Crew, Logs and Records — Page 102, Lesson 160

I want to walk you through the section on Crew, Logs and Records, starting with Difference and Familiarization Training. If a pilot is already qualified to fly a particular type of aeroplane, and the operator introduces a variant of that type — or another type within the same class — or changes the procedures or equipment on a type or variant the pilot currently operates, then difference training is required. Difference training focuses on additional knowledge and hands-on practice, either on an approved training device or in the actual aeroplane. The key point is that it targets the specific differences between what the pilot already knows and the new variant, procedure, or equipment. Familiarization training is a related but distinct concept. It involves acquiring additional knowledge when a pilot begins operating another type or variant, or when procedures or equipment change. The difference is one of scope: familiarization is about gaining general familiarity with something new, while difference training is more targeted and often includes practical training on a device or in the aeroplane. Now let's move to Recurrent Training and Checking. Operators must ensure that every flight crew member undergoes recurrent training and checking that is relevant to the type and variant of aeroplane they operate. The specific training and checking requirements are laid out in the Operations Manual, or OM. The OM specifies that this training and checking must include six elements: Operator Proficiency Checks, Line Checks, Emergency and Safety Equipment training and checking, Crew Resource Management training — which is CRM training — Ground and Refresher training, and Aeroplane or Synthetic Training Device training, often abbreviated as STD. Let's look at the Operator Proficiency Check in detail. Each crew member must undergo this check in accordance with EU-OPS. The check requires a pilot to demonstrate proficiency and competence in carrying out normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures. There's an important condition: if the pilot is required to operate under Instrument Flight Rules, or IFR, the check must be conducted without external reference — meaning the pilot cannot look outside for visual cues; they must rely solely on the instruments. The period of validity for an Operator Proficiency Check is six calendar months, plus the remainder of the month in which the check was issued. So if you pass on the 15th of March, the check is valid for the rest of March plus six full calendar months. There's also a rule called the three-month rule. If a subsequent check is carried out within the last three months of the current check's validity, the expiry date of the new check will be six months from the expiry date of the previous check — not from the date the new check was taken. Let me give you the example from the text. Suppose your current check validity expires on 31 December. You pass a new Operator Proficiency Check on 1 October. Because 1 October falls within the last three months of the current check's validity — that is, October, November, December — the new check's validity period will be extended to 30 June of the next year. That's six months from the previous expiry date of 31 December. Finally, Line Checks. Each flight crew member must undergo a line check to demonstrate competence in carrying out normal line operations as described in the Operations Manual. The period of validity for a line check is 12 months, dated from the last day of the month of issue. And the three-month rule applies here as well, just as it does for the Operator Proficiency Check.