Have you had a ramp check??

Garthur

Garthur

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Mar 25, 2012
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Nebraska
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retman
I have never had a ramp check and I do not know of anybody that as had one. The only time the FAA as approached me was about 20 years ago at the Lincoln airport. I parked in front of the FAA office building and 2 guys in suits approached me. They just wanted to look at the plane. They never asked for any paper work of any kind. The only paper work check I have ever had was by US customs entering Alaska and then when we returned back into the lower 48.
 
Not me. And they tend to focus on for-hire operations, which is why folks who fly 135 get checked a lot more than folks who fly personal Part 91 only. Bigger planes like bizjets also get more attention than smaller planes like 172's. Finally, doing something to attract their attention (say, flying a left pattern where it's right traffic published) is another way to earn a ramp check.
 
Airships like to draw attention too. The problem is the Fed's don't know what they are looking for and really are just there to look at the thing up close.
 
i got ramp checked in a 172 with a student on his first lesson. that has been the only time. the only reason i got checked was because it was a nice day out, the inspector was traveling around doing ramp checks and i was the only guy out flying at the time.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
Airships like to draw attention too. The problem is the Fed's don't know what they are looking for and really are just there to look at the thing up close.
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OK, so an airship doesn't have an airworthiness certificate? registration certificate? It doesn't have it's registration number properly displayed? No data plate? The pilot doesn't have a certificate with the correct category and class? Or a medical?.............

I just looked over http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=B31EC5608DF9D7798525734F00766694

and it doesn't mention airships are special (or exempt), nor does it give special guidance to inspect one.

So what exactly is so special on an airship that those dumb feds don't know what to look for?? :dunno:
 
Rotor&Wing said:
OK, so an airship doesn't have an airworthiness certificate? registration certificate? It doesn't have it's registration number properly displayed? No data plate? The pilot doesn't have a certificate with the correct category and class? Or a medical?.............

I just looked over http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=B31EC5608DF9D7798525734F00766694

and it doesn't mention airships are special (or exempt), nor does it give special guidance to inspect one.

So what exactly is so special on an airship that those dumb feds don't know what to look for?? :dunno:
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Everyone knows the feds have no idea what they are looking for - besides a reason to ground an airplane and take a pilots cert :wink2:

:D
 
I have been "ramp checked" many times. They are usually looking for up to date registration an correct numbers on the hull, Working Horn, Fire Extinguisher, Life Jackets. One time they went through my ice chest and measured all my fish. I had to sit there at the boat ramp for an hour while they checked everything. :goofy:
 
When I flew 135, I would get ramped once every week or two. It was at a very busy airport with lots of operations going on.

It is exactly as Rotor&Wing put it, "OK, so an airship doesn't have an airworthiness certificate? registration certificate? It doesn't have it's registration number properly displayed? No data plate? The pilot doesn't have a certificate with the correct category and class? Or a medical?............."

The feds were really nice guys. They were just there to check the paperwork. That was 16 years ago. For 15 following that it was all part 91 flying. Not a single ramp check from a fed. Several came out to do them. But, they really just wanted to gawk at the airplanes and when I would tell them that we are part 91 they went away and weren't interested in ramping us. The last year and a half has been either 121 and now 135 only for me. Not a single ramp check so far. Which is too bad because I would really like to talk to a couple of them about job opportunities.
 
I guess they don't like to see planes at boat ramps then. :loco::wink2:


Foxhole said:
I have been "ramp checked" many times. They are usually looking for up to date registration an correct numbers on the hull, Working Horn, Fire Extinguisher, Life Jackets. One time they went through my ice chest and measured all my fish. I had to sit there at the boat ramp for an hour while they checked everything. :goofy:
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Yeah, but conducted by some very chiseled-looking young men with guns and a big green helicopter...
 
steingar said:
Yeah, but conducted by some very chiseled-looking young men with guns and a big green helicopter...
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Was that you in the Mooney that buzzed Camp David back in the 90's, landed at Martin State, and had a Marine Huey land next to him and a squad of Marines with M-16's boil out of it like bees out of a hive someone had kicked, and ended up kissing the ramp? That was the talk of the airport for weeks!
 
