Records and Current Inspections.
1. 100-hour inspections for instructional aircraft are required.
2. Corrections of any discrepancies found in previous flights are required.
3. The status of airworthiness directives (Ads) must be in the logs.
4. Any deferred maintenance must be placarded according to FAR 91.213(d).
5. A current weight and balance must be in the aircraft.
6. A current equipment list must be available if required.
7. The ELT battery expiration date must be both on the ELT and in the logs.
8. The Biannual test of transponder must be logged.
9. The biannual test of altimeter and static system (IFR) must be logged.
10. Any work done under FAA Form 337 must be logged.
11. If the type certificate data sheet indicates the existence of an approved flight Manual then that manual must be in the aircraft.
--91.403 ...the owner or operator of an aircraft is primarily responsible for maintaining that aircraft in an airworthy condition and for ensuring that maintenance personnel make appropriate entries in the aircraft maintenance records indicating the aircraft has been approved for return to service. It is the responsibility of the owner and operator to have maintenance performed which may be required between scheduled inspections.
--91.7 "...the pilot in command of a civil aircraft is responsible for determining whether that aircraft is ready for safe flight." Pilots must take reasonable care to find that an aircraft is airworthy and safe for flight.
-- Aircraft must (1) meet the requirements of its type certificate and (2) be in condition for safe operation. The type certificate verifies the design of the aircraft.
--FAR 91.7 (b) makes the pilot responsible for determining if a plane is safe to fly. Being safe to fly does not mean that the aircraft is airworthy. The completion of required maintenance and proper endorsement of the aircraft logbooks determine airworthiness. FAR 91.405(b) makes mandatory the completion of the logbooks. An airplane that is safe to fly but not airworthy can only be flown with a ferry permit. A certified mechanic before issuance of the ferry permit must placard any inoperative equipment on the aircraft as inoperative, disabled and noted in the logbooks.
--Violations of the safe to fly Vs airworthiness are discovered when the accident occurs. Then 91.405(b) regarding the logbooks kicks in but only after FAR 91.407 which requires completion of the work is satisfied. No matter who does the work, owner, pilot, or mechanic the 91.407 'return to service' endorsement is required. No matter what happens or who it happens to, the FAA gets to second-guess the process. Inadvertence, ignorance, or incompetence will not cover your butt.
--Proof of airworthiness requires written proof of required inspections and compliance with airworthiness directives knows as ADs. "Terms and conditions" of the airworthiness certificate requires that all maintenance and changes are performed according to FAR Parts 43 and 91. FAR 45.11 requires an external data information plate be on the aircraft, usually in the tail section.
--Maintenance must give a detailed description of the work performed, date of completion, signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate of the person approving aircraft's return to service. Even if the work is done, do not fly the plane until assured (Seeing for yourself) that the logbooks have proper entries and signatures.
--Records must show total operating time, time on limited life parts, time since overhaul, current inspection status, airworthiness directive compliance and any FAA Form 337's of major alternations or repairs. The parts and materials businesses must operate in such a way that expense is not and should not be the primary concern of the pilot or owner. Safety is. Where a maintenance problem exists, a passive approach is not going to solve the problem. A responsible person of the organization must take both liability and responsibility for what has occurred and provide the solution. Supervision of fueling is a most common source of difficulty.
Aircraft Parts
The FARs require that all aircraft parts have some type of verifiable FAA approval. Even upholstery and belts require that they be fire resistant and of tested strength. The use of unapproved parts is a hazard. The fact that a part functions and looks good is not sufficient. Not only must the part be identifiable it must also be recorded into the aircraft maintenance records.
An approved part may be from the original manufacturer, approved under a Parts Manufacturers Approval (PMA), approved as a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), approved by a Technical Standard Order (TSO) or approved by an FAA Field Approval (Form 337). Each part must carry a serial number and proper documentation. However approved, the part must also meet installation standards.
Material failure in metal parts occurs far less often than in rubber or plastics. Often replacement parts of rubber and metal in 1998 are far superior to those of 1978. Resistance to fuel, oxidation, and wear have been built into the newly approved parts. Stainless exhaust pipes are expensive but far more resistant than original equipment.
Is it Airworthy?
As students, pilots, renters and owners using aircraft we function at pilots in command. Every time we prepare an aircraft for flight we must preflight with a mental attitude directed toward the requirements of an annual inspection. When we fly we must be thinking of all the possible facets of aircraft performance. This might just be in terms of fuel and oil consumption. Unusual rattles, squeaks, movement, sticking or discrepancy.
The aircraft maintenance industry, in conjunction with the FAA, has accumulated a body of established criteria regarding what determines the airworthiness of aircraft. The criteria are precise in terms of aircraft design, aeronautical engineering, manufacturing standards and operational experience.
Not all discrepancies fit into the criteria box. There is some slack for the creative technician to interpret precise information that will allow detection and correction of a discrepancy. Practically all aircraft systems have gauges, dials and various types of indicators that are capable of giving notice of system malfunctions. An aircraft with a known discrepancy that cannot be set aside by placarding, removal, fixing or FAR is unairworthy.
The problem in knowing airworthiness lies in the need for specificity where the complaining pilots are unable to put the problem into words. The average pilot has a fear of being wrong about bringing up a discrepancy that affects the airworthiness of an aircraft. Another fear is that the availability and cost of flying may be affected by a reported discrepancy. Should a pilot hedge in the depiction of a problem it means that the situation is not fully identified.
Troubleshooting a discrepancy can be straightforward with detection; removal and replacement taking place. Trouble-shooting can be very complex for detection and diagnosis of discrepancies that are intermittent. Speculative repair work may mean that an aircraft is being sent out to fly while not proven airworthy. The type of discrepancy determines the appropriateness of the flight check. Proper maintenance steps cannot be taken until appropriate measures are taken to first fully identify and then fix discrepancies.
The problem that exists in the air often cannot be duplicated on the ground or on the workbench. This means that an existing discrepancy exists uncorrected.
The endemic problem in aircraft airworthiness has to do with the inability of the average pilot to clearly and succulently put the problem into words. The information provided by the pilot to the maintenance people is difficult to interpret. A pilot who fully understands the aircraft systems, instrumentation and can use maintenance terminology to describe and explain a discrepancy is a fully rounded pilot. This means the supplied information is direct and descriptive. Otherwise, maintenance personnel must draw on past experience, imagination and luck to interpret a three-word squawk.
Therein lies a major cost in flying. The mechanic is obliged to spend maintenance time trying to recreate a poorly presented discrepancy. His efforts often indicate that since the problem does not exist on the ground, any on the ground maintenance fix is only speculative. The aircraft now sits in a sea of uncertainty. It is grounded, in need of a flight test. While an operational flight may be used to make an airworthiness check, it should not because of the uncertainty involved. Pilots should make unambiguous statements that insure grounding of an aircraft. It takes such positive statements to insure that positive actions are taken to identify discrepancies. It is pure negligence to fail to ground an aircraft by passing the responsibility off to the next user. Would you want it done to you?
1. Annual, 100 hour, or progressive inspection
2. Any discrepancy corrected found in preflight
3. AD status current and in compliance
4. FAR 91.213 inoperative items placarded and recorded
5. Weight and Balance papers
6. Equipment list (see manual)
7. ELT expiration
8. Biannual on transponder
9. Biannual on altimeter(IFR)
10. FAA Form 337's
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