Compliance Legalities

In the April issue of IFR, Fred Simonds wrote an article that did an excellent job of explaining how the FAAs Compliance Philosophy program, started in 2015, seeks to encourage pilot compliance with the regulations through guidance rather than punishment. He also provided data that strongly indicated it has had the effect of reducing the number of pilot deviation events (potential violations) that turned into violation actions seeking punishment of pilots to nearly zero.But, youll still want to be careful.

Key Takeaways:

• The FAA's "Compliance Philosophy" program has successfully reduced punitive actions against pilots for honest mistakes, prioritizing guidance and education instead.
• Pilots contacted by the FAA regarding a potential deviation are generally advised to cautiously engage and cooperate, but only after consulting an aviation attorney.
• When responding, pilots should be polite, professional, and express contrition and a willingness to learn without directly admitting guilt, and must fulfill any agreed-upon remedial actions.
• The Compliance Philosophy does not cover intentional violations, falsification, serious safety risks, or failure to complete agreed-upon corrective measures.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.