Airworthiness Requirements

Objective

The CFI candidate will demonstrate the ability to teach helicopter airworthiness requirements by explaining and demonstrating knowledge of general airworthiness requirements, pilot-performed preventive maintenance, equipment requirements for VFR flight, and special airworthiness certificate limitations. The candidate will effectively instruct on managing inoperative equipment scenarios and guide a student through locating airworthiness documentation and determining aircraft airworthiness status. This lesson addresses ACS task HI.IV.B.

Content

General Airworthiness Requirements (HI.IV.B.K1)

An aircraft must meet specific requirements to be considered airworthy. Think of airworthiness like a driver’s license for your helicopter - it’s the official permission to operate legally in the airspace.

Required Aircraft Certificates and Their Locations:

• Airworthiness Certificate: Usually located in the aircraft, often in a document holder near the pilot’s seat or instrument panel. This certificate has no expiration date but becomes invalid if the aircraft is no longer maintained in accordance with regulations.
• Registration Certificate: Also in the aircraft, typically with the airworthiness certificate. Expires every 3 years and must be renewed.
• Weight and Balance Data: Required to be in the aircraft, often in the POH or as separate documentation.

Required Inspections and Logbook Documentation: The inspection requirements follow a tiered approach:

• Annual Inspection: Required every 12 calendar months for aircraft not used for hire
• 100-Hour Inspection: Required for aircraft used for flight instruction or carrying passengers for hire, due every 100 hours of operation
• Progressive Inspections: Alternative to annual/100-hour when approved
• Special Inspections: As required by ADs or manufacturer recommendations

Logbook entries must include:

• Date of inspection
• Aircraft total time
• Type of inspection performed
• Signature, certificate number, and type of certificate held by the person performing the inspection
• Statement that the aircraft has been inspected and returned to service or list of discrepancies

Airworthiness Directives (ADs) and Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins (SAIBs):

• ADs: Regulatory requirements issued when unsafe conditions exist. Compliance is mandatory and must be accomplished within specified timeframes.
• SAIBs: Advisory information highlighting safety concerns but not requiring mandatory action.

Special Flight Permits: Used when an aircraft doesn’t meet normal airworthiness requirements but can still be operated safely for specific purposes such as:

• Flying to a location for repairs
• Delivering or exporting aircraft
• Production flight testing
• Customer demonstration flights

Pilot-Performed Preventive Maintenance (HI.IV.B.K2)

Preventive maintenance is simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations. Private pilots may perform preventive maintenance on aircraft they own or operate, provided:

• The work is listed in 14 CFR 43, Appendix A
• The pilot holds at least a private pilot certificate
• The aircraft is not used in commercial operations under Parts 121, 129, or 135

Examples include:

• Servicing landing gear wheel bearings
• Replacing bulbs, reflectors, and lenses
• Troubleshooting and repairing broken circuits in landing light wiring
• Replacing seats or seat parts with FAA-approved replacement parts

All preventive maintenance must be logged with appropriate entries.

Equipment Requirements for VFR Flight (HI.IV.B.K3)

Day VFR Equipment Requirements: Basic required equipment for VFR flight includes instruments specified in 14 CFR 91.205(b) - remember the acronym “TOMATO FLAMES”:

• Tachometer

• Oil pressure gauge

• Manifold pressure gauge (if applicable)

• Altimeter

• Temperature gauge (for liquid-cooled engines)

• Oil temperature gauge

• Fuel gauge

• Landing gear position indicator (if retractable)

• Airspeed indicator

• Magnetic compass

• ELT

• Safety belts

Night VFR Additional Requirements (14 CFR 91.205(c)):

• Fuse or circuit breaker for each circuit
• Landing light (if for hire)
• Anti-collision lights
• Position lights
• Source of electricity

Operating with Inoperative Equipment: The decision process follows this hierarchy:

1. Is the equipment required by regulation? If yes, aircraft is not airworthy.
2. Is there an approved MEL? If yes, follow MEL procedures.
3. If no MEL, can the equipment be removed or deactivated? Equipment must be:
   • Removed or deactivated and placarded “INOPERATIVE”
   • Not required by regulation, AD, or the aircraft’s equipment list
   • Not needed to determine airworthiness of other required equipment
   • Properly logged as inoperative

Minimum Equipment List (MEL): An MEL allows operation with certain inoperative equipment under specific conditions and time limitations. It must be:

• FAA-approved for the specific aircraft
• Based on the Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL)
• Carried in the aircraft

Kinds of Operation Equipment List (KOEL): Found in the aircraft’s POH or AFM, the KOEL specifies equipment required for different types of operations (day, night, VFR, IFR).

