Dumber than a sack full of doorknobs

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 1:33 pm

In it's infinite wisdom, the FAA has clamped down on, and grounded an outfit called 'Operation Migration' that uses rogolo style ultra lights to shepard juvenile Whooping Cranes South in the Winter because the folks @ Operation Migration are being paid 'cost' to do the escorting and the clowns in Oak City insist the pilots all need to have Commercial ratings because of the 'being paid' part.
Isn't that showing a fair amount of 'I really don't have anything to do, and I can't ground Bob Hoover again'? Sort of wasting my money to separate the fly poop from the pepper isn't it?

GREAT P.R. coup there FAA

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:31 pm

How do you get a "Commercial" don't need a license to fly one?

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:36 pm

Ultra lights are in the newer 'Sport flyer' category and you basically apply for a certificate, no medical, it's kind of like getting a Class 1 radio license for a CB.

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:31 pm

Where did you hear the FAA shutdown Operation Migration? The 4 stories I read all said Operation Migration voluntarily suspended operations when some of the volunteer members raised questions about the use of "professional pilots" who were being compensated and whether the compensation could be construed as being paid for hire and thus being subject to commercial requirements and whether that meant the pilots had to have a commercial pilot's license or not to be able to get paid.

If the FAA came back with the opinion that you have to have a commercial license, then that's well within their rights, and I can see where they're coming from on the legal side of it, especially since it'd open a huge can of worms if you could sell rides in an ultralight or LSA without having to have a commercial certificate, especially since the FAA says you have to have a commercial ticket and CFI to be able to give instruction in an LSA.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:35 am

and, in it's ponderous bloated system the FAA can't issue a very restricted, very limited (including specific start/stop dates for very specific operators)permission for this and only this operation?

Sorry, I was overtaken with a momentary lapse into the common sense zone again, darn YOU LOGIC!! get off me, this is Government business there's no relation to any sort of reality allowed!

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Wed Jan 11, 2012 7:40 pm

Umm, the FAA won't issue anything unless the organization asks for it. Again, the FAA didn't shut them down. They shut themselves down until they get clarification. I've not heard anything of the FAA being asked for an opinion or them giving a response. My second paragraph was that if they did come back requiring more than a Sport Pilot license, then it would make sense as the guys in question are being potentially paid more than costs as allowed by the FAA's Part 91 rules. They're taking the right step and stopping any potential additional violations and then getting clarification before moving forward.

airnutz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:25 am

Still your heart Inspector....the world is spinning in greased grooves again, all is well on cannery row. The cranes are a go!

EDIT
Apparently, they got their waiver approved late Monday. I got the grand idea to look at the Op Migration website a while ago...sheesh! :lol:

http://www.operationmigration.org/Field_Journal.html

Now if the weather will give 'em a break, tho they've got a short trip to go ... a new front is coming!

airnutz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:32 pm

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Dumber than a sack full of doorknobs

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