This month Precision Windsports is re-publishing (with permission) an article written by Kathleen Yodice and published on AOPA ONLINE on July 22, 2011.  I found her article to be extremely well written and a very practical read for us all.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Fighting for our Rignts
by Kathleen A. Yodice

As pilots, we are naturally a compliant and chatty bunch.  From the first moment of our training, we come to understand rather quickly that there is a complex system of rules that we must learn and follow as we fly.  We are naturally motivated to know and comply with the FAA’s regulations for our own safety as well as the safety of others.  As we progress through our flight training, we come to realize that we can learn from others, whether it’s information coming from our flight instructors or other students at the school, or out at the hangar when other pilots are talking about their experiences, or hearing about what works and what doesn’t work in magazines, newsletters and seminars.   We love flying so it comes natural to talk about it – a lot.  As I said, we’re naturally compliant and naturally chatty.  For the most part, it works.

However, while compliance with the FAA’s regulations can keep you from losing your certificate and possibly having to mount a costly legal battle in doing so, the chatty part can sometimes contribute to both of these circumstances.  That is why it is important for us to know our legal rights if the FAA comes to investigate an event that they believe involved a violation of the regulations.

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