Can You Pay a Sport Pilot for Expenses in Ferrying an Airplane?

FAA regulations stipulate that a person with only that certificate can’t be compensated in any form.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, August 06, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

FAA insignia on a laptop [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A sport pilot certificate holder is strictly prohibited from receiving any form of compensation or hire for acting as pilot in command.
The FAA considers reimbursement for incidental expenses (e.g., commercial airfare, rental cars, hotels, meals) as a form of compensation, making it illegal for a sport pilot to accept such payments for a flight.
"Compensation" is broadly defined as anything of value contingent on the pilot operating the aircraft, not requiring profit or direct payment of funds.
The recent MOSAIC final rule, while expanding sport pilot privileges, does not change this prohibition against compensation.

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Question: I have a friend who has a sport pilot certificate. He has been asked to ferry an LSA [light sport aircraft] 900 miles, so it will be multiple legs, possibly overnight. I know he can’t be paid for flying the airplane, but could incidental expenses such as commercial airfare or rental cars, Uber, hotel rooms, and meals be paid for by the person who hired him to do the flight?

Answer: The short answer is no. A pilot who holds only a sport pilot certificate cannot be paid in any form.