Jim, Al is right. Cost sharing and charging for hire are too different things. If the guy flying with you pays for his half of the gas, oil and plane rental, he is sharing the costs. If he is charged one dollar over that amount then it is considered a commercial operation. This is the type of rationale that will be used to seperate commercial from hobbyists. As I read the judge's decision, he is telling the FAA that they have not clearly established a rule for the law to be applied. This opens the door for them to do so. Just because they do not have a rule does not mean they are not going to write one. Compensation for activity will be the defining medium for this type of flying. It was this reason that the current full scale rules were written.