Operational Procedures
Scope
Operational Procedures tests how the flight is dispatched and conducted: SOPs, MEL/CDL, performance, fuel, abnormal and emergency procedures, dangerous goods and SMS.
Core rules
- SOPs and checklists are the normal defence against omission; do not substitute memory for a checklist in an abnormal situation.
- The MEL allows dispatch with specified equipment inoperative only under its conditions; the CDL covers missing external items. Neither is a general permission to fly a defective aircraft.
- Before takeoff, confirm performance, mass and balance, fuel and alternates.
- V1 is the decision speed: reject below V1 for a significant failure; above V1, continue unless the aircraft cannot fly.
- Dangerous goods require trained acceptance, packing and documentation; undeclared goods are a security risk.
Worked example
Fuel: taxi 20 kg, trip 800 kg, contingency 5% of trip = 40 kg, alternate 150 kg, final reserve 30 min at 1200 kg/h = 600 kg, extra 100 kg. Total = 20 + 800 + 40 + 150 + 600 + 100 = 1710 kg. Reasoning: final reserve is a separate protected quantity; contingency is calculated on trip fuel, not on total fuel.
Traps
Treating the MEL as an airworthiness release without conditions; using takeoff performance for landing; forgetting contamination; treating a MAYDAY as routine.