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From: William R. Bayne [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 8:48 PM
To: Ed Burkhead
Subject: Follow-Up: [COUPERS-TECH] FAA Manpower & Inspections
rlytech
Hi All,
Back on 1/28 in an email entitled "Fwd: WRB Re: [COUPERS-TECH] Nose strut cable (and other mods)" I (perhaps over)stated:
"...today our risk of having to submit to a ramp inspection increases in direct proportion to FAA manpower inflation since 9-11"."
"Today's owner needs convincing documentation that all non-standard arrangements, including those installed by prior owners, are "airworthy" per current FAA (and insurance) interpretations. A note on a drawing might be considered "Approved Data" (basis) for a FAA 337 today. A Factory Service Bulletin might or might not, depending on FAA Region and representative. To assume either as license to install a snubber cable and/or remove the nose gear fairing (which otherwise becomes a useless air scoop with drag) without appropriate log entries for both would seem to invite a ramp inspection (and possible grounding) on every flight unaccompanied by one's certificated mechanic and logs.
Our Roger Anderson, who worked with the FAA for 34 years, responded: "I don't know which FSDO you have checked with lately reference manpower inflation. Our local one has seen almost weekly reductions to a now rediculous level of limited resources. Flight checks by their personnel are almost a thing of the past. I also can't imagine any one of them, if they ever did get the time to visit a flight line, have a clue about or even remotely care whether you had a snubber cable or not. Reference the ramp check, in 48 years of flying now, in about 1973 I had an FAA guy ask if he could see my medical once."
I just realized AOPA had raised this question the week before, in their January 20th ePilot (which may have prompted my initial comments):
ARE RAMP CHECKS RAMPING UP?
There has been an increasing number of calls lately to the AOPA Pilot Information Center from members who have been "ramp checked." So should you be concerned? "Nobody likes being ramp checked, but the regulations do allow FAA inspectors to do it at their discretion," said Woody Cahall, AOPA vice president of aviation services. "But a ramp check doesn't have to be particularly painful if you understand the rules and exercise some common sense." An FAA inspector may decide to check you and your aircraft because he's observed something unsafe, or it may simply be a random check. You can expect that an inspector will show you his identification and ask to see your pilot and medical certificates. "Think about how you would react to a police officer and a traffic stop," said Cahall. "When he says, 'license and registration, please,'" you know that a polite response and a cooperative attitude goes a long way toward minimizing any hassles." The regulations require that your pilot and medical certificates be readily available and you should be willing to show them. The inspector can examine your certificates, but he can't keep them. If he asks you to "surrender" your certificates, politely decline and contact an aviation attorney.
In a special report entitled "Ramp Checks, AOPA says:
"Pilots are expected to conduct flights safely and remain in compliance with the Federal Aviation Regulations. The FAA conducts "ramp checks" to ensure pilots maintain these expectations. Though generally straightforward, some ramp checks end up with enforcement actions against the pilot." "A typical check involves the inspection of the pilot's airman and medical certificates and aircraft paperwork and an exterior inspection of an aircraft."
"The aviation safety inspector will usually present identification before conducting a ramp inspection. If you suspect you are subject of a ramp inspection and the individual does not present identification, you may ask for it, and the inspector is required to present it."
"The inspector is not authorized to detain you...may only keep you long enough to check the required paperwork."
"Only student pilots and recreational pilots are required to carry logbooks; all other pilots are advised to keep their logbooks at home."
The inspector is authorized to inspect:
• The airworthiness certificate.
• The aircraft registration.
• The operating handbook.
• The weight and balance information.
• The minimum equipment list (if applicable).
• Aeronautical charts (for currency).
• The general airworthiness of the aircraft.
• The ELT battery.
• A VOR check.
• The seats/safety belts.
AOPA suggests to:
• Be courteous and cooperative.
• Be busy; FAA inspectors are not authorized to delay you for any great length of time.
• Do not volunteer more information than is absolutely required.
• Keep in an easily referenced location at least the following information:
? Your medical and pilot certificate.
? Logbook (only for student pilots).
? Airworthiness certificate (displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance (91.203[b]).
? Aircraft registration.
? Approved flight manual or operating handbook.
? Weight and balance data.
? Current charts appropriate for flight (VFR and IFR).
If the ramp check is due to a possible violation, anything you say or do may be used against you.
According to the above, I should not have inferred that inadequate Engine or Airframe Logs or undocumented modifications could result in a trip being ended by a ramp check. These logs should not be carried on trips, and an FAA inspector appears to lack authority to stop a pilot from completing a trip absent some clear and present danger.
That having been said, a complete and up-to-date set of maintenance logs says a lot about an owner when a new mechanic is hired.
Tailwinds Always,
WRB
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