The joys of AOPA membership

[Blue Albatross]

OK, so I know there's a lot in the GA community (certainly this side of the pond) on the benefits or merits of being an AOPA member, assuming there are any of course.

Well, I've now found one.

Picture this.....I'm flying back from Minsk (Belarus for those geographically challenged) back to Kiev (Ukraine for same said folks) yesterday and I'm first off the plane into, what I hope, is a small queue at Immigration.

To my horror there's hundreds waiting in line for Passport Control, and from past experiences, this is at least an hour long wait.

Having already had a two hour delay with the flight leaving Minsk, I wasn't in any mood to have to hang around for Immigration. But I remembered two things....

1. They have a special lane for "Air Crew", and
2. I have my AOPA Air Crew card on my which has my photo and "Air Crew" written on it. "Dare I do it?" I ask myself. Well, they can only say "yes" or "no". So when I go to the desk the Immigration Officer isn't there. "Fear not" I say to myself....I can see the office where they all congregate. So I walk up, knock on the door, produce my AOPA card and explain that I'm "Air Crew" and that there's nobody at the air crew desk. The guys looks at my card and says <insert thick Russian accent here> "No Problem mister"....and marches me to the front of the queue.....SWEEEEEET!!!

I handed my passport, quick review, stamped and I'm whisked through. Has to be the fastest I've EVER been through an Immigration line anywhere.

I must add however that I'd never have the balls to try this in the EU or US because I know they're much more strict/savvy, plus everyone can read English, unlike the majority here in the CIS (ex-Soviet Union)....but I'm defo trying it wherever I go in the CIS.

Probably the best €30 I've ever spent :-)

[Dave Gittins]

Wasn't the lack of a uniform and some stripes a bit of a giveaway. ?

Personally I'd be a little nervous of being chucked in the slammer for an indeterminate period for impersonating air crew .. which in a post 9/11 era just might be taken seriously (more especially if you tried to use it to get through screening quicker whilst OUTBOUND).

What were you going to do if they asked you to point out your aeroplane .. smile sweetly and indicate the 737 (or whatever) you arrived in the back of ?

I wouldn't expect your luck to hold for ever.

DGG

[Blue Albatross]

Hi Dave,

Your points on post 9/11 are precisely why I wouldn't try it back home in EU/US, but since they still let people visit the cockpit, never lock the cockpit doors and are generally more lax in Eastern Bloc airlines, I chanced my arm.

To be fair, I wouldn't try it in Russia, for same reasons you mentioned. Had I been asked, I'd have made an excuse saying I didn't realise it was for "non-active" aircrew.

It should be noted that Ukrainians are far more easy going than some of their ex-Soviet comrades, so I had already weighed up the risks and knew it was a safe bet that I'd be let through.