Private Pilot Oral Examination (Pages 14-29)

What is the difference between standard and special airworthiness certificates?

Standard:

• White Paper

• Issued for normal, utility, acrobatic, commuter, transport category aircraft

Special:

• Pink Paper

• Issued for primary, restricted, or limited category aircraft and light sport aircraft

What is an experimental airworthiness certificate?

• Experimental category

• Does not have a type certificate

  or

• Does not confirm to a type certificate yet

Also issued for primary kit built aircraft assembled without quality control

What does an airworthiness certificate need to comply with to remain valid?

Compliance with Parts 21, 43, and 91.

What are the two conditions an aircraft must meet to be considered airworthy?

• Must conform to its type design (type certificate)

• Must be in condition for safe operation

How does a pilot know an aircraft conform to its approved type design and safe condition?

Approved type design: Complies with required inspections, maintenance, preventive maintenance, repairs, and alterations (and properly documented)

Safe Operation: Conducting a thorough preflight inspection

You need to fly your aircraft with an expired AD to another airport where a repair facility can do the work accomplished by the AD. How can you accomplish this? What regulation allows this?

14 CFR 21.199

• Special Flight Permit

• Apply to the FAA

• Unless the AD states otherwise

What is a type certificate data sheet?

Issued for when a new aircraft, engine, propeller, etc. when:

• Meets the safety standards by the FAA

Lists that were met for the specified product:

• Specifications

• Conditions

• Limitations

• Other considerations (crew, fuel, limits, etc)

What is a supplemental type certificate?

FAA’s approval of a major change in the type design of a previously approved type certificated product.

Considered permanent records of an aircraft (should be maintained in the logs)

Where is an aircraft registration certificate filed with?

FAA Aircraft Registry

Issued to the owner

How can an aircraft registration certificate expire?

• Issuance of Aircraft Registration Certificate

• Denial of application by the FAA

• 12 months elapsed of pending registration

Where can you find the information on the placards and marking information required to be in the airplane?

FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet or Aircraft Specification

(required placards are reproduced in the limitations section of the airplane flight manual or by an AD)

Placards vs. Markings

Placards:

• “Day-Night-VFR-IFR placard”

• “Flight Maneuvers Permitted’

• “Caution Control Lock Remove before Starting”

• “Compass Calibration Card”

Markings:

• Airspeed Indicator Markings

• Cockpit Control Markings

• Fuel

• Oil

• Coolant Filler Openings

What are the required tests and inspections to be performed on the aircraft? (Including IFR)

AAV1ATE

A: Annual Inspection (within preceding 12 months)

• [14 CFR 91.409]

A: Airworthiness Directives

• [14 CFR 91.403]

V: VOR Inspection (every 30 days)

• [14 CFR 91.171]

1: 100 hour inspection (if used for hire or flight instruction a CFI provides)

• [14 CFR 91.409]

A: Altimeter, altitude reporting equipment, and static pressure system tested and inspection (for IFR)

• [14 CFR 91.411]

T: Transponder tests and inspections (every 24 calendar months)

• [14 CFR 91.413]

E: Emergency located transmitter (every 12 calendar months)

• [14 CFR 91.207]

Who can perform an annual inspection?

Only an A&P (airframe and powerplant rated) technician holding an inspection authorization (IA) can conduct an annual inspection.

Which aircraft is required to have 100 hour inspections?

• All aircraft under 12,500 pounds used for hire

  • except turbojet/turbo propeller-powered multiengine airplanes and turbine power rotorcraft

• Aircraft used for flight instruction for hire (when provided by the person giving the flight instruction

What is the difference between the annual inspection and 100 hour inspection?

Annual:

• Conducted by an A&P + IA

100 Hour:

• Conducted by an A&P

Part 43, Appendix D contains a list of items to be checked during inspections

If an aircraft has an inspection ever 100 hours, can it be overflown?

It can only be overflown by 10 hours to a place where the inspection can be done (and those hours must be included in computing the next 100 hours of time in service)

If an aircraft has an overdue annual inspection date, can it be overflown?

It can only be overflown under a Special Flight Permit issued by the FAA for flying to an aircraft to the location where the annual inspection can be performed.

All applicable ADs that are due must be complied with before the flight.

What are special flight permits and when are they used?

Special Flight Permit: May be issued for an aircraft that may not currently meet applicable airworthiness requirements but is capable of safe flight

• Flying an aircraft to a base where repairs, alterations, or maintenance are to be performed or to a point of storage

• Delivering or exporting an aircraft

• Production flight testing new-production aircraft

• Evacuating aircraft from areas of impending danger

• Conducting customer demonstration flights in new-production aircraft that have satisfactorily complete production flight tests)

How is a Special Flight Permit obtained?

