Is the pilot license needed...?

half
"Aluckyguess" wrote in message
...

I have always thought that have of the old pilots flying don't have a
current medical. I could be wrong.
If they know they are not going to pass they just never make it current
say nothing and just keep on flying.

"Aluckyguess" wrote in message
...
half
"Aluckyguess" wrote in message
...

I have always thought that have of the old pilots flying don't have a
current medical. I could be wrong.
If they know they are not going to pass they just never make it current
say nothing and just keep on flying.

That makes more sense! ;-)

Some of the older pilots I know are now flying under the Sport rules. They
let their medical expire and just fly LSA planes. Others are flying whatever
they wish. It's better than just sitting around flying on a simulator...

I have no idea if the number of unlicensed (old?) pilots is anywhere near
half. It'd be difficult to determine...

Greg B wrote:
"Grumman-581" wrote in message
...
Depending upon the type of aircraft, you might even be able to fly it
without a license...

Who says you have to have a license to fly ANY aircraft? I know a few people
that fly, and never have had a certificate or a medical.

I know one. He plunked down cash for a nice 182 and flies it to his
heart's content sans license or medical, and without me as a passenger.

I burned up my nine lives long before I needed to shave.
-----

- gpsman

They would need to own the airplane, FBOs and clubs check
paperwork.



"Greg B" wrote in message
...
| "Aluckyguess" wrote in message
| ...
| half
| "Aluckyguess" wrote in message
| ...
|
| I have always thought that have of the old pilots
flying don't have a
| current medical. I could be wrong.
| If they know they are not going to pass they just never
make it current
| say nothing and just keep on flying.
|
| That makes more sense! ;-)
|
| Some of the older pilots I know are now flying under the
Sport rules. They
| let their medical expire and just fly LSA planes. Others
are flying whatever
| they wish. It's better than just sitting around flying on
a simulator...
|
| I have no idea if the number of unlicensed (old?) pilots
is anywhere near
| half. It'd be difficult to determine...
|
|

Mxsmanic wrote:
Greg B writes:

Who says you have to have a license to fly ANY aircraft? I know a few people
that fly, and never have had a certificate or a medical.

What do they risk if they are discovered by the FAA?


Good question. If you never had a pilot's license the federales can't
take it away, can they?? I know of a local guy that got busted by the
FAA a year or two ago for flying a King Air 200 on charter without a
license. He never held so much as a PPL, but through his association
with the FBO that he runs he weaseled into the left seat. I'm told he
also flew right seat in a Lear for a while. Not sure how something like
this slips through the cracks, but you can bet the FSDO keeps a close
eye on that operation now.

Unbelievable.

Kingfish writes:

Good question. If you never had a pilot's license the federales can't
take it away, can they??

Exactly. And unless you start checking credentials before each and
every flight, enforcement is difficult.

I know of a local guy that got busted by the
FAA a year or two ago for flying a King Air 200 on charter without a
license. He never held so much as a PPL, but through his association
with the FBO that he runs he weaseled into the left seat.

Did anything happen to the FBO?

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

T o d d P a t t i s t writes:

If you have no license, the FAA can issue fines. That's how
they handle ultralight pilot violations.

If the unlicensed pilot is wealthy enough to pay the fines, what
prevents him from flying indefinitely without a license and just
paying the fines whenever he is caught? In the corporate world,
sometimes fines are simply treated as a cost of doing business;
individuals with the means might do the same.

I can also easily imagine someone who has had a pilot license for 40
years and loses it due to an inability to pass a medical exam, and
then continues to fly illegally. For someone who has dedicated his
life to flying, telling him he can never fly again would be rather
like holding a gun to his head.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Mxsmanic wrote:
If the unlicensed pilot is wealthy enough to pay the fines, what
prevents him from flying indefinitely without a license and just
paying the fines whenever he is caught?

Flying without a certificate/license can and has resulted in jail time.
Here are a couple cases where the defendant got a fine and six months jail
time:

http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1004
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1633

Flying without a certificate/license can and has resulted in jail time.
Here are a couple cases where the defendant got a fine and six months jail
time:

http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1004
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1633

Interesting. In the first case, the pilot had once held a certificate
(presumably giving the FAA jurisdiction), and in the second case, "The
case was investigated with assistance from the Joint Terrorism Task
Force..."

Mention terrorism and the game changes.

Jose
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jose wrote:
Flying without a certificate/license can and has resulted in jail
time. Here are a couple cases where the defendant got a fine and six
months jail time:

http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1004
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1633

Interesting. In the first case, the pilot had once held a certificate
(presumably giving the FAA jurisdiction), and in the second case, "The
case was investigated with assistance from the Joint Terrorism Task
Force..."

Mention terrorism and the game changes.

Here are some more cases:

http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1298
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1858
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1387

This case I thought was interesting, considering the falsification could
have had negative consequences on innocent students:
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=1563

Here's the site where the above stories came from:

http://www.oig.dot.gov/Room?subject=45