OK, daft question, but.. The Goodwood Harvard belongs to the flying club there and operates as a training aircraft. To fly in it, one books a lesson and obtains temporary membership of the flying club. Thus, a non-passenger carrying aircraft according to CAA rules is able to completely legally convey members of the public for money, as they are NOT passengers but student pilots.
I’m curious – is this a potential model for a two-seat Spit operation? Only hypothetically – I’m not suggesting that anyone does this or should do it in the future!
Hi Beermat,
I operate T-6G Texan G-TEXN from Shoreham, and we do the same as the Goodwood Harvard…but we can only do so because our T6 has a Public Transport Certificate of Airworthiness, something that a Spitfire will never get. It operates under a Permit to Fly. That doesn’t mean that the engineering standards are necessarily lower or the aircraft is less safe. However the CAA have a duty of care to the public and must ensure that flights that can be bought and paid for in interesting ‘warbird’ types are as closely governed as flights that can be bought and paid for in airliners. Hence approved parts only, major/minor mods, requirement for licensed engineers, 50hr checks, annuals, star annuals etc.
Also our flights are trial lessons…the public must have the opportunity to get their hands on the stick, so it must be dual controls, and the pilot has to be an instructor.
Chrs
http://www.thunderprop.co.uk
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