If needed, assistance and forms may be obtain from the local FSDO (flight standards district office) or Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR)

What regulations apply for operating an aircraft that had alterations or repairs that may have substantially affected its operation in flight?

No person may operate or carry passengers in any aircraft that has performed such maintenance or alteration until a appropriately rated pilot with at least a private pilot certificate:

• Flies the aircraft

• Makes an operational check of the maintenance performed or alteration made

• Logs the flight in the aircraft records

Can a pilot legally conduct flight operations with known inoperative equipment onboard?

Yes with conditions.

Part 91.213 states acceptable methods for operation of an aircraft with certain inoperative instruments and equipment that are not essential for safe flight:

They are:

• Operation of an aircraft with a minimum equipment list (MEL) 14 CFR 91.213(a) or

• Operation of an aircraft without a MEL under 14 CFR 91.213(d)

Under 14 CFR 91.213(d) [operation of an aircraft without an MEL], what limitations apply to the aircraft operation?

When inoperative equipment is found during preflight or prior to departure, the decision should be to

• cancel the flight

• obtain maintenance prior to flight

• defer the item or equipment

Maintenance deferrals are not used for inflight discrepancies. The manufacturers POH/AFRM procedures are to be used in those situations.

During preflight inspection in an aircraft that doesn’t have an MEL, you notice that an instrument or equipment item is inoperative. Describe how you will determine if the aircraft is still airworthy for flight.

Ask yourself:

1. Are the inoperative instruments or equipment part of the VFR-day type certification?

2. Are the inoperative instruments or equipment listed as “required” on the aircraft’s equipment list, or “kinds of operations equipment list"" (KOEL) for the kind of flight operation being conducted?

3. Are the inoperative instruments or equipment required by 14 CFR 91.205 [i.e. VFR night], 91.207 [ELT], or any other rule of Part 91 for the specific kind of flight operation being conducted?

4. Are the inoperative instruments or equipment required to be operational by an Airworthiness Directive (AD)? Check the aircraft maintenance logs and/or consult with a maintenance technician to determine AD compliance.

5. At this point, the inoperative instruments or equipment must be: REMOVED or DEACTIVATED AND PLACARDED

6. Lastly, determination is made by a certificated and appropriately rated pilot or mechanic that the inoperative instrument or equipment does not constitute a hazard to the aircraft for the anticipated conditions of the flight

Minimum Equipment List (MEL) vs. Aircraft’s Equipment List

Minimum Equipment List:

• Precise listing of instruments equipment, and procedures that allow an aircraft to be operated under specific conditions with inoperative equipment

• Specific inoperative document for a particular make and model aircraft by serial and registration numbers

• FAA approved MEL only includes items of equipment that the FAA deems may be inoperative and still maintain an acceptable level of safety with appropriate conditions and limitations

Aircraft Equipment List:

• Lists all the equipment originally installed on the aircraft

What instruments are needed for VFR day flight?

A TOMATO FLMAES

A: Anticollision Light System (aviation red or white for small airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996)

T: Tachometer for each engine

O: Oil pressure gauge for each engine

M: Manifold pressure gauge for each altitude engine

A: Altimeter

T: Temperature gauge for each liquid-cooled engine

O: Oil temperature gauge for each air-cooled engine

F: Fuel gauge indicated the quantity in each tank

L: Landing gear position indicator (if applicable)

A: Airspeed indicator

M: Magnetic direction indicator

E: Emergency located transmitter (if required by 14 CFR 91.207)

S: Safety belts

What instruments and equipment are required for VFR night flight?

FLAPS

F: Fuses

L: Landing Light (if used for hire)

A: Anticollision light system (approved aviation red or white)

P: Position lights (navigation lights)- (approved forward and rear position)

S: Source of Electrical Energy (adequate for all installed electrical and radio)

Who can perform maintenance on an aircraft?

• FAA-certificated A&P mechanic

• A&P mechanic with IA

• Appropriated rated FAA-certificated repair station

• Aircraft Manufacturer

Where can I find actions that is considered preventive maintenance?

Part 43, Appendix A, Paragraph C-Preventive Maintenance

What do I need to put in the logbook for someone performing preventive maintenance?

• Description of work

• Date of completion of work performed

• Entry of pilot name: signature, certificate number, and type of certificate held