Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations and ICAO Standards
What the exam tests
This domain checks whether you can apply the Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations (PCAR), CAAP licensing rules, and ICAO Annex standards to day-to-day dispatch. Expect questions on the hierarchy of rules, the air operator certificate (AOC), operations specifications (OpSpecs), flight dispatcher licensing and currency, recordkeeping, and enforcement. ICAO Annexes provide the international baseline; PCAR adopts and supplements them for Philippine operations.
Core rules
- The AOC authorizes the operator; OpSpecs state the specific aircraft types, routes, approaches, minima, MEL authority, dangerous goods approval, and special operations permitted.
- A flight dispatcher exercises joint responsibility with the pilot-in-command for flight preparation and flight watch under the operator's approved procedures.
- Licensing requirements normally include knowledge, experience, medical fitness where applicable, and recurrent competency checks. Do not dispatch outside your certificate privileges or the operator's OpSpecs.
- Records must be legible, retained for the required period, and available to CAAP inspectors.
Worked example
An operator holds an AOC for A320 operations but its OpSpecs do not authorize RNP AR approaches. A dispatcher plans an RNP AR alternate because weather is marginal. Correct action: do not use that approach in the release; select an authorized precision or non-precision approach, verify crew qualification and aircraft capability, and document the change. The AOC alone is not enough; the specific OpSpec line is the authority.
Traps
Treating ICAO Annexes as automatically overriding the PCAR or OpSpecs; assuming an AOC covers every route or approach; missing expiry dates on licences, checks, or approvals; and accepting verbal approval without a record. OpSpecs are binding and specific.