Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By chipmeisterc
#1861032
Hi all,

I know there have been various threads about cost sharing/charity flights over the years but my google/forum search skills are coming up short..

I've been asked if I would consider offering a flight as part of a Church (registered charity) auction of promises.

Is this something I can do legally as a ppl?

The flight would be advertised as part of the auction, but all proceeds from the auction would go to the Church fund.

I would foot the cost of the flying and therefore receive no benefit.

Assuming I'm not opening a can of worms I welcome peoples thoughts!

Thanks
User avatar
By Iceman
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1861036
I hope so because it’s something that I do once a year for a friend’s school.

Iceman 8)
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1861037
AFAIK it's fine I did it many times until I got too old
By Lefty
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1861038
It’s perfectly legal.
There used to be some rules that said that the pilot had to be current and that the aircraft had to have been signed off by an engineer within 90 days prior to the flight. However I seem to recall that these requirements
were amended or cancelled under EASA. Try Googling “conditions for carrying out charity flights”
User avatar
By RisePilot
#1861062
I've done about 15 of these for charity as a PPL; perfectly OK for either registered charities or private groups. I've had 30-45 minute R44 helicopter prize flights go for up to £2000 for the charities - I did one in the past couple weeks for a large cancer charity

I have a pre-prepared one-pager information sheet that is provided to the winners which includes info on the helicopter, details of the flight and my flight experience (includes the CAA Charity Flight link above).

A couple notes/suggestions:

- don't plan to use every seat in case you get a very "heavy" winner; I offer a 2 person flights in an R44 so I know there will not be an embarrassing weight & balance problem (I once had a 250lb girl who brought along her 275 boyfriend)

- note a "suggested" time period to schedule the flight (I say to be used within 6 months, as I once had a winner sit theirs for over a year)
By BoeingBoy
#1861133
No problem at all as long as it's for a registered charity. However, it's worth preparing yourself by ensuring that you have a full safety briefing prepared and ensure that the passengers know that they are guests aboard a private flight and therefore not privilege to the safety measures and corporate insurance that they would expect from a commercial operator.

As well as the document link above, CAA web site guidance is here:

https://www.caa.co.uk/General-aviation/Displays,-events-and-activities/Charity-flights/
User avatar
By MartinC
#1861288
BoeingBoy wrote:.... ensure that the passenger knows .....that they are not privilege to......corporate insurance that they would expect from a commercial operator.


What of the insurance implications. The CAA page says this:

"Before conducting a charity flight, it is recommended that pilots check that their level of insurance is sufficient to cover the purpose of the intended flight. "

So what is 'sufficient'...? That of course is left up to the lay-person pilot /owners to guess with no help from their insurers who just ask "how much liability cover do you want to pay for." Minimum coverage is based on some archaic and totally irrelevant calculation from commercial airframe weight /passenger capacity - insurers base premiums on how many seats in the aircraft, note.

Without wishing to poor cold water on charity flights, these do have the potential to leave the owner /pilot (and indeed the passenger) exposed to life changing legal liabilities in return for offering what is a generous and charitable act, especially where only the recommended 'minimum' of £1-2m liability cover is arranged.

There is no question of the passenger 'accepting the risks' when it comes to injuries incurred through the flight.

Anyone asked the Scouting Association what cover is granted for the pilot /owner's liability in the event of an accident injuring one of their members?
User avatar
By Human Factor
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1861294
While not for a charity flight, I needed to up the third-party cover on our aircraft today. With a well known online provider, it was simply a matter of adjusting the required amount and paying the difference. It took a couple of minutes and the new certificate was available immediately. Easy to do.
User avatar
By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1861301
MartinC wrote:So what is 'sufficient'...?


It's no different from taking any other passenger though. If you're that paranoid about taking passengers in general, you wouldn't be offering to fly charity flights.
RisePilot liked this
By BoeingBoy
#1861331
Additionally, the group doesn't have to be a registered charity. Examples such as schools or children's sports clubs.


Not sure how you reckon on that as the first line of the CAA web site guidance makes it clear that it has to be registered.

You are free to 'give' a day out to a deserving charity, family or passenger, but no consideration must pass between any of the parties involved. You must finance the entire costs alone. This is how I operated over a dozen special trips for a person who sourced people through social media.


Under Article 12 of the Air Navigation Order (ANO) 2016, a flight in a non-EASA aircraft is considered non-commercial if the only valuable consideration given or promised for the flight is to a registered charity. To clarify, the charity must receive all proceeds from the flight and the cost of the flight itself must be covered by the pilot. The charity may not be the operator of the aircraft.