Sharing is Dead! Long Live Sharing!
PLANEsharing really should be called FLIGHTsharing, just like RIDEsharing is different than CARsharing.
The argument against #planesharing isn't easy to dismiss. Balancing private privileges with public safety is going to be an ongoing debate, but for now, the question is settled under current regulation.
The story broke this week, detailing the FAA's legal interpretation on the concept of planesharing as pitched by AirPooler, Flytenow, and many others...
FAA Bans Planesharing Startups
There will be no “ZimRide for airplanes”, according to an FAA ruling released today that prohibits private pilots from publicly offering seats on their planes in exchange for gas money...
(via techcrunch)
None of this adversely affects OpenAirplane, our operators, or our pilots. We designed OpenAirplane to color within the lines from the beginning. Our business model never assumed that the FAA would ignore decades of precedent, data, and the law.
If you want to dig deeper into the topic, check out this post, "Sometimes Regulations Are Written In Blood" which I posted over on the AOPA Opinion Leaders blog, and over on Medium. I'm feeling no schadenfreude here. Props to Steve at AirPooler for pressing the issue and getting a clear ruling rather than trying to operate a grey market.
Only a significant deregulation of private aviation can make planesharing viable.
~ Rod