SUBPART G

Manual Requirements

 

121.131 Applicability

This subpart prescribes requirements for preparing and maintaining manuals by all certificate holders.

 

121.132 Flight safety documents system

An operator shall establish a flight safety documents system, for the use and guidance of operational personnel in accordance with EAC 00-20.

 

121.133  operations manual

 (a) An operator shall provide, for the use and guidance of operations  personnel concerned, an operations manual in accordance with Appendix L to this part.

  The operations manual shall be amended or revised as is necessary to ensure that the information contained therein is kept up to date.

   All such amendments or revisions shall be issued to all personnel that are

required to use this manual.

(b) An operator shall provide a copy of the operations manual together with all amendments and/or revisions, for review and acceptance (and, where required, approval).

(c) The operator shall incorporate in the operations manual such mandatory

material as ECAA may require.

(d) Specific items in the operations manual require the approval of ECAA  such as:

   (1) Aerodrome operating minima for each of the aerodromes that are likely   to be used as aerodromes of intended landing or as alternate aerodromes.

    (2) Minimum equipment list (MEL), which will enable the pilot-in- command to determine whether a flight may be commenced or continued from any intermediate stop should any instrument, equipment or systems become inoperative.

    (3) Training programs

 (e) In case of lease, the operator shall provide the State of the foreign operator and the foreign State of Registry with a copy of the operation manual, upon request, together with all amendments and/or revisions to it and shall incorporate in it such mandatory material as the State of the foreign Operator or the foreign State of Registry may require.

(f) An operations manual, should be organized with the following structure:

    (1) General;

    (2) Aircraft operating information;

    (3) Areas, routes and aerodromes; and

    (4) Training.

Details of the requirements for the organization and content of an operations manual are provided in Appendix L to this part.

 

121.135 Operators maintenance control manual

(a)   The operator shall provide the ECAA with a copy of its maintenance control manual, together with all amendments and / or revisions to it and shall incorporate in such mandatory material the ECAA may require.

(b)   The operator's maintenance control manual may be issued in separate parts and shall contain:

(1)  A description of the following procedures as acceptable to the ECAA, to ensure that:

(i)    Each aircraft operated is maintained in an airworthy condition;

(ii)   The operational and emergency equipment necessary for an intended flight is serviceable; and

(iii)  The Certificate of Airworthiness of each aircraft they operate remains valid.

(2)    The administrative arrangements between the operator and all approved maintenance organizations;

(3)    Names and duties of the persons required to ensure that all maintenance is carried out in accordance with the maintenance control manual;

(4)    A reference to the maintenance program provided by the operator, for the use and guidance of maintenance and operational personnel concerned, approved by the ECAA, with human factors principles observed in its design, containing:

(i)    Maintenance tasks and the intervals, at which these are to be performed, taking into accounts the anticipated utilization of the aircraft;

(ii)   When applicable, a continuing structural integrity program;

(iii)  Procedures for changing or deviating from (i) and (ii) above; and

(iv)  When the manufacturer maintenance program includes components that do not have a stated overhaul life or are subject to condition monitoring maintenance program, the operator procedures shall include the associated program for the reliability program description for the related aircraft equipment or aircraft systems, components and powerplants.

(i)        Maintenance tasks and intervals that have been specified, as mandatory in approval of the type design shall be identified as such.

Note: Refer to EAC 00-10 for human factor minimum requirements.

(5)      The methods used for the completion and retention of the operator's maintenance records;

(6)      The procedures for monitoring, accessing and reporting maintenance and operational experience;

(7)      The procedures for accessing continuing airworthiness information and implementing any resulting actions;

(8)      The procedures for implementing action resulting from mandatory continuing airworthiness information;

(9)      Establishing and maintaining a system of analysis and continued monitoring of the performance and efficiency of the maintenance program, in order to correct any deficiency in that program;

(10)  Aircraft types and models to which the manual applies;

(11)  The procedures for ensuring that un-serviceability’s affecting airworthiness are recorded and rectified;

(12)  The procedures for advising the ECAA of significant in-service occurrences.

