Earliest level for someone (details inside) to get a disposable flying mount?

[Gavinfoxx]

So I have an idea for a game I'm going to be running. The local lawful evil empire needs a fleet of competent spies/scouts/messenger types. My idea is they should have, as a spell or class feature, some kind of summonable flying mount that can carry extra weight. Also, I don't want them to have some obligation which would contradict with their loyalty to the empire (like most paladin types or druids would). I also like the idea that they'd be relatively low level (but capable of riding for many hours a day), and easy to train, and if the mount dies in the middle of nowhere, they aren't too greatly inconvenienced and can get another easily enough. I'd also like them to have some useful scouting skills and a small bit of spy useful magic or psionics or something, without being a tier 1 (and thus a potential threat to train up to mid levels). Any build suggestions?

[Maat Mons]

If the spy/scout/messengers are Germlains, or Muckdwellers, they're tiny size (but still +0 LA with no racial HD). Tiny creatures can ride small creatures. So take the Wild Cohort feat to gain an Eagle that you can use as a mount. Or be a Ranger or Druid. If you go the Ranger or Druid route, you can instead choose a Vulture, which is thematically very fitting for Muckdwellers. Sadly, Wild Cohort doesn't gain any of the expanded Animal Companion options from non-core books.

If you're playing Pathfinder, there's a feat that lets a small creature ride a small mount, so Gnomes, Halflings, Kobolds, and whatever else can also pull off riding an Animal Companion from 1st level.

[Gavinfoxx]

Part of the idea is to have a mount that can evacuate a VIP. I'd prefer it if the riders at least had the human subtype as well.

I'm not against having them be 7th or 8th level or something if that is what's needed.

[Vizzerdrix]

Are undead out? You can spell stitch them, and Im positive you can find something in conjuration that hits all the marks.

Or what about amber amulet of vermin? They are cost effective.

[Gavinfoxx]

Will those options allow 8h/day of fairly rapid overland flight and resummoning the creature if it takes a ballista bolt to the eye?

[Elves]

Make up a new figurine of wondrous power to suit your needs?

Or just have the empire give them items or scrolls of overland flight.

If they're being bankrolled by the evil empire there's no need for it to be a personal power of theirs.

[Gavinfoxx]

I still would like to know the "personal power" method so I can make an informed call between that and the "throw magic items at the problem" method.

What could a Shaper do?

[Maat Mons]

Hunters get full Druid progression on animal companions, but are presumable tier 3 since they only get up to 6th level spells. Giant Owls, Rocs, Giant Vultures, and Giants Wasps are all fling Animal Companions that hit Large size at 7th level.

And for levels 1-6, they can still ride the things themselves if they have the Young Template or the Undersized Mount feat. But they wouldn't be ready to carry anyone else along with them 'till 7th level.

[Gavinfoxx]

Hunters get full Druid progression on animal companions, but are presumable tier 3 since they only get up to 6th level spells.

Hunter? Eh? That a Pathfinder thing or an obscure dragon magazine ranger variant or some Dragonlance or Dark Sun thing?

[Maat Mons]

It's Pathfinder. I had hinted earlier that it I'd like to know if you were using 3.5 or Pathfinder.

And then you said "Shaper," and I misread it as Shifter (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/shifter/), so I figured you must be using Pathfinder.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Amber Amulet of Vermin: Giant Wasp (MIC) is 800 gp, and functions once per day for one minute. Granted you can't get very far in ten rounds of flight, but it's a start.

A Potion of Fly costs 750 gp and lasts 5 minutes.

A single-use, potion-priced item of Phantom Steed at caster level 14 is 2,100 gp, that can fly and lasts 14 hours.

Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) only costs a feat and anyone can get it, but you're looking at 7th level before you can get a 'level -3' companion like a Dire Eagle.

Per the entry in Races of Stone, a Dire Eagle egg costs 2500 gp, chicks are 4,000 gp, and it costs 250 gp to hire a trainer. A kingdom that keeps a stock of them for flying cavalry would be able to produce their own eggs/chicks and have trainers on staff. I'm sure they would require a lot of food, so they wouldn't be able to have a lot of them, but enough to fly the hobbits to Mordor for sure.

[Psyren]

As mentioned, Phantom Steed is your best bet - get some kind of item (like a staff or trap) that can cast it repeatedly at a CL high enough for the flight option, which is also a CL high enough that it can fly for several hours, and that should be all your visitors need.

[Saintheart]

Unseen Servant plus Tenser's Floating Disk? Sure, the disk has a weight capacity and the Unseen Servant can't push more than about 50 pounds or so, but is there any friction to resist the pushing?

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Fun fact: typing "Angladoran Griffonrider" into google will get you absolutely no results.

I thought Aglarondan Griffonrider might work, but looking at it again it fails for what you want. Having 10 ranks in Ride as a prereq slows down entry, and if the griffon dies it's only replaced the next time you level up in the class.