Operational Procedures and Documentation
Operational Procedures and Documentation - what the exam tests
This domain asks what must be on board, valid and current before the aeroplane leaves the ground, and how the PIC records and manages defects and pre-flight preparation.
Core rules
- Documents normally carried on the aircraft: certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, radio station licence, noise certificate where applicable, aircraft flight manual, weight and balance schedule and the technical log. The pilot carries licence and medical certificate.
- The PIC confirms validity before flight. The C of A is kept valid by the approved maintenance schedule and airworthiness review; the medical by its expiry date; the licence by ratings and recent experience.
- The technical log records defects. A defect is either rectified and certified, or deferred only under an approved minimum equipment list or specific approval - light aircraft usually have no MEL, so the equipment must be serviceable.
- Pre-flight preparation: weather, NOTAMs, AIP supplements, runway and airspace status, performance and mass and balance, fuel and oil, and a flight plan with SAR details for cross-country flight.
- Passenger briefing, seat belts, loading supervision and the carriage of documents are the PIC's responsibility under the NCAA Civil Aviation Regulations.
Worked example
A Cessna 172 cross-country: verify the C of R, the C of A and its airworthiness review validity, the radio licence, the insurance, the amendment date of the W&B schedule, the AFM on board, and a technical log with no open defects. Then check the licence with a valid Class 2 medical and type rating, obtain weather and NOTAMs for departure, destination and alternate, compute performance at the forecast temperature, and file the flight plan with a SAR time. Any expired item grounds the flight.
Traps
- Confusing the C of A with the airworthiness review certificate or the maintenance release.
- Treating the journey log as the technical log.
- Flying with an expired medical, lapsed recency or an unrated type.
- Assuming an MEL exists for a light aircraft.
- Signing off a defect without the correct certification.