Tagging on: Who did the ramp check ? Was it local police, customs or PAF ?
Gendarmerie de l’Air.
Same.
denopa wrote:
I did mention to them I didn’t use the VOR much and they seemed to agree that I wouldn’t need the check unless I was using it. Having said that, the VOR check covers the use of the localiser on an ILS, doesn’t it?
Now you raise an interesting point. What does a VOR check test and how does it relate to a localiser (if at all)?
That would be the Police de l’Air et des Frontières (P.A.F) .
They have a complete regiment that lives full time at Toussus le Noble, so needless to say I see them frequently.
They ramp checked me last night after I landed coming back from Ile de Yeu.
I pay them minimum attention and only hand over the documents that are legally required and only at their specific request.
My guess is they have recent orders to step-up controls and should not be taken “personally” …
The one who checked me was very nice – almost apologetic. Really can’t complain. It’s part of their job.
Jason:
To be clear, I do not know if the VOR check covers the localiser as well. And the signals that get decoded are very different, so the usefulness of that check may be reduced. I meant this as a question.
Some on here know far more than me about avionics but the VOR check merely confirms that the VOR receiver is calibrated correctly ie if you are on a 180 radial and select 180 on the OBS the CDI needle is centered. I don’t think it says anything about the ILS receiver.
If the 30-day VOR check is needed to legally fly an ILS, that completely transforms this discussion.
What does a VOR check test and how does it relate to a localiser (if at all)?
The technical answer (to the value of the VOR check to the safety of flying an ILS) depends on how the decoding is implemented.
On 1990s and earlier avionics it is done with analog circuitry. You have something like a KN72, and that does both the VOR and the LOC signals. It uses the ILS_ENERGISE output from the NAV radio (which is activated if a frequency in the LOC range is selected) to tell it which bit of the circuit to use.
I believe the GNS boxes, and thus possibly the G1000, and maybe the early Avidyne “glass” products, do it the analog way too. Maybe @Jesse will know.
The analog method means the VOR check checks only the VOR signal path, not the LOC. And indeed I have 2 or 3 KN72s lying around which work on LOC but not on VOR, so obviously almost nobody will ever find out 
The modern way (since the 4MHz Z80 and 8-bit A-D and D-A converters came out i.e. about 1975-78 ) is to use DSP techniques and do it all in software. Then the VOR check checks the whole signal path used by both functions, starting from the (normally shared LOC+VOR) antenna(e) all the way to the deviation bar on the HSI/EHSI and the lateral signals to the autopilot.
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, however I’ve read it and I’m confused!
If I want to buy a 2007 aircraft with no C88 (my understanding is that they stopped issuing them around 2006), then how do I prove VAT has been paid in case of a ramp check?
I am buying it as a private individual from a UK LTD company. The sales invoice will demonstrate that I have paid VAT to that LTD company.
Is that sufficient?
Or do I need paperwork from when the aircraft was first imported into the EU? It was originally imported into Germany and the Cessna dealer there paid VAT but claimed it back. Since then it has been transferred between various Ltd companies with VAT paid but claimed back until it is being sold to me as a private person.
Any help would be appreciated as I don’t want to make a costly mistake.
Thanks
