Finding Folks to Fly With...

A

aim54pheonix

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
13
Location
South Central Texas
Display Name
Display name:
Trevor
Hello, new to the forum and just got my PPL a few weeks ago.

I have a couple questions about finding folks to fly with.

(1) I am looking at doing a long XC from Texas to Nebraska (and others in the future). Is there a place to find out if anyone else is interested in a trip like that in order to share expenses?

(2) Other than here and the airport, where do you go to discuss aviation topics with local aviators? My city has many local GA airports so it would be nice to have a community for all the aviators in the area instead of feeling stove-piped at one airport.

Thanks.
 
Do any of the airports have a bulletin board? If so post something there.
 
For sharing expenses, it's hard to do better than an FBO bulletin board. Casting a net far and wide quickly becomes a 134.5 operation, and websites that have tried that have run afoul of the FAA. Note that the rules specify a shared purpose. It's not good enough to want to go to the same city at the same time.

For regional aviation community, there are a whole bunch of aviation organizations not based at a particular airport. EAA, CAF, CAP, 99s, FAA-WINGS, etc. Personally, I participate heavily with CAP, most recently "doing the rounds" around the regional squadrons giving cadets "orientation rides" in the 182s. Just did a round Saturday, with one cadet from my squadron and four from San Carlos, all hauled out some 40 miles to the glider base for some more aviation fun.
 
if you"re in arizona, check out the arizona pilots association for starters
Local EAA chapters
Local FBO and flying clubs
 
MAKG1 said:
It's not good enough to want to go to the same city at the same time.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. It makes sense that casting the wide net would be a no-go but I am surprised same city/time is not considered shared purpose. What about if it was another pilot? Then we would just be paying for our own share of the flight time right?
 
Don't bother with the minutia of those arguments about common purpose.

If you find someone that wants to go with you, go.

The FAA does not care.
 
MAKG1 said:
Note that the rules specify a shared purpose. It's not good enough to want to go to the same city at the same time.
Click to expand...

I believe that to be incorrect. Where do you get that? From the chief counsel opinions that I have read, going to the same place at the same time does constitute a bona fide common purpose.
 
SkyDog58 said:
I believe that to be incorrect. Where do you get that? From the chief counsel opinions that I have read, going to the same place at the same time does constitute a bona fide common purpose.
Click to expand...
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2009/mangiamele - (2009) legal interpretation.pdf

See the penultimate paragraph.

See also https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/inter...22685257F1F005456E8/$file/14-1168-1589331.pdf , where FlyteNow was found to be offering common carriage in part because of the lack of common purpose.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Please read Response 2 at the following for a far more appropriate opinion.

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2011/haberkorn - (2011) legal interpretation.pdf
Click to expand...

I suggest you read that WHOLE paragraph, especially the last sentence. I said it's not enough just to want to go to the same city at the same time. It's not. There have to be other circumstances. In the case you cited, they were friends (i.e., a preexisting relationship), and both parties had a reason to go other than just flying there. That made it a "shared purpose." It then cited a couple of examples where it did not work.

AND read response #3, which is exactly what the OP is proposing to do.
 
MAKG1 said:
I suggest you read that WHOLE paragraph, especially the last sentence. I said it's not enough just to want to go to the same city at the same time. It's not. There have to be other circumstances. In the case you cited, they were friends (i.e., a preexisting relationship), and both parties had a reason to go other than just flying there. That made it a "shared purpose." It then cited a couple of examples where it did not work.

AND read response #3, which is exactly what the OP is proposing to do.
Click to expand...

The last sentence of response two says that there's no common purpose if the PILOT has no particular business to conduct at the destination, but transports someone there.

However, the pilot in this case IS heading to a particular destination because he WANTS to. And he's not holding out to the general public. He's wondering about a specific category of individuals. That category being local aviators.

Section 3 says it "may be" construed as holding out. Doesn't say it *is* holding out.
 
Thanks for all the input. Sounds like the nuance of any given situation is the deciding factor about the legality of said situation. All that info about PPL privileges during ground school did NOT do an adequate job of pointing out how complicated this particular aspect can be.
 
I'll repeat, do not get bogged down in the minutia about common purpose or let it scare you.

The FAA does NOT care about what some lowly PPL does to find a flying buddy to split costs.

Just don't start a website trying to monetize it on a large scale. I'm not telling you to ignore the regs, but know what ambiguity to sweat over and to not sweat over.
 
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