Airworthiness Requirements Flashcards
What documents are required to be on board the aircraft at all times (and dates)?
A - Airworthiness Certificate (visible at all times, no
expiration)
R - Registration Certificate (every 3 years)
R - Radio Certificate (int’l flights)
O - Operators Manual (or POH, for that specific aircraft)
and placards (compass deviation card/external data
plate)
W - Weight & Balance (current and specific to aircraft)
Aircraft Maintenance
The aircraft is airworthy as long as maintenance, preventative maintenance and alterations are performed. Maintenance on aircraft is based on Tach time.
- Annual – An annual inspection is usually done for owner aircraft. This inspection is done once a year. Done Feb 2015, Due Feb 28, 2016. You can substitute and Annual for a 100 hour inspection.
- 100 Hour – This inspection is done for all rental aircraft.
- Progressive System – This inspection is done for very large fleets of rented aircraft. 4 events is equal to 1 cycle. 1 cycle has to be completed in one year. Event 1 may be the engine. Event 2 the airframe. Event 3 the interior. Event 4 the propeller.
Basics of Maintenance:
When an Annual is performed, an A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) mechanic will pull off all inspection covers, perform an oil change, cylinder compression checks, check brakes, brake pads, tires, pull the interior out, check cables, pulleys, check AD’s, ect. The inspection can take up to several days and is signed off by the IA (Inspection Authorization). An A&P cannot sign off the aircraft. The IA has more training and also is required to do re-currency training to maintain the IA. The airworthy endorsement must contain the name, signature and IA number to be legal.
AD’s (Airworthiness Directives)
Legally enforceable regulations issued by FAA in accordance with 14 CFR part 39 to correct an unsafe condition in a product.
Issued when an unsafe condition exists in a product, AND the condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of same type design.
Three types:
1. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
2. Final Rule; Request for comments
3. Emergency AD’s - unsafe conditiona exists that
require immediate action
Standard AD’s are usually One Time or Recurring (every 500 hours, ect.)
During your annual inspection, your mechanic will check your aircraft, engine, propeller and any other components to determine if there are ADs that apply. The mechanic will typically produce a compliance record detailing the applicability, status, and next due date or time if appropriate.You need to be familiar with this list, and especially for recurring ADs, you need to know when they are next due.
Service Bulletin (SB’s)
- Issued by Manufacturer to correct hazards and
maintain safety - NOT MANDATORY
- Two types: Standard & Emergency
Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins (SAIB)
Information tool that alerts, eduacates & makes recommendations to the aviation community
Contain non-regulatory info & guidance that does not meet the criteria for an AD
Aircraft Logbooks
- Engine Logbooks – Contain compression checks, AD’s, Oil & filter change and engine time. Compression’s need to be over 50 to be legal, normal checks are 70 to 75.
- Aircraft Logbooks – Contain the Pitot Static/Transponder Check (Every 24 months), the ELT Battery check (Battery checked every year, replaced every 2 years or if 50% has been used. To check the ELT, 121.50 first 5 minutes of every hour for 3 swipes). Propeller endorsement for single-engine fixed pitch aircraft.
- Propeller logbook – All aircraft that have a variable pitch constant speed propeller must have an endorsement to be airworthy.
Registration
The aircraft registration is valid for 3 years to be airworthy. Is effective, unless suspended or revoked, until the date upon which –
- The aircraft is registered under the laws of a foreign country.
- Is cancelled at the written request of the holder of the certificate.
- The aircraft is totally destroyed or scrapped.
- Ownership is transferred.
- The holder of the certificate loses U.S. Citizenship.
- 30 days have lapse since the death of the holder of certificate.
- Loses status as a resident alien.
Inspection Authorized (IA) Mechanics
Inspection authorized (IA) mechanics are mechanics who have both Airframe and Powerplant certification and may perform inspections on aircraft and return them to service. IA mechanics are able to do a wider variety of maintenance activities and alterations than any other type of maintenance personnel. They can do comprehensive annual inspections or return aircraft to service after a major repair.
Operating Limits and Weight and Balance
Operating Limits are in section 2 and weight and balance is in section 6 of the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), which has to be in the aircraft to be airworthy.