Special Airworthiness Certificate Limitations (HI.IV.B.K4)

Aircraft with special airworthiness certificates have specific operating limitations that may include:

• Approved areas of operation
• Authorized maneuvers
• Crew requirements
• Maintenance requirements
• Equipment limitations
• Operating time restrictions

Risk Management: Inoperative Equipment (HI.IV.B.R1)

When discovering inoperative equipment before flight, the instructor must teach students to:

• Systematically evaluate the impact on flight safety
• Understand the regulatory framework for operating with inoperative equipment
• Make conservative decisions when in doubt
• Consider how inoperative equipment affects other systems
• Recognize when to cancel or postpone the flight

The key is teaching students that airworthiness is not just about meeting minimum legal requirements - it’s about ensuring the aircraft is safe for the intended operation.

Schedule

Equipment

• Current helicopter with complete aircraft records and logbooks
• 14 CFR Parts 43, 61, and 91
• Aircraft POH/RFM with equipment lists
• Sample MEL (if available for aircraft type)
• Sample Airworthiness Directives
• Flashlight for inspecting aircraft documents
• Sample inoperative equipment placards
• Whiteboard or flip chart for diagrams
• Calculator for inspection due dates

Instructor Actions

The CFI candidate will:

• Demonstrate teaching techniques by clearly explaining airworthiness concepts using analogies and real-world examples
• Show how to locate and interpret aircraft certificates, including checking expiration dates and proper display
• Guide the evaluator through a systematic review of aircraft logbooks to verify inspection compliance
• Demonstrate the process for researching Airworthiness Directives and their compliance status
• Explain preventive maintenance limitations using specific examples from 14 CFR 43, Appendix A
• Walk through the decision tree for operating with inoperative equipment using realistic scenarios
• Show how to properly placard inoperative equipment
• Use the aircraft’s equipment list to demonstrate required vs. optional equipment determination
• Present inoperative equipment scenarios and guide the evaluator through the decision-making process
• Demonstrate effective questioning techniques to assess student understanding
• Provide clear, specific feedback on the evaluator’s responses to scenarios

Student Actions

The evaluator, acting as a student, will:

• Ask questions about certificate locations and validity periods
• Participate in logbook review exercises
• Respond to scenario-based questions about inoperative equipment
• Demonstrate ability to locate required documents in the aircraft
• Practice determining aircraft airworthiness using provided scenarios
• Work through preventive maintenance authorization questions
• Apply the inoperative equipment decision process to given situations
• Show understanding of risk factors associated with inoperative equipment
• Demonstrate knowledge of when to seek additional guidance or cancel flights

Completion Standards

The CFI candidate successfully demonstrates instructional competency in helicopter airworthiness requirements when they:

Knowledge Demonstration:

• Accurately explains all required aircraft certificates and their locations per HI.IV.B.K1.a
• Correctly identifies inspection requirements and logbook documentation standards per HI.IV.B.K1.b
• Demonstrates understanding of ADs, SAIBs, and special flight permit procedures per HI.IV.B.K1.c-d
• Explains pilot preventive maintenance limitations and requirements per HI.IV.B.K2
• Identifies day and night VFR equipment requirements and inoperative equipment procedures per HI.IV.B.K3
• Addresses special airworthiness certificate limitations when applicable per HI.IV.B.K4

Risk Management:

• Effectively teaches decision-making for inoperative equipment scenarios per HI.IV.B.R1
• Emphasizes conservative decision-making when aircraft airworthiness is questionable

Instructional Skills:

• Locates and accurately describes helicopter airworthiness and registration information per HI.IV.B.S1
• Correctly determines aircraft airworthiness in evaluator-provided scenarios per HI.IV.B.S2
• Applies appropriate procedures for inoperative equipment operations per HI.IV.B.S3
• Uses effective teaching methods including clear explanations, appropriate analogies, and guided discovery
• Demonstrates ability to assess student understanding through questioning
• Shows proper use of teaching aids and aircraft documentation

The lesson meets ACS standards HI.IV.B when the CFI candidate demonstrates they can effectively teach airworthiness requirements and guide students through practical application of these concepts in real-world scenarios.