are primarily for medical transport
or enviornmental/conservation research and support. For the transport
flights, the passengers cannot make any form of payment, and because
you are not flying the trip for a "common purpose" you cannot split
costs.

The FAA is supporting public benefit flying in its interpretations of
regulations, but you have to still have to be careful about compliance
and walk a very fine line and, for transportation flights, you
generally should not get reimbursed for any portion of your costs
because of the prohibition against flight for hire unless you operate
under Part 135. When you and friends go somewhere for lunch or a
vacation, it's a common purpose flight, and you can split the costs.
In general, and very briefly, when you are flying someone for medical
treatment, you are not considered to being making the flight to that
destination for a common purpose and thus you cannot split the costs.
If the passenger pays anything at all, even if it does not cover his
or her share of costs, it is considered compensation (and getting free
flying time where only the airplane costs are covered is considered
compensation in a long line of enforcement cases).

So, check with the Air Care Alliance website (the Air Care Alliance is
the umbrella group for public benefit flying organizations) for
information on public benefit flying organizations and see if there is
one that interests you. The organization can give you more detailed
answers on operations. The important thing is not to think of it as a
way to build flying time cheaply. You are truly donating your time
and airplane costs to help others. The organizations are excellent
(by and large) and perform a great deal of service to the public and
you get to actually do some good with your skills.

All the best,
Rick

"Gary G" wrote in message ...
Can a Private Pilot transport people for an organization or for "volunteer" purposes.
Examples: Red Cross, transporting people for medical services (cancer patients) etc.?

I've wondered about being able to volunteer services for organizations.

Would they be able to "split costs" at all?
Or is it for transport only?

Thanks!