I’m also dislike Big Brother – but sometimes methinks you protest too much.
Easy for a retired pilot to say that and I disagree. I think sometimes we don't protest enough. If we agree to fill in a GAR on flights where there is no legal requirement, before you know it we'll be doing it for every flight, now and in the future.
I've had people aggressively demand to see my passport for an eight minute private flight from London Heliport to RAF Northolt! Yet there is absolutely
no legal requirement for me to carry a passport, or even to
hold a passport for internal flights within UK. My co-pilot challenged the demand and an immigration officer was immediately called. She asked us to repeat where we had flown in from and the information was repeated. Thankfully, she was more sensible and told the military person not to be so silly. Problem is, we have many people in posts of authority who do not have the intelligence to know the relevant aviation rules.
What's next, advance permission to drive to work ? Papieren, Bitte!
