Planepooling: One Mode of TSA Resistance

by George Donnelly on November 22, 2010

Boycott is not enough. Due to the dangers of car travel and because it is smart to channel our consumer power into the competition, we must take our flying dollars to new providers. Thankfully, there is general aviation. “Each and every day, general aviation flies 10-fold the number of flights the airlines do in this country,” a reader told us. Wow. There is a viable alternative to the commercial airlines and it doesn’t involve TSA humiliation!

Planepooling is just like carpooling and reader Kirk M. even found a website where TSA-free pilots and passengers can connect. Flyshare.com says:

Welcome to Flyshare, a community of pilots brought together by the rising cost of general aviation and a desire to share our love of flying with adventurous travelers.

Flyshare’s mission is simple. It’s to provide a forum for pilots and passengers to connect in order to share flights. The opportunity to carry passengers on their flights benefits the pilots by allowing them to share the cost of the trip and the passenger benefits by being able to travel without being restricted by commercial flight schedules and flight patterns. Often, travelers can save money flying with Flyshare instead of flying commercially. In addition to the cost savings, general aviation flights are much more convenient. Pilots can frequently deliver you much closer to your destination than a commercial flight can.

Compared to driving, flying is much faster and, depending on the trip, can be much less expensive. A typical ground-based trip from Boston to Martha’s Vineyard can take up to 8 hours. A flight in a light airplane typically takes about 40 minutes.

Flyshare is easy to use. Pilots post the trips that they are willing to take passengers on and potential passengers can view the postings that match the trips they would like to make. It is the responsibility of the pilot and passenger to negotiate the details and cost of the trip.

I even found one traveler “looking for flights for my 15 yo daughter to see grandparents over holidays, I don’t want her groped and scanned nude, to say nothing of the radiation.”

This isn’t as quick and predictable as commercial air travel, but perhaps what we need are more solutions like this that involve opting out of the federal bureaucracy and strengthening ties with our communities.

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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Daniel November 22, 2010 at 10:07 am

It won’t work. TSA has been trying to invade GA airports for years and an increase in use will just give them more of an excuse to enter GA airports.

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Jessica November 22, 2010 at 10:10 am

This is a fabulous idea. Besides being able to avoid TSA, this will save so much time if it ever works out for me. I will need to travel from Cleveland to Atlanta on a semi-regular basis in the future, so this will be 1:30 hours (in the air) vs. 12 hours. Even before TSA got grope happy, the whole process from my place to my mother’s was 5+ hours, so this is fab regardless.

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George Donnelly November 22, 2010 at 10:15 am

Daniel, the TSA is barely holding on to what they have now. They will not be able to expand into general aviation as long as we keep the pressure on.

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John Stone November 22, 2010 at 10:44 am

I’m concerned about the sexual assault, and the nude images, but I’m really concerned about the radiation, and if I was a frequent flyer I’d be really, really concerned about the radiation. But the news just skims over it with the these concerns with the Homeland Security announcement that it isn’t very much radiation!

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walker hester November 22, 2010 at 11:27 am

I fly not only for the airlines but I also fly my own general aviation aircraft as well. I hate what is going on with the “enhanced” screening, however, I also need to point out the accident rate is far higher in general aviation than it is in commercial aviation; even higher among regional airlines than the majors. Its just something to consider. Still its especially relevant this time of year when icing begins to become a factor that frankly most general aviation aircraft (and pilots for that matter) aren’t equipped to handle.

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JasonRobinson November 22, 2010 at 9:35 pm

Very true. Light aircraft are frequently reported down / lost in the Idaho / Washington / Alaska back country. Let us not forget that Former Alaska Sen. Stevens was killed in GA plane crash.

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RJW November 23, 2010 at 1:53 am

Of course, most GA accidents are due to irresponsibility on the part of the pilot, e.g. scud running or insufficient fuel reserves. Fly with someone responsible and you’re just as safe as you would be on the freeway.

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Mark November 22, 2010 at 11:29 am

C’mon! Get real! Flyshare was just started up as a backlash to TSA. The web site is barely put together. Some of the flights have comments like “no TSA.”… gee… The FAQ tries to convice pilots of the legality of carrying passengers. No history of passenger flights. No web-style bragging (i.e., the best, cheapest, etc.). No standardized cost ranges for passengers. Not even a dozen requests are posted. No ticker saying something like, “50 flights to Orlando need passengers… 6 just filled…”

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Aeronot November 22, 2010 at 11:50 am

George what part of ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION exempts GA from the guiding hand of the TSA?

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Denny Jackson November 22, 2010 at 11:50 am

I love this idea! There’s nothing better than the free market to meet people’s needs and desires. Being a private pilot myself I see firsthand how ridiculous and utterly ineffective and what a waste of time and resources all govt-imposed “security” restrictions are. TSA is not about security, it’s about control! This private solution to air travel is a great way to just say NO! to Big Brother.

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George Donnelly November 22, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Currently, general aviation is not subject to the TSA. That is the long and short of it.

Sure, Flyshare is new. So is this whole movement. So what? It’s a great idea. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s fine. It will work for others.

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by those who are doing it.” – James Baldwin

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Sally Milo November 22, 2010 at 12:32 pm

“Dangers of car travel” – Hyperbole! I drove 6000 miles in August on 2 road trips by myself. Sure, I had to be aware of traffic and driving in nasty areas, but I felt much, much safer than I ever had or would flying. I will check Flyshare if an emergency arises, however.

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Aeronot November 22, 2010 at 12:49 pm

George google TSA role in general aviation and then see if your statement rings true.

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George Donnelly November 22, 2010 at 1:11 pm

Statistically the rate of fatalities is, I understand, considerably higher in automobile travel than in airplane travel. Hence …

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Pilot November 22, 2010 at 1:36 pm

Everyone thinks automobile=Honda rather than automobile=Greyhound. But everyone seems to think that airplane=Airbus and not airplane=Cessna.

GA allows the freedom of automobiles. Freedom to go from point A to point B without driving to a big city and stopping at a hub. Freedom from taking off your shoes.

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John November 22, 2010 at 1:56 pm

Sally Milo: Congrats on the automobile trips without a scratch. That’s good news. But the numbers give me pause — 55,000 or so folks in the U.S. killed every year in auto mishaps versus how many in aviation, general or otherwise? And how many in general versus commercial aviation?

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JasonRobinson November 22, 2010 at 9:32 pm

Various FAA regulations will clamp down hard on private pilots if they solicit or accept any funds for flights (severely increased regulation, inspections). A friend who has ridden with a private pilot on an occasion has already ran these ideas by the pilot, all of which have to be rejected due to the incredible regulatory burden that the pilot would then face.

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Jim R November 22, 2010 at 9:34 pm

When a pilot offers his services/aircraft for hire, he instantly falls under the requirements of Federal Aviation Regulations Part 135, which governs all Air Charter operations within the US. Only those pilots/operations that have been approved to operate under these rules are allowed to carry passengers for hire. Better think twice before you climb aboard with just any private pilot or on just any private aircraft, or before you offer your services for hire. https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/grr/local_more/media/How%20to%20Charter%20an%20Aircraft.pdf

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RJW November 23, 2010 at 1:56 am

Another advantage of GA is that you can get into much smaller local airports than you could flying commercially.

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