Thanks to the recent changes, we now have a lot of freedom doing cost sharing flights
Certainly not. The current regulations here is only that the cost is to be shared between the persons on board, including the pilot. This is valid for any aircraft I can fly (MTOW 5700 kg). This new EASA regulation restricts this to an aircraft carrying Max 6 persons including the pilot.
Europe is bigger than your small shell. For the vast majority of member countries it is far more liberal than ever.
The FAA also has the “common purpose” rule which makes cost sharing unworkable for most GA flights.
Americans either almost never cost-share, or they cost share “quietly”. I have no idea which of the two they do.
Whereas e.g. here in the UK I would say 90% of self fly hire flying is cost shared and cost sharing is an absolute condition of doing the flight at all.
Nothing new in principle though – the requirement for the “common purpose” of the flight between pilot and passengers in FAA-land has been around for a bit longer. Still, I suppose this current interpretation might refresh the argument and indeed bury the US-based cost sharing platforms, which are abundant.
I like this sentence from Trans-Share’s 1970ies marketing brochure (page 144):
“Light aircraft use less than 1/2 the fuel per passenger as airlines and save energy.”
Light aircraft use less than 1/2 the fuel per passenger as airlines and save energy
That is probably true. The B787 uses just 20% less fuel than a TB20 (both fully loaded) per mile flown.
I wonder what will happen in EASA-land since the advertising of cost sharing is no longer illegal. It does open up opportunities for all kinds of interesting things which will no doubt irritate the regulators over here.
Europe is bigger than your small shell. For the vast majority of member countries it is far more liberal than ever.
This is wrong. The current/new EASA regulation with Max 6 persons is nothing but a compromise between Germany/UK and the rest (pre-EASA regulations).
Besides, who are you to decide who “we” are. At least speak for yourself.
Whereas e.g. here in the UK I would say 90% of self fly hire flying is cost shared and cost sharing is an absolute condition of doing the flight at all.
I would say 90% of statistics are made up! 
In my 20 years or so of renting I never cost shared once…(although admittedly less than say 30% of that was in the UK….or was it 25%…) 
Europe is bigger than your small shell. For the vast majority of member countries it is far more liberal than ever.
This is wrong. The current/new EASA regulation with Max 6 persons is nothing but a compromise between Germany/UK and the rest (pre-EASA regulations).
Given the rather large light GA community in Germany/UK, we could agree that for the vast majority of member light GA pilots it is far more liberal than ever.
In my 20 years or so of renting I never cost shared once…
Why?
For me, the reckoning is easy: For any given budget I have at my disposal, I can exercise my hobby more (and in more exciting ways) if I cost share. If I didn’t cost share, I’d still fly and sustain my hobby – but the most memorable trips I’ve had became more affordable (due money) and more enjoyable (due company) by taking friends along and sharing the cost.
Given the rather large light GA community in Germany/UK, we could agree that for the vast majority of member light GA pilots it is far more liberal than ever.
Large assumptions there. I bet France alone has about as many private GA pilots as Germany and UK combined. Just a guess though, I have not seen any numbers.
