Ridiculous or not, that's what the FAR says, and any pilot at any level of certificate is obligated to know and follow the restrictions the FAA imposes.Dnigolian wrote:That's ridiculous! My car is not "in furtherance of my business" unless it's funded by said business.
The rule was made for reasons of safety, and is by no means arbitrary. Sport Pilot privileges are granted for purposes of recreational flying only, and those privileges can only be exercised when conditions are perfect. That includes considerations of time pressure. Anyone flying to work is unduly influenced by a necessity to be at work on time, and hence will be under subtle pressures to make a flight whether or not that particular flight is prudent. Financial considerations have nothing whatever to do with how the FARs define "in pursuit of a business activity."
Sport Pilots fly only for fun, and though one's work may indeed be fun, it puts you in a different mindset than when you're doing purely pleasure flying. He or she who has to be somewhere at a particular time should obtain a PPT or above, maintain a current medical certificate, and then will be properly trained and equipped to conduct flights under more stringent conditions, and (presumably) be better equipped to factor time pressures into the decision process.