Operational Procedures
Operational Procedures tests how you run the flight: standard operating procedures, aerodrome operating minima, abnormal and emergency drills, and the special situations that require a disciplined, pre-briefed response.
SOPs and documentation
Checklists are read-and-do or do-and-verify, and are never replaced by memory beyond the few drills that must be immediate (engine failure, fire, rapid depressurisation). The MEL allows dispatch with specified equipment unserviceable under stated conditions; it is not permission to fly an unsafe aircraft. Aerodrome operating minima combine RVR or visibility with decision altitude or minimum descent altitude; CAT I precision minima are typically of the order of a 200 ft decision height and 550 m RVR, with CAT II and III progressively lower and requiring specific aircraft and crew approval.
Emergencies
Emergency descent: oxygen masks on, establish a turn away from the cleared track, squawk 7700, descend to 10,000 ft or the MSA, whichever is higher, and broadcast. Engine fire: shut off fuel, air and electrical supply to the affected engine, discharge the extinguisher, then land as soon as practicable. Ditching and evacuation follow the briefed drill with the aircraft configured to the checklist. Unlawful interference squawks 7500, radio failure 7600, general emergency 7700.
Worked example
You rotate at VR and at 200 ft AGL the left engine fails; V1 was 105 kt and you are now at 118 kt. Reasoning: you are above V1, so the accelerate-stop distance remaining is insufficient to stop on the runway. Continue the take-off, hold V2, retract drag as the aircraft climbs, identify and verify the failed engine, feather it, run the drill, and plan a return or diversion. Below V1 the same failure would lead to a rejected take-off.
Traps that cost marks
Rejecting the take-off above V1; attempting the "impossible turn" back to the runway at low altitude; forgetting to set 7600 for radio failure; and descending below the MSA during an emergency descent.