Determining the Airworthiness of an Aircraft: A Comprehensive Guide
Ensuring the safety and reliability of aircraft is critically important in the aviation industry. The process of determining an aircraft's airworthiness involves a series of rigorous inspections, checks, and evaluations by qualified personnel. Unlike the earlier days where an aircraft's airworthiness was simply determined by whether it stayed in the air, modern aviation includes comprehensive airworthiness evaluations through various tests and assessments.
Airworthiness is a key concept in aviation, which is determined when an aircraft is fit to fly. This applies to the engineering team and the captain who jointly mark the aircraft as airworthy. A qualified aircraft engineer and the captain conduct a thorough pre-flight inspection as part of their duties, reviewing the aircraft forms, performing a walk-around inspection, and reviewing weight and balance, density altitude figures, and weather forecasts.
Pre-Flight Inspection and Evaluation include several steps. The first is checking the aircraft maintenance log. Any maintenance issue that grounds the plane means that the aircraft is not airworthy. Next, a pre-flight checklist is completed, which includes a walk-around and other checks. This is a critical step to discovering potential problems that render the aircraft not airworthy. If a maintenance issue is found, the plane is grounded until a mechanic fixes it or enters the issue in the aircraft logs and placards. However, pilots play a crucial role in ensuring the airworthiness of various systems, such as the engines, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatic, communication, navigation, oxygen, and air conditioning systems by running the engines and ascertaining their serviceability.
While pilots can ensure the airworthiness of all systems by running engines and testing certain systems, they are not fully responsible for determining the overall airworthiness of the aircraft. This responsibility lies with the Ground Engineer. Pilots can confirm the serviceability of the Communication and Navigation equipment after flying, but they cannot detect structural cracks or corrosion, which require the expertise of ground engineers. The Minimum Equipment List (MEL) and Configuration Deviation List (CDL) are also essential tools used by pilots and mechanics. These lists help identify if the equipment or systems inoperative or missing can allow the plane to operate under specific restrictions. If an issue is found that is not covered by the MEL/CDL, the aircraft is not airworthy and must be repaired before it can fly again.
Final Conclusion on airworthiness is made through a collaborative effort between ground engineers and pilots. Ground engineers perform the crucial maintenance checks, while pilots focus on confirming the serviceability of certain systems and checking the overall performance during flight. This ensures that the aircraft is safe and ready for every flight.