Operational Procedures
Operational Procedures tests preflight and in-flight decision-making, checklists, emergency drills, fuel management, winter operations and diversion planning. It links aircraft systems, performance and human factors into safe conduct of flight.
Core rules
- Preflight: documents, weather, NOTAM, mass and balance, performance, fuel, de-icing and alternate.
- Before takeoff, brief emergencies, departure, terrain and rejection criteria.
- Emergency: maintain aircraft control, navigate, communicate; use checklist after memory items.
- Depressurization: oxygen masks, emergency descent, terrain avoidance and passenger oxygen duration limits.
- Fire: isolate the system, use the appropriate extinguisher, land as soon as practicable.
- Winter: remove contamination; holdover time begins at start of anti-icing; do not take off with snow, ice or frost on critical surfaces.
Worked example
A diversion requires 30 min hold at 800 kg/h: 800 times 0.5 = 400 kg. If the destination alternate also needs 15 min at the same flow, add 200 kg. Total additional fuel = 600 kg; compare this with remaining fuel above final reserve before committing.
Traps
- Starting checklists before controlling the aircraft.
- Using holdover time as a guarantee in heavy precipitation.
- Forgetting passenger oxygen duration.
- Planning a diversion without rechecking mass and landing performance.