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01-B: Airworthiness Requirements

Knowledge

K1: General airworthiness requirements and compliance for airplanes

K1a: Location and expiration dates of required aircraft certificates

  • ARROW
    • Airworthiness certificate
      • must be openly displayed (it is the first letter in the acronym, thus the most important)
      • valid as long as maintenance is performed compliantly
      • airworthiness requirements
        • airworthiness certificate
        • type design conformity (valid maintenance, inoperative equipment procedures inkl. placards)
        • safe conditions for flight (as determined per preflight)
    • Registration
      • valid for 7 years
      • must be updated after an aircraft sale, even before doing a ferry flight to the pilot's home airport
      • on board
    • Radio station license
      • only required for international flights
    • Operating limitations
      • in the FAA-approved POH
    • Weight and balance data, comprising 1) POH section on weight and balance data 2) current weight and balance report updating the POH data

K1b: Required inspections and airplane logbook documentation

  • responsibilities
    • owner's or operator's responsibility
      • maintaining an aircraft in airthworthy condition
      • other
        • have an aiworthiness certificate
        • have an aircraft registration
        • have an aircraft radio station license if needed
        • perform maintenance (incl. AD compliance)
        • record maintenance
        • inform FAA of aircraft sale
        • inform FAA about personal status (address, citizenship)
    • PIC's responsibility
      • ensuring the safety (and thus airworthiness) of the aircraft prior to the flight
  • Main components that require inspections
    • Airframe
    • Power plant
    • Prop
    • Avionics
  • Required main component inspections:
    • 100 hour inspections
      • if aircraft is used for hire or flight instruction
      • can be exceeded by 10 hours, but the next 100-hour inspection still is required 100h after the actual due date (to avoid incentivizing late inspections)
      • flight training in private aircraft does not require 100 hour inspections
      • can be performed by any airframe and powerplant mechanic
    • annual (every aircraft certified by the FAA)
      • must be performed by an A&P mechanic with Inspection Authority (IA)
  • Individual components that require inspections or replacement
    • ELT [starts with E… Eins, … ein Jahr und eine Stunde; transmits on 121.5]
      • Inspected
        • every 12 months
      • replaced
        • After 1h of continued operation or below half battery life
      • tested
        • during the first 5 minutes past the hour
      • other mnemonic:
        • 121.5 -> 12|1|.5
        • must be inspected every 12 months
        • must be replaced every 1 hour of cumulative use or after .5 of the battery life
    • Transponder (part 43) [transponder… starts with T… every two years]
      • Inspected
        • every 24 months
    • Altimeter and static system within the last 24 calendar months (91.411)
    • Parachutes
      • packed in the preceding 180 days for synthetic mateiral
      • packed in the preceding 60 days for natural materials (silk, fiber, pongee)
    • VOR (IFR only), tested within the last 30 days
  • mnemonic: AV1ATE
    • Annual
    • VOR
    • 100
    • Altimeter and pitot-static system
    • Transponder
    • ELT
  • preventive maintenance
    • actions are exhaustively defined in Part 43, Appendix A
    • can be performed and approved by a private pilot or above
    • must be documented with signature, certificate number, kind of certificate
  • potential change of flight characteristics
    • require a test flight
      • of at least a private pilot
      • without any passengers
      • (compensation/hire without passengers is ok)

K1c: Airworthiness directives and special airworthiness information bulletins

  • https://drs.faa.gov/browse/ADFRAWD/doctypeDetails?Status=Current&Make=Cessna%20Aircraft%20Company&Model=172

  • AD compliance must be ensured by the owner/operator

  • AD compliance must be documented in the logbook
    • for one time ADs: with the AD number, revision date, and compliance method
    • for recurring ADs: additionally with the time and date of the next required action
  • AD types
    • emergency ADs (fleet groundings)
    • non-urgent ADs
  • type certificate sheets
    • type certificate data sheet (TCDS)
      • lists airworthiness properties of an aircraft as part of the manufacturer's aircraft development process
    • supplemental type certificate (STC)
      • updates to the TCDS

K1d: Purpose and procedure for obtaining a special flight permit

  • purpose:
    • performing flights that would normally not be compliant with ADs or regulations, but are generally safe for flight, e.g.,
      • ferry flights to a repair base
  • obtaining a special flight permit:
    • provide exact aircraft, route, and crew data to the FSDO or Designated Airworthiness Representative

K2: Pilot-performed preventive maintenance

  • exhaustive list of preventive maintenance actions provided in FAR Part 43, Appendix A c)
  • can be performed by a private pilot
  • must be logged in the maintenance logbook

K3: Equipment requirements for day and night VFR flight

Figure: ATOMATOFLAMES ATOMATOFLAMES

K3a: Flying with inoperative equipment

K3b: Using an approved minimum equipment list (MEL)

  • copy ForeFlight procedure

K3c: Kinds of Operation Equipment List

K3d: Required discrepancy records or placards

  • listed in the POH limitations section

K4: Standard and special airworthiness certificates and their associated operational limits

  • Standard ADs:
    • can be searched on the FAA Dynamic Regulatory System webpage:
      • https://drs.faa.gov/browse/ADFRAWD/doctypeDetails?Status=Current&Make=Cessna%20Aircraft%20Company&Model=172
  • experimental or special light-sport aircraft (pink instead of white paper)
    • experimental operating limitations are part of the airworthiness certificate
    • the operating limitations must be attached to the special airworthiness certificate (Form 8130-7)
    • do not have an FAA-approve flight manual
    • cannot be flown over densely populated areas or in congested airways
  • restricted category civili aircraft
    • cannot be flown over densely populated areas

Risk

R1: Inoperative equipment prior to flight

Skills

S1: Locate and ddescribe airplane airworthiness and registration information

S2: Determine the airplane is airworthy in the scenario given by the evaluator

S3: Apply appropriate procedures for operating with inoperative equipment in the scenario given by the evaluator