Camarillo (KCMA) - Ramp Check!

The distance was very close, the picture in post 1 was taken from the restaurant, sometime he would pull out his book, other times not.
Any reply from the FSDO yet? According to my FAA friends this is totally not the direction the FAA wants to be going and this inspector and/or his boss could be in big trouble for this type of behavior.
 
While I don't argue that you rule, I've been making this reference for years. I think the line between the two organizations has become fuzzy over the years....:biggrin:

P.S. My apologies to any Farmers (or potential farmers) that may take offense...none intended.


Someone has to regulate those flying cows.

hqdefault.jpg
 
Any reply from the FSDO yet? According to my FAA friends this is totally not the direction the FAA wants to be going and this inspector and/or his boss could be in big trouble for this type of behavior.

The FAA has at varying times over the years, gone from "zero tolerace" to "kinder and gentler", and back and forth. Have seen a few different rotations of this theme occur.
 
The FAA has at varying times over the years, gone from "zero tolerace" to "kinder and gentler", and back and forth. Have seen a few different rotations of this theme occur.

Well, now that you've gone all Hollywood on us I bet they give you a pass, huh?

:)
 
The distance was very close, the picture in post 1 was taken from the restaurant, sometime he would pull out his book, other times not.
Well they write down particulars for the check. N number, certs, medical, etc for their paperwork reports to their boss.
 
I had an odd run in with the FAA in the San Jose area while doing survey. It's a long story but i'll try to keep it short. Competitor starts snooping around our plane, we confront him and he runs away. The next day an FAA guy shows up to our hanger demanding our logs and starts just walking around looking at all of our stuff. We promptly told him to leave the hanger and we will talk outside because of all the sensitive equipment, and we had no intention of flying that day. It started a long thorough investigation into the aircraft but we had everything in order. Our chief pilot talked with the FAA boss and found out it was a new guy. The FAA boss agreed his man was in the wrong, but said we made it much worse by not being cooperative. I would probably treat it the same way again in that situation considering the guy was a total d-bag from the start. That being said, I've had lots of other run ins with the FAA and they were all quick and easy. Most of they guys just wanted to bs and talk about airplanes.
 
I had an odd run in with the FAA in the San Jose area while doing survey. It's a long story but i'll try to keep it short. Competitor starts snooping around our plane, we confront him and he runs away. The next day an FAA guy shows up to our hanger demanding our logs and starts just walking around looking at all of our stuff. We promptly told him to leave the hanger and we will talk outside because of all the sensitive equipment, and we had no intention of flying that day. It started a long thorough investigation into the aircraft but we had everything in order. Our chief pilot talked with the FAA boss and found out it was a new guy. The FAA boss agreed his man was in the wrong, but said we made it much worse by not being cooperative. I would probably treat it the same way again in that situation considering the guy was a total d-bag from the start. That being said, I've had lots of other run ins with the FAA and they were all quick and easy. Most of they guys just wanted to bs and talk about airplanes.

Essentially, the inspector was on private property, without permission. Not forcibly escorting him out of the hangar was being cooperative. This is what rubs me wrong with some feds. They think that because they are inspectors, they get to run around all willy nilly, and do whatever they want.
 
The sharpest FAA guy I have ever encountered was a former Mesa CA who left the airlines back in the dark days of 2008-2010ish and went to the secure government job. He previously flew the CRJ so he actually knew what he was, and more importantly, we were doing. I was really impressed. He was actually a pretty big hard ass for the first 15-30 mins of the flight.

Except for that experience, every single FAA person I have come into contact with has been on the lower end side of the "head in the game" scale. This is from my contact with inspectors, POIs, and even muckity-mucks traveling out of DCA. They just cannot wrap their head around basic logic.

This DOES NOT apply to the ATC guys though, super sharp folks.
 
Back in the late 90s, two GADO inspectors on the GA ramp in KILM decided to wander over to the airline ramp and ramp check an ATR that was sitting there,while the crew was inside eating lunch. They subsequently damaged the airplane while onboard and then grounded the airplane as unairworthy due to the damage they caused. Needless to say

5315_0.jpg


and the end result was a Letter of Understanding between the FSDO and GADO which forbade all GADO from ever setting foot in an airliner again.
 
Last edited:
Any reply from the FSDO yet? According to my FAA friends this is totally not the direction the FAA wants to be going and this inspector and/or his boss could be in big trouble for this type of behavior.

No, none. I sent it to the VNY FSDO, maybe they are covering for their employee.

Channel Islands Aviation did send an email of thanks on Monday.
 
What I have read on FAA Inspector encounters is this;
  1. If the FAA wants to talk to you about something that has already happened don't do it with out an attorney. You have the right to have an attorney present but the FAA does not need to inform you of this right
  2. Don't respond to a letter of inquiry without legal representation, this is an opportunity to hang your self
  3. Under part 91 an FAA inspector has no right to enter your aircraft so don't let them, they can look outside a peer into the windows all day. They also can not require you to open anything with a screwdriver, take parts off..etc
  4. Most times the FAA just needs you to confirm you were PIC of the aircraft/flight in question and then they have you, even if you think you can prove there was no violation once you admit to being PIC its over.
  5. Basically never talk to the FAA about history without talking to an attorney first.

Happy flying
 
What I have read on FAA Inspector encounters is this;
  1. If the FAA wants to talk to you about something that has already happened don't do it with out an attorney. You have the right to have an attorney present but the FAA does not need to inform you of this right
  2. Don't respond to a letter of inquiry without legal representation, this is an opportunity to hang your self
  3. Under part 91 an FAA inspector has no right to enter your aircraft so don't let them, they can look outside a peer into the windows all day. They also can not require you to open anything with a screwdriver, take parts off..etc
  4. Most times the FAA just needs you to confirm you were PIC of the aircraft/flight in question and then they have you, even if you think you can prove there was no violation once you admit to being PIC its over.
  5. Basically never talk to the FAA about history without talking to an attorney first.

Happy flying

Too, don't attract the FAA to you like chum in shark infested waters. Such as taxiing in, in an old run down, ratty looking Piper Aztec with inspection panels missing and oil smoke lightly trailing out of the exhaust of one backfiring-at-idle engine, and park right in front of the airport restaurant........whose building is right next to the FSDO.
 
Too, don't attract the FAA to you like chum in shark infested waters. Such as taxiing in, in an old run down, ratty looking Piper Aztec with inspection panels missing and oil smoke lightly trailing out of the exhaust of one backfiring-at-idle engine, and park right in front of the airport restaurant........whose building is right next to the FSDO.
Story time?
 
Back
Top