Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

6 Answers

Flying For Business Question

Asked by: 4179 views , ,
FAA Regulations

I work for a company (I do not own it) in which my role requires me to travel alot.  I am an IFR rated private pilot. What are the FAA rules around me renting an airplane to fly to a business meeting and expensing the airplane rental cost (as I would a rental car cost or airline flight)? and then what if I took a co-worker with me?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

6 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Sep 03, 2013

    This is a commonly asked question.

    If you rent an airplane, don’t carry passengers or property and the flight is incidental to your job, then you can get reimbursed for the rental. If you carry a passenger, you may not get reimbursed, but may split the cost of the rental with your passenger.

    Read FAR 61.113, quoted in part below for your convenience:

    Sec. 61.113

    Private pilot privileges and limitations: Pilot in command.

    (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (h) of this section, no person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire; nor may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft.

    (b) A private pilot may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if:
    (1) The flight is only incidental to that business or employment; and
    (2) The aircraft does not carry passengers or property for compensation or hire.

    (c) A private pilot may not pay less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees.

    There are several questions and opinions from the FAA Chief Counsel on this subject. You can search for them at http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/

    Put 61.113 in the search argument

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Ryan on Sep 03, 2013

    so as soon as I bring along a co-worker who need to go for business purposes to, I can no longer get reimbursed or are you saying I can only ask for reimbursement for HALF the cost and he/she has to ask for the other half?

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. John D Collins on Sep 03, 2013

    Ryan,

    I gave you information to look up the FAA General Counsel opinions on this subject. It answers your question very clearly. See http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2009/mangiamele%20-%20(2009)%20legal%20interpretation.pdf and draw your own conclusion.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Mark Kolber on Sep 03, 2013

    John, no conclusion need to be drawn from Mangiamele on that question. It’s been asked since, as well as a number of others.

    http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/2010/lamb-2%20-%20(2010)%20legal%20interpretation.pdf

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  5. Ryan on Sep 03, 2013

    Carrying yourself: OK to get reimbursed

    Carrying a coworker: Not OK to get reimbursed

    0 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 1 Votes



  6. Mark Kolber on Sep 03, 2013

    Essentially correct, Ryan. The sort of exception is that, for the co-workers, they are on a joint flight for a common purposes, so they can share the cost of the flight, although, according to the rules as interpreted by the Chief Counsel, neither should be able to be reimbursed by the employer.

    (That, btw, is one of the problems of the Mangiamele line of interpretations. Suppose the co-worker asks to be reimbursed for his shareand the employer agrees. Now the pilot is potentially placed in violation of a FAR based on actions by other people he has no control over).

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.