CAA SEP Examiner sign off needed

[kzinvogon]

Hi, I am trying to find a CAA UK examiner to sign my SRG1119E based upon my experience and received training in the past 12 months. I am based in Spain and can scan my details, proof of flights (statements from my club etc) . But i need to have a UK examiner to sign the form.
If necessary i will get on a flight and bring everthing in person.
Thanks to all.

[BEagle]

Make sure you're not charged anything just for a signature, no matter who signs you up!

[S-Works]

Very good point. Too many sharks out there.

[this is my username]

Since when has charging for their time and qualifications made someone a "shark"? Just because most people don't charge it doesn't by default make charging an unreasonable thing to do.

(For the record I don't normally charge, but I often wonder why I don't ....)

[BEagle]

bose-x, indeed! Before the CAA clarified the policy, one RF sent a pilot (whose SEP Class Rating had only just expired) to an ATO for the 'assessment' signature for refresher training. No training required, but the person who signed the form demanded a fee...

...of £200. Thieving barsteward, £200 for a couple of minutes and a signature is ridiculous. Definitely a shark!

Fortunately (in the UK) the 'assessment' may now be conducted and the SRG1107 signed off at an RF.

[kzinvogon]

I'm just a humble PPL - living my dream pilot - and without help from dedicated professionals like in this thread, I may have acted on a quote of €425 , then I worked out that the offer involved a check ride and ignoring my experience.

However I do think that a nominal fee is appropriate and would have absolutely no problem at all. Too me (a tech entrepreneur) it takes many years of blood, sweat and tears to become a professional and you folks should be rewarded.

Thanks to all .

[S-Works]

Since when has charging for their time and qualifications made someone a "shark"? Just because most people don't charge it doesn't by default make charging an unreasonable thing to do.

(For the record I don't normally charge, but I often wonder why I don't ....)


We have done this to death many times. If someone provides the paper it costs me a minute of my time to check it and sign it. One day when I want a favour in return I would hope that someone i have looked after will remember and return the favour.

In fact that exact scenario has happened to me recently where I signed off paperwork for the stupid FAA validation currently needed and the meeting resulted in us flying and my own FAA BFR being done. Sometimes in this world what goes around comes around.

[foxmoth]

As an instructor/LAA coach I can sign if I have done the instructional flight, there is an LAA fee but I do not add anything on for the signature myself, I would say not unreasonable though for someone who is making their living from it to charge £10-20, anything more I would say is excessive.

[S-Works]

This kind of makes my point. The LAA provide the approval for coaches to sign off the revalidation certificate, it costs a coach nothing for the approval.

CAA guidance has long stated that signing the paperwork should not be chargeable. How would you justify charging a fee for something that costs nothing?

[Level Attitude]

But i need to have a UK examiner to sign the form.
If necessary i will get on a flight and bring everthing in person.

Why pay (your time and money) to fly to the UK just to get a signature? What is wrong with "Revalidating by Proficiency Check" locally?

A UK Examiner is only required for "Revalidation by Experience".

A Spanish Examiner, who is authorised by the UK CAA, can conduct an LPC and then sign the paperwork ?

[Level Attitude]

CAA guidance has long stated that signing the paperwork should not be chargeable. How would you justify charging a fee for something that costs nothing?

Nothing "costs nothing".

If a candidate decides to take/send their paperwork to the CAA for signature then there will certainly be a charge.

How can the CAA then state that there should be no charge levied for the same service if it is done, on their behalf, by their 'agents' in the field?

[S-Works]

If taken to the CAA they charge to reissue the licence. If taken to an examiner we just check the paperwork and sign the licence and they are on their way. I do it between mouthfuls of coffee. Why does everything have to be about money?

[LFT]

Where's the 'like' button, very well said.

[this is my username]

If taken to the CAA they charge to reissue the licence. If taken to an examiner we just check the paperwork and sign the licence and they are on their way. I do it between mouthfuls of coffee. Why does everything have to be about money?

