I find the whole episode very sad and a bit odd. Most expensive signing in the club’s history, he’s allowed to fly back to France to say goodbye to his old club yet it seems he has to make all the travel arrangements himself, if I was in charge of Cardiff I’d make sure he flies in and out by private jet, you just don’t sign someone in a £15 million deal and not wrap him up in cotton wool.
I think you might be surprised then. The reports that I’ve read suggest that the pilot had no commercial qualifications, was ‘rusty’ when it came to some procedures and that the plane, although flown by a British pilot was registered in the US. It has never been suggested that Cardiff FC had anything to do with the arrangements.
Sorry David - I had answered following an earlier report I had read a couple of days ago. I have now just read the linked report above and realised that, what I had written, no longer applied - so I have now deleted it as it was irrelevant.
Sorry for the confusion!
Well, it would appear he organised the flight himself, poor devil. The bottom line is never ever fly over water in a singled engined aircraft.
The club are now taking legal advice over the possibility of suing the player’s agent and the owners of the plane to see if they can re-coup the massive losses they’ll incur.
I prefer to wait until the NTSB, AAIB and BEA report is published on this rather than speculating on the background.
It’s quite complex; a US Registered aircraft in UK airspace which departed from a French airfield.
It’s quite possible that the pilot had FAA ratings - he would be required to have at least an FAA Instrument rating to fly at night and that would pre-suppose a US certificate - either private or commercial if conducting aerial work and a class 1 medical if the latter.
From what I read elsewhere, he was a ‘tug’ pilot launching gliders which generally would require a commercial licence (CAA if on the UK register, FAA if on the US register) but that aspect was not reported on.
Although not now exercising the privileges of my licences, I hold an FAA commercial certificate with Instrument rating and a CAA PPL with (what was then known as) a night rating (now restricted IR) but my medicals (for both my CAA licence and my FAA certificates) have long expired so out of the loop, so to speak.
But I have flown at night over water in a single engine airplane but I did carry (and wear) life jackets and a life raft tethered to the aircraft and it is quite legal to do so.
Oh yes, he would also require a sign-off in his logbook for complex aircraft, turbo-prop and pressurised.
It is usual for the hiring organisation to see written evidence of these sign-offs before handing the aircraft over (otherwise their insurance might well be invalidated)
So, in answer to the OPs original question… I doubt very much there is a UBER equivalent in the aviation sector.
That’s strange because with all the information you’ve given I’m beginning to believe that there might be.
I bow to Graham’s much greater knowledge , and agree that the accident investigation will provide a more composite story, than the heresay in the tabloids ( if they find the wreckage in good time).
I’ll say wreckage…but it has not been proved has it, that it did crash.
Although in the RN, i spent 15 of 20 years in the Fleet Air Arm as a maintainer, and at times a member of a team looking after a helicopter on board ship. I had a good understanding of how much the aircrew had to practice and keep “in date”, IR, night flying, and various aspects of operational flying… not to mention refresher courses on Survival Equipment.
No personnel were allowed to fly over water without wearing life jackets. Aircraft also had seat packs for the aircrew that included a liferaft. Also a sonic beacon locator that was initiated on the immersion to a depth of water… just some of the equipment fitted.
Maybe types of civilian aircraft such as this, should have modifications of similar comparison …
I expect the powers that be would consider it over engineering, more likely the cost to maintain and implement…let alone training of pilots that would need to be up to speed on it.
Some of the way the civilian counterparts operate scares the daylights out of me.
An interesting concept David… I had a vision earlier, of a crowd of people in a waiting room. one stands up and shouts who can take me to xxxxx, a guy pops up and says I can…it’ll cost you yyyyy. Then another stands up and says “can i share”, " and drop me off half way".
“yep ok”…then reaches up to a board that has numerous sets of keys… " this will do" , says the “Pilot”…
so off they go to find the plane and jump on…easy as pie.
A simplistic view…but change the waiting room to a website…not far off 
here is the English version of Wingfly
As a pilot , upload you documents…hire the plane you want…" it is a flight sharing platform", very scary.
Hi Glen… please could you go to your Registration page and update “preferences” with a picture… so much nicer than simply using a “letter”… 
yes can do, and done Stella…
The special interim bulletin has been issued about the loss of this aircraft by the AAIB (Air Accident Investigations Branch) and you might like to read the report here.
POSTSCRIPT TO Emiliano Sala aircrash
Totally unbelievable and very very sick!