Aircraft Operations, Operator Responsibilities and Operational Control
What the exam tests
This domain tests how the operator and the pilot-in-command share responsibility for safe flight. Questions cover operations manuals, dispatch, fuel policy, MEL, crew qualification, SMS and the meaning of operational control.
Core rules
- The operator is responsible for establishing and maintaining an operations manual, training programme, maintenance coordination, minimum equipment list, fuel policy, dangerous goods procedures and safety management system as applicable.
- Operational control is the authority to initiate, continue, divert or terminate a flight in the interest of safety. It is exercised through approved procedures and qualified personnel, not by an unsupervised scheduler.
- The pilot-in-command has final authority over the aircraft. In an emergency, the PIC may deviate from rules and procedures to the extent necessary for safety, and must report the deviation where required.
- Flight planning must consider weather, NOTAM, fuel, alternates, performance, payload and crew duty. Dispatch release or flight following does not remove the PIC's responsibility.
- Safety management requires hazard identification, risk assessment, occurrence reporting and corrective action.
Worked example
A flight is dispatched to an airport forecast to be at minimum visibility. During approach, the weather deteriorates below minima and the runway is not in sight. The crew must go around and divert. Operational control may coordinate the diversion, but the PIC decides not to continue the approach. A dispatcher cannot override the PIC's safety decision, and a commercial schedule does not create a clearance to land.
Traps
Do not treat operational control as purely commercial scheduling. Do not say the operator has final authority in flight; the PIC does. Do not assume an MEL item is a licence to fly with any defect. Do not ignore fuel and alternate requirements when selecting a destination.