Operational Procedures — Page 51, Lesson 76

I want to walk you through the pre-flight requirements and operational procedures that every professional pilot must know before a flight. Let's start with the equipment and documentation checks. First, the instruments and equipment required by subpart K of EU-OPS must be available on the aircraft. That means they must be fitted and serviceable — in other words, installed and working properly. The only exception is if the Minimum Equipment List, or MEL, permits certain items to be unserviceable. The MEL is a document that tells you which equipment can be inoperative and still allow the flight to go ahead safely. Next, the necessary parts of the Operations Manual — the OM — must be on board the aeroplane. The OM is the airline's own set of procedures and policies. You also need all the documents required by EU-OPS to be physically on the aircraft. Now, for navigation: you must have current maps and charts, or equivalent data such as a current FMS database — that's the Flight Management System database — to cover the entire flight, including any diversion you might anticipate. The documentation should also include any necessary conversion tables, for example converting height in feet to height in metres. This is important because different countries or procedures might use different units. You also need to confirm that ground facilities and services are available and adequate for your flight. And you must be able to comply with the Operations Manual requirements concerning fuel, oil, oxygen, minimum safe altitudes, the Aerodrome Operating Minima — that's the AOM — and the availability of diversion aerodromes. The load must be properly distributed and properly secured. This is critical for the aircraft's centre of gravity and structural integrity. You also need to ensure that the mass of the aeroplane at the start of the take-off roll will be such that the flight can be conducted in accordance with EU-OPS. In other words, your take-off weight must be within the certified limits. Finally, any additional limitations required by the operator or the Authority must be complied with. Let's move on to the ATS Flight Plan. ATS stands for Air Traffic Services. The operator must ensure that an ATS flight plan is submitted — or filed — for each flight. Alternatively, adequate information must be communicated to the ATS Authority so that the alerting service can be activated if needed. The alerting service is the system that will search for you if you go missing. The ATS flight plan is produced and filed after the operational flight planning process has been completed — so it's the final step before you're ready to go. Now, refuelling and de-fuelling. This is a critical safety area. Refuelling of aeroplanes is not permitted with Avgas or wide cut fuels when passengers are on board, embarking, or disembarking. Avgas is aviation gasoline used in piston-engine aircraft. Wide cut fuels include Jet B, which is a mixture of gasoline and kerosene. If other fuels are being used, such as Jet A1 — which is the standard kerosene-based jet fuel — then procedures must be established to ensure that the aeroplane is properly manned by qualified personnel who are ready to initiate an immediate evacuation by the most expeditious means. That means the fastest way out. Next, crew members at duty stations. Each member of the flight crew must be at their designated duty station for take-off and landing. During all other phases of flight, each crew member must remain alert and at the duty station, unless their duties in connection with the operation require them to leave, or for physiological needs — that means using the lavatory. At least one suitably qualified pilot must be at the controls at all times. If unexpected fatigue is experienced, the commander may authorize a rest period if workload permits. That rest period is not to be included in flight time limitation considerations — it's separate from your legal duty time limits. Finally, all cabin crew must be seated at their assigned stations during critical phases of flight, which typically include take-off, landing, and any other high-workload periods.