Page 13 - April 2017 Twin & Turbine

charitable trips can be a nice way to keep you in the air.
Reason 3: Flying passengers, especially when they aren’t your friends or colleagues, can really up your game! There is something about having precious cargo in the airplane that will force you to tighten up your tolerances, smooth out those turns, and grease those landings. When you fly people that you just met on the day of the trip, it feels a bit like flying a commercial airplane, with people in the back that are counting on you to safely transport them from point A to point B. “Pilot in Command” and “Captain” take on a whole new level of reality on these flights, and that tends to make us better pilots.
Reason 4: Depending on your
specific tax situation, and how you
account for the operation of your
airplane, it is possible that you may be
able to deduct some or all of the direct
operating expenses associated with
charitable f lights. None of the charitable Mid Continent Instruments organizations provide expense or fuel
reimbursement for their flights, but some of that expense can likely be reported as a charitable donation on your taxes each year. I recommend that you check with a tax professional to determine if there would be a tax advantage for your specific situation.
Reason 5: This cannot be overstated: It’s a great way to give back — if you are in to that kind of thing.
Next month I’ll cover some of the logistics and o•perational aspects of charitable flying, and you’ll see that its easier than you might have thought to incorporate charitable flying into your schedule. T&T
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www. ysam.com
Joe Ratterman is an ATP pilot, type-rated in the Cessna Citation Mustang C510, with 2,500-plus hours in his logbook.Joe retired from a successful corporate executive career in 2015 and now flies as a professional charter pilot for Kansas City Aviation Company (KCAC) based in Overland Park, Kansas. He is also the current board chairman/ president for Angel Flight Central.
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