(13)  Reference to appropriate ECAR Part;

(14)  Instructions and procedures for maintenance, preventive maintenance and servicing;

(15)  Weight and balance approved program and methods and procedures for maintaining the aircraft mass and center of gravity within approved limits;

(16)  Aircraft handling procedures;

(17)  Maintenance training program, curriculums, instructors, procedures and description of training system and facilities;

(18)  Other information and instructions related to the certificate holder's safety program;

(19)  Procedures for ensuring that the organization responsible for type design, usually the manufacturer, received adequate reports of occurrences to that type and all mandatory continuing airworthiness information originated by Egyptian CAA so that it can issue appropriate service instructions and recommendations to all operators;

(20)  A description of the procedure for receiving, amending and distributing within the maintenance organization all necessary airworthiness data from the type certificate holder or type design organization; and

(21)  A description of the maintenance procedures and the procedures for completing and    signing a maintenance release when maintenance is based on a system other than that of an approved maintenance organization.

(c)   Copies of all amendments to the operator’s maintenance control manual shall be furnished promptly to all organizations or persons to whom the manual has been issued.

(d)   In case of lease, the certificate holder shall provide the State of the foreign operator and the foreign State of Registry with a copy of the operator’s maintenance control manual, upon request, together with all amendments and/or revisions to it and shall incorporate in it such mandatory material as the State of the foreign Operator or the foreign State of Registry may require.

 

121.137 Aircraft operation manual

This manual provides cockpit crew members with information and guidance on the technical, procedural and performance aspects of the operation of the aircraft.  This manual is often provided in two volumes.  One volume presentsin-flight” data, i.e. limitations, normal and emergency checklists, normal and emergency procedures and amplification of these procedures, and in-flight performance data. The operator should issue operating instructions and provide information on aeroplane climb performance with all engines operating to enable the pilot-in-command to determine the climb gradient that can be achieved during the departure phase for the existing take-off conditions and intended take-off technique. This information should be included in the operations manual..  The second volume presents aircraft system descriptions and flight performance data for use in flight planning.  All data and information in this manual must comply with the flight manual, where applicable.  In general, the responsibility for developing and issuing amendments and revisions to these manuals rests with the aircraft manufacturer.  Operators may develop additional instructions, procedures or guidance to be inserted in this manual.  Such operator-developed additions should only be for clarification or expansion of the manufacturer's material, where necessary. The design of the manual shall observe Human Factors principles.

 

121.139 Minimum equipment list and configuration deviation list

These lists are supplied by the aircraft manufacturer in the flight manual or aircraft operating manual.  For ease of use, operators extract the lists and include additional restrictions to the list for his own operational requirements and present them as a separate volume after ECAA approval.  The manual should contain guidance and information on the use and interpretation of the lists.

 

121.141 Aircraft performance manual

Aircraft performance data is published in the flight manual.  Normally, an expanded version of this is published in the aircraft operating manual.  Based on this data, operators often produce their own performance manual which presents performance information for the operator's own route network.  This manual typically contains take-off and landing data for each usable runway at each destination and alternate airport.  Where an operator has a very extensive route network, the information could be presented in separate volumes for different geographical areas.  Cruise control information is often included in the performance manual.  The manual must contain information on the method of derivation of the data presented, which must be in agreement with the data presented in the aircraft flight manual.  The manual must also include guidance on how to use the data presented and a number of examples of use of this data are normally included.

 

121.143 Emergency evacuation procedures manual

This manual shall contain information on the emergency evacuation procedures for each aircraft type for both cockpit and cabin crew.  In addition to specific aircraft procedures, the manual shall contain general safety and survival information appropriate to the areas in which operations take place.

 

121.145 Organization of the operations manual

(a) The operations manual shall have a master subject index, placed in the policy and administration manual.  In addition, each volume shall have its own subject index.  There shall be a table of contents at the beginning of each volume for each section or chapter.  Each page shall be numbered and have a date of original issue.  Each volume shall have a checklist of pages identifying page numbers and dates of issue to ensure the validity of the contents.  The entry of each amendment and/or additional page shall be recorded on a page specially provided in each volume for that purpose and signed for by the person making the amendment or addition.

