Australian pilot Christian Uhrig has started a Kickstarter campaign to launch a flight sharing app called ÜberAir Flightsharing.
Based on the successful UBER ride-sharing app that is competing successfully with the taxi industry, ÜberAir aims to match private pilots making flights with other pilots or general public that are prepared to cost-share the flight.
"Given my background in Information Systems and Project Management, I start the feasibility study and think about a 'dating service' connecting commercial and private pilots with travellers who happen to like the idea of flying with someone in their small(ish) airplane," Uhrig explains.
"And out comes a flight sharing idea. Explaining it to a few people the first response was 'ah – like an UBER for smaller planes?' Right – and ÜberAir Flightsharing was born.
"After infecting my wife Kirsten with the idea, we spent about a year researching and learning about all the Acts and regulations, limitations, responsibilities, insurances, cost sharing options etcetera.
"Then we worked through different models weighing up the pros and cons of every option we can think of and came to the conclusion it can be done."
Pilots would be able to register and post empty seats on ÜberAir free of charge, with ÜberAir then publicising the flights to get people to fill the seats. At the same time, Uhrig is not advocating private pilots use the systems to make money.
"We are not promoting that anyone who is not a safe pilot, should go and fly others around as an air taxi and make a commercial income from it," he says. "While the earlier is probably happening anyway, we all know that there is no money to be made in private aviation."
Uhrig also maintains that ÜberAir would provide significant advantages to general aviation, including:
- more pilots flying more hours
- increase in airport use
- an increase in maintenance activity
- greater levels of economy in aircraft use
- profit from ÜberAir going to charities.
However, there is still a question of the legality of such a system, given that PPLs are not allowed to advertise flights.
A CASA spokesperson responding to questions from Australian Flying said:
“CASA would need to know the precise details of any such arrangement before we could say whether it constituted private or commercial operations.
"CAR 2(7A) does contain a provision prohibiting any public notice of a flight 'by any form of public notice or advertisement' in relation to a private cost-sharing flight. Other considerations would also need to be taken into account.
"As a matter of regulatory policy, CASA will need to carefully consider novel passenger transport arrangements with a view to ensuring they are dealt with fairly, proportionately and otherwise appropriately under the civil aviation legislation, without unduly impeding safe and lawful activities.”
The Kickstarter campaign is asking for members to sign up for at least $35 each to raise the $95,000 needed by 19 September. As of today, $2142 has been raised from only 19 contributors.