Cost sharing guides for UK pilots

Is my flight legal? A cost-sharing decision flowchart

Eight yes-or-no questions that tell you whether your flight qualifies as a legal UK cost-shared flight under the rules in force since October 2025.

2 min read

Cost-sharing compliance checklist (printable)

A printable checklist for UK pilots covering every cost-sharing requirement: advertising, sharing costs, passenger declarations, currency and record keeping.

2 min read

CAP 1590 and the cost sharing rules explained

What CAP 1590 is, where the UK cost sharing rules come from, and what each NCO.GEN.102 condition means for a private pilot flying with passengers.

7 min read

What changed on 1 October 2025 for cost sharing

A before and after table of the UK cost sharing rule changes from 1 October 2025, and what they mean in practice for private pilots flying passengers.

6 min read

Can a private pilot charge passengers?

A UK private pilot can't make a profit, but passengers can pay up to an equal share of the direct costs. Here's how the split works, with an example.

6 min read

Cost sharing vs charter: when you need an AOC

How a cost sharing flight differs from commercial air transport, when an AOC and a CPL are needed, what valuable consideration means, and the penalties.

6 min read

Six-person limit: lower caps for LAPL, NPPL and microlights

A cost-sharing flight can carry no more than six people including the pilot. LAPL(A) and NPPL(A) are limited to four, microlights to two. Here is how it works.

6 min read

Cost sharing on a PPL, LAPL or NPPL

How UK cost-sharing rules apply to PPL, LAPL(A) and NPPL(A) holders: passenger limits, aircraft mass, microlights, recency and why there's no minimum hours.

6 min read

What counts as a direct cost on a cost-sharing flight?

The four costs UK passengers can share (fuel, oil, airfield charges, market-rate rental), what's excluded, and the grey areas pilots should treat cautiously.

6 min read

Who pays what? Worked cost-sharing examples

Worked examples of how the direct costs of a UK cost-shared flight split between the pilot and passengers, including odd totals and the pilot paying more.

2 min read

What passengers must sign, and how long to keep records

Every cost-sharing passenger needs a signed safety declaration before the flight, kept for 6 months. What it must contain, who is exempt and what to keep.

7 min read

Advertising cost-sharing flights: what the law requires

Seven items every cost-sharing advert must include, who can place it, and how the rules apply on Wingly, Facebook and forums. With an example compliant advert.

6 min read