Final answer:
To act as PIC of a multi-engine aircraft with passengers for an air taxi operator, a pilot must meet the minimum flight hours as required by the aviation authority, with the exact number varying. Rules, such as the height requirement for US Air Force pilots, can allocate opportunities unevenly but have been modified to be more inclusive.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to act as Pilot-in-Command (PIC) of a multi-engine aircraft with passengers on board for an air taxi operator, the regulations can vary depending on the governing aviation authority of the country. In the United States, under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, it is often required that a pilot must have a certain minimum number of hours flying the specific type of aircraft they will be commanding. However, the exact requirement can differ based on the operator's own standards and the specific regulations that apply to them.
Historically, other types of rules, such as physical requirements for pilots, have been put in place for practical reasons such as equipment compatibility, but they can inadvertently create barriers. For instance, the former height requirement in the US Air Force, which necessitated that pilots be between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 5 inches tall, ended up excluding a large percentage of women and people of shorter stature. While these rules may have been established for safety reasons, they also had the effect of allocating opportunities and resource access unevenly across different groups. Recognizing the need for more inclusivity, such rules can and have been modified over time.