General Operational Requirements, Definitions and Documentation
This domain tests the legal skeleton of commercial air transport: which regulation applies, what the Annex I definitions mean in practice, who is in command, and which documents must be on board. Items are usually short scenarios and definition matching rather than calculations.
The rule set
- Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 is the air operations regulation: Annex I holds the definitions, Part-ORO (Annex III) the organisation requirements, Part-CAT (Annex IV) commercial air transport and Part-SPA (Annex V) specific approvals. Non-commercial operations sit in Parts NCC, NCO and SPO.
- CAT means an aircraft operation for remuneration or hire that is available to the public. It requires an AOC and an operator with operational control.
Definitions that carry marks
- Adequate aerodrome: one the operator considers usable for the intended operation, with the necessary facilities and services, taking account of performance and the weather expected at the time of use.
- PIC: the pilot designated by the operator to command the aircraft and responsible for its safe conduct.
- Operational control: authority over the initiation, continuation, diversion or termination of a flight, in the interest of safety and of the regularity of the flight.
Documents to be carried (CAT.GEN.MPA.180)
Certificates of registration and airworthiness, the noise certificate, the AOC, the aircraft radio licence, crew licences, the journey log, cargo manifest and passenger list, meteorological and AIS information, and the relevant parts of the operations manual. Records such as the technical log, deferred defect list and flight time records must be kept and produced on request.
PIC authority
Under CAT.GEN.MPA.105 the PIC may deviate from rules and procedures in the interest of safety and may take decisions not covered by the OM, reporting afterwards. Crew members follow the PIC's lawful commands; nobody may act as crew while unfit through fatigue, alcohol, drugs or injury.
Worked example
An aircraft is about to depart with the radio licence missing from its document folder and no MEL entry covering it. The flight is not compliant: CAT.GEN.MPA.180 requires the document on board, and an MEL deferral applies to equipment, not paperwork, so a certified copy must be obtained first. Suppose instead that en route ATC offers a hold that would erode the final reserve; the PIC may refuse, divert or alter the plan without company approval and reports the decision after landing.
Traps
- Treating any flight for money as CAT - the test is public availability plus an AOC and operational control.
- Assuming the OM is advisory; it is binding on the operator's staff.
- Confusing the operator (AOC holder) with the owner or the charterer.