Hi all. I have been denied a new SIDA at my airport. The story......

I was asked a few years ago to be a contract pilot/instructor for a company that had a couple of hangers at the airport. Because I needed to go onto the ramp at all times they signed me up for a SIDA badge.
As is the case here, I couldn't get my own badge for their ramp, so the badge has you as an employee of the company, contract pilot or not. Even if you hanger at the FBO, the badges have you down as an employee....

After a couple of small jobs not much happened over the following years although as always in aviation, a lot was promised not forthcoming though.

Fast forward to the end of last year.

I was away looking after an elderly friend most of last year. When I got back in December I was told that all the badges have been cancelled and that they must be given back. Which I did. Seems that that the companies tenancy had been cancelled while I was away.

I am now about to apply for a permanent job as an instructor at a school here and have heard that the airport will not issue me with any airport badge because of my 'association' with the last company.

I have called and emailed the badging office and told them my story. Also the company have emailed them saying that I was never an employee and at no time was l involved with the day to day running of the company. The answer always comes back as NO BADGE, no further explanation.

Is this normal. Is this a problem for me just at this airport or will this badge refusal affect my career from now on ??? How should I go on with this ?

I have contacted AOPA Legal services.

Being in mind that we're hearing one side of a story, if your report is correct, you should seek legal counsel and press the issue. An unresolved matter such as this could be misconstrued later, out of context, and could become a problem for you.

It is my account about my association with this company as I know it........

I have heard more disturbing things about the company today that l never knew about and as to why they lost the hangers. Seems while I've been away some agencies have been involved......

crap crap and double 'effing crap.... Hope its not going by the "guilty by association" Shyte.

What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty...

Its got me really worried now...

In dealing with administrative law, there is no "guilt" or "innocence", the issuing agency has a lot of discretion on its procedures and the individual can only apply for a hearing to appeal.

Is it possible you were denied a SIDA badge because the issuing agency decided your previous badge was given under false pretense--that is, you were not an employee?

GF

You likely have a problem regardless...

I've seen this before. A tenant can badge his employees, but is typically NOT allowed to badge non-employee contractors. Contractors are typically required to execute their own separate access agreement with the airport, which would include any taxes and fees.

So if you try to argue that you were a contractor, as opposed to an employee, you're admitting that you accessed and did business on the airport without an agreement with the airport operating authority, and without paying their fees/taxes. Oh yeah, and you did it in a fraudulent manner with a SIDA badge obtained under false pretenses.

Sounds ridiculous, but this is exactly how I've seen it play out before. The bigger the airport, the more bureaucratic they'll likely be.

If you really need that job, better talk to an aviation lawyer before you stir up too much trouble with the airport authority. They might actually have the goods on you since you told them that you were not an employee of the previous company even though you got badged as though you were.

Hopefully this situation will not keep you from getting a SIDA at any other airports...if you're airline-bound, better check up on that too.

You say SIDA in part and then airport badge in another part. Two very different things, which is it?

Hmm, my airport badge says SIDA on it, so it would seem they can be one in the same.

There are plenty of "airport badges" that do not have SIDA access. Yours does because you job requires SIDA access. At a lot of airports the "SIDA" is marked by a colored line that encompasses the largest commercial airliner that serves the airport. The rest of the property is non-SIDA.

I've seen one operation where the mechanics had to have airport badges to access the ramp but were non-SIDA because the SIDA was on the other side of the field. The pilots didn't need any airport badge because they were only operating out of the one specific company ramp.

Exactly - they CAN be one and same but not always. My homebase has regular airport picture access badges to, say, drive to the private hangars or air side of FBO and get past main gates, and the SIDA to get behind the commercial side. You can have one or both. As Packrat said there are big "STOP SECURE" signs to go to the areas where SIDA ID needed. I don't have or need a SIDA badge, only airport.

Regarding the OP situation, the whole SIDA badge process and who gets it may have changed. I find it unclear if you are "denied" a SIDA or they just don't deem you need one for your current purposes around the airport. Those are two separate things. I'm not sure the internet could help you.

Thanks all. Got it sorted now.