Flight Operations and Operational Control
Operational control defined
The operator, not the pilot alone, holds responsibility for operational control: the exercise of authority over initiating, conducting, and terminating a flight. RBAC 135 Subpart D requires the operator to define this authority in the manual and to provide the personnel, facilities, and data needed for it. Exam questions often test who may release a flight, who may amend a dispatch release, and what the PIC may do when a release cannot be amended in flight.
Documents and flight planning
Every flight requires a flight plan, weight and balance computation, performance data (takeoff and landing distances, obstacle clearance), fuel planning to the destination plus alternate plus reserves, and a dispatch or flight release where required. Traps include confusing the ICAO flight plan filed with ATC with the operational flight plan retained by the company; they are distinct documents. Another trap is treating the alternate as optional when weather is at or above the standard; the rule is based on forecast conditions at the estimated time of arrival and the applicable approach minima.
In-flight decision-making
The PIC retains final authority for the safe conduct of the flight and may deviate from rules in an emergency, but must report the deviation. Operators must have procedures for in-flight re-dispatch, fuel diversion, and communication with the operational control centre.
Worked example
A flight plans destination weather at 1,200 ft ceiling and 4 km visibility with an approach minimum of 600 ft and 1,600 m. Since the forecast is above the standard alternate minimum (2,000 ft ceiling and 5,500 m visibility, or approach minima plus margins depending on the rule), no alternate is required. A candidate who adds an alternate anyway is being conservative but not demonstrating the rule; a candidate who omits it when weather is below standard is wrong.