b>SURVIVING AN FAA RAMP CHECK
by Gregory J. Reigel
© 2004 All rights reserved.
You are standing on the ramp performing a pre-flight inspection. A man who you have never seen before approaches you and starts chatting about the weather and asking you questions: 'What's your name?', 'Where are you going?' etc. How do you respond?
First, know who you are talking to. Ask for the person's name. Find out what he or she is doing there. In this post 9/11 era, knowing who is at the airport and what they are doing is good practice and prevention. This is the premise of AOPA's GA Secure program. Second, if the person is an FAA inspector, you want to find that out as soon as possible. If he or she is, ask to see his or her FAA Identification card.
During the course of a ramp check, the FAA inspector will ask to inspect/review a number of items. Some of those items and how you produce them for the FAA inspector are discussed below. Quite a bit of this is common sense. Much of it is information all pilots learned, or should have learned, when they learned how to fly.
Personal Documents
When you fly an aircraft, you must have certain personal documents in your possession. You must have your airman certificate and it must be appropriate to the aircraft and type of flying you are doing. You must also have your medical certificate. It must be the original certificate issued by your Airman Medical Examiner and it must also be current and appropriate to the type of flying you are doing. Finally, in the aftermath of 9/11, you must also have in your possession a drivers license or other government issued ID containing your photograph.
Logbook
Next, the inspector may ask to see your flight logbook. I advise
pilots not to bring their logbook with them when they are
flying. Why? Two reasons: One, if you bring your logbook with
you and it is destroyed if you are in an accident, you won't
have any documentation to prove your flight time and currency.
This can raise potentially ugly issues not only with the FAA,
but also with your insurance company if they question your
currency at the time of the accident and deny coverage. To avoid
the insurance coverage issue, if you must bring your logbook
with you I suggest you keep a photocopy of your logbook at home
or in some other safe place. Second, if you have your logbook with you and the inspector asks
to review it, you will have to provide the entire logbook.
Rather than allowing the inspector to review more logbook
entries than are necessary or pertinent at the time of the ramp
check, I prefer having the opportunity after the ramp check to
simply photocopy the pages documenting your currency and then
providing them to the inspector. Aircraft Documents In The Aircraft Similar to the requirement that you have certain personal
documents in your possession, the aircraft you fly also needs to
contain certain documents. The inspector may want to review the
aircraft documents during the ramp check. However, an inspector
cannot inspect the interior of your aircraft without consent.
Consequently, rather than giving consent, I recommend that you
personally remove the requested documents from the aircraft and
give them to the inspector. You may need to supply the aircraft's registration certificate.
Make sure the N-number on the certificate matches the N-number
on the aircraft. Also, if you are operating with a temporary
certificate, remember that it is only valid for 120 days. The
aircraft's airworthiness certificate will likely be inspected as
well. Here again, make sure the N-number on the certificate
matches the N-number on the aircraft data plate. Additional aircraft documents that are fair game during a ramp
check include the operator/flight manual, or operating
limitations if the aircraft is a homebuilt aircraft, and the
aircraft's weight and balance information. For certificated
aircraft, the weight and balance information should be in the
manual. For homebuilt aircraft, this information will be
contained in the aircraft's operating limitations. Charts Since a pilot is required to be familiar with all available
information for each flight, an inspector may also ask to see
the aeronautical charts you intend to use on your flight. Make
sure the charts you have in the aircraft or your flight bag are
current and appropriate to your flight. This seems like a
"no-brainer", but you would be surprised how many pilots are
flying with sectional charts that are several years old or
instrument approach plates that are more than 56 days old. From
a compliance perspective and, more importantly, from a safety
perspective, use current and appropriate charts. Interacting With The Inspector During the course of the ramp check, you can also take the
initiative and ask the inspector questions. Ask the inspector
why he or she suspects you and what information the inspector
has that leads to his or her suspicion. You can also ask the
inspector which FAR's you are suspected of violating. If the answers to these questions indicates that a simple
misunderstanding is present, you can certainly try to clarify
the situation for the inspector. However, if it appears that the
inspector's issues are more than a simple misunderstanding or if
you do not receive adequate responses to your questions, do not
volunteer any information to the inspector. Remain polite and
respectful, but don't give the inspector any more information
than is required. Do not try to argue with the inspector. Very rarely will you
win an argument with the inspector. On the contrary, an argument
with the inspector will usually get you in deeper trouble. You
will either provide the inspector with information that helps
the inspector make his or her case against you or you will
exhibit a 'poor compliance attitude', or both. Don't do it.
Discretion and respect will serve you better. Most pilots will never find themselves in a ramp check, due to
the minimal manpower the FAA has available for ramp checks.
However, if you find yourself in a ramp check, it is survivable.
Hopefully this information, along with the right attitude, will
get you through it. As always, fly safe and fly smart. About the author:
Greg is an aviation attorney, author and holds a commercial
pilot certificate with instrument rating. His practice
concentrates on aviation litigation, including insurance matters
and creditor's rights, FAA certificate actions and aviation
related transactional matters. He can be reached via e-mail at
greigel@aerolegalservices.com or check out his website at www.aerole
galservices.com.