FAA says that ‘Uber for the skies’ is illegal

This is why the average private pilot can't carry paying passengers.



Imagine that YOU are the pilot.

Do you have the skills to fly in that?

Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty.

It takes 25 hours of training to become a licensed private pilot.
Not enough for flying strangers.
Not really enough to start flying your own family.

The FAA has ruled that pilots who wish to engage in this sort of activity must have commercial licenses.

Otherwise, the agency ruled, there exists a danger that passengers “will contract with pilots who in fact lack the experience and credentials of commercial pilots.”

While this may seem like semantics, the fact of the matter remains that private and commercial pilots are subjected to rather disparate levels of scrutiny.

While both must abide by FAA safety regulations, the three-judge panel noted, “Regulators have good reasons to distinguish between pilots who are licensed to offer services to the public and those who are not.”

One wonders if this law will reduce plane ticket prices and enecourage people to start businesses.