Flight Operations and Operational Control
Operational control defined
Operational control is the exercise of authority over the initiation, continuation, diversion, and termination of a flight in the interest of safety and regularity. In commercial operations it is exercised by the operator through a defined chain: the operations manual, the flight dispatcher or flight follower where required, and the pilot-in-command. Candidates must separate the PIC's authority in flight (final and overriding on matters of safety) from the operator's commercial and scheduling authority on the ground. A common trap is a stem implying a dispatcher can override a captain, or that a captain may ignore company minima. Neither is correct: the PIC may deviate in an emergency but must report it.
Flight planning and minima
Expect questions on weather minima, alternate selection, fuel policy, and dispatch conditions. The rule of thumb is that the most restrictive applicable minimum governs - company minima may be higher than state minima but never lower. Fuel planning must account for taxi, trip, contingency, alternate, and final reserve; questions often hide a shortfall in the contingency or final reserve line.
Worked example
A flight is dispatched to a destination whose forecast is at minimum, with one alternate. En route the destination deteriorates below the alternate-required threshold. The correct reasoning: the dispatch release was valid at the time, but the PIC must now reassess; if the destination no longer meets the approach and landing minima and no suitable alternate remains within the fuel plan, the flight must divert or hold only as fuel permits. The captain's decision is not a company choice - safety authority rests with the PIC, and the event is recorded.