Ramp check

After a few seconds, my brain started recovering from its initial fight-or-flight reaction. “Wait—this isn’t a random ramp check,” I said. “AOPA’s Baron and 170 are flying in the airshow this afternoon. Every airshow airplane gets a ramp check for safety. We knew this was coming.”

I had never witnessed a ramp check in my 36 years of flying, let alone been the subject of one. Hirschman was flying the “dual fuel Baron,” and I was showcasing the Sweepstakes Cessna 170 one last time before we gave it away. The airshow boss had sent us an aircraft status and inspection form to fill out that included a list of documents to show the FAA during our ramp checks. I was prepared, but the process was still nerve-racking. A golf cart pulled up to the FBO with two FAA officials on board. “You ready for the 170?” they asked. “Absolutely,” I responded, doing my best to hide some trepidation. It suddenly felt uncomfortably hot in that Arizona sun.

One official, Tom, asked to see my documents while the other, Jeremy, inspected the airplane for safety issues.

I showed Tom pictures of the logbook entries for the airplane’s most recent annual inspection, 91.207 ELT inspection, 91.413 transponder check, and 91.411 pitot/static check to prove the airplane was in compliance. He also wanted to see proof of compliance for any recurring airworthiness directives, which in the case of the Cessna 170B included the AD2011-10-9 seat track inspection. So far so good.

He then asked to see documents that must be carried in the aircraft or be easily accessible by the pilot in command: the airworthiness certificate, registration certificate, pilot certificate, driver’s license, and FAA medical certificate (those flying under BasicMed are only required to show a driver’s license). Anticipating he’d expect to see all required documents (remember AROW?), I asked if he wanted to see the operating limitations and weight and balance. “Nope, I don’t need to see those.” How foolish of me—and first lesson learned. If you are being ramp checked, don’t offer any documents or information not specifically requested. It can only add to the possibility something is missing or lapsed or wrong and cause you grief.

Attention then turned to the physical condition of the airplane. The officials pored over the airplane looking for anything that could jeopardize the safety of airshow attendees, but the AOPA Sweepstakes Cessna 170 had just been completely restored; it sat proud on its 26-inch Bushwheel tires and was resplendent in its shiny new paint job. Tom and Jeremy asked questions about the upgrades and were impressed with the craftsmanship of the restoration, until Jeremy pointed to the wing and asked, “What’s that?”

Huh? A few days earlier, I had flown the 170 from Frederick, Maryland, to Atlanta, Georgia. It was cold at altitude, and freezing air was entering the cabin air vents in the wing, forcing its way past the closed outlet assembly and freezing me. During the next stop, I shoved some blue paper towels into the wing air vent openings to stop the flow of air. The towels closely matched the color of the wing and were not easily visible. I explained the paper towel fix to the inspectors and sheepishly pulled the remnants from the air vents. Lesson number two: Take the time to walk around the airplane before the FAA does to make sure everything is in order. The FAA inspectors might be friendly, but they know how to spot potential problems.

When I was sure I had passed the ramp check I asked Tom and Jeremy what common issues, in their experience, caused pilots or airplanes to fail a ramp check. “Incomplete paperwork when purchasing an airplane is a big issue,” said Tom. “A lack of evidence of AD compliance, in particular, comes back to bite people who rush through the purchase process.”

It’s unlikely most of us will be ramp checked during our flying career—either randomly or as part of an organized event such as an airshow. But you’ll never have to worry about one if you have the basic paperwork the FAA wants to see readily available. Now is the best time to make sure everything is in place, not on the ramp when someone says, “Hi, I’m with the FAA.”

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