A legal question regarding accepting money for flying without a commercial license...
I am a 225hr Private/Instrument pilot just getting close to finishing my commercial license.
I am an independent consultant in the computer industry and last week my primary client approached me about the possibility of flying him round-trip from Cincinnati to Chicago the next day. He offered to cover the expenses and would allow me to bill the company my normal consulting fee for the day as he considered me to be performing a work related function.
The reason for the trip was that my client was traveling to Europe on business the following day and had just discovered that he had lost his passport. On less than 24 hours notice the only option is to go to an expedited passport office in one of just a few places (i.e. Chicago). Knowing that there is a slim chance that I might also need to travel internationally for business in the near future, I decided I would simply get a passport as well while I was there. This way I was simply flying for convenience while traveling on company business.
I am certainly aware of the fact that without a commercial license I may only accept my pro-rata share of the expenses of the flight. However, I also understand that I can be reimbursed for 100% of my expenses for a work related flight provided that flying is not the business of the company and I am not simply transporting passengers. Therefore, in this situation, I believe I should be able to legally accept 100% reimbursement of my flying expenses and allow the company to pay me for a normal work day. This situation should be identical to that of me flying myself to a convention or business meeting.
I'm interested in others opinion of the legality of this situation. I have not actually been paid or reimbursed yet so technically it was just a pleasure flight at this point.
I am a 225hr Private/Instrument pilot just getting close to finishing my commercial license.
I am an independent consultant in the computer industry and last week my primary client approached me about the possibility of flying him round-trip from Cincinnati to Chicago the next day. He offered to cover the expenses and would allow me to bill the company my normal consulting fee for the day as he considered me to be performing a work related function.
The reason for the trip was that my client was traveling to Europe on business the following day and had just discovered that he had lost his passport. On less than 24 hours notice the only option is to go to an expedited passport office in one of just a few places (i.e. Chicago). Knowing that there is a slim chance that I might also need to travel internationally for business in the near future, I decided I would simply get a passport as well while I was there. This way I was simply flying for convenience while traveling on company business.
I am certainly aware of the fact that without a commercial license I may only accept my pro-rata share of the expenses of the flight. However, I also understand that I can be reimbursed for 100% of my expenses for a work related flight provided that flying is not the business of the company and I am not simply transporting passengers. Therefore, in this situation, I believe I should be able to legally accept 100% reimbursement of my flying expenses and allow the company to pay me for a normal work day. This situation should be identical to that of me flying myself to a convention or business meeting.
I'm interested in others opinion of the legality of this situation. I have not actually been paid or reimbursed yet so technically it was just a pleasure flight at this point.