True, Marshal has an organisation’s approval, however, this does not mean that they cut corners, on the contrary, all their stuff are aware that if the FAA pulls the ticket they can pack and go home they will not risk it. There were times that they made my life miserable because a piece of paper, the fact that you can’t get 8130 for that part did not matter (In this case an I.A could carry the work yet Marshal could not). They always did first class job and always talked with me before carrying any work although I told them not to ask for permission when a job is of a safety importance. It is not to say that they never made mistakes, that every job was 100%, but when they were in the wrong they always put it right (in contrast to the previous shop that nearly killed me and didn’t want to know). If your aircraft is the ‘run of the mill’ and more or less current with available parts from the factory you won’t have a better place for your aircraft. Since Marshal got the aircraft I had never had to cancel a trip due to a mechanical issue.
I didn't say Marshalls do bad work. What I said is that simply by being a FAR 145 firm they are going to get loads of inspections.
Just got ramp checked in Augsburg!
First time in Europe. Nice chap, thought he was a plane spotter until he showed his ID. Just wanted pilot papers and aircraft papers. In particular insurance certificate.
What did his ID say, who does he work for? Usually ramp checks are done by the airport crew in official capacity (as part of the aerodrome license they are required to perform a certain number of ramp checks per year). There are other bodies that can ramp check up to the CAA who have a mobile team. Their checks are more thorough, they also look at engine and propeller serial numbers.
I think it was the CAA. LfA from memory. A typical really long German word. Clearly doing everyone at the airport that day. Was with a glider before coming to me.
I didn’t think it was necessary to actually have to carry the insurance certificate all of the time – or is that because you were flying outside of the UK?
You have to carry the insurance certificate when in German airspace for sure.
My guess is the guys were from the Bavarian Aviation Authority, not the CAA (LBA). The LBA guys show themselves as LBA and I guess you know that acronym. Actually I’m all for these plain vanilla document checks. The famous case of the fraudster that was flying a Learjet without CofA, single pilot and without even a pilot license for more than a year from a German airfield in Berlin shows that these very simple document checks can be done more often without harming aviation. That Learjet fraudster eventually crashed the airplane in Denmark because he didn’t understand the fuel system, severely injuring a passenger.
Yes, it was fine. Funnily I only had the old insurance certificate which expired 30/6. I showed him the new one electronically which commenced that day.
Yes, it was fine.
German ramp inspectors are happiest if they find nothing. They are public servants and the less paperwork they have to do, the better. Completely different from France, where they are the happier the more they can write down – but maybe only if German pilots/operators are concerned…
Someone I know was ramp checked in Germany recently and they are making a right fuss, saying that he should have had stuff like MEL, written docs like W&B, Fuel calcs, etc, many of which are not a requirement for a private flight according to the UK CAA.
They said they were doing the check on the basis of EU law to check on “third country” aeroplanes, yet this aircraft was G Reg – definitely EASA, so not “third country”!!
