Cost-Sharing, Night Currency and a Private Helipad
A PPL(H) holder based at Lagos (DNMM) is asked by three friends to fly them to a private helipad near Epe on Saturday. The pilot plans to depart at 17:10; sunset is 18:52 and the return is planned for 20:30. The R44 is within mass limits with 30 US gal of fuel. One passenger says he will pay the entire fuel bill of about ₦180,000 and asks the pilot to 'raise an invoice for the company'. The pilot has flown 14 hours in the last 90 days but has not flown at night for 110 days; the last three night takeoffs and landings were over 4 months ago. The destination helipad owner has not confirmed permission, and the pilot has not checked whether the site has lighting or a wind indicator. The pilot's medical certificate and licence are valid, and the aircraft is insured for private use only. The pilot is eager to help and does not want to disappoint the group.
1. Identify the legal and operational issues in the proposed flight and decide whether the pilot should accept it as described.
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The flight should not be accepted as described. The passenger paying the whole fuel bill and asking for an invoice is not a genuine private cost share; it looks like remuneration for carrying passengers. A PPL(H) cannot conduct commercial air transport without the appropriate licence, operator certificate and insurance. The aircraft is insured for private use only, so a commercial flight would also invalidate cover. The pilot is not night current: the last three night takeoffs and landings are outside the normal 90-day recent-experience window, so passengers cannot be carried at night. The private helipad has not confirmed permission and has not been inspected for lighting or wind indication, which is a serious risk for a night arrival. The decision should be to decline the flight as proposed, or restructure it as a genuinely private flight with no profit, no invoice, written permission and a site inspection.
2. What would the pilot need to change to make the flight lawful and safe as a private flight, and how should the return planning change if it slips after sunset?
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To make it private and lawful, the pilot should remove any payment beyond a genuine pro-rata share of direct costs, with no invoice, profit or business arrangement. The pilot should confirm in writing that the aircraft insurance permits the intended private passenger flight. The helipad owner should give prior permission, and the pilot should inspect or obtain reliable information about the site, approach paths, lighting and wind indicators. Before carrying passengers at night, the pilot must regain night currency, normally by completing three night takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days with an instructor or as sole occupant. If the return slips after sunset, planning must use night fuel reserves rather than the day figure, plus an alternate and a weather minima check. The pilot should also consider a later departure or an overnight stay rather than pressing a marginal night return.