Rating to Transport People Voluntarily

"NW_PILOT" wrote in message
...
Remember to be a NPO only 1% of every dollar donated needs to go to the
organization.

Is that true? Can you cite a source for that claim?

Thanks,
Gary

"NW_PILOT" wrote in
:

I can understand the Flight time requirements and the insurance
requirements but to pay a mandatory annual fee I do not understand?

As stated on the Angel Flight web site "The cost to join is only $50,
and the annual dues are $35" I can understand charging non pilots a
membership fee but pilots that provide a volunteer service should not
be charged.

You wouldn't believe the battles that have been fought over that. MOST
of the Angel Flight regions do NOT have a membership fee. I can tell
you at AF South Central we have that fight in the board meetings every
five or six years. It's always been defeated.

There is a cost of having someone as a member... Newsletter mailings,
special event mailings, calls to try to fill that last-minute mission,
calls from a local wing leader inviting them to fly, etc. Plus, when
you sign up, you get "gifts." So the membership dues are as much to
keep the rolls clean of well-meaning pilots who are never going to
actually fly a mission as it is for any attempt to recover money.

It's a little like putting a sign up in your yard that reads "Puppies,
$5" vs. "Free Puppies." The $5 isn't the issue, but somehow if people
pay even a few bucks, they are more serious about it.

Having said that, it is the general belief that the pilots are already
donating huge amounts of their time and money in support of missions and
trying to get them to pay (even just a few bucks) for the privilege is
.... well, just plain tacky. So the dues have NEVER been approved in our
region.
jmk

I can't and won't add a lot to what James said here. Angel Flight
Mid-Atlantic as a requirement for an instrument rating and 250 hours PIC
time and 25 hours in type. There is no fee. The office staff is funded from
donations and as a rough rule of thumb for every dollar donated AF generates
3-4 dollars in patient services. And the pilots that volunteer for the
flights get a lot more than that back in personal satisfaction. You can
really make a difference in someone's life by providing this service.
--
Rich Badaracco
Director Angel Flight North Carolina
N1943T

"James M. Knox" wrote in message
2...
"NW_PILOT" wrote in
:

Yes. It's what allows organizations such as AngelFlight to exist.

Be sure if you want to do that you look at the requirements it can be
real prohibitive. Angel Flight requires 300 hours Total time and 75
hours cross country 25 in make and model or something like that and
they charge you an annual fee to do it. Not sure of other
organizations i have only herd of angel flight. If I was to volunteer
my time and aircraft and the expenses that go along with it no way
would I want to pay an annual fee.

That answer is not entirely correct. Angel Flight is made up of six
different regional organization, under the unbrella Angel Flight
America. Although there is a move to standardize everything as much as
possible, each region sets its own specific requirements. Some only
require a Private Pilot license, while others want an instrument rating
and a minimum number of hours (for example, Angel Flight South Central
wants 200 hours PIC, total, and proof of insurance).

It's not as arbitrary or random as it may sound. Each region has
weather that may be unique - for example, Angel Flight North East has
long required an instrument rating, because it is so scuzzy up there so
much of the time. Whereas South Central only recently required one, and
the minimum 200 hours, and that was almost entirely due to insurance
requirements. [Actually, they still don't require an instrument rating
- but if you are VFR only then they want you to schedule an IFR backup
pilot "just in case." And with our weather, 95% of the time, VFR works
just fine.]

Check them out. Go to the web site and find your own region. Find out
what THEY want. And talk with other Angel Flight pilots. It's a great
excuse to fly, and a great feeling to help folks - whether you fly
patients or blood runs or whatever you do to help out.

James Knox
Director
Angel Flight South Central

"Angel Flight America" is a confederation of 6 individual regional
Angel Flights. The specific requirements to be a pilot vary from region
to region. As for the membership fee...AngelFlight West is $35/year
and essentially funds our very few paid staff. Organizations like this
don't work well entirely volunteer. Someone must always be available
to answer the phone, coordinate with the many (in the hundreds!) of
medical organizations that use our services, deal with state and
federal reporting requirements, etc.

For more info, check out

www.angelflightamerica.org

"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?

Relevant FARs:

http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part61-113-FAR.shtml

This also provides for so-called "charitable airlift" where people make a
donation to, say, go for a ride in a plane, assuming a bunch of conditions
are met. Also allows reimbursement of full (as opposed to proportional)
expenses if involved in SAR activites, which I assume is there to allow CAP
to operate as it does.

-cwk.

C Kingsbury wrote:


This also provides for so-called "charitable airlift" where people make a
donation to, say, go for a ride in a plane, assuming a bunch of conditions
are met. Also allows reimbursement of full (as opposed to proportional)
expenses if involved in SAR activites, which I assume is there to allow CAP
to operate as it does.

Actually, it has nothing to do with either one.

The Charitable Airlift reg is an exemption to allow someone to pay to be flown
(just doesn't flown to the pilot).

"Ron Natalie" wrote in message
m...
C Kingsbury wrote:


This also provides for so-called "charitable airlift" where people make
a
donation to, say, go for a ride in a plane, assuming a bunch of
conditions
are met. Also allows reimbursement of full (as opposed to proportional)
expenses if involved in SAR activites, which I assume is there to allow
CAP
to operate as it does.

Actually, it has nothing to do with either one.

The Charitable Airlift reg is an exemption to allow someone to pay to be
flown
(just doesn't flown to the pilot).

Read subsection (e).

-cwk.

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!