Questions about taking a friend on a business-ish trip

  • Thread starter Not sure what to do...
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Not sure what to do...

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I have a friend that is a photographer. We went to highschool together and I haven't seen him in almost 20 years. I post lots of pics of me flying on social media, and he reached out to me and asked if he could hire me to fly him and a model out to a location for a photo-shoot.

I let him know that I am just a private pilot and I am not legally allowed to have people hire me. I then let him know that I'd love to take him up, as a friend, and go on a flight together and catch up on things. I also told him he could bring his camera and take pictures.

Now he's all excited about it again, and wants to bring a model and fly to a location and take pictures of her.

So my question is, what am I allowed to do here? If it's just two friends flying and he takes pictures, I don't see that there is any problem. Now, at the same time, I'm not real excited about him taking pictures and putting them all over his website and including my name, picture and tail number. The only reason I have concerns about this is because I am concerned the FAA might not like it.

I feel like if he brings a model along, it's getting even further into the fuzzy zone, and possibly crossing a line. This guy is a friend of mine, if he brings a model along, well... I don't know her, so it seems to be crossing the line of personal into quasi-business related.

Anyway, I'm not really sure what I am allowed and not allowed to do. Any advice?
 
Yeah, don't get in the fuzzy zone with a model. Next thing you are high up on the 'me too' hitlist.
 
Obviously the OP needs to get to know the models fuzzy zone so he will be more comfortable... or am I missing something?
 
Keep you and your tail # out of the pics.

You have some liability exposure to ANY passengers should something happen. Those you don’t know may be even more apt to sue. But hey, getting out of bed in the morning is a risk too.

It might be technically illegal if he pays for any of it... but, don’t make a scene out of it, and you should be OK.

I would be clear with him (and her) that this is _not_ a commercial operation...
 
When it comes to flights with friends, I'm usually in the "do the flight and keep your mouth shut" category. However, this is a guy you haven't seen in 20 years, who truly does want this to be a "commercial" flight, and there's a 3rd party/stranger involved (the model). Even I'd likely bow out on this one. Too much at risk, and too many potential loose lips.
 
You could buy airline tickets for the model and for him for less money than the lawyer is going to cost you to fix this.
 
Forget what your friend does with the photos. Would you want to take him (and the model) up for a flight anyways?

From an FAA perspective, as long as he or he model (I'll skip the joke here) truly doesn't compensate you, there's no issue.

If it were me, I'd pass not because of regualatory issues, but because I wouldn't want to spend hundreds of bucks to fly some dude that I haven't seen in 20 years somewhere to take pictures of a model. Instead I'd offer up my plane and hangar and they can take all the pictures they want in front of it at my airport.
 
What's the difference between you flying from point A to point B and you doing the same with a photographer and his model? Nothing.

You're entitled to ask for a pro-rata share of the expenses, but if you're that worried about it don't ask for anything. Lots of photos of airplanes on the net, I doubt anyone at the FAA is going to notice unless the model is that hot, nekkid or both.
 
I can guarantee it's a definite maybe on whether legal or not. And that pertains to quite a few FAA regulation.
 
Options:

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Option 1: Model pays her pro-rata share for her portion of the flight....

OR

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Option 2: Model Uh.... pays her "PRO-RATA SHARE" for her portion of the flight....


Also, note that when flying, this is why FAR 91.17 is important..... so that what may "Appear" as Option 2.... is in fact really Option 1....
 
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