Ramp Checked!

[LUCKY-1]

I got ramped for the first time yesterday by the guys doing the 'northern sweep' in their PC12. And i have to say it was a thoroughly painless experience, no good cop bad cop, no curly questions, just a doc's check, walk round the frame, then a quick chat about...stuff all pilots chat to each other about, no prying dark undertones.

Was a bit like getting an injection...didn't much like the thought of it, but was all over before I knew it!

Another myth banished?!

[Desert Flower]

Was a bit like getting an injection...didn't much like the thought of it, but was all over before I knew it!

Bend over son, you'll just feel a little prick - it won't hurt much! ;)

DF.

[dogcharlietree]

Did they utter the words "trust me" ?

[Green gorilla]

If you have nothing to hide it wont be a problem.

[compressor stall]

True Green Gorilla, but that assumes the checkers are competent, know their rules, interpret their rules the same way and abide by thier rules.

I had one ask to look through my nav bag. :rolleyes: I declined.

[Green gorilla]

That is true.

[john_tullamarine]

I declined

.. go on .. tell us what was in there ?

[Capt Claret]

.. go on .. tell us what was in there ?

Probably a tutu, pink of course.... :E

[Howard Hughes]

.. go on .. tell us what was in there ?
Probably thermal underwear...:E

[tio540]

The easy going ramp check is only to get your guard down. Let us know when the paperwork arrives.

[compressor stall]

The tutu had long gone ... last seen on the wall of a pub :}

No thermals either - this was on Horn Island!

Nothing nefarious in the navbag - it was just the principle. Although there was probably an old weather forecast or an out of date ERC I had forgotten about smeared in crumbling muesli bar.

[PyroTek]

This is where social engineering comes into practice, they make you think they are on your side... like joining a tribe, seeing similar interests, and topics, and blending with your personality, and WHAM! they get you from behind! :ok:

Jokes, Glad to see you had a good ramp:p Previous pilot must've given them morning tea:ok:

[Bendo]

I have only been ramped once, at Maree of all places, and I wasn't even flying that day I was just rolling drums about. 1999-2000 ish.

Gentleman was head of GA ops at Can'tBorough at the time and I remember thinking that as an auditor he wasn't much chop.

Leaving aside the fact that I wasn't flying and so notionally I wasn't the pilot, he never checked anything other than the MR and like Old Mate said (above) it ended up just a chat about the things pilots talk about. :confused:

Good thing he never checked my maps, I was doing regular repeated Maree/Lake Eyre/Birdsville/Tibooburra scenics with nowt but a Garmin 100 (with flat battery) and a shell road map of Australia.

...Where is ************ (former owner of "Heron" "Airlines"... which was niether) now anyway? :zzz: :yuk: :=

[Bendo]

This may be pre-dating the Great PPRuNe Server Crash of 2001 but wasn't there a thread, started by Stallie (or at least, contributed to by him in a most amusing manner) entitled "What's in your Nav Bag?"

:8

[tubby one]

so from the sound of it most of you would prefer jackboots, spurs and whips, and when the regulator is 'normal' you complain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh but of course you would also complain if they 'found' something and took action. of course if you are so unprofessional that you are proud to be using a road map and powerless GPS then you deserve the 'bend over' routine.:ugh:

[Bendo]

Tubby One

Your analysis of the blatant hypocrisy in this thread is possibly missing the point.

The "Regulator" has attempted to make some media and political mileage out of this "new broom" sweeping the top end "without fear or favour" (yeah my words not quoting them).

Have you ever been a Chief Pilot or CFI?

Can you tell me WHAT a ramp check achieves (in 90% of cases) other than proving that 90% of operators/pilots can write the "right" thing on the MR and are carrying their Licence and Medical?

In my experience ramp checks (and desk audits) tend to be used when they have something on ya. If they haven't been tipped off 'bout something you get the friendly benevolent treatment described in this thread. If you are a Chieftain RPT operator and you make a habit of pulling the Tiger's tail you get (or got) a LOT more attention usually focussed very closely on the "gotchas"

Similarly a systems audit merely checks you have your paperwork in order and you have sufficient IQ points to be able to falsify 7 pieces of paper to ensure your MR over-run or your Chief Pilot's medical expiry aren't caught out.

