Air Law and Operational Procedures
The rule hierarchy
Know how the layers stack: ICAO Annexes set standards and recommended practices, the State's civil aviation regulations (for example EASA or FAA rules) implement them, and the operations manual converts them into company procedure. Questions love the distinction between a standard (binding unless a difference is filed) and a recommended practice. Also be clear on the helicopter-specific Annex 14 heliport dimensions and on which documents must be carried on board: certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, crew licences, journey log, and the operations manual extract.
Operational traps
Common distractors mix up minimum fuel versus final reserve fuel, and confuse commander's discretion with unlimited authority. Another favourite is the validity period of medical certificates and the recency requirements for carrying passengers at night. Read each stem for the words shall, should and may; they change the answer completely.
Worked example
A commercial helicopter pilot's medical certificate carries a restriction requiring corrective lenses. The candidate asks whether spectacles must be carried on every flight. Rule of thumb: any limitation printed on a licence or medical certificate is a condition of the licence, not advice - spare spectacles must be on board. If a question offers 'only when acting as PIC' as a distractor, reject it: the restriction applies whenever exercising the privileges.
Study method
Build a one-page table of validity periods, carriage requirements and fuel definitions, and rehearse the wording of the definitions rather than the numbers alone.