Checkride – You have to prove the aircraft is airworthy to the Examiner. You will take the aircraft logbooks to the exam and show him the following:
- Engine Logbook – Show the date, any AD’s and if it’s a Annual, 100 hour or Progressive inspection. Name, date and signature of the IA.
- Aircraft Logbook – Show the date, any AD’s, ELT check, Pitot Static/Transponder check, name, date and signature of IA that should match the date in the Engine Logbook.
- Propeller Logbook – If fixed Pitch, should be in the aircraft logbook, if constant speed: Show date, any AD’s, name, date and signature of IA.
- Airworthiness Certificate – This is usually done in the aircraft.
- Registration Certificate – This is usually done in the aircraft.
What is the required equipment for your aircraft for VFR flight? (FAR 91.205)
T - Tachometer
O - Oil Pressure Gauge
M - Magnetic Direction Indicator (Compass)
A - Airspeed Indicator
T - Temperature Gauge (water-cooled engine)
O - Oil Temperature Gauge
F - Fuel Gauges
L - Landing Gear Position Indicator Lights
A - Altimeter
A - Anti-Collision Light System (For small civil a/c
certificated after March 11, 1996, red or white
anti-collision light system required)
M - Manifold Pressure Gauge (altitude Engine)
E - Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)
S - Seat Belts & Shoulder Harness (Front Seats)
What is the required equipment for your aircraft during night VFR flight?
VFR Day equipment plus:
A - Anti-collision Lights (Strobe, Red or White)
P - Position Lights (Wing and Tail lights)
E - Electrical Source
S - Spare Fuses (doesn’t apply if circuit breakers used)
Required Inspections and Airplane Logbook Documentation
A - Airworthiness Directives
V - VOR Check (Every 30 days for IFR)
I - Inspections (100 hour & Annual)
A - Altimeter / Pitot-Static System (24 mo’s)
T - Transponder (24 mo’s)
E - ELT (12 mo’s or: replaced/recharged if used for >1 hr
cumulatively or if 50% of useful life has expired)
Each owner/operator shall ensure that appropriate entries be made in the maintenance records/engine logbook indicating the aircraft is approved to return to service
VOR Check
- FAR 91.171
- Required every 30 days for aircraft operating IFR
- May be performed by any pilot
100 Hour Inspection
- FAR 91.409 (b)
- Aircraft operated for hire/flight instruction must have
either an annual inspection or a 100 hour inspection
every 100 hour’s in service - Time in service = time a/c leaves ground to when it
lands - Time in service generally calculated with the
tachometer - 100 hour limit may be exceeded by no more than 10
hours for the sole purpose of flying to a location
where the inspection can be completed
i. Any excess time over the 100 hour due time will
be subtracted from the next 100-hr inspection
Annual Inspection
- FAR 91.409 (a)
- Required for All Aircraft
- Completed every 12 calendar months, expiring at the
end of the month 1 year after inspection - Must be completed & properly endorsed by a
mechanic with an inspection Authorization (IA)
Altimeter / Pitot-Static System Inspection
- FAR 91.411
- Must be tested & Inspected every 24 months
- Tests must be conducted by: manufacturer, certified
repair station, certified mechanic with airframe rating
(pitot) - Equipment approved under technical standard orders
are considered tested & inspected as of manufacturer
date - Cannot operate in controlled airspace under IFR at
altitude above max altitude altimeter has been tested
Transponder Inspection
- 91.413
- Must be tested & Inspected every 24 months
- Tests must be conducted by:
1. Certified repair station
2. Holder of continuous airworthiness maintenance
program
3. Manufacturer of a/c on which transponder is to
be installed
Emergency Locator Transmitter
- FAR 91.207
- Tested & Inspected every 12 Months
- Replaced or Recharged if either:
i. Transmitter has been used for more than 1 hour
cumulatively
ii. 50% of its useful life has expired
Required by all U.S. civil airplane category aircraft except as provided below [91.207(e) and (f)].
- Transmits on 121.5 MHz or the newer 406 MHz
- Expiration date for replacing (or recharging) the battery must be legibly marked on the outside of the transmitter and entered in the aircraft maintenance record.
