kbehrent
Well Known Member
Our EAA chapter held its annual Young Eagles flight day on saturday, We had over 350 kids pre-register for the event, not including those that simply show up. Due to the economy and fuel prices, we were down probably half the number of seats as last year so the pilots knew it was going to be a non-stop day of flying so that every kids who showed up was going to get a ride.
To add more burden to the day, was the appearance of three FAA inspectors who decided to show up early in the morning and stayed until @ 2pm ramp checking every pilot participating in our event.
So picture the smiles on the kids faces and the parents taking their pictures as they leave the aircraft, while trying to walk around the inspectors who in the middle of this demanding to see the pilot/aircraft paperwork. Fortunately our pilots all kept cool heads and let them know that they needed to walk the kids back to the main hangar and sign their YE certificate and would return.
I can imagine your feeling your blood beginning to boil as you are reading this, however I must say that the pilots reported that the officials were very polite and easy to work with. Unfortunately, their timing sucked and it really had an effect on our ability to avoid long wait times for the kids to get their flight.
Pilots did reported some confusion over what needed to be stated for Phase I & II testing and whether passengers were authorized to fly, but that didn't ground anybody from flying.
I certainly understand their right and legal authority to appear at our event and ramp check every single pilot who flew. Personally, I felt like they should have also ramped checked the civil air patrol event happening next to us or the many other airplanes that flew in to fuel or eat at the restaurant. Why simply single us out?
I wouldn't doubt if this doesn't become an annual ramp check for them. I do wonder if it will affect the number of pilots who fly in next year to volunteer to spend their own money to fly these kids and face grounding due to some technical misunderstanding on their paperwork either on the pilots side or on the FAA officials side. I can only hope if they do come again, they will at least be as polite as the three who came this year.
To add more burden to the day, was the appearance of three FAA inspectors who decided to show up early in the morning and stayed until @ 2pm ramp checking every pilot participating in our event.
So picture the smiles on the kids faces and the parents taking their pictures as they leave the aircraft, while trying to walk around the inspectors who in the middle of this demanding to see the pilot/aircraft paperwork. Fortunately our pilots all kept cool heads and let them know that they needed to walk the kids back to the main hangar and sign their YE certificate and would return.
I can imagine your feeling your blood beginning to boil as you are reading this, however I must say that the pilots reported that the officials were very polite and easy to work with. Unfortunately, their timing sucked and it really had an effect on our ability to avoid long wait times for the kids to get their flight.
Pilots did reported some confusion over what needed to be stated for Phase I & II testing and whether passengers were authorized to fly, but that didn't ground anybody from flying.
I certainly understand their right and legal authority to appear at our event and ramp check every single pilot who flew. Personally, I felt like they should have also ramped checked the civil air patrol event happening next to us or the many other airplanes that flew in to fuel or eat at the restaurant. Why simply single us out?
I wouldn't doubt if this doesn't become an annual ramp check for them. I do wonder if it will affect the number of pilots who fly in next year to volunteer to spend their own money to fly these kids and face grounding due to some technical misunderstanding on their paperwork either on the pilots side or on the FAA officials side. I can only hope if they do come again, they will at least be as polite as the three who came this year.