Is it legal for an aircraft owner with only a commercial pilot certificate to rent their aircraft and then be hired as a personal pilot?

The correct answer is that a Part 135 certificate is required for the situation described. Under FAA regulations, the distinction between commercial and personal use of an aircraft is crucial. If an aircraft owner wishes to rent their aircraft and receive compensation for its use while also serving as the pilot, then they are effectively operating commercially.

To legally conduct such an operation, the owner needs to comply with Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, which governs the operation of commuter and on-demand operations. This includes having the appropriate certification, which ensures that the operational standards for safety and conduct are upheld.

While having a commercial pilot certificate allows a person to get paid for flying, the intertwining of renting the aircraft and being compensated for the pilot services makes it a commercial operation requiring the higher regulatory standards set by Part 135. Therefore, without this certification, both the rental operation and the pilot services would be deemed illegal.

Options suggesting that personal or non-commercial rental could be permissible fail to acknowledge that accepting payment in both cases categorically classifies it as commercial use, which is not allowed without the proper certification. Thus, for an aircraft owner in this scenario to operate legally, obtaining the necessary Part 135 certification is essential.