The FAA yesterday furthered its campaign to combat illegal charter with an online Safe Air Charter Symposium that brought together leaders of industry and government.
Highlighting that the issue remains a key safety focus for the agency, the webinar was designed to shed light on factors associated with illegal charter, such as operational control, “holding out” or advertising to the public, and conducting flights for compensation or hire, according to NBAA, which participated in the symposium. Participants in the event also discussed legitimate tools for reimbursements under time-sharing, dry leasing, and joint-ownership arrangements.
“There are ways to accept reimbursement or compensation under FAR Part 91," said NBAA director of flight operations and regulations Brian Koester, CAM, who was among the webinar participants. "Organizations, passengers, and pilots should seek legal counsel to ensure any arrangement under FAR 91.501 is compliant with current regulations and guidance. We believe the emphasis must be on the education of operators and passengers to avoid the clueless and careless operations, then [on] bringing enforcement to those with intent to skirt the regulations.”
In addition to NBAA, participants in the webinar included representatives from NATA and various FAA offices, along with legal experts.