- Testing of an analog 121.5 ELT can only be done within the first five minutes after the hour, and you may transmit no more than three audible sweeps.
- Airborne tests are not authorized for any ELT.
Determining Airworthiness of Aircraft with Inoperative Instruments/Equip
Does the aircraft use an MEL? - Not likely for non-commercial GA Aircraft.
If the aircraft does not use a MEL, you must check to see if the inoperative equipment is listed in below documents:
R - Regulations (FAR 91.205) A - Airworthiness Directives (AD's) K - KOEL/MEL E - Equipment List T - Type Certification Data Sheet S - Safety of Flight
Type Certification Data Sheet (TCDS)
A TCDS is an FAA document that records the type certification data of a product (such as control surface
movement limits, operating limitations, placards, and weight and balance) that may also be
available in the flight manual or maintenance manual in accordance with FAA Order 8110.4.
The TCDS has the same regulatory status as the type design, operating limitations, and
regulations applicable to the product.
- includes general information about the design such as dimensions, wing loading, limiting airspeeds and required placards and markings, control surface travel, engine installations and, where applicable, approved engine/propeller combinations
Aircraft Equipment List (from RAKETS)
The aircraft’s equipment list is found in Chap 6 of the AFM/POH. Equipment required for FAA certificate will be annotated – typically as –R.
The Kinds of Operation Equipment List is found in Chap 2 of the AFM/POH.
required to be operational by an airworthiness directive? (RAKETS)
Very rare; you’d have to check the current AD compliance record in the aircraft’s logbooks.
Procedures for inoperative equipment deemed not required following MEL & RAKETS
If not required, the inoperative equipment or instrument can be:
Removed from the aircraft, the cockpit control placarded, and the maintenance recorded in accordance with §43.9 of this chapter;
OR
Deactivated and placarded “Inoperative.” If deactivation of the inoperative instrument or equipment involves maintenance, it must be accomplished and recorded in accordance with part 43 of this chapter;
AND
A determination is made by a pilot, who is certificated and appropriately rated under part 61 of this chapter, or by a person, who is certificated and appropriately rated to perform maintenance on the aircraft, that the inoperative instrument or equipment does not constitute a hazard to the aircraft.
Minimum Equipment List (MEL)
- AC 91-67
- MEL: is a precise listing of instruments, equipment, and procedures that allows an aircraft to be operated under specific conditions with inoperative equipment.
The MEL is the specific inoperative equipment document for a particular make and model aircraft by serial and registration numbers; e.g., BE-200, N12345. A FAR Part 91 MEL consists of the MMEL for a particular type aircraft, the MMEL’s preamble, the procedures document, and a LOA. The FAA consider the MEL as an SC. As such, the MEL permits operation of the aircraft under specified conditions with certain equipment inoperative.
- Very rare on training aircraft
MEL Checkride Questions
For MEL questions, its typical for the examiner to ask if your aircraft has an MEL, which as you see from 91.213 is the first question to answer in determining airworthiness with inoperative equipment. Its very unlikely that your training airplane is operating under an MEL, which is distinctively different from the Kinds of Operation limits that may be in Chapter 2 of your airplane’s AFM, or the equipment list published in Chapter 6 of your airplane’s AFM.
The FAA publishes master MELs (MMELs) for aircraft that are typically operated under a certificate (Part 121 or 135).
Kind of Operations Equipment List (KOEL)
List of equipment installed in an aircraft that specifies for which kinds of operations a specific piece of equipment is required
Published by manufacturer as part of limitations section of Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) or POH
Required discrepancy records or Placards
- Compass Deviation card
- Maneuvering Speed (Va)
- Day-Night-VFR-IFR Placard
Where is the Airworthiness Certificate located in the aircraft? Expiration Date?
- Must be present in cabin or cockpit entrance where it is legible to the passengers or crew.
- No, it remains valid for as long as it meets its type design, and is in a condition for safe operation, and maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations are performed in accordance to FAA standards
Airworthiness Directives and Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins.
AD: the FAA notifies aircraft owners of unsafe conditions that may exist because of design defects, maintenance, or other causes and mandatory compliance must be made by the aircraft owners.
SAIB: contains non-regulatory information tool, that alerts the aircraft community and provides guidance that does not meet the AD criteria.
