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.
According to FAA regulations, a sport pilot is prohibited from acting as PIC for compensation or hire.
The agency considers reimbursing a sport pilot for expenses as a form of compensation.
More information can be found in Advisory Circular 61-142, paragraph 8.1, which states: “Compensation is the receipt of anything of value that is contingent on the pilot operating the aircraft; i.e., but for the receipt of the compensation, the pilot would not have taken that flight. Compensation does not require a profit, profit motive, or the actual payment of funds.”
Reimbursement of expenses, accumulation of flight time, and goodwill in the form of expected future economic benefits can be considered compensation. Furthermore, the pilot does not have to be the party receiving the compensation.
The FAA notes that although the new MOSAIC final rule expands the aircraft and operational privileges for sport pilots, it does not change the compensation prohibition.
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