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United States Pilots Association |
Monday's AvWeb featured a column discussing the FAA's newest means of harassment concerning French made Alouette helicopters operating in the United States. Currently all of these machines are grounded because the FAA cannot find French certificates of Export that would have been issued by French authorities when the aircraft were shipped to the U.S. Even though these machines were purchased in the U.S. and issued American standard airwortiness certificates, the FAA claims their staff approved them for import without the paper they are now demanding.
This is yet another case of Ms. Blakey's anti GA regime at it's best. One operator of three of these machines has already been grounded after a visit from the FAA accompanied by State Troopers.
It should be noted that these machines have all been in the country for more than fifteen years, and are being grounded by the FAA's Southern Region for an unsolvable paperwork snafu caused by the FAA.
If you think this can't happen to you, think again. It is disgraceful that a government agency can with the stroke of a pen, put a company out of business solely because of the ineptness of that agency.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association