Foxhole said:
I have been "ramp checked" many times. They are usually looking for up to date registration an correct numbers on the hull, Working Horn, Fire Extinguisher, Life Jackets. One time they went through my ice chest and measured all my fish. I had to sit there at the boat ramp for an hour while they checked everything. :goofy:
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I had a friend get a ticket by the local PD for backing his boat trailer down the ramp with no seat belt on.
 
Ron Levy said:
Was that you in the Mooney that buzzed Camp David back in the 90's, landed at Martin State, and had a Marine Huey land next to him and a squad of Marines with M-16's boil out of it like bees out of a hive someone had kicked, and ended up kissing the ramp? That was the talk of the airport for weeks!
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Not so lucky...
 
I've done 135 for 12 years and I've only been ramp checked once during that time and it was a small airport in Nebraska. I was ramp checked two other times, once doing instruction and once doing mapping. Those were also at small airports.
 
I haven't been ramp checked, but I've been at the airport on a nice day a couple of times in the past decade when the FAA was checking all of the planes flying. It's pretty much a part 91 field. Usually it's a total non-event. There was one person though flying without a medical, IIRC.
 
Yes, I was ramp-checked a couple years ago at Fullerton, as I was fueling up after just landing (so he knew I had been airborne). No big deal, showed the papers and the serialized POH (which had our W/B/ops limits). He took a cursory look at the outside of the plane, said "nice plane", shook hands and we were done. Took maybe 5 minutes. Very professional.

Jeff
 
Yes I got checked a while back when I flew into Pecos. It was a fellow that was in Alpine the day before and was making his rounds to the small fields in the area.
We chatted about the balloons and how the weekend had gone and I told him to tell some friends who work at the FSDO hello... He was surprised that I knew one of them because the friend is new there- had met him in San Antonio before he got the FAA job. He took pics of my plane and complimented it, saying he likes to see planes that are in good condition. Looked thru the routine paperwork.. Simple.
Really a no brainer.

I wondered at the time if inspectors have a quota of checks to do each month. Is that true?
 
Jeanie said:
I wondered at the time if inspectors have a quota of checks to do each month. Is that true?
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I have heard that they have a quota of checks or contacts, but I can't swear to it, not do I know if it's monthly or some other time period.
 
My instructor said he got ramped for the first time last year, was at winston-salem airport with a student. Said it was a non-event and only lasted 5 minutes. He has been flying since the 1950's and has over 12,000 hrs
 
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One time, on a poker run with our EAA Chapter. An FAA type was on our email list and knew a bunch of us were coming.
 
gprellwitz said:
Thanks! And the complicated answer? :dunno::D
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There is the Program Tracking and Reporting Subystem (PTRS, a part of FSIMS) which essentially keeps track of what the Inspectors are doing. One of the goals of PTRS is "To provide a record of work accomplishment." Everything the Inspectors do has a PTRS code, and they have to log it all into the system when they do it. So, while they have no specific numeric quota of ramp checks to do, they get "credit" for each one they do, and that goes toward the report their manager reviews. No doubt each manager has an idea of how much of which activities they want accomplished, and the individual Inspectors are equally doubtless aware of that.

The full PTRS manual can be found here:
http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=57056851D5A816D8862574EC005B9114
 
EppyGA said:
One time, on a poker run with our EAA Chapter. An FAA type was on our email list and knew a bunch of us were coming.
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That's funny, I believe the FAA's guidelines say that inspectors should not ramp check folks at an event or gathering (that they knew about in advance). Unless there are complaints or something. Kinda discriminates against the participants... and no one is going to want to come back to an event they got ramped at last year.
 
dell30rb said:
That's funny, I believe the FAA's guidelines say that inspectors should not ramp check folks at an event or gathering (that they knew about in advance). Unless there are complaints or something. Kinda discriminates against the participants...
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That guidance refers to spectators flying to see an aerial event, not participants in the aerial event, whom the Inspectors are directed to check. I suspect a poker run could easily be considered an "aerial event" and those flying in it to be "participants."
 
