Beware people who say they have a Captains License but do not.

[boatman61]

Over this side its more 'Comandante' than Captain or as they say here 'Capitao'.
Comandante seems less grandiose somehow.. but I still insist I'm just a 'marinheiro'..

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by StuM

What's a "Captain's shirt"?

I had one, wife got it for me from West Marine, it was blue with one word on it, 'Captain'. Wife bought one same day that said 'Nautigal', hers was red.

I was not an actual captain, so yeah, I was part of the problem we are discussing.

[fredw]

Originally Posted by Captain Graham

I have noticed in the past few years many people who say they have Captains Licenses really do not.



In most cases they have taken a Captains Training Class and passed an approved USCG Exam.

But they did not finish the process and submit an application to the USCG.



If you go on a paid charter or pay someone to move your boat they must have a USCG License not just a certificate from a training school.



Any Captain for hire must have an official USCG issued Merchant Mariner Credentials with a serial number with him when he is working.

It looks like a passport and has your photo, date of birth, height, MMC Reference Number, date of issue and expiration date. (see image below)



Sorry for the rant but last month I was at a Yacht Club in Connecticut and one of the members who is a police officer in a marine unit told me he was a licences USCG Captain.

I showed him my MMC and he said he did not have an MMC but he did have a certificate from a training school saying he passed the test.

He was not happy because he was planning on retiring soon and wanted to start a charter fishing business.



FYI you need to do the following to get your official USCG License (MMC)

1. Complete a USCG approved exam.

2. Get a TWIC Card (Transportation Workers Identification card)

This is a background check.

3. Get a complete medical exam and drug test from a USCG approved Clinic.

4. 3 Character References

5. Notarized Copy of the Merchant Mariners Oath

6. Proof that you have taken an approved First Aide / CPR course

7. Copy of your drivers license

8. Proof that you have the correct number of days for the license you are trying to get.

This is the Sea Service form

9. A completed USCG application form and a check for $145



If everything is in order you will get your MMC in about 2 months.



Image of an MMC (not mine)

Thanks for the information

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by What Anchor

I have a Masters 100 ton and work for a small tour company in the summer. Yes, the general public does think we are all captains, and I am sure when something goes wrong so do the attorneys. I had a young deck hand get his masters this past summer, his head was bigger than the boat. He was constantly telling people about his "captains" license. Here is my thoughts on the whole thing. Firstly, I think it is kind of a farce. The schools make sure you pass the exam, no one actually verifies sea time, the physicals are not much more than giving you a once over. And I am willing to bet that most never look at the colregs again after the test. As I told the deck hand, I would never disrespect a naval officer or master of a true merchant marine vessel by calling myself a captain. 100 tons means we are tour guides that drive boats. Sorry for the rant

Pretty much sums up my view of it too: We are not real ships Captains, or Masters, but rather entry level boat operators with a ticket allowing us to take paying passengers.

[Lihuedooley77]

Jm .....response aviation qualifications . You are quite correct, it looks like things are changing.

Unfortunately, when it comes to talking flying, or sailing, so many great experience pop up in our aged memory banks, and you all become the recieipents of those tales.

I have been so forrtunate to have had two parallel careers, one as a USCG, , U.S. Merchant Marine Officer, as well as commercial pilot , general aviation, for nearly 40 years.


In Aviation it looks like things may have changed a bit.

In addition to professionally sailing for decades, I had a parallel career flying for nearly 40 years and had plenty of check rides. I approached and lived them both with total professionalism and following procedures. .

Loved em both.
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Thank you Uncle Sam : Flying was in my future !

Actually as a Vietnam vet, U.S.NAVAL AIR, VP-17, After discharge I worked in high explosives, and discovered that the GI BILL, after getting my private, on my own, I had my VA benefits toward my aviation career.

Uncle Sam paid for 90% of my commercial, instrument, milti engne and CFI. ( Certified flight Instructor ). After about 2.5 yrs of training, I Went immediately into flight instructing

All of my check rides were with designees, except my CFI and the Multi-engine. The CFI I had to fly into the Long Beach FSDO, after passing the written, and had the very long oral, and then the check ride with the feds. No sim, period.

The milti-engine , I was instructing out of Fullerton, and my oral and check ride was with a fed . He came over to Fullerton. This was at our flight school using our Twin Bonanza. Later, my part 135 check ride was also with fed. Flying real airplanes , no sim.

For 30 plus years I flew as a CFI, Charter Pilot and Corporate Pilot, TT 6500 hrs. ( including Air Combat USA ).

Now for the really fun stuff . The absolute best was the last before retiring and moving to kauai Island for 10 yrs..

Stand by to stanad by. 17 years and 2500 missions as an I.P. instructor pilot for Air Combat U.S.A.

Amazing flying :

Formation flying, gun sight tracking, BFM, Basic Fighter Maneuvers, and ACM ( Air combat maneuvering) and six full on 5 and 6 G dog fights. No bloody auto pilot , button pushing, straight and level shiny side up flying..
Everything was real but the bullets. Used top gun rules of engagement for safety.

