Aircraft Leasing

Aircraft within FSE can be leased, by their owners, to other players. Leasing an aircraft allows the lessor (the actual owner) to transfer full control of the plane to the lessee (the person taking the aircraft), without risk of losing that aircraft. The leasee can do anything with the plane that a normal owner can do, with two exceptions: the lessee may not sell the aircraft, nor change the registration number. Once leased, the lessor has no rights to that aircraft with the exception of being able to cancel the lease at any time and take back the plane.

A lease can be made from one player to another player, a player to a group, a group to another group, or a group to a player. System-owned planes cannot be leased. Any monetary arrangements for the lease must be conducted by the players involved - there is no automated system to track payments, force payments, or even to ensure that payments are arranged. The majority of leases will involve the lessee being financially responsible to the lessor for a predetermined amount of money (either one time, or based on a schedule such as monthly payments); however, those payments are strictly the responsibility of the parties involved and transactions must be accomplished through the banking menus (transfer cash). The lessee is financially responsible for all normal owner-related expenses such as refueling, maintenance, avionics upgrades, etc. (The system WILL take care of this aspect of the lease.) The lessor is responsible for paying the monthly ownership fees.There are many possibilities for using the lease function: - You may grant another player a limited-time use of your plane, either due to real world vacations or perhaps to allow a long-range ferry.- You might want to "lend" your plane to a group, but reserve the ability to back out at any time without worrying about the group owner being available to transfer the plane back to you.

- You might own a leasing company and use this feature as an easy way to lease planes to others.

How to Lease a Plane

To get started, the current owner must initiate the transaction on the FSE Website. Within the drop-down menu of that specific aircraft is a link for "Lease". Clicking this link will bring up a window where the owner can select the name of the person or group to whom the lease will be assigned. Clicking the "Set Lessee" button will immediately transfer full control of the aircraft to the intended lessee. At that point, the lessor can see who is the current lease holder for each of his planes under the "Price" column. Also, the lessee can see who is the true owner in the "Price" column. Notice in the graphic that the actual owner (the lessor) no longer has any rights to the aircraft with the exception of "Return Lease". Clicking "Return Lease" will immediately transfer full ownership back to the original owner, and terminate the lease.

Lessee PermissionsAs the "new owner" of the plane, the lessee can take several ownership actions: he can set the rent, distance bonus, home airport, or give the ability for renters to make authorized repairs. In short, the lessee is the "owner" in every aspect with the exception of selling, shipping, and changing the registration number. The lessee's name will even be displayed as the aircraft owner in the aircraft's properties page, and the aircraft will show up under the lessee's name in the statistics page.Lessee Responsibilities Since the lessee is the owner of the plane in all aspects except for the title, the system will treat the lessee as the owner for any and all aircraft ownership-related expenses (excluding the monthly ownership fee). If you're leasing a plane for the first time, and have not owned one before, it is recommended you read the other sections in the manual about owning planes and their associated costs of ownership. The lessee's account will be charged for all refuelings, random maintenance costs, 100hr inspections/maintenance, and even engine replacement costs.

Lessor Responsibilities

The lessor is responsible for the monthly ownership fees. The lessor must have enough money it their CASH account each month to cover the costs of the ownership fees.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

- How is the money for a lease agreement paid? All money transfers are the responsibility of the players involved. If the lessor requires, for example, the lessee to pay $1,000 per month for the duration of the lease, the lessee must go into the banking menu and transfer $1,000 to the lessor at the required time intervals. There is no "automated payment system" associated with leases.

- If I lease a plane from someone, how much do I have to pay? The terms of the lease are negotiated between the lessor and the lessee. Money may, or may not, be required; specific time intervals of payments may, or may not, be required.

- I cannot fly the aircraft because the monthly ownership fees have not been paid? The monthly ownership fees are the responsibility of the lessor, and only the lessor can pay those fees. The lease will have to be returned, the ownership fees paid, and the aircraft re-leased to the user/group.

- The monthly ownership fees have not been paid, how do I pay those fees? The monthly ownership fees are the responsibility of the lessor, and only the lessor can pay those fees. The lease will have to be returned, the ownership fees paid, and the aircraft re-leased to the user/group.

- I'm leasing a plane, but it's due for a 100hr inspection. The person I'm leasing from told me that he would cover this cost. Why was my account charged $7,000 for the 100hr inspection? The system does not know what financial arrangements have been made. As the lessee, your account will be charged for all ownership expenses, including maintenance. If you have a prior arrangement with your lessor to cover specific costs, you must contact your lessor to make arrangements to cover these expenses.

- I'm leasing a plane for 6 months and I paid up front; but, after only 3 months the owner retook possession of the plane - what can I do? Money terms within the lease are the responsibility of the players involved. There is no recourse for bad business deals. You should contact the owner and determine what happened.

- I've fulfilled the terms of my lease. How do I get complete ownership of the plane? You must use your aircraft's "Select Action" menu and select "Return Lease", or the lessor can also perform this action. Once the lessor has complete control of the plane, they will create a private sale for $1.00 so that you can purchase the aircraft.

- I've fulfilled the terms of my lease, and returned it, but the owner won't create the private sale? There is no recourse for bad business deals. You should contact the owner and determine what happened.

- I'm leasing a plane. Can I sub-lease it to someone else? You cannot sub-lease an aircraft. If you want to switch the lease to another user or group. you must return the lease to the lessor. They can then lease the aircraft to the new user/group.