Ron Levy said:
There is the Program Tracking and Reporting Subystem (PTRS, a part of FSIMS) which essentially keeps track of what the Inspectors are doing. One of the goals of PTRS is "To provide a record of work accomplishment." Everything the Inspectors do has a PTRS code, and they have to log it all into the system when they do it. So, while they have no specific numeric quota of ramp checks to do, they get "credit" for each one they do, and that goes toward the report their manager reviews. No doubt each manager has an idea of how much of which activities they want accomplished, and the individual Inspectors are equally doubtless aware of that.

The full PTRS manual can be found here:
http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=57056851D5A816D8862574EC005B9114
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
Ron Levy said:
There is the Program Tracking and Reporting Subystem (PTRS, a part of FSIMS) which essentially keeps track of what the Inspectors are doing. One of the goals of PTRS is "To provide a record of work accomplishment." Everything the Inspectors do has a PTRS code, and they have to log it all into the system when they do it. So, while they have no specific numeric quota of ramp checks to do, they get "credit" for each one they do, and that goes toward the report their manager reviews. No doubt each manager has an idea of how much of which activities they want accomplished, and the individual Inspectors are equally doubtless aware of that.

The full PTRS manual can be found here:
http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=57056851D5A816D8862574EC005B9114
Click to expand...


gprellwitz said:
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Ron has the layman's understanding of PTRS, but the actual work program that goes with it is far more complex and varies depending upon each Inspector and his assignments.

There's really not a "credit" system in place, and depending on your work program it could actually go against you if you're not careful.
 
Henning said:
Over 20 years and never.
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30 years for me and no ramp check... Yet.... But I am ready if they want to...:yesnod:... Actually did have partial one... At OSH, The guy standing to the left of me in the light brown shirt, sunglasses and hat, said he was from the FAA and wanted to see my Airworthyness cert, he stuck his head in my plane... looked in the clear pouch on the rear bulkhead ..... nodded and walked off..
 

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Rotor&Wing said:
So what exactly is so special on an airship that those dumb feds don't know what to look for?? :dunno:
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There are plenty of "dumb" people out there, FAA or otherwise. I had a new FAA maintenance inspector call me to his office because our 135 King Air didn't have an annual inspection.
 
Rotor&Wing said:
OK, so an airship doesn't have an airworthiness certificate? registration certificate? It doesn't have it's registration number properly displayed? No data plate? The pilot doesn't have a certificate with the correct category and class? Or a medical?.............

I just looked over http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=B31EC5608DF9D7798525734F00766694

and it doesn't mention airships are special (or exempt), nor does it give special guidance to inspect one.

So what exactly is so special on an airship that those dumb feds don't know what to look for?? :dunno:
Click to expand...

How many times do you think it would take the FAA to notice a missing compass card? Yes, there are things that are similar, but there are also many different things.
 
Ron Levy said:
There is the Program Tracking and Reporting Subystem (PTRS, a part of FSIMS) which essentially keeps track of what the Inspectors are doing. One of the goals of PTRS is "To provide a record of work accomplishment." Everything the Inspectors do has a PTRS code, and they have to log it all into the system when they do it. So, while they have no specific numeric quota of ramp checks to do, they get "credit" for each one they do, and that goes toward the report their manager reviews. No doubt each manager has an idea of how much of which activities they want accomplished, and the individual Inspectors are equally doubtless aware of that.

The full PTRS manual can be found here:
http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?docId=57056851D5A816D8862574EC005B9114
Click to expand...

Otherwise known as an Activity sheet, in days past.
 
Rotor&Wing said:
OK, I'm game. Tell me what is different on a Part 91 ramp inspection on an Airship versus an airplane?
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How would you go about inspecting the air box system. Or say you want to do a flight control inspection, how do you perform that?
 
Rotor&Wing said:
OK, I'm game. Tell me what is different on a Part 91 ramp inspection on an Airship versus an airplane?
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For one thing, it's a lot harder to tell who was the pilot. unless you see who pulled the string, to come down.
 
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