On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 16:15:02 -0500, "Dennis O'Connor"
wrote:

OK, not looking to pick a fight with the TC for fear of dismemberment...
But, the seats and the belts are original Piper equipment, came from the
factory under CAR regs... They are old but serviceable... I suspect if I do
get ramped we are gonna have a nose to nose over that...

Come on Denny, put 'em up!

I typically think (at least a little) prior to posting, and I don't
think I've made any specific statements contrary to what you are
saying.

A portion of my follow-up to your original post specifically mentioned
a "nose to nose". The other portion was specifically intentioned to
twist your tail a little.

I know I didn't advise the owner to do anything (shame on me), which
kinda means I didn't tell him he needed to run out and buy TSO'd
belts.

So, under Part 91 (which didn't exist then) do I have to be able to prove
that the steel in the airframe is 'approved', and the magnesium, and
aluminum, and the yokes, etc., etc., none of which have any kind of tags, or
serial numbers?
denny

If you wanna use the mentality of an FAA inspector, if it was listed
in their little checklist-yes, they would expect you to prove it. Do I
doubt that you could cause 'em to back down? Nope.

If you want another "nose-to-nose" (actually, telephone-to-ear)
discourse, I once had a company pilot fly a customer's 172 back to TDZ
from the East Coast with a condition notice stuffed into the seat
back.

I had tried for two days prior to reach the inspector-no joy. This
inspector had edicted this particular aircraft unfit to aviate because
when he had a line guy grab a wingtip and move it up and down (an
inspired piece of ramp inspecting, eh?) he noted that the wing was
moving slightly in relation to the windshield top "seam".

This clearly being a symptom of hidden wing spar carry-through damage,
and certain impending structural failure (to paraphrase the verbosity
on the condition notice), the aircraft could not be safely operated.

I'm afraid that I wasn't very nice to the inspector on the phone when
I finally reached him, and attempted to explain to him the dynamic of
the Cessna high-wing/suspended fuselage construction/windshield
installation. When that failed, I not so politely suggested that he
tear his copy/copies up and discard them, as that was what I was doing
with the ones in my possession, and did just that.

I might have also mentioned that by pressing the matter, and by
subsequently being found to be an embarrassment to the FAA, he would
have succeeded in making my mundane life interesting for a change.

When I hung up the phone, I wuz grinning from ear-to-ear, kinda like I
do 99.9% of the time I screw around in the 'groups.

Regards;

TC