By Scott “Sky” Smith

As a young pilot I was up for giving rides to anyone that wanted a ride just to build hours. Many of us started like that. In fact, the industry is kind of like that.

In fact, my first ride was in a Stearman biplane as a kid. It was that first flight (like many of us have experienced) that hooked me on aviation. From there I got into model air­planes until I was old enough to get into “real” aircraft. And as they say, the rest is history.

As I have mentioned before, my in-laws were fixed-base-operators (FBO) and Cessna dealers. When I was in the “family” and hanging out at the airport, it was not un­usual to get a chance to be the pilot and give a ride. There were times when we would have an open house and have two or three Cessna 172’s lined up giving free rides to the public. I can remember the excitement of some of the passengers, old and young. People that had never been around airplanes were getting a chance to experience it.

Back when the Cessna R182 was released, the in-laws got together to take it and a new Cessna T210 to a small grass strip near where my father-in-law used to run an airport. He had moved from a small airport to a new one, which was the busiest non-controlled, and third busiest airport in the state. That was quite a move for a small FBO.

SIDE NOTE: Most of the pilots I have met actually do have an “ego.” They might not believe it and will often deny it, but they do. As I have said before, pilots are an elite bunch, which I think gives us that right. And my father-in-law was no differ­ent. He wanted to take those new high-end planes to his old “stomping grounds” to make an appearance. It was a major statement about his success.

Even with a brand-new aircraft, we still gave flights to peo­ple that wanted a ride. I think in my father-in-law’s mind, every passenger might be a new student and an aircraft own­er. Which is exactly what the rides were about.

Back in 1997 when the “new” Cessna 172R was released we had another open house. This time our goal was to get old Cessna 172 owners to trade up. At that time the retail was about $125,000. Most of the current owners laughed at us and couldn’t figure out why they would want a new 172 for that much money. But, once we got them in the plane and they got to fly it, things changed.

The reason? Cessna had made several changes to the air­craft. They changed the seats, soundproofing, engine and even the yoke. It felt different, it was quieter, and it seemed to have more power even though it was still using a 160-horse­power engine (the engine was a derated 180-horsepower Ly­coming). These were little things that made it “different,” but without a ride (or flight) they would not have believed they were improvements.

Rides Can Hook the Passion

That passion can be in existing pilots or new pilots. That’s why groups like the EAA and the AOPA developed programs to get young people involved in aviation. The EAA is prob­ably one of the best, known for their Young Eagles Program. The program has flown somewhere around 2.3 million kids since its inception. Many pilots participate in the Young Ea­gles. I was one of the early Young Eagle volunteers.

So, what’s the risk? Now I am not a lawyer, but I have been told that the risk you take as the pilot varies with the type of passengers you have on board. As a flight instructor your student has already agreed that flying can have a different level of risk than driving a car. They want to be pilots.

Now let’s say you are a Part 135 air taxi pilot, though. The people that hire you to take them on a trip might have a heightened sense of the risk (because it’s a small plane), but they think of you more as a “taxicab.” This would be similar to you giving a friend a ride; they probably have no clue as to the risk they are accepting.

Rides Carry Risk

But rides don’t stop with Young Eagles. There are other ways that pilots provide rides. Charitable organizations that fly patients for free. Angel Flight might be one of the best known, but there is also Patient Airlift Services, Air Charity Network, Miracle Flights, Wings of Hope, and more.

Whether it’s a two-seat Cessna 150 with a Young Eagle or a corporate Malibu with a patient needing treatment, using our planes to give rides is very important. But there is still a risk.

Rides and Insurance

Basically, you can give all the rides you want as long as you meet the FAA requirements: You don’t get paid or make money. But just because you meet the FAA requirements, doesn’t mean you meet the insurance policy require­ments. While most underwriters do not exclude giving rides, you do need to think about the risk you are taking and you will want to ask your insur­ance company if they approve these types of flights to make sure they are covered under your policy.

If you are flying a Young Eagle flight, the EAA does offer limited coverage through your membership.

From the EAA website:
“As an EAA member participating in the Young Eagles program, you are eligible for an additional $1 million of passenger liability insurance coverage, if you carry a minimum of $100,000 per seat liability insurance. This coverage is automatically in place when flying Young Eagles and the flight registration/ waiver form has been completed. In ad­dition to these requirements, you must also meet the current Federal Air Regu­lations (FARs) for the pilot certificate you hold.”

Keep in mind, this coverage will usually be secondary to your aircraft insurance coverage.

Many of the charitable organizations that people fly for also require that the aircraft owner’s insurance name the or­ganization as an “Additional Insured.” This basically means the aircraft insur­ance is insuring the charitable organi­zation when it comes to the flight. This is standard with many organizations.

In the end, giving rides is a great way to use your aircraft, all while help­ing charitable organizations transport people and animals, and also get non-pilots hooked on flying.