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Chief’s
Corner – February 2010
The following article was written by Bruce Morey.Bruce served as the Grey Eagle Chief Flight Instructor from late 2006 to early 2008. He left to embark on an
airline career which was marked by a quick promotion followed by a quick
furlough. Bruce has returned to us as Assistant Chief Instructor.
I am thrilled to be back at Grey Eagle! Airline flying has its challenges and rewards. However the flight instructing profession has its own distinct fulfillment and
satisfaction. I cannot think of any work more exciting than helping Grey Eagle continue to be the finest flight school in Southern California.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of preflight
planning and inspections. We have all heard the saying, “Proper planning prevents piss-poor performance.” So many aviation incidents and accidents
could have been prevented if just a small effort had been made during preflight
planning and preparation. For now, I would like to discuss documents required on board the aircraft.
AROW Documents
The FAA and the manufacturer issue the Airworthiness
Certificate when the aircraft is built. It has no expiration date. In the
words of the Federal Government, “A standard airworthiness certificate remains
valid as long as the aircraft meets its approved type design, is in a condition for safe operation, maintenance, preventative maintenance, and alterations are performed in accordance with 14 CFR parts 21, 43, and 91.”
Aircraft registration certificates also have no expiration date. They are no longer valid if the aircraft is permanently moved outside the country, the aircraft is totally destroyed or scrapped, there is a change of owner, or thirty days have elapsed since the death of the holder of the certificate.
Temporary registration forms are used when a change of ownership occurs. Temp registration forms are pink and they do have expiration dates. They
are only valid for 90 days. If you happen to fly an airplane with a temp registration form, check the date to be sure it has not expired.
Operating Limitations are
usually found in three places:
1.
Listed in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook or
Aircraft Flight Manual.
2.
Shown as caution or warning indications on
various instruments or indicators.
3.
Specified on placards which may be placed throughout the interior and exterior of the aircraft. Diagrams of each placard are also depicted in the POH/AFM. If a placard specified in the POH/AFM is missing or illegible, the aircraft is not airworthy.
The required weight and balance documentation is specific to each airplane. Each airplane has its own weight and center of gravity, different from every other airplane. All Skyhawks are not created equal. Aircraft weight and balance data must be
updated anytime equipment is installed, removed, or replaced. The weight and balance documentation on board the aircraft must match the aircraft registration or “N” number and serial number. Generic or sample information found in POH’s do not fulfill this requirement.
Each time you fly, spend thirty seconds to insure that the required documents are onboard. Do not assume that because the docs where there last week, they are still there now. Sometimes a document is taken into the office for administrative reasons and then someone forgets to put it back in the plane. The PIC is ultimately responsible to determine if an aircraft is airworthy. If an FAA Safety Inspector finds that you have operated an aircraft without the proper docs on board, your pilot
certificate may be subject to suspension or revocation. We will do our best to provide you an airworthy aircraft. Do your best to check that we have done so.
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