Preparation for the Flight

There are a number of things to be checked before every flight. These include:

• Ensuring you are fit to fly
• Having suitable charts available
• Obtaining authorisation for the flight
• Accepting the aircraft for flight (Technical Log)
• External and internal checks of aeroplane
• A check for loose articles in the aeroplane
• Awareness of starting and taxiing precautions

Fitness for Flight

It is unsafe to fly when you are unwell (through physical illness or psychological state, perhaps because of stress) or tired. Although Flying Academy makes every effort to guard against fatigue by stipulating maximum duty and flight times and minimum rest requirements in the Operational Manual, these cannot account for variations between individuals, nor how they spend their “rest” periods. Only an individual pilot can assess how he feels prior to any flight and whether they are in a fit state to complete it effectively and safely. Pilots have often flown when they were not properly fit: perhaps because of professional pride – “to get the job done” -, to get back to base at the end of the day or to avoid “being a wimp”. Sometimes they have got away with it but there are numerous examples of such behaviour leading to accidents, including fatal ones.

At Flying Academy ATO you should follow the recommended (I’M SAFE) self-checklist:

Illness- Do you have any symptoms? If so consult your AME.

Medication- Take only medication prescribed/approved by your AME.

Stress- Are there any family/work pressures preoccupying you that could detract from your performance? Alcohol/Drugs- Don’t just observe the minimum “Bottle to Throttle” legal requirements, but be sure that you are not suffering from any “Morning after the Night Before” effects. Taking illegal substances will result in your training being terminated.

Fatigue- Make sure you are adequately rested and alert enough to complete the flight.

Eating- Make sure you have eaten properly before flying to maintain correct blood-sugar levels – essential to staying alert.

Remember that it’s often easier to agree to fly when programmed rather than to decline, even when you are not fully fit. The basic message is: “If in doubt, there’s no doubt – Don’t Fly”.

 Aeronautical Charts

You must carry an appropriate aeronautical chart (map) on all your training flights, marked clearly with the local flying area, prohibited areas, airways and any other pertinent navigational or air traffic information. Remember that radio aids, although normally reliable, may not always be available or serviceable. It is important, therefore, that you get to know your local area, but varying conditions of weather and season can alter the appearance of ground features. When in doubt, always refer to your chart.

Flight Authorisation

All flights in Flying Academy ATO aeroplanes must be properly authorized. This authority is delegated to certain members of the office staff. For the majority of your flights, the authorizer will be your instructor. He will teach you how to book out for your solo flights.

Aircraft Acceptance – Technical Log (Tech Log)

No Flying Academy aeroplane is allowed to leave the ground on an authorized flight unless the captain and the Maintenance Organisation responsible for the aircraft are both satisfied that it is in a fit condition to fly and accomplish its task. This assurance is given in the aeroplane’s Technical Log – the basic record of aeroplane maintenance, and the Airworthiness Review Certificate which is kept in the aeroplane documents folder. Maintenance personnel sign the Tech Log to indicate that all the necessary servicing has been done and, on this evidence, the captain signs the Tech Log to indicate his acceptance of the aeroplane.

From your early flights, and throughout your training, your instructor will show you how to use the Tech Log. By the time you reach the solo stages of flying training, you must have a working knowledge of it because you are then the captain of the aeroplane. If, when you check the Tech Log, you are in any doubt about the serviceability of your aeroplane, seek advice from the Operations staff or from your instructor. The Tech Log is in constant use, and is a permanent record of an aeroplane’s maintenance; so handle it carefully and make all entries neat and legible. In addition to these checks of the technical state of the aeroplane, it is the captain’s responsibility to ensure that it is safe for flight in terms of its loading (Mass and Balance), the fuel and oil state in relation to the expected duration of the flight (plus contingency allowances) and take-off and landing performance. You will be taught how to check the aeroplane’s Mass and Balance and performance using the computer-based program as well as checking manually.

Aeroplane Checks

Regardless of any checks maintenance personnel may have carried out, it is the pilot’s responsibility to ensure that the aeroplane is safe for flight. To this end, a series of checks is carried out prior to flight (and also during and after flight). The checks are lengthy but you will be introduced to them gradually. Every check is important, so never rush then or just pay lip service to them. Even when you feel confident to do them from memory, every so often check them against your Checklist; you may find that you don’t know the checks quite as well as you thought you did. Pre-flight checks will bring you close to the  aeroplane`s propeller. A propeller should always be treated as “‘live”, i.e. if you move it, the engine may start.

You must never allow any part of yourself or your equipment to come within the arc that would be covered by the revolving propeller blades, until you have checked that the magneto switches are OFF. Even then, take care as a failed magneto switch can leave one “live”.

 Loose Articles

Numerous accidents have been attributed to “foreign objects” being left in the aeroplane by untidy crew members or by unsecured objects moving round the cabin in turbulence or during unusual manoeuvres. Personal items such as pens, pencils and keys can be the cause of an accident if they foul flying controls. If you do drop anything in the cockpit and are unable to find it yourself, you must always report it to the Operations staff who will make a thorough search until it is found. Only then will the aeroplane be allowed to fly again.

The best way to reduce the threat of loose articles is to avoid taking any unnecessary items into the cockpit.

Aircraft Operations on the Apron

On the apron, other aeroplanes, items of ground equipment and, sometimes, personnel (such as refuelling crews) working on them are all potential hazards. Consequently, you must be conscious of the safety precautions required when starting aeroplane engines and when taxiing onto, or away from, the apron, you must taxi slowly and exercise extreme caution. You must comply with ATC instructions but remember that the pilot is ultimately responsible for the safety of the aeroplane.

After Flight Actions

Just as there were a number of things to be checked before flight, there are also actions that have to be taken after every flight. These include:

•  Awareness of taxiing precautions (as above)
•  Internal and external checks of aeroplane (After Landing and Shut-down Checks)
•  Completion of the Technical Log ‘After Flight Certificate’

Technical Log

At the end of every flight, the captain of the aeroplane (normally your instructor, but you if you are flying solo) enters the aeroplane`s serviceability state in the Technical Log and signs the Captain’s After-flight Certificate. Before placing an aeroplane unserviceable, discuss the fault with the Operations staff and with your instructor to make sure that the entry clearly describes the fault. This is particularly important in the early days of your training, until you gain sufficient experience to determine what is normal and what is abnormal. Note that an ‘A’ Defect is one which requires rectification before the aircraft can be flown again and may only be entered by an instructor.

Take-off and landing times and sortie duration must be recorded accurately, rounded up or down as appropriate and must correspond to those in the Authorisation Sheet and the Self Check-In system. Your instructor will teach you the correct way to do this.

 After-flight Action – Authorisation Sheet And Self Check-In

“Off Blocks” and “On Blocks” times and sortie duration must be recorded accurately, both in the Dispatch and Self Check-In, rounded up or down as appropriate and must correspond to those in the in the Technical Log. Your instructor will teach you the correct way to do this. Remember that no flight is over until the aeroplane has been parked and shut down correctly and all after-flight actions have been completed.