Use this forum to flag up examples of red tape and gold plate
By BrianRoth
#1424089
I'm amazed by all the paperwork that needs to be completed before and after flying. In this day and age, do we really need to go through all of this?

Much of it, the purpose is entirely unknown to or lost on me.

Much of it is duplicated. (And therefore prone to error or inconsistency)

So here goes:

(1) If required, PPR phone calls/log on internet
(2) Fill in the home club/airfield log book, including planned departure time and destination, etc, etc
(3) If land away: Fill in the visited club/airfield log book, including arrival time and originating airfield, blah, etc
(4) Fill in aircraft group logbook, including times for startup, departure, arrival, shutdown and origin and destination, blah, blah
(5) Fill in personal pilots logbook, including times for departure, arrival, and origin and destination, etc, yawn

Then repeat above steps for return flight, yawn, groan.

The above assumes the flight is not international or over water, in which case add:
(6) File flight plan with similar info plus more blah
(7) Police/Customers form with similar data plus plus yawn yawn

Now I understand the need for (4) so that our treasurer knows who to bill and for how much and so we can track hours to next engineering check.

And I understand the need for (5) so that my hours flown and recency can be tracked.

And I understand the need to track aircraft movements.

In this electronic age, do we really need to go through this throwback to the age of the Victorian bank clerk?
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By leiafee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1424092
At the strip where I'm based 3 and 4 are mainly there so the farmer can go, "Aha! You see we've been here ten years and had loads of movements and no one's even moticed much less raised a fuss so can we have our change-of-use on the nod, please."

Although being a small community they also get used for, "Is everyone down, shall I put the windsock away for the night before I go?" and the rare "So and So's not back yet d'you think someone should check in with them?"
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By Peter Gristwood
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1424953
BrianRoth wrote:
In this electronic age, do we really need to go through this throwback to the age of the Victorian bank clerk?


Not sure which electronic age you are thinking about. We are still in the Bronze Age as far as integrating systems in government agencies and many facilities aren't on line in any event. Don't forget that sub-Saharan Africa has broadband access faster than is promised to my village AFTER the arrival of superfast broadband.

Personally I don't have any problem with the use of paper systems. Booking in and out is almost a social activity and I prefer my paper logbooks, even though my flying is also recorded in electronic format. I can drop my flight bag with the logbooks still undamaged - not sure that would be the case with my laptop..... :lol:
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By grahamgrg
#1636784
You can also add:
5a LAA Aircraft logbook
5b LAA Engine logbook
5c LAA Propellor logbook

My wife reckons I spend twice as much time prepping and recording flights as I do actually flying them. Probably right!
By PaulB
#1636821
grahamgrg wrote:My wife reckons I spend twice as much time prepping and recording flights as I do actually flying them. Probably right!


My Dad used to smoke a pipe. He certainly spent *far* more time cleaning, filling it, proding the contents of the bowl with a matchstick and lighting it than he ever did smoking it.
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By Genghis the Engineer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1639266
PaulB wrote:
grahamgrg wrote:My wife reckons I spend twice as much time prepping and recording flights as I do actually flying them. Probably right!


My Dad used to smoke a pipe. He certainly spent *far* more time cleaning, filling it, proding the contents of the bowl with a matchstick and lighting it than he ever did smoking it.


A late uncle, a pipe smoking professor of Chemistry always told me that all that pipe related activity was how he bought time to work out how to answer difficult questions from his students.

G
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By jarm69
#1805428
BrianRoth wrote:
(1) If required, PPR phone calls/log on internet
(2) Fill in the home club/airfield log book, including planned departure time and destination, etc, etc
(3) If land away: Fill in the visited club/airfield log book, including arrival time and originating airfield, blah, etc
(4) Fill in aircraft group logbook, including times for startup, departure, arrival, shutdown and origin and destination, blah, blah
(5) Fill in personal pilots logbook, including times for departure, arrival, and origin and destination, etc, yawn


If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
A long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
Than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now

1 I do believe some airfields have limited numbers of movements allowed, and I have seen on a couple of airfield websites statements that you are not insured if you don't ppr. I am unsure of the veracity of this, just repeating what I have read.

2 We don't actually do that where I fly from

3 Could be related to 1 and number of movements

4 and 5 You have already stated the need for these

These could all be totally wrong, but trust me on the sunscreen.
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1805436
@BrianRoth

I recognise 4 & 5 for all flights. 6 is a requirement for all international flights. 7 is a requirement regardless of your mode of travel outside Shengen and is a customs/immigration requirement variable with each country.

Everything else is a UK peculiarity or "club" rule.

There is now an 8.... COVID requirements, again variable with each country.

Regards, SD..
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By Rob P
#1805438
Pah! You don't know you are born!

Compared to the days of planning with paper chart, ruler, pen and whizz-wheel, then reading NOTAM from a sheet at the flying club, today's prep is only a fraction of what it was.

Rob P
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1805483
Rob P wrote:Compared to the days of planning with paper chart, ruler, pen and whizz-wheel, then reading NOTAM from a sheet at the flying club, today's prep is only a fraction of what it was.

I cringe when I think about how I learnt to fly!!
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By Tall_Guy_In_a_PA28
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1805590
TopCat wrote:
Rob P wrote:then reading NOTAMs from a sheet at the flying club


Especially if you didn't realise they went from south to north until about three years after getting a PPL.

:oops: :oops:

Really? I always assumed they were in order of importance which, from my perspective, they were! :D
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