Originally Posted by
rr84c
Looks like he didn’t have a valid instrument rating either. If you look on the FAA Airman database (anyone can search it) there are two David Ibbotsons and neither has an IR.
If he has an EASA IR, that’s irrelevant - he can’t fly N-reg in France IFR on a U.K. licence without it being on his American one. Yet he tells people on Facebook he’s doing ILSs.
I am listed in the FAA database as PPL. Neither ATPL nor any IR nor anything else is approved at first FAA validation. You have to take additional steps to get these onto the 61.75 piggyback. Even a 100kh ATPL will only get PPL privileges at first step in the validation, so speculation on competency based on the airman database are useless. Updates on the database entries only occur if you are actively signing off your endorsements into the IACRA system and not many do (or even know about it). Let legal aspects go to the lawyer mudslinging. This still is P-Pilots-RuNe and it should stay there.
Frankly, I do a lot of ILS flying even on VFR flights. I usually call for practice ILS approach, nobody ever asked me on what kind of flight I am and practicing ILS to check instruments and skill is pretty common.
Originally Posted by
EDMJ
As to the "take off attempts": Big, cold, fuel-injected engine, difficulties in starting it, and the attempts to get it running were counted as "take off attempts"?
I was puzzled as well, but if you read the initial news it says "4 start attempts". Start attempts could well mean the pilot was unfamiliar with starting the IO-520 after it being still remembering the flight to Nantes. You have to be familiar with these engines to avoid the hot spider issue upon startup. But, if and only if the pilot had such trouble starting the IO-520 with the proper procedure, he most likely was not deep familiar with the aircraft all over - which would be a bad sign by itself. I will wait for the report to state how many hours on type and what licenses he had.