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AOPA helps pilots make it home from Mexico

As two AOPA members planned their flight home from La Paz, Mexico, recently, they discovered that the pilot could not locate his medical and pilot certificates.

That’s when panic set in for AOPA members Chet Belknap of Santa Cruz, Calif., and his son, Scott Belknap, of Fallbrook, Calif.

Would they be able to return home? How would they get there?

“We had all these questions and nobody to ask,” said Scott, who considered flying home commercially but was deterred when no flights were available. “Who do you call when you don’t know the ramifications for what’s just happened to us?”

That’s when Chet called AOPA and was connected to the AOPA Legal Services Plan staff. As a member of the plan, Chet has access to staff and more than 600 aviation attorneys to help him with the most covered matters for just $29 all year long.

The plan staff helped them acquire an FAA temporary authorization to fly without their certificates. This temporary authorization is the only documentation accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security agents for a return border crossing in lieu of actual certificates.

The customs agents advised them that if they had not had the FAA temporary authorization form, it could have meant a fine of $10,000 ($5,000 for each violation).

“That phone call [to the AOPA Legal Services Plan] saved us,” said Scott.

Enroll in the Legal Services Plan online or call 800/USA-AOPA (872-2672). Read the plan description for complete coverages.

A wake-up call

The AOPA Pilot Information Center has received [taken] numerous calls from members who got “wake-up” calls after flying into areas that had been restricted by notam after September 11. For some members, the wake-up call came in the form of an Air Force jet pulling up alongside the member’s aircraft. Others received their wake-up call from the FAA inspector or FAA attorney wanting to know why the member violated the notam.

Every day our Legal Services Plan hears from hundreds of pilots who have run into an aviation problem that requires legal intervention. It isn’t difficult to imagine the hassles and the costs that these pilots might incur resolving even minor issues without the help of the Legal Services Plan. Fortunately, these cases were all handled successfully through the assistance of AOPA’s Legal Services Plan.

Nothing to squawk at

By any measure, Joseph Kastner is a good pilot. He’s IFR rated, has 1,700 hours, and he’s been flying since 1950. But that didn’t stop problems from nearly grounding him—twice!

During a Christmas flight in South Florida, confusion over a squawk code resulted in the control tower requesting an immediate call when he landed. But with the assistance of AOPA Legal Services Plan representatives, the problem was solved within minutes.

In a second incident, the IRS denied use of Kastner’s Bonanza as transportation in his job, even though his logs clearly showed a business use. With the help of an Oklahoma-based aviation attorney under the AOPA Legal Services Plan, the IRS finally awarded Kastner the full deduction, interest and penalties, and a written apology.

“You’ll never imagine these things happening to you…until they do. I can’t say enough about the Plan’s services, and how they helped me.”

Joseph Kastner • Owasso, OK • AOPA Member #00798884

You’ve got mail

George Murphy, owner of Alaska Bush Expeditions and a pilot since 1966, found himself facing thousands of dollars in fines because of a mail mix up. Murphy never received his notice to sign-up for alcohol testing, a new test at the time, and because he was unaware that the test was required by the FAA, he only completed the drug test. But he did receive his notice that the FAA was fining him heavily for the violation, and that’s when he called the Legal Services Plan, which he had fortunately added to his Membership prior to the incident

The Legal Services Plan was able to quickly resolve this issue, dramatically reducing the fines levied against him. And Murphy was back in the cockpit.

“The Legal Services Plan offered me help immediately. They even gave me the option of finding my own attorney up here, or they would help me find one in Washington.”

George Murphy • Willow, AK • AOPA Member #00315009

Quick resolution

“As a commercial pilot flying part 135 cargo, I had a minor incident while taxiing my aircraft that could have been a major setback to my flying career. Through the assistance and advice of the AOPA Legal Services Plan, I achieved a quick resolution to the situation without having an FAA enforcement toward me or my FAA record.”

Roger Lux • Scottsdale, AZ • AOPA Member #01121695