Operational Procedures
Operational Procedures covers the pilot's legal and practical duties before and during flight: pre-flight, mass and performance, passenger safety, MEL, fuel, emergency and radio failure.
Pre-flight and normal operations
- Check documents, maintenance release, MEL, weather, NOTAM, fuel, mass and balance, performance and emergency equipment.
- Passenger briefing includes exits, belts, oxygen and evacuation. Secure the cabin before take-off and landing.
- Use checklists; do not rely on memory for normal or abnormal procedures.
Emergency and abnormal
- Declare an emergency with MAYDAY; urgency with PAN PAN. Squawk 7700 for emergency, 7600 for radio failure, 7500 for unlawful interference.
- Radio failure IFR: squawk 7600, continue under the last clearance or route, maintain the last assigned level for 7 minutes, then climb to the minimum IFR altitude and continue to the destination or alternate as applicable.
Worked example
IFR in IMC, the radio fails. Set 7600. Continue the last clearance, hold the last assigned level for 7 minutes, then climb to the minimum safe altitude and proceed on the flight-planned route. Do not descend below the minimum without knowing the terrain and traffic situation.
Traps
Leaving 7600 until after descent; treating the MEL as permission to fly any inoperative item; skipping the passenger briefing; not using the emergency frequency 121.5; confusing MAYDAY with PAN PAN.