(b) The executive charged with the responsibility for the control of the contents of the operations manual shall also be responsible for the issuance of individual volumes and for ensuring that appropriate amendments are dispatched to the holders of the volumes. To ensure adequate control of the volumes and their amendments, it is necessary to number each volume individually.  Complete records must be kept of the disposition of each volume of the operations manual in aircraft libraries, in operations offices, etc.  Records must also be kept of individuals who are holders of all, or part, of the operations manual.

(c) The executive responsible for the manual must approve amendments, revisions and additions to the operations manual.  In some cases this will consist of ensuring that such changes issued by the originator of a particular volume are correct and appropriate to the operations manual.  This would be the case with amendments issued by the aircraft manufacturer for the operating manuals, or with amendments issued for the route guide, when the route guide is purchased from a commercial agency.  However, in the case of amendments or additions, which originate within the organization, the executive responsible must ascertain that the proposed change is necessary and determine how it is to be promulgated.  In most cases the amendment will be issued through normal channels to all holders of the operations manual.  In other cases, because of the urgency of the information contained in the amendment it will be necessary to issue a notice to the cockpit crew and to other concerned operational personnel.  This notice shall be replaced by an amendment to the manual as soon as possible.  In revising or altering the contents of the operations manual, operators must bear in mind that the ECAA is required to approve the contents of the operations manual and that certain parts of the manual include material, which is considered mandatory.  It is therefore necessary that the amendments be approved by the ECAA.  In practice, since much of the material in an operations manual only requires the general approval of the ECAA, it is often appropriate to agree with the authority which parts of the operations manual need the specific approval of that authority before they are amended and which parts only require notification of changes made.

(d) Amendments to the operations manual must be produced as new or replacement pages. Handwritten amendments to an operations manual are generally not acceptable.  The new or replacement pages must include a page identification number and a date of issue.  A letter or covering sheet must identify the reason for the amendment and provide a checklist of the amendment to be made.  This is particularly important when an amendment is made to any safety-related information. Instructions shall be included for inserting the amendment in the appropriate volume and for recording insertion of the amendment.  The signature of the executive approving the amendment must also appear.  A revision to the list of effective pages must be included with any amendment to the operations manual.

(e) Distribution and availability:

(1)   Each certificate holder shall furnish copies of the manual required by this subpart or appropriate parts of the manual (and the changes and additions thereto) to:

(i)    Its appropriate ground operations and maintenance personnel;

(ii)   Crewmembers; and

(iii)  Representatives of the ECAA assigned to it.

(2)   Each person to whom a manual or appropriate parts of it are furnished under paragraph (1) of this section shall keep it up-to-date with the changes and additions furnished to that person and shall have the manual or appropriate parts of it accessible when performing assigned duties; and

(3)   For the purpose of complying with paragraph (1) of this section, a certificate holder may furnish the persons listed therein the maintenance part of the manual on microfilm or computerized form if it also furnishes and maintains a reading device that provides a legible facsimile image of the microfilmed maintenance information and instructions.

 

121.147 Requirement for manual aboard aircraft

(a)  Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each air carrier and air taxi operator shall carry appropriate parts of the manual on each aircraft when away from the principal base. The appropriate parts must be available for use of ground or flight personnel.  If an air carrier or air taxi operator carries aboard an aircraft all or any portion of the maintenance part of its manual in microfilm or computerized form, it must also carry a reading device that provides a legible facsimile image of the microfilmed maintenance information and instructions.

(b) If an air carrier or air taxi operator is able to perform all scheduled maintenance at specified stations where it keeps maintenance parts of the manual, it does not have to carry those parts of the manual aboard the aircraft en route to those stations.

 

121.149 Airplane or rotorcraft flight manual

(a)  Each certificate holder shall keep a current approved airplane or rotorcraft flight manual for each type of transport category aircraft that it operates.

(b) In each transport category aircraft, the certificate holder shall carry either the manual required by this subpart, if it contains the information required for the applicable flight manual and this information is clearly identified as flight manual requirements, or an approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual. If the certificate holder elects to carry the manual required by this subpart, he may revise the operating procedures sections and modify the presentation of performance data from the applicable flight manual if the revised operating procedures and modified performance data presentations are:

(1)   Approved by the ECAA; and

(2)   Clearly identified as airplane or rotorcraft flight manual requirements.