Rental of private aircraft discouraged

PRIVATE helicopter owners have been warned they face legal action if they rent out their aircraft to cover expensive maintenance.

The Irish Aviation Authority has issued a public warning in response to the growing number of private pilots buying aircraft.

It said many new owners may not be aware of restrictions to stop people taking money for flights.

IAA spokeswoman Lillian Cassin said: “The authority is aware that owners of both fixed and rotary aircraft may seek to offset the considerable cost of owning and operating such aircraft and seeks to remind them of the legal requirements of such action.”

At the beginning of this year there were 140 registered helicopters in Ireland with about 60 more flying here but licensed overseas.

The IAA said it is illegal for pilots to hire out their aircraft without a valid aviation operators certificate.

In an advertisement in yesterday’s newspapers the IAA warned the public their personal insurance and the pilot’s cover may be rendered useless during these illegal flights.

It advised people to check the pilot’s credentials before taking the flight.

A number of aircraft and helicopter businesses around the country were contacted yesterday regarding the advertisement.

They said they were not aware of anybody offering to rent out aircraft without proper registration and policing the system was a matter for the IAA.

The authority said its adverts were a precautionary measure.

Potential passengers can check if an operator is licensed by logging on to www.iaa.ie/safe_reg/operator_list.asp.