Just grab your chair. Do you know how it is done in Hungary by many of the owners, supportd by CAMOs and not controlled by CAA??
They take off, let say to 4000’ , check in to FIC and ask FIC for an alitmeter check . Based on ATC’s response, the CAMO or the maintenance company signs off the 24 or 12 month altimeter or static leak test. After the landing the maint log will be signed off. Indeed, there are some facilites, where you find the proper and calibrated test equipment.
I am fourios,I have tried to report it, since many of us take care about our aircraft, paying the shops and having precise instrumentation to ensure flight safety. Basicaly, I dont care the cost. I care about the reqired safety. As a former ATC staff, approched them friendly, why to do this,they said, “we have right to aswer the aircraft if they seek for altitude information”. This true unless they state on the frequency that is for airworthiness puropses. Unfortunatly, the provider the Hungarocontrol PLC silently supports that actions. The 2 weeks ago, one of the ATS emplyoee departed with the HC PLC owned aircraft, and himself asked the same confirmation from the ATS as part of the “airwortiness test flight” .
Did you hear similar event in your country?
My transponder was almost out of the 1087-1093 MHz allowable frequency range last time, and that sent me off in the direction of getting a new transponder for ADS-B compliance, soon to be installed. ATC still has no problems with me, but it’s interesting to see the data that comes with the check. In my area of the US we hear our Mode C altitude being reported to other aircraft on almost every flight, but we still the still need to logbook entry every two years… at least most of us feel we do! 
I’ve done some checking.
Wigglyamp’s option sadly doesn’t exist anymore, for light GA. The company now does business with only turboprops and above. And they don’t do the 91. checks either on anything lesser.
The others do only the “full sticker treatment”.
One of them, when I pointed the owner to the regulatory references in this thread, sent me this: “OK Peter Enough from you, please do not contact me again, look at getting this and any other work done somewhere else Regards”. I have seen a lot but this was really excessive, though not completely unusual in the attitude, and does one wonder why the maintenance business generally and the avionics business specifically is held in such utter contempt by so many GA pilots? I had not used that company for over 10 years, there is no prior context for this, and I had been recommending them for about 15 years… I won’t identify them because that would breach the forum Guidelines, although they richly deserve it.
I have a good number of months to find a suitable company – in the UK or near Europe. Not a problem, thankfully.
The ridiculous cartel situation is propped up by the FAA granting a 145 to a new non-US applicant mostly on the dead man’s shoes basis. The only cases I have heard of which were done normally were where a big company, say Cirrus, wanted to set up a service centre somewhere. I have even seen cases where some company bought a totally crooked maintenance company, or a company which went bust, just to get their FAA145 approval, which apparently goes with the hangar, regardless of its contents.
The FAA system is normally really good but there are some areas where they have really dropped the ball.
Did you hear similar event in your country?
Not quite something as dumb as that, but IME altimeter checks are rather cursory affairs on EASA-regs. I never heard of them when I was on G-reg.
I need FAR 411 & 413 checks done, but being in Ireland with my airplane unflyable until a DAR gets here to issue a C of A, I guess I need to bring over a guy from a repair station to carry out the checks. Maybe time to get a few N reg owners together at my hangar and split the bill :-)
I owned an airplane once where the guys took the items out and got them bench tested, got their stickers and away they went. Kind of defeats the purpose of doing the checks on the system, when the pipes could still have a leak after putting items back in.
Maybe time to get a few N reg owners together at my hangar and split the bill :-)
You can count me in. Have to be a “no sticker” deal though 
when the pipes could still have a leak after putting items back in.
Yes exactly; it is also dumb to be tilting panels out, stretching the pipework, with the 20-50 year old pipes attached to the instruments.
Has anyone used Atlas Aviation at Bremen, Germany?
For N-reg, any A&P/IA can sign perform and sign off the static check. However the altimeter and transponder checks need specific equipment and my understanding is that they need to be performed by an FAA-approved/registered radio shop. Bringing someone remote in would still need to meet that requirement, i.e. a radio shop ready to send someone with the equipment. But it can be done. Ask me how I know.
Certainly not close to the UK, but the well-known candidates in Germany and Switzerland could do this and don’t have stickeritis, to my experience. The cost can be quite high though ($1000 for both 411 & 413, all-in, in Switzerland). Probably the most economic for a quality job is Straubing. I’ve used the Augsburg branch of Atlas Aviation, and found their prices very reasonable.
BTW, can Jersey Aero Club do it? They can work N-reg aircraft, but I don’t about their radio approval.
Hi Peter,
after checking with some friends I learned my club formerly used Atlas Air Services for national and EASA-Reg planes and was always satisfied with the quality of their work and general friendliness and attitude. Their prices are said to be on the higher side, probably partly due to their location at EDDW and their main focus being business aviation. That’s the main reason we are now going elsewhere with our planes. They used to be the Cessna representative for the Citation series, but I don’t know whether they still are.
Regarding the sheer outcome of their work, no one said a word against them, so they should be worth a phone call. If you intend to fly there, Bremen Airport ist quite GA-friendly, with landing fees all in all being in the 35 to 40ish € region for sub-2-t-aircraft. For that, you get an international airport with ILS, customs and immigration.
I would also like to point you in the direction of Porta Air Service with whom I have no affiliation but recent positive experience. They also are an FAA repair station in addition to their EASA approval.
Last month I took one of our aircraft there for the calibration of one Aspen1000 PFD and found them to be friendly, competent and with a reasonable approach to the scope of work and testing needed. Their price also was very fair.
Plus, you get seated in their aquarium-style reception area and get to watch the technicians work at your and the other planes while drinking your coffee.
From what I saw on that occasion, the outfit is very professional and deals with aircraft up to KingAir C90/ Cessna Conquest-size.
Their home field is VFR (day/night) only, but customs are available upon request.
My usual maintenance shop https://www.interaviationsupport.com/ is also a FAA repair station. They agree that no sticker is necessary, but they “may need” the serial number of the instruments. They are in Teuge EHTE, the Netherlands, which may be somewhat closer than Germany from the UK. VFR-only field during daylight hours. IFR approaches only at night, by PPR and by extension of opening times (for a fee).
Very many thanks CharlieRomeo and Lionel. I will check these out. I will combine it with some meet-up somewhere
The serial numbers are no problem. I can present the previous check report which lists them all (done by GAMA).
