Congratulations PFA

[Justiciar]

I have just done my very first Permit renewal on my own aircraft. For those not in the know, this involves doing an air test and noting certain factors on a self certifying form, which has already been completed by the inspector who checked over the aircraft and logs. This then goes to the PFA with the fee.

In my case I did the flight test on the Thursday, sent the papers off on the Frifay and called them on the Monday to be told I had not ticked one of the boxes on the form, although I had recorded the necessary data (for the Vne test). Rather than ask for everything to be resigned the PFA sent me back a copy of the offending page with a request to fill in the box, sign and send it back. TThis arrived back on the Tuesday and I sent the page back the next day.

My new permit arrived in Friday's post, one week after I first sent the paperwork off.:D

Now my point in this is two fold. First to congratulate the PFA staff on the speed they turned around he paperwork and for the commen sense approach taken to an stupid error on my part on the paperwork. Secondly, to reflect on how this would have been handled if the CAA had been dealing with the process? I can easily imaging that they would not yet have even looked at the paperwork. I cant begin to imagine what effect not ticking a box would have had:{

How refreshing to find something in UK regulation which is not a bureaucratic nightmare.

[Rod1]

PFA systems and procedures are now quite slick. I got my permit sorted almost by return of post a few months ago and a modification dealt with in a few weeks. The problem for the engineering team is too many modification requests are either insufficiently documented, or badly thought out. As a result there are always a small number of people heckling from the sidelines, which is a shame as the vast majority of the owners of the 2200 aircraft flying and 2000 under construction seem to be very happy.

If we ever get an experimental category, the PFA will cease to be liable and the system will improve, but it is EASA not the PFA who will have to be convinced to do this.

Rod1