Aircraft Operations, Services and Air Operator Certification
AOC and operational control
CAR Section 3 Series C governs Air Operator Certification. An AOC is issued to an operator after demonstrating compliance with the applicable operational requirements; it specifies the types of aircraft, the nature of operations and the areas of operation. The operator must maintain an operations manual, a training programme, a dangerous goods programme and a SMS where applicable. Candidates must understand operational control - the authority to initiate, continue and terminate a flight - and who exercises it.
Flight and duty time
Know the FTL framework: maximum flight duty period as a function of report time and sectors, minimum rest, cumulative limits, and the requirement for a fatigue risk management approach. Know the rules on fuel (taxi, trip, contingency, alternate, final reserve, additional), weather minima, alternate aerodrome requirements, and carriage of documents (licences, certificates of registration and airworthiness, journey log, technical log, insurance).
Traps and worked example
Traps: confusing AOC (operator certificate) with certificate of airworthiness (individual aircraft); assuming an AOC covers all aircraft types; and mis-stating final reserve fuel (30 minutes holding at 1500 ft for turbine aircraft is the classic figure to check against the applicable CAR).
Rule of thumb: AOC = the operator is approved; C of A = the aircraft is approved; both must be valid for a commercial flight.
Worked example: "An operator wishes to add a new type to its fleet. What is required?" A variation of the AOC, not merely a new C of A - the operator must demonstrate compliance with the applicable requirements for that type and have it entered on the AOC.