"Roger Long" om wrote in
message ...
The position of the FAR's and the FAA is that the renter should not be
flying the aircraft if he feels he or she has not control over the quality
of the maintenance. According to the responsibility placed on the pilot
by
the rules, the PIC should have reviewed the logbooks, inspected the
aircraft
thouroughly, and performed some due diligence that the shop was on the up
and up. I you come to the FAA's attention because of a mechanical
failure,
or possibly even a ramp check, they will inquire when and how you did
these
things. If you did not do them, they may take your license for a while.

Are you aware of any documented instances of FAA sanctions against a rental
pilot for failing to review logbooks, or any written FDSO interpretation on
the question?

The FARs do not strike me as making a clear statement on this question. They
talk about the PIC's responsibility to ascertain airworthiness (91.7), but
nothing indicates that the expected implementation of this responsibility
goes beyond the sort of pre-flight inspections specified in the aircraft's
POH. There's certainly no stated requirement for the PIC to investigate or
control the quality of the FBO's maintenance.

Apart from the regs, if I felt my safety required me to inspect logbooks and
oversee maintenance, I'd want to do that every time I fly GA as a
passenger--not just when I'm PIC of a rental plane.

--Gary