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Has the FAA done a deal with EASA to do ramp checks on N-regs?

I’ve just read of two more checks. One of them was N-reg at Clermont LFLC, with an FAA specific checklist and the pilot’s papers were photographed.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Let’s not overstate the risk here. We are only posting examples where people have been checked which makes it look like a big deal that happens all the time. I have never been checked in France – including Biarritz. Only in Augsburg. It is still rare but good to be prepared for when it does happen.

EGTK Oxford

Peter wrote:

I’ve just read of two more checks.

Source ?

FAA A&P/IA
LFPN

Let’s not overstate the risk here. We are only posting examples where people have been checked which makes it look like a big deal that happens all the time. I have never been checked in France – including Biarritz.

I agree. In % terms it is rare.

The reason I posted these posts is to report that France is using a carefully targeted method against N-regs. Pilots need to be aware of this. I know from over a decade of email correspondence that many are not. I know for a fact, for example, that most N-reg pilots are not aware of the requirement for two radio licenses. Gawd knows what the fine for that is in France. Does anyone know?

I have never been checked either. I have seen a number of cases where the police were hanging around apparently waiting for somebody (rather impatienly at Le Touquet a few weeks ago, some time after I landed, an I made sure I didn’t go near my aircraft just in case it was me) but have never been in one of the cases reported by others over the years where the N-regs at the whole airport (or sometimes all aircraft) got “turned over”.

Source ?

A site behind a ~ €100/year paywall

As a pilot myself, why people don’t write about this stuff openly I find difficult to understand. There are no possible repercussions from being open about this (and much else), and it may help somebody from getting into trouble. After all, helping GA is what EuroGA was set up for. You can set up any number of tiny-membership clubs on the internet. Facebook is full of them… And anybody can join any paywall forum in the future so you have no control over who reads your stuff, anyway…

Incidentally, I wonder whether a Socata aircraft is less likely to get hit. There cannot be any VAT issue with it unless it formally left the EU at some stage, which is fairly unlikely (sold to the USA, or Channel Islands, would be the most likely). Whereas a US-made plane will by default have a potential VAT issue.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Once again, I think it’s necessary to differentiate between the two kinds of “ramp checks” that are being reported :

- Customs & Immigration : Always has been aggressively seeking VAT dodgers in France. They also come across a few smuggling enterprises, but seems very rare. About 10 years ago, they started keeping a list of tail numbers of planes which they had already “controlled” for VAT compliance so they wouldn’t have to control the same aircraft more than once, which was avast improvement at the time !

- PAF – Police aux Frontières : The PAF has a full brigade with full time living quarters at my base, LFPN. Frankly, neither myself nor any of my contacts have noticed any more activity than the usual for the last 20 years.

I think it’s quite normal and to be expected to have at least one Customs control with a newly registered aircraft and a PAF control every couple of years. That is exactly what I’ve experienced in over 20 years.

FAA A&P/IA
LFPN

About 10 years ago, they started keeping a list of tail numbers of planes which they had already “controlled” for VAT compliance so they wouldn’t have to control the same aircraft more than once, which was avast improvement at the time !

That doesn’t appear to work [anymore] because I know of people who have been “done” more than once.

Also this was explored but it was a dead end – prob99 a “pilot forum personality” showing off, about 10 years ago. The second post in that thread does tend to confirm my earlier hypothesis that they can’t do anything unless the pilot/owner is found inside or standing next to the plane.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

If you are referring to the contact at the French Customs for inclusion on their VAT paid list, that’s easy :

Direction Des Douanes Division Aéroterrestre Et Brigade De Surveillance Aérienne
Tél : 01 49 92 93 50

FAA A&P/IA
LFPN

Amazing!

Could you please phone them for an email address or a fax number?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

ploucandco wrote:

Their main concern was the VAT status of the plane and the EASA license.

I thought that wasn’t coming in until at least 2016 so I’m not sure why they wanted to check your EASA papers if you had FAA ones.

Andreas IOM

I thought that wasn’t coming in until at least 2016 so I’m not sure why they wanted to check your EASA papers if you had FAA ones.

Exactly – and even then they will need guidance on the interpretation of where the “operator” is based, etc (much discussion here in the past).

That is going to be really difficult, unless they go for the easy route of using intimidation and on-the-spot fines which almost nobody is going to appeal because nobody will want to pay for a lawyer based in the country which you have just departed from Also good luck finding a lawyer willing to take on his country’s customs/police…

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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