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Aviation & Flight InformationSurviving An FAA Ramp Check
by:
Greg Reigel
Extant
AN FAA RAMP CHECK
by Gregory J. Reigel
© 2004 All rights reserved.
You are standing on the ramp activity a pre-flight inspection. A man who you have ne'er
seen before approaches you and starts chatting just about the weather and asking you questions: “What’s your name?”, “Where are you going?” etc. How do you respond?
First, cognize 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 airfield and what they are doing is nice 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 before long 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 wish ask to inspect/review a number of items. Several of those items and how you produce them for the FAA inspector are discussed below. Quite a bit of this is common sense. More of it is information all pilots learned, or should have learned, once
they knowing how to fly.
Personal Documents
When you fly an aircraft, you must have certain personal documents in your possession. You must have your aeronaut certificate and it must be appropriate to the craft
and type of flying you are doing. You must as well have your medical certificate. It must be the innovational certificate issued by your Aeronaut Medical Examiner and it must as well be current and appropriate to the type of flying you are doing. Finally, in the aftermath of 9/11, you must as well have in your possession a drivers license or different government issued ID containing your photograph.
Logbook
Next, the inspector may ask to see your flight logbook. I advise pilots not to bring their book with them once
they are flying. Why? Two reasons: One, if you bring your book 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 possibly
ugly issues not only with the FAA, but as well with your insurance institution 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 book with you I suggest you support a photocopy of your book at house or in several different safe place.
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