This was 100% hand flying the Marchetti SF-260's. Not one auto pilot installed in any of our fleet .

Flying was not only out of Fullerton, but Nation wide, coast to coast, border to border. That was cross country, and sometimes instrument approaches to minimums hands on.

The I.P part was that we took up paying customers, most non pilots for a Fighter Pilot for a Day ( Top gun mission )
as the I.P. , . We did the briefings, and taxi, and run up and take off and first join up for formation flying

. Then we gave the stick to the guest pilot and talked them thru the formation, gunsight tracking, BFM and ACM dog fights, and made a top gun movie of their entire flight. ( 3 cameras, the hero camera, the gunsight camera to video their smoke on kill, and an over the shoulder camera.

RTB, ( returning to base ) The I.P, took over for the blue angel close formations approach to the overhead break, and landing.

The guest pilot received the video of his entire flight, start to shutdown.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My flying began in Nov of 1967 and I retired from Air Combat in 2005.
I was 64 years old and loving the yanking and banking, rolling and pulling, and shooting and looting. For me, this was 17 years really great l flying.

But, eventually I was discovering the hearing was beginning to fail, the eyes without glasses were getting old, and the ability for G tollerance was fadding as well.

I announced my retirement at our Air Combat Christmas party. Fellow pilots were F-18, F-14, F-15. F-16, F-4, A-4 and even Harrier drivers. Great pilots, and good friends, all of the different services, and we shared lead and wingman responsibilities. ( some were flying full time with the airlines, and spent their days off flying Air Combat )

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Your point about sims is well taken . I think we are in the Old Eagle, stick and rudder generation. Happy for that well.

From the news media and accident reports, we have come to notice, is that with all of the automation, and the sim check rides, is that many of the airline pilots are relying on electronic button pushing, especially in the totally automated Air Buses.

Not saying that all of the airline pilots rely on auto pilot, and approaches and auto landings, but , many of them do.

So far, IN THE POSITIVE, in our flying in the back of the big iron, every flight world wide and U.S.A. and hawaii, has been outstanding. Narry a problem .

And sometimes, the airline crew were having fun, witha hands on steep bank close approaches. Which I loved relayed a thumbs up, and verbal "good job, skipper " to the flight crew when we were debarking the AIRBUS....yes, true an AIRBUS. .
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Yep, my hands on flying general aviation air craft have ended, and do I miss the air combat. EVERY DAY.

For a few years, after returning, when visitng the mainland from Kauai, I would go out to Air Combat at Fulllerton , and Mike B ( the owner and retired AA senior capt ) and I would take out one of the Marchetti Sf 260's and head out over the ocean to our practice area for an hour of aerobatics.

We would trade off off slow, four point , and aileron rolls, loops, hammer heads, spilt S's, stalls and inverted stalls, inverted fight, etc, then I would get to shoot a few landings, engine out, dead stick, short field, and go arounds from the flare just about when the wheels were to touch down. That is fun flying.

My lady of 35 years Erica is also a private and aerobatic pilot, as well as a highly competent sailor, navigator and a female seaman.


She can leave slips or docks under sail and dock unde rsail. no engine, and that included her Pacific Sea Craft Crealock 37 . And she sails internationally, as well as on deliveries with me. Oh, and she is a retired M.D. and keeps both of us healthy and active.

What a marvelous life we lived, aviation and sailing, and most every other form of adventure.

However, We also , no matter what we do , that is in an alien enviornment, sea or air, or land, we are very serious and approach all of them in a professional manner. Must work, we are still alive.

I promise, that is it.

Out, radios and lights off, lean er out, shut er down, master and battery switch off.

Thank you for all of those memories, we do not get to talk aviation much these days. Apologize to those who were victims and thank you's to those who enjoyed.

happy new year, and a fantastic 2019

Denny and Erica

[CSY Man]

. Not saying that all of the airline pilots rely on auto pilot, and approaches and auto landings, but , many of them do.

Damn right, some of us don’t, instead we practice bush flying with 747s between the mountains in South America.

[jmschmidt]

You're right, but I do know a guy who was threated after a check ride because the didn't know his zip code. Maybe the Fed was joking. If you did 37 years you remember when the FAA used to do rating rides and then ask for your old license and medical after the ride. Then some Eastern Airlines guy passed his ATP and type ride (ATR in those days) but only had a barebones private license. It hit the fan at the FAA and at all the airlines to cleanup their paper work. My company sent a guy up for an ATP ride who hadn't taken the written. Oh well, sorry about the diversion.

[Lihuedooley77]

CSY,

From what I have read over the years, you are doing some very challenging flying, hauling a 747, thru and between mountainous terrain, some times at night, and in bad weather.

I bet you enjoy it when it is VFR, and easy winds. Not sure about night, windy, turbulence, and low vis., and bad weather. Does the company offer a good stiff scotch to the passengers ? I'd be happy to treat the crew to happy hour at the local on me once on deck.

One fun, FAA tale..... We had completed an air combat acm mission,and were a flight of two in formation returning to FUL. The base radios me on our descrete freq.

