FAA Conducting Inspections For A008 Compliance

Teams of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors are visiting air taxi operators to conduct detailed inspections to assure that Part 135 certificate holders are in compliance with new requirements contained in OpSpec A008 aimed at clarifying the issue of operational control of aircraft (BA, Jan. 15/23).

A team of seven FAA representatives arrived unannounced last Monday at the headquarters of AMI Jet Charter in San Francisco, Calif. and conducted a series of inspections of both paperwork and aircraft. AMIJC is a Part 135 certificate holder affiliated with TAG Aviation USA, one of the largest aircraft management companies in the country. TAG Aviation sells and arranges charter services for AMIJC, which operates the aircraft and exercises operational control for all charter flights, according to the TAG Web site.

In response to a call from BA about the nature of last week's visit from FAA, AMIJC President Chuck McLeran said the FAA team arrived at 0830 Monday without any advance notice to company officials. Inspectors reviewed aircraft and crew records, the company's schedule and release process and other elements of its operational control system. FAA also conducted ramp checks of a large number of AMIJC aircraft at airports all across the country.

Asked about the nature of the FAA inspections, McLeran said AMIJC officials were told specifically by FAA that their mission was not an enforcement action.