Originally Posted by
Cyio
It is almost as despicable as not tipping a van driver, sorry had to say it. In all seriousness though, its horrible for those that got caught up in this. I am honestly amazed it has happened as I have not once, in well over 20 years of taking check rides, ever had one that was anything less than above board.
On another board, someone did some research and posted three others letters like this one from similar examples.
i work with many ex-ASIs and they told me some stories of similar circumstances too.
The FAA actually has some type of investigative branch. I don’t know how you would catch these DPEs unless it were some type of undercover ‘give me check ride and let’s make sure you are doing it right’ operation or some checked student pilot/upgrade pilot turns the DPE in if s/he even knows what is/is not a valid check.
I know of at least one ASI who was cooking the books.
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Teterboro-based aviation safety inspector Harrington Bishop, 63, entered a guilty plea in a federal court Thursday on charges of receiving illegal gratuities in exchange for what court documents allege were hundreds of unauthorized pilot check rides. Bishop had been assigned to the Teterboro FSDO. On available days off, weekends, and holidays, from May 2004 to February 2011, he allegedly took pilots on check rides at Cave Flight School at Flying W Airport in Medford, NJ. Pilots who flew with him on those occasions ultimately numbered in the hundreds. None of the flights were authorized, each one illegally paid Bishop, and in almost every case a certificate was granted to the tested pilot.
Pilots were allegedly tested for anything from private to airline transport pilot certificates. Bishop allegedly collected tips that amounted to $300 per flight on average from the hundreds of pilots he managed to fly with over seven years. This, in spite of the fact that while acting in an official capacity, Bishop was not allowed to accept payment from pilots in exchange for his services. By Bishop's own account, he passed almost every pilot who flew with him on those occasions. Each pilot then became officially certificated by the FAA as a result of Bishop's work. The official charge against Bishop was one count of receiving illegal gratuities while acting as a public official. He now faces a maximum potential fine of $250,000 and up to two years in jail.
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I’m not sure if a DPE would get jail time, but this former ASI got some prison time.
https://www.nj.com/gloucester-county...pemberton.html
He must have had a pretty good thing going at McGuire AFB!