Heads up !

"There is a Fed on the deck at Air Combat and he will be doing a line check of our parachutes, aircraft, and our pilots certificates and medical certs. "

I asked for a description.

" Shorts, T-shirt and flip flops " say again !?

The fed does not know, that I know he is waiting to pounce.

Our flight of two taxis up, in formation, and shuts down. The I.P's and the guest pilots climb out onto the wing roots and step on to the tarmac.

Here he comes, very evident, and asks me for my pilots lic, and medical.

I say "WHO ARE YOU ? " Knowing full well who he is.

This is cool, he flips out his creds, and in this long two sided wallet. One one section are his creds, on the other facing side is......A PHOTO OF A GORILLA, with a note that says, ' Hi, I'm here from the FAA, and I am here to help ! "

For the line check, everything was 100% in order. Aircraft documents, pilots certs parachutes, etc.

Now we are having a grand ol time, he sits in on the debrief and gun camera films, and he became a friend to Air Combat and would drop by to visit, and trade aviation stories a couple times a month .

I bet most people have not had a line check by the FAA, wearing beat up shorts , T-shirt, and flip flops.

We actually had very good relations with the FAA, ATC personnel and the F.B.O 's across the country when on our deployments and at base.

The other situations you all posted here, well, some are flat scary, and I do not understand how the airlines could allow that to occur. Happy to hear that they have cleaned all that up.

[CSY Man]

. CSY,

From what I have read over the years, you are doing some very challenging flying, hauling a 747, thru and between mountainous terrain, some times at night, and in bad weather.

I bet you enjoy it when it is VFR, and easy winds. Not sure about night, windy, turbulence, and low vis., and bad weather. Does the company offer a good stiff scotch to the passengers ? I'd be happy to treat the crew to happy hour at the local on me once on deck.

Mostly night and bad weather with turbulence and I preferred to fly with no passengers:
The picture is a cargo 747 I flew out of Quito, maxed out and full power. (As In redline, then some) Not sure I could do that with passengers onboard, would lose my license and get arrested. ��

[oregoncycle]

[QUOTE=Lihuedooley77;2790979]Interesting....that pocket sized merchant marine credential....and some of the tales of impersonating a U.S.C.G Licensed Capt.

The person who said that he did not have the wallet size credential, just the certificate, that wallet license may have come into effect after he took the exam and received a certificate. In 30 years of having a USCG license, I never saw one of those wallets, and actually did not know the wallet credential even existed until I read this post.
(QUOTE)

My certificate from the Coast Guard used to be framed and hang on the wall. In a move it was lost and calling West Virginia thinking the worst they said here is your certification number, sorry we can not send you a copy of your license, but your number is valid. So I wrote the number down and took several photos of it so I would not forget. I have never seen this passport looking one except from merchant marines.

[CSY Man]

[QUOTE=oregoncycle;2792276]

Originally Posted by Lihuedooley77

Interesting....that pocket sized merchant marine credential....and some of the tales of impersonating a U.S.C.G Licensed Capt.

The person who said that he did not have the wallet size credential, just the certificate, that wallet license may have come into effect after he took the exam and received a certificate. In 30 years of having a USCG license, I never saw one of those wallets, and actually did not know the wallet credential even existed until I read this post.
(QUOTE)

My certificate from the Coast Guard used to be framed and hang on the wall. In a move it was lost and calling West Virginia thinking the worst they said here is your certification number, sorry we can not send you a copy of your license, but your number is valid. So I wrote the number down and took several photos of it so I would not forget. I have never seen this passport looking one except from merchant marines.

Had the passport looking one for the last 2 renewals, so about 9 years.

[jmschmidt]

The current USCG Merchant Mariner Credential which replaced the US Merchant Marine Office wall certificate several years ago is identical in size and shape to a US passport. The cover has the inscription "Merchant Mariner Credential" at the top followed by the Great Seal of the United State with the words "United States of America below the Seal. The cover and the back ae orange in color.

If you do not have one of these you do not have a valid credential, certificate, license or whatever you want to call it, to operate or work on a US flag or US state registered vessel for hire in the territorial waters of the United State.

[john61ct]

As the older style professional qualification credentials expire

like the certificate of registry, and merchant mariner's document & license, ratings, STCW & officer endorsements

the MMC will replace them all

Combined with the new biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credential (or TWIC) security card

Now only two documents required, both are REAL ID for TSA purposes.

[jmschmidt]

All the older style licenses, certificates, etc. should have expired by now. I'm on my second renewal of the "passport style" MMC. Anyone who doesn't have the "passport style' MMC is probably out of business. There may be a gap group that has a few months to renew.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Now only two documents required, both are REAL ID for TSA purposes.

FYI I ran a boat to Key West and was flying home. Got to the TSA checkpoint, first ID I grabbed was my MMC- they refused to accept it as ID. They demanded a DL or passport as ID. When I said this was a document issued by the Federal Gov’t, she asked her supervisor who repeated the same thing