What is the purpose for obtaining a Special Flight Permit?
A special flight permit may be issued for an aircraft that may not currently meet applicable airworthiness requirements but is capable of safe flight, for the following purposes:
(1) Flying the aircraft to a base where repairs, alterations, or maintenance are to be performed, or to a point of storage.
Preventive Maintenance a pilot can perform
FAR 43.Appendix A Paragraph C
-Simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations
Flying with inoperative equipment
FAR 91.205 & 207
If inoperative equipment is found before flight you could:
- cancel the flight
- obtain maintenance prior to flight
- defer item or equipment
See if inoperative equipment is required by reference of POH’s MEL or KOEL (RAKETS)
Inoperative Equipment Repair Regulations
If any other item is inoperative, 91.405(d) states that it should be placarded as required by 43.11(b)
- Following scheduled inspections: Aircraft shall have discrepancies repaired (91.405(c)) unless permitted to be inoperative by 91.213(d)(2)
- Maintenance personnel shall make appropriate entries in the aircrafts maintenance records indicating the aircraft has been approved for return to service (FAR 91.405(b))
Equipment impacting safety of flight must be repaired, but items that are not required may remain inoperative indefinitely provided they are appropriately placarded.
When is an ELT not required?
Operating without an ELT, a person may: [91.207(e)]
- Ferry a newly acquired airplane from the place where possession of it was taken to a place where the ELT is to be installed; and
- Ferry an airplane with an inoperative ELT from a place where repairs or replacements cannot be made to a place where they can be made.
- No person other than required crewmembers may be carried aboard an airplane being ferried for the purpose of ELT installation or repairs.
See 91.207(f) for operations where ELT requirements do not apply
To which operations do ELT regulations of 91.207(a) not apply?
91.207 (f)
Aircraft while engaged in scheduled air carrier flights;
Aircraft while engaged in training operations conducted entirely within a 50 nm radius of the airport from which such local flight operations began;
Aircraft while engaged in flight operations incident to design and testing;
New aircraft while engaged in flight operations incident to their manufacture, preparation and delivery;
Aircraft while engaged in flight operations incident to the aerial application of chemicals and other substances for agricultural purposes;
Aircraft certified by the administrator for research and development purposes;
Aircraft while used for showing compliance with regulations, crew training, exhibition, air racing, or market surveys;
Aircraft equipped to carry not more than one person; and (continued in FAR)
What type of preventative maintenance can you perform as a private pilot?
Preventive maintenance is limited to the following work, provided it does not involve complex assembly operations:
(1) Removal, installation, and repair of landing gear tires.
(2) Replacing elastic shock absorber cords on landing gear.
(3) Servicing landing gear shock struts by adding oil, air, or both.
(4) Servicing landing gear wheel bearings, such as cleaning and greasing.
(5) Replacing defective safety wiring or cotter keys.
(6) Lubrication not requiring disassembly other than removal of nonstructural items such as cover plates, cowlings, and fairings.
(7) Making simple fabric patches not requiring rib stitching or the removal of structural parts or control surfaces.
(8) Replenishing hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir.
(9) Refinishing decorative coating of fuselage
continued in CFR part 43
What record keeping is required after performance of preventative maintenance?
Logged in appropriate logbook:
Airframe Maintenance: Airframe Logbook
Powerplant Maintenance: Powerplant logbook
Unclear: Log in Both
All pilots who perform preventative maintenance must make an entry in maintenance record of aircraft with description of work, date of completion, pilot’s name, signature, certificate #, type of certificate held
FAR 43.7 - who can perform preventative maintenance
Issue of Special Flight Permits
Except as provided in §21.197(c), an applicant for a special flight permit must submit a statement in a form and manner prescribed by the FAA, indicating—
(1) The purpose of the flight.
(2) The proposed itinerary.
(3) The crew required to operate the aircraft and its equipment, e.g., pilot, co-pilot, navigator, etc.
(4) The ways, if any, in which the aircraft does not comply with the applicable airworthiness requirements.
(5) Any restriction the applicant considers necessary for safe operation of the aircraft.
(6) Any other information considered necessary by the FAA for the purpose of prescribing operating limitations.
