Ramp Checks and paperwork

[Hersham Boy]

Someone at my flying club was talking about the possibility of getting "ramp checked" at the weekend. This put the wind up me a bit as (being honest!) I haven't filled out a weight & balance or performance check since the GFT.

(To be fair, I've not done a journey that I didn't *know* the a/c would be within limits for... ie. one/two on board, no more than tabs fuel, home/familiar strips etc.)

If one were to be ramp checked, exactly what paperwork should they be able to show?

NOTAMs? Weight/Bal? Perf Check? Flight Nav Plan?!

And what would happen if you didn't have one/any of these?

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Hersh

[FlyingForFun]

I've never heard of a "ramp check" in the UK - I believe they happen in the US, although I've never seen one first hand. But, from what I understand, it's mainly your license details and the aircraft's maintenance logs that they're interested in, not things like w+b.

To run through your list quickly:

NOTAMs: essential for any flight, but you don't need to carry them with you. In fact, back in the "good old days" of last year, my airfield used to stick a pin on a chart to indicate the areas where all the active NOTAMs are, and if there were no pins near my track, I didn't bother checking them.

W+B: learn you aircraft. My aircraft, for example, is normally re-fuelled to 3/4 tanks. I know that I can safely fill the tanks to full, or take a passenger, or take baggage. But as soon as I try to do two of these, I will do a weight check. I also know that if I take baggage and put it in the passenger seat, I'll be in balance, but if I want to put anything behind the passenger seats I have to check for a rear CofG. That's my aircraft. Know your aircraft, know what you can do safely, and do a W+B check for anything which takes you outside of the "safe" limits.

Perf check: again, know your aircraft. My aircraft doesn't even have any performance figures, so it's certainly not required! Know the take-off and landing distances at "normal" weights and at max weights on a "normal" day, and learn how they're affected by a "hot" day. ("Normal" and "hot" might vary dependnig on where you're located, of course!) Add a couple of hundred metres to those figures, and if your field is at least as long as the number you get out, then don't bother. If it's within a couple of hundred metres, then it might be worth getting the graphs out.

Flight nav plan is definitely not required, otherwise every jolly to the local area would be illegal! As would every trial lesson (and most other training which takes place outside the circuit other than navigation excercises). As would police helicoptor operations. And so on!


Basically, I think the message is don't worry - go out there and enjoy yourself!

FFF
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[2Donkeys]

Ramp checks are exceptionally rare on light aircraft in the UK. If you are subjected to one, it is more likely than not to be because you have given some cause for specific concern or somebody has expressed a concern about you to the powers that be.

In the past the CAA have had outings to both Le Touquet and Le Mans, on the look out primarily for illegal PPL public transport operations. The object of the exercise has not been to determine whether or not a low-hours PPL can still do a W&B.

By contrast ramp-checks (or similar) are quite common abroad. The Dutch authorities are a regular feature at Lelystad, checking licences and Certificates of Airworthiness. France is notorious too - although often those doing the checking are the local plod - who don't really seem to know what they are looking at.

The FAA are reputed to be taking more of an interest in N-reg aircraft operating in Europe of late. Whether this is truly manifesting itself in the form of ramp checks is uncertain. Better remember you "AROW". :D

[bookworm]

The requirements for a private flight within the UK are simply that you

a) have to be able to produce certain documentation within a reasonable time (you don't have to have it with you) -- C of R, C of A, crew licences.

b) have obtained enough information to reasonably satisfy yourself of the things Art 43 require -- these include information about the weather and airports to be used, that the aircraft is serviceable and required equipment is carried, that the W&B is OK, that you have sufficient fuel and that the performance of the aircraft is capable of meeting the challenge you are about to confront it with. Nothing has to be written down.

I imagine the vagueness of the requirements make ramp checks difficult.

['I' in the sky]

I have been ramp checked once in the UK at Humberside when the police, customs and excise and the CAA were there for a whole day.

They didn't actually need to see any documents there and then. They did want aircraft details and details of the pilot, licences and of the flight you had just landed from, ie departure point . I assume they checked the validity of licences, C of A etc in their own time.

For most people the time involved in the ramp check itself was no more than five minutes. Those who tried to take a high handed stand against authority somehow seemed to incur additional delays.

[StrateandLevel]

The ANO Article 76 requires that you carry the documents listed in Schedule 11. Any person authorised under Art 79 may require to inspect them. If your read Schedule 11 and carry them, you have no problem.

http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2000/20001562.htm

[A and C]

I,v been ramp checked on the isle of man TT race week , They seemed more interested in the fact that I had flown in class A airspace than anything else and so checked my licence.

The C of A and C of R got a brief inspection but the avionics got a very close looking at to make sure that all the equipment was class one.

[Genghis the Engineer]

True Story

Heard this from the man in question. A certain senior engineer in the GA industry, well known to members of the association for whom he works, got anonymously checked at a fly-in. Received a snotty letter from the RCA demanding to know why he didn't have a license for his radio installation.

He sent a polite letter back pointing out that the radio in question hadn't worked for 5 years, he had no intention of fixing it, but it filled a hole in the panel.



Less trivially, although ramp checks are very rare over here, I have always liked to think that in the event of things going pear shaped, AAIB's report wouldn't contain enough meat about errors on my part to make the life insurance company play silly ******s with my family.

G

[ACX]

The CAA do carry out regular ramp checks. However, these are normally aimed at the Comercial/Aerial work operators. They have visited GA airfields in the past and checked quite alot of aircraft. They also check foreign registered aircraft on behalf of the Dft.

The ramp checks may be done by an Ops inspector, in which case he is looking at the operation, i.e. docs, flight planning, etc or a Surveyor who will be more interested in the condition of the aircraft.

AC & X