What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Donating RV Ride for Fund Raising

Flying again!

Well Known Member
The school my wife teaches at has a Dinner/fund raiser each year. People donate things such as services, art, wine, vacation Timeshares etc. that are auctioned using a silent auction.

The question is, can I donate a flight in my RV for local sightseeing? I would not receive any reimbursement for this so it is not a fly for hire situation, or would it be?? Simply put, is there any issue with violation any FAA reg if I was to do this?

I understand there is an insurance liability issue but am interested only at this time whether this is allowed under the various regulations.
 
I seem to think this has been hashed over in the long ago....wish I could remember the outcome.

My way of thinking of it is this; Young Eagles flights are a form of donation of our time and aircraft, same as what you are talking about.

However, I am not an expert in this, in fact I did not stay at the correct motel last night even.

Good luck, it sounds like a great idea.
 
First of all,

I'm no lawyer or FAA expert, but as long as you or your wife don't benefit directly or indirectly, I don't think the FAA would have a problem. Seems similar to a young eagles flight to me. EAA has been working on an adult program. You might want to look on their site for a release, or related materials.

Hope this doesn't happen, but our chapters experience with any school related Young Eagles events is that the lawyers or school administration don't want anything to do with flying kids. A local aviation related charter school won't even let us spread the word around about YE events!

Good Luck,
 
I wanted to do the exact same thing a few years ago for a local school fundraiser. I believe that if you receive no compensation at all, ie you personally pay for 100% of the costs involved, then you are ok with the FAA.

I forget what the reasoning was, but if you were to split the cost 50/50 then it would be a violation of the no flight for hire rule. I seem to remember it was something along the lines of you wouldn't have been making that flight if it weren't for the charity event, so receiving any compensation, even only 1/2 the costs involved, would be perceived as a form of payment.
 
Donating...

However, the costs associated with the ride MAY be deductible. As the fine print says, check with your tax advisor, or just write it off and hope for the best. :)
 
It has been hashed over before at least once when I was trying to arrange the same thing for a charity. You simply can not do it. It's sad but there is no way around it.
 
Thanks for all the replies, especially Birkelbach....it seems very clear in FAR 91.146 that it is prohibited in an Experimental a/c. It was in the back of my mind that it was not allowed but did not have the reference.

That is too bad...It would have been fun and help raise funds for the school. :(

The forums have proven once again to be a great resource to answer any and all questions! :)
 
May also need Coml rating

Thanks for all the replies, especially Birkelbach....it seems very clear in FAR 91.146 that it is prohibited in an Experimental a/c. It was in the back of my mind that it was not allowed but did not have the reference.

That is too bad...It would have been fun and help raise funds for the school. :(

The forums have proven once again to be a great resource to answer any and all questions! :)

IIRC, even in a certified a/c the pilot would need to have a Commercial rating, because of the Money being exchanged.
 
Flights for community events, charities etc

You do NOT have to have a Commercial pilot certificate. FAR 91.146 requires a minimum of a PVT Pilot cert and 500 hours of flight time.

As was already mentioned, it must be an a/c with a standard airworthiness certificate. I have participated in a number of these events but in an a/c with a standard airworthiness certificate. There are some notification requirements to the local FSDO, proof of currency, qualifications etc.

My one and only ramp check in my 20+ years of flying was at one of these charity event flights. An FAA inspector from the local FSDO showed up to check my credentials. Very low key, friendly guy just doing his job to ensure I was conducting these flights in compliance with the FAR's. Nevertheless it does make you a little jittery when you see a govt vehicle parked waiting for you to shut down.

No problems doing these if you just follow the requirements outlined in the regs. But our RV's unfortunately do not meet the regs.
 
Back
Top