Helicopter Flight Information
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Helicopter Flight Information |
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The FAAThe subject of the FAA has become increasingly harder for me over the years. Why? Because just like any other government entity, they become less and less efficient, and more and more controlling. You do know how government budgets work, right? If you don't use all you get budgeted for, you lose it! What is worse, is that you also lose it for next year as well. The result is government waste, and no one in the government is intelligent enough to figure it out! Even worse, no one cares, not even the taxpayers; if they did, they would make noise about it. What does that have to do with the FAA? Have you seen the movie, 'Troy'? What was it about? Making a name that will be remembered! The FAA is just like that, the result is a large number of overzealous 'safety' inspectors who are doing nothing except trying to make a name for themselves, even if it is just at their local office. They can get away with just about anything because they do it in the name of 'safety'. One thing that you can be sure of, it that it is much more about 'names', and 'budget', than it is about safety. There are a lot of good inspectors in the FAA, but the problem is that there are a lot of crappy ones to. The crappy ones make a bad name for the FAA as a whole, and it also results in a lack of respect for the really good inspectors who deserve it most. The FAA Administrator Arrested for DWI, news flash from CNN on Dec 5th, 2011! You talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Here you go, the administrator himself arrested for DWI. Randy Babbitt, the head of the FAA, and an experienced pilot does exactly what the FAA will eagerly hold your feet to the fire for! Personally, I can not believe he did this. I'm betting that he gets out of it though, you know as well as I do, it's who you know that counts! Visit CNN, or view the article here. The Good... In the beginning I really believed that the FAA was a great organization, and that they were there for the benefit all of us involved in aviation. I have known and still do know a number of inspectors who are really great people, and who will make every attempt to 'do the right thing'. The Not So Good... You have to be very careful who you trust, and with what. I have known a number of people in recent years who have had very bad experiences with the FAA for little or no reason; I find this extremely disconcerting, but that is just the way it is becoming. Many FAA inspectors have an extremely arrogant 'police reject mentality'. Think about it, they have a lot of power with very little training. To become an FAA inspector requires a very minimal number of flight hours and minimal overall aviation experience. The worst of all, is that it requires absolutely no common sense nor any basic sense of respect for others. More and more, many inspectors demonstrate that 'police reject mentality'. Many are the sort of people who have always sought positions of power, but surely could never have made the grade as a police officer. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, not the FAA. Hey don't believe everything you hear, overall the FAA isn't to bad, just ask any inspector. They provide a necessary service for those of us involved in aviation even if they are poor managers of their time. I used to say that I had some friends in the FAA, but that is like saying you have a friend in the police department; it is only skin deep, and only good so long as you aren't a potential feather in their cap. Anything you say is a matter of permanent record, and can and will be used against you. I have heard instructors and some pilots talk badly about the FAA or its inspectors probably not always justified. They are like any other enforcement agency and as a result you may get penalized, if your papers are in order though, you will not likely have a problem. If an FAA inspector approaches you on the ramp, the inspector will show his or her ID, and state the business at hand usually in a polite manner. If they don't show their ID, make sure you ask to see it before you show them anything, and ask for a business card at the same time; they always have them. I have had many inspections over the years, and I have never had a bad experience yet other than the occasional 'police mentality power trip'. Maybe it is because my papers are in order and I try not to violate the regulations. This does not mean that an inspector or two was not rude, this has occurred; it is a part of that 'authority syndrome' some officials get into. The Bad, and there is plenty...The FAA does not protect aviation anymore, if they ever did. They do not stand up for the right for airports to exist no matter how long they have been established. The FAA does not stand up for pilots who are abiding by the regulations, against nuisance complaints no matter how unjustified they may be from the non-flying public. Recently a pilot I know was flying a helicopter and landed at one of your typical 700 ft class E airports which was located near a class B. There was an active aerobatic box on the west side of the airport. The helicopter landed direct to the ramp from the southeast as any other helicopter would have, well clear of the box, and without interference of any aircraft operating at the airport. This helicopter pilot did not make a radio call as he might have, but he was unfamiliar with the airport, did not know the frequency, and furthermore, radios are not even required at these airports. While he was cooling down (the aircraft), a woman came up and started banging on the door and yelling at him. He opened the door, and this irate female declared that she was an FAA inspector and began yelling at him for not making radio calls. She further made a complaint to the company for which he worked, and attempted to get him fired. The DO at that company was one of those nutless wonders and was going to bow to this bitch, but fortunately the Chief Pilot would not and the pilot did not lose his job. This is just one example of a worthless FAA inspector who should not have a job in any position of authority as she clearly can't handle it. I had a student who was ready to take his private helicopter practical test. I called the DPE whom I knew through the company where we both worked. The DPE worked in north Georgia under the Atlanta FSDO. When I called this DPE to schedule the test, he informed me that the student would be required to take a 20 question written test on airport markings, and that if he failed the test he would fail the practical test in its entirety and would therefore forfeit his $500 fee. I informed him that this written test was not legal, and inquired as to under what authority it was being given. He told me that the Atlanta FSDO was where the test had originated. I then called the Atlanta FSDO, but they denied that any such test or requirement to take such a test existed. They also told me that they would look into it further and get back with me. Later that same day, another inspector called and stated that he had indeed found the test. This inspector informed me that this was going to appear to be a complaint against the DPE. He did not know that I personally knew the DPE, and that I had already told him that I was going to call the FAA to get to the bottom of the issue. The inspector was pressuring me to drop the issue, but it was mute as I had already talked to the DPE about it. That is just how wormy the FAA can and will be. Keep in mind that in all segments of society there are bad examples of humankind; this is inevitable. If you have a bad experience (and it was no fault of yours) document it, and file a complaint at the FAA FSDO in your area. NEVER let such an experience go without a report/complaint. As with all government agencies, the FAA hates complaints because they have to deal with them. If you make a complaint, do it in writing, and get your document deliveries certified. You know, certified mail with a return receipt; then make sure you save copies of the documents and the receipts. On the other hand, do not make nuisance complaints. You must not be a cry-baby. If you do something wrong, standup with some back-bone and admit it, then take your blows; but do fight back! Some FAA inspectors are on a power trip as the female in the above paragraph, and if they can find something to get you for they will go after you with a vengeance. They get a feather in their hat, not to mention their power rush. This is much more prominent when a female inspector is involved; if they get an attitude, it is much worse than a male counterpart. The Ugly, and getting uglier every day...After a number of years in aviation, the passing of 911, and numerous other events, even I must admit that the FAA is geting uglier everyday. The fact is, it just comes down to job justification. They need your license, and/or your airworthiness certificate so be careful, they are after it because they need to show their superiors that they are doing their job. If you do something wrong in aviation, the FAA will be out to take every action they can against you. They call it 'emergency action', that way they don't have to grant you 'due process'. If you make a violation, and it need not be a serious one, you will suffer the consequences. There are a lot of inspectors out there looking for 'their feather'. The FAA is about job justification more than anything else because they are about as inefficient an organization as has ever existed. They really feel a need to find something wrong; helping pilots and the industry is not what today's FAA and its enforcers, referred to by themselves as 'safety inspectors' are about. Remember that piloting an aircraft is a privilege not a right. As a result the FAA has powers that they can exercise without proof that you actually did anything wrong. Innocent people have had their reputations badly scarred by the FAA. And I can assure you that the FAA and its representatives don't care one bit. Be assured that there is nothing that occurs with the FAA and you that is not a matter of permanent record. Keep your ducks in a row and do not violate the regulations. Chances are you will not have any problems with the FAA.
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