I would also suggest that the people whinging that the regulator has no teeth are usually not, as you would suggest, the same people pullng the tail of the toothless tiger.

Have another glass of red and have a great weekend:ok:

[kimwestt]

Try Airtex - de fuehrer took him over (4 whatever reason) quite some years ago - I think he (***) still tries to maintain a harem - (legend in his own lunch box!)
but they r still doing (or were) tours around the traps. :8

[Metro man]

With some CASA FOIs the Request for Corrective Action book is like a Gurkhas dagger, once drawn blood must be spilled. Some of them WILL find something, even if it's a faded exit sign. :ouch:

[megle2]

Is my tax being spent wisely with Casa swanning around in a PC12?
How much is that costing.

Shouldn't they experience the real world like most they are ramping in airframes that are 70's vintage?

[Jabawocky]

A clapped out Beech Musketeer would be about right!:}

[sms777]

The real world experience ended for Casa when one of the most decent inspectors died in a Bonanza that crashed near Goulburn many years ago.:sad:

And it was not even clapped out.

[Mach E Avelli]

And even after that Bonanza went in, some of their FOIs just had no respect for the airframe. I well remember one ride in a CAA-owned Bonanza where the FOI who was flying it drilled through some quite bad turbulence at full bore. I was quite worried and decided then never to fly in that bird or with that guy again.

[Clearedtoreenter]

A clapped out Beech Musketeer would be about right!:}


Surely in this day and age and being part of such and an eco conscious government, a state of the art eco friendly Jabiru would be the go for any govt employee.

[neville_nobody]

I think the carbon tax and the whole 'environmental' push from the government will end CASA flying around in piston driven aircraft in the near future.

[Cap'n Arrr]

How about giving them all CriCris?

Reduce emissions I would think!

[Lasiorhinus]

I want a CriCri. It'd be just the thing to replace the ol' commodore! Practically land and take off in the driveway, and you could park it just about anywhere..

[LUCKY-1]

Just a follow-up to my original thread.

Well, I got 're-ramped' yesterday...this time i got the 'bad cop' treatment.

Polar opposite from the first experience i had which caused me to start this thread in the first place.

The guy was pretty much openly hostile towards me, (even though he found nothing amiss), was provocative and seemed to be doing his best to intimidate...i could hardly believe these FOI's, (friendly versus hostile) were working for the same organisation...is this a deliberate ploy?

If i'd had any concerns i certainly wouldn't have felt like saying a thing to this guy, and isn't that part of visiting more remote regions where we rarely see them?

He noticed i'm not australian born and even enquired as to whether i had visa's to work over here! A bit outside his remit, but a good 'collar' for him i guess, he was out for anything he could get i think!

It's kind of a shame, that first ramping was an ok experience for me, and my first with CASA, but you always tend to remember when you've had a bad one, and this last one has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Maybe he (the FOI) was having a bad day, like we all do from time to time, but i'm, at the very least polite to my customers, bad day or not. Thats just part of being a professional.

Thoughts, particularly from any FOI's, would be interesting.

[Pharcarnell]

What you have just experienced is workplace bullying in a classic sense.
As I see it: I have just read the bylaws to get up to speed for a job: he has committed offences under workplace bullying guidelines and racial discrimination. Also breaches of the APS code of conduct.

Hand him up to the powers for a thorough kicking!

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Do your colleagues a favour - make a formal complaint!

Dr :8

[LUCKY-1]

Yup...thats them. Sneaky.

[VH-XXX]

I know a guy who has a good lawyer and he never gets ramp checked. He could be next in line and they just skip him so to speak. It's too much trouble for them, so they move on. I'd like to know his secrets - he knows what to say.

[ZEEBEE]

And even after that Bonanza went in, some of their FOIs just had no respect for the airframe. I well remember one ride in a CAA-owned Bonanza where the FOI who was flying it drilled through some quite bad turbulence at full bore. I was quite worried and decided then never to fly in that bird or with that guy again.

Was that before or after the empenage reinforcement tab mod ?

If it was b4, then count yourself lucky to still be here!

[LUCKY-1]

Yep, some hapless police Sgt was in attendance.

As for the 'quiet' arrivals, well i wouldn't want to drop the chopper pilot in it for the sake of this FOI, he's a mate. Garanteed the FOI wouldn't take any responcibility for it. :ugh:

[Lasiorhinus]

Then maybe the chopper pilot needs to file a Repcon...

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

What's with the Plod? Protection!

Dr :8

[Lasiorhinus]

Or to have someone on hand for an easy arrest?

Was it a federal plod? Somehow I doubt a state plod would have jurisdiction over alleged offences that may have taken place in the air.

[Bendo]

Was that before or after the empenage reinforcement tab mod ?


Unrelated I would think - there is a photo of the Bonanza in question on the wall at the Bankstown Office of the Evil Empire and a plaque in memory of the two FOIs killed in it following a mid-air collision with a glider. :ouch:

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

following a mid-air collision with a glider

so much for "see and be seen"!

Dr :8

[witwiw]

Have also heard on the Coconut Wireless that they travelled with a police officer. Says something about their approach to the job if they felt they needed protection.

But, they'll go back to their offices, write up a lot of "misdemeanors", issue some RCA's and thereby justify their exercise.

Respect, someone mentioned. Forget about that with these types.

[Fantome]

there is a photo of the Bonanza in question on the wall at the Bankstown Office of the Evil Empire and a plaque in memory of the two FOIs killed in it following a mid-air collision with a glider.

Over Toc. PIC was once CFI at RACNSW. He gave up painting houses to become an understudy to one Pat Gallagher. RIP.

[Flintstone]

My first (of two) rampings in 16 years took place at Gove and started with the FOI saying "Is this piece of sh1t still flying?" :\

He was fine though. Even let me tighten a couple of screws on the side window.

[compressor stall]

Good advice 4x. I did something similar on one of the blitz tours on HID. Had pax helping unload the cargo and heading back and forth to the fence. Told the FOI that I needed to supervise the pax and that he was welcome to look around the outside of the aircraft in the mean time, until I was finished.

I then placed all the legally required documentation (lic, medical, MR etc) on the seat and told him that all the legally required documentation for a charter was there for his perusal.

It was after that that he wanted to look in my navbag (as mentioned earlier) that I declined his kind offer. All done politely though and no problems.

[PLovett]

Mind you stallie, its going to be a dedicated FOI who ramps you where you are now.:}

Actually had my first ramp check the other day. Had a call to do a patient transfer to AS which had to be done fairly snappy. Rock up to the airport and see the nose of a PC12 where the RFDS usually park. Think this is a bit strange and then see that it is not one of the RFDS aircraft. Oh damn and blast but too late now though.

Crowd of them in the terminal building so big smile, "Morning gentlemen", and proceed to the aircraft. Sure enough few minutes later see one approaching the aircraft who asks for 5 minutes of my time. That's OK but as long as I can keep getting the aircraft ready as I have a patient due in about 40 minutes. That's fine by him.

He wants to check my paperwork and another wants to check the aircraft's. Give licence to first and MR to the second and get on with getting the aircraft ready. The first asks about weather and notams, show him the print outs, and I head off a query from the second that I know is going to come about weight and balance. Advise him that the aircraft in aeromed role has loading rules rather than weight and balance and show him the paperwork for that.

Thanks from both and that was that. Ambulance turned up with patient and as I loaded up they were all getting into the PC12 to "terrorise" AS.

[Time Bomb Ted]

Hey Lucky,

Was the FOI a large chappie? Lots of cooked dinners under his belt literally!

TBT

[LUCKY-1]

That'd be a fair appraisal of the gentleman, yes.