Sport Pilot (Airplane) Airworthiness Requirements Lesson Plan
Sport Pilot (Airplane) • PTS Area I, Task B
The Sport Pilot (Airplane) Airworthiness Requirements Lesson Plan covers the knowledge and skills required by FAA-S-8081-29A.
Introduction
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Schedule:
Topic:Time:Attention/Motivator:0:05Part 1, Lesson Introduction:0:05Part 2, Airworthiness Overview:0:15Part 3, Airworthiness Documentation:0:15Part 4, Compliance:0:15Part 5, Preventive Maintenance:0:15Part 6, Airworthiness Risk Management:0:15Part 7, Airworthiness Guided Scenario(s):0:20Part 8, Lesson Conclusion:0:05Remotivation/Closure:0:05Total Ground Time:0:00
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Attention Getter:
- Research and present a mishap case study:
- Discuss how the initial conditions developed into an incident/accident/mishap.
- Relate similar personal experiences of the same type of incident/accident/mishap.
- Consider incorporating a case study as a guided scenario.
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Motivator:
- Federal Aviation Regulation 91.7 states, "No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in an airworthy condition."
- To understand airworthiness requirements, we must define what it means to be airworthy.
- To determine airworthiness, the pilot must examine several documents and inspection records.
- The pilot must have certain documents that demonstrate they are legal to fly.
- Aircraft can be flown with inoperative equipment.
Materials
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Required Materials:
- Writing instrument (pen, marker, etc.).
- Writing surface (paper, whiteboard, etc.).
- Airman Certification Standards.
- Student jacket.
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Optional Materials:
- Pilot Operating Handbook.
- Electronic Flight Bag.
- Accessible (parked) aircraft for access to:
- Airworthiness certificate.
- Registration certificates.
- Radio station license (if available).
- Pilot Operating Handbook with Weight & Balance data.
- A&P with aircraft logbook.
- Internet connection (computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.).
- Supplemental type certificate example.
- Special flight permit example.
- Airworthiness directive example.
- Service bulletin example.
- Minimum equipment list (if available).
- Kinds of equipment list (if available).
- Instructor endorsement log.
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Reference Materials:
- Airworthiness Supplement.
- Registration Certificate Supplement.
- Airplane Flight Manual Supplement.
- Preventive Maintenance Supplement.
- Federal Aviation Regulations Part 39.
- Federal Aviation Regulations Part 43.
- Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91.
- Risk Management Handbook.
- Airplane Flying Handbook.
- Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.
- Airman Certification Standards:
- Hard copies of the ACS and Oral Exam Guides are available on Amazon.
- Digital copies of the ACS are available on the FAA's website.
Instructor Actions
- Before the lesson, review reference materials.
- Part 1, Lesson Introduction:
- Review the lesson plan, including the attention and motivator.
- Review the airman certification standards.
- Part 2, Airworthiness Overview:
- Define and discuss how to determine airworthiness.
- Introduce the roles and responsibilities of the owner and operator, assuming they are not the same individual or entity.
- Introduce the documents required for an aircraft to be considered airworthy.
- Introduce airworthiness documents in the context of the acronym "ARROW" or "airworthiness certificate, registration certificate, radio station license, operating handbook, and weight and balance."
- Contrast the responsibilities for maintaining airworthiness and determining airworthiness.
- Part 3, Airworthiness Documentation:
- Introduce the registration certificate:
- Introduce how registration applies to airworthiness requirements.
- Introduce registration certificate eligibility, issuance, and validity.
- Introduce the location and expiration of registration certificates.
- Introduce what to do if missing, including how to replace and what qualifies as a replacement.
- Introduce airworthiness certificates:
- Introduce special airworthiness certificates/special flight permits.
- Introduce supplemental type certificates.
- Introduce the location and expiration of airworthiness certificates.
- Introduce the Pilot Operating Handbook:
- Introduce the difference between PIM, POH, and AFM.
- Introduce the location and expiration of POH.
- Introduce the location of any flight manual supplements (i.e., avionics equipment).
- Introduce the radio station license:
- Introduce operations that require a radio station license.
- Introduce the location and expiration of a radio station license.
- Introduce weight and balance:
- Introduce the location and expiration of an aircraft's weight and balance.
- Discuss how the performance and limitations lesson plan will go into more depth.
- Introduce the registration certificate:
- Part 4, Compliance:
- Introduce required inspections
- ELT checks, Pitot-static checks, altimeter checks, NAVAID checks, etc.
- Discuss airworthiness directives.
- Discuss service bulletins and special airworthiness information bulletins.
- Introduce Special Flight Permit.
- Airplane Logbook Documentation.
- Introduce required equipment for both day & night VFR flight:
- Introduce inoperative equipment considerations.
- Introduce minimum equipment lists and kinds of equipment lists.
- Discuss how the operation of aircraft systems lesson plan will go in more depth.
- Introduce required inspections
- Part 5, Preventive Maintenance:
- Introduce preventive maintenance.
- Define preventive maintenance.
- Introduce preventive maintenance items.
- Introduce who can perform preventive maintenance.
- Introduce preventive maintenance procedures in the context of the acronym "MC-PLT," or "manuals, craftsmanship, parts, logged, and tools."
- Introduce logging preventive maintenance.
- Discuss considerations for flights following preventive maintenance.
- Introduce preventive maintenance.
- Part 6, Airworthiness Risk Management:
- Introduce records as legal documents, discussing substantiating work and the dangers of making or receiving falsified aircraft records.
- Part 7, Airworthiness Guided Scenario(s):
- Lead a guided scenario.
- Part 8, Lesson Conclusion:
- Present the remotivation, conclude, and provide guidance for follow-on lessons.
- Review student actions required ahead of the next lesson.
- Update instructor endorsement records and the student's jacket, as required.
Guided Scenario(s)
- Discuss scenarios and solutions to inoperative equipment discovered before flight.
- Discuss case studies.
- While conducting a preflight, the pilot realