Hello and welcome to SWENA's training.
In this class we will look at some of the
most
important manuals an air carrier must publish. These manuals are not only important
to their
own operation, instructing their staff on correct procedures and operations and
maintaining
their fleet airworthy, but are also presented to the Civil Aviation Authority in
order to
receive the necessary certifications to operate. In other words, these manuals are
a sworn
declaration on how the operator shall carry out its activities. The General
Maintenance
Manual, referred to as the GMM, describes the procedures that are necessary to
maintain
a carrier's fleet's airworthiness. Within this document will be a description of
the
carrier's organisational structure and it lists functions, responsibilities and
obligations of
all personnel involved in the maintenance of the aircraft. The minimum equipment
list,
commonly referred to as the MEL, is aircraft-specific and lists the pieces of
equipment may be allowed
to be inoperable along with any procedures that are required for an aircraft to
operate
under specific conditions while maintaining airworthiness. In broad terms, it is
the document
of reference when checking whether a maintenance task can be deferred and by how
long. The MEL is
customised by the operator and based on the manufacturer's master minimum equipment
list,
which is generic and applicable to a certain aircraft type and approved during
certification
of the airplane. A supplement to the MEL, the Dispatch Deviation Guide, or DDG,
details necessary procedures or tasks to be carried out whenever the aircraft is to
fly
with defective or missing equipment. The Aircraft Ground De-Icing Manual provides a
general
description of the various factors relating to aeroplane icing on the ground. It
addresses
the minimum procedural requirements necessary to conduct safe and efficient
operations during
those conditions which require aeroplane de-icing and anti-icing activities. Within
the Operation
Specifications Manual, an operator declares to their aviation authority the way
they are
going to run their operations. They will list the authorisations, limitations and
applicable
procedures to their operations and which aircraft types and serial numbers shall be
flown and how
they will be used. RVSM stands for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum and is a
relatively new
standard introduced to reduce the minimum separation between aircraft flight levels
from the usual 2,000 feet to just 1,000 feet. This allows aircraft to safely fly
more optimum
profiles, gain fuel savings and increase airspace capacity, particularly in
congested airspace.
The Operator's RVSM Manual contains all approved requirements and maintenance
procedures to follow
when flying in RSVM conditions. For example, it is necessary for the aircraft to be
equipped
with automatic altitude control systems and redundant altitude sensors, and if
these systems
were to become inoperable, the aircraft would not be able to fly in RSVM. The CAT
II stroke CAT III
manual introduces general concepts, guidelines and policies to be presented to the
local authority
in order to be certified to perform instrument landings. These types of operation
are classified
by the ICAO according to the minimum landing requirements of a runway, specifically
the minimum
descent altitude or MDA, a specified altitude or height in a non-precision approach
or circling
approach below which descent must not be made without the required visual
reference. The runway
visual range or RVR, the distance over which a pilot of an aircraft on the
centerline of the runway
can see the runway surface markings delineating the runway or identifying its
centerline. These
minimum requirements can be reduced with the aid of special instruments installed
on the runway
and on the aircraft. The lower the minimum requirements, the higher the category of
the
runway. An air carrier must be certified to perform these types of operations for a
specific
category of runway, and for that purpose, the procedures it follows must be
detailed in this
manual. Look closely at an airliner the next time you fly, and you will see it is
covered in painted
signs, markings, and placards. These may be for safety purposes, for example,
seatbelt and no
smoking signs in the cabin, maintenance purposes, how to operate a door lever, or
even commercial
reasons, the nickname of the aircraft. The placards and markings manual gives
information,
maintenance procedures, and location related to all identifications, placards, and
brands on the
aircraft. We hope you are now able to identify the different manuals an air carrier
must publish
and present to its National Aviation Authority, and why each one is relevant to its
operation.
That's all for this class. See you next time.