.... because for many of us it isn't like that. Phone calls / emails to see if we will be available. An "appointment" made which then has to be changed (more calls / emails) if the day doesn't work out as planned. As often as not the paperwork isn't as straightforward as it should be (flights incorrectly logged, medical out of date, previous reval not done correctly and therefore invalid etc etc) which means that the paperwork check becomes an epic, occasional stern warning about the fact that they have been flying illegally, frequent conversations about how the reval system works and what they need to do next time to avoid making the same mistakes, breaking the news to them that no, they can't now fly home ....... oh, and the only reason that I can do all this is because I have a bunch of qualifications which I paid for myself and have to pay to keep valid.

If your employer pays for your ratings and revals, and is paying for your time while you are at the airfield, then it is easy to give those things away for free.

Like i said, I don't charge, but I often wonder why!

[Broadlands]

I think in some cases a charge is appropriate. I do not charge individuals whose background I know when acting independently.

When working on duty at the ATO, club members will get paperwork signed as part of their membership privileges.

For a walk in, who is not a club member and whose background I do not know, a charge of £25 is made by ATO to cover the time I spend checking, the resources used by the ATO and the storage of documents for a number of years.

I pushed for this due to a number of complicated cases that took up a significant amount of time which the ATO was effectively providing for free.

[S-Works]

Well, what can I say.....

Anyone looking for a signature drop me a PM.

[BEagle]

Broadlands, do please tell us at which ATO you work...

...so that people can find somewhere rather more reasonable!

£25 for a few minutes 'checking'? Utter greed.

[airpolice]

I don't think that this is about charging for a signature; it is about the time, experience and effort required to ensure that the signature is appropriately appended to a document which is in fact, correct.

It's not always as simple as just sign in the correct box, especially for a stranger.

If an authorised signer fails to check every detail, he or she may well end up unable to sign anything else, and it may even prevent other more relevant things being done.

I would hope that once the CAA find that you have effectively falsified a document, you can forget about them allowing you to keep on doing it. Simple mistakes happen, but that's what the signature of an experienced and licensed person is supposed to pick up.

[Broadlands]

BEagle
If acting independently I don't charge.

I had to address a query by the Board of Directors of the ATO about time and effort spent by me and other employees and came up with the best compromise that would benefit members as a priority.
The £25 is paid to the ATO. I am paid a salary and don't collect fees for any tests, lessons etc. The £25 was benchmarked in line with other ATOs around.

Worthy of note, we do not charge for any Partial failure retests or exam resits. Candidates just pay the self hire rate which reduces the cost of some tests hugely.

I tried to balance corporate requirements against those of pilots while avoiding greed. I have benefited from others goodwill in the past and where possible try to people help. Tried to get something workable.

[S-Works]

I would hope that once the CAA find that you have effectively falsified a document, you can forget about them allowing you to keep on doing it.

Where did that come from?


Simple mistakes happen, but that's what the signature of an experienced and licensed person is supposed to pick up.

They do but an experienced and licensed person is capable of picking it up without charging for very limited work.......

It really is not difficult to check the logbook, licence and medical and sign it all in under 3 minutes. If i pick errors up then its a separate discussion to work out what needs to do to rectify it. The number one error is either not enough hours or letting the rating lapse, neither will be fixed by charging £25 for the privilege of telling them..... ;)

[Stan Evil]

There's a lot of thread-drift here. There are at least 2 schools in Spain with UK examiners on the staff, both at Jerez: Flight Training Europe and Fly-in-Spain. Airways Aviation have a base at Huesca - they may have UK examiners on the staff.

[S-Works]

Airways don't. I have one UK Examiner in addition to myself at Jerez and we moonlight next door as well.

[Flyingmac]

Some people have overheads.


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[Whopity]

I don't charge for signatures, but I'd be happy to accept the pen as a goodwill gesture, though I don't like the look of the one in the add!

[aviator_hassan]

Hi,

Could anyone let me know if there are any Spanish AESA Authorised Examiners based around the London area able to sign off SEPL Revalidation by Experience.

Thank you.

[460]

Please, what is an 'SEPL'?

[patowalker]

SEP (land)?