What do FSDO's do anymore?

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apr911

Pre-takeoff checklist
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apr911
What do FSDO's do anymore?

Most haven't offered free PPL, IRA or CAX checkrides in years. Most are now even referring CFI-Initial candidates to DPE's...

Today I called the Orlando and Tampa FSDO's about making an appointment to have my AGI, IGI and FOI exams validated, my IACRA signed off and temporary certificate issued and both turned me away and directed me towards a DPE.

A DPE who will charge me a fee just to look at my test results and spend 10 minutes on the computer... Yuck.
 
They renew my CFI certificate every 2 years.
 
The hundred other things they do. Act as Pincipal Inspectors for certificated carriers, review maintenance certificate holders, investigate accidents and deviations, etc, but with less personnel.
 
I've had a good experience with my local FSDO, but you can tell that they're all mostly (1) understaffed, (2) staffed with frustrated employees, (3) losing the "good" younger inspector to the private sector and (4) losing the good "senior" employees to retirement. With limited resources, it's common sense that the focus will be on air carriers not on GA.
 
I know they handle pilot deviations :(

I think they spend a lot of time at facilities that do mx. I got the impression they like to get out of the office if possible. Some spend lots of time in sims, must be something for commercial airline checkrides? I wonder how often they ride in the jumpseat on commercial flights?
 
Just to be clear, my rant is a bit tongue in cheek. I realize they do a lot of different things and I dont really begrudge them the fact that they no longer generally do checkrides (regardless of rating)... but to refer people to DPE's for a Ground Instructor Rating? It's literally just entering some data on the computer in IACRA and clicking submit.
 
Ramp check, I have not seen any ramp checks in years, do they still do ramp checks or is that a thing of the past.
 
call em up.....and ask them. :lol:


Note: Just so ya know, they have caller ID.
 
What's frustrating is most ASIs would rather do a practical test that the 20 dozen other things they have on their plate. Like most of us, they enjoy getting out of the office and going flying but there's way too much work to do to loose a whole day conducting an examination. As far as processing the GI certificates, so offices have gotten so backed up that the manager looks at all of the tasks they do and redirects anything that can possibly be handled by a designee.

Curious, how much does a DPE charge to process a ground instructor 8710-1?
 
I have 138 different tasks that I could be asked to perform. They range from certifying a pilot to giving out Operator Certificates for an Ag Company.

D.C. directed the checkride stoppage. We only do 135 and 141 required checkrides now. Even that is getting widdled down as now there is a push to certify more 135 Check Airman.

The issue is that nationwide the FAA is desperately short on inspectors. A lot of offices are telling the pilot community that any certification request needs to go to the DPEs. They simply can’t handle both the internal workload and the on demand work from Joe Bob wanting his AGI or Mil Comp.

My office is very lucky in the fact that we’re fully staffed. I spent a majority of this month outside doing our yearly required inspections on Ag guys before they start their season.
 
They bug me at work while I’m trying to get my beauty rest and want to see my pilot / medical certs and company documents.
 
Right now they start re-newing a lot of IAs
 
Brad Z said:
Curious, how much does a DPE charge to process a ground instructor 8710-1?
Click to expand...
A couple of years back a DPE charged me $60 to process my AGI. He told me before hand it would be $110 if he needed to help me with IACRA.
 
Tell you they are too busy and under staffed to help, and string you along.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Maybe they could repurpose a few hundred slots occupied by the HQ drones. . .
 
Small(er) . . .fewer empty suits, more doers. I am entwined in the Fed morass, see it, live it. Lot of folks working hard - but not smart, or necessary, and often enough doing more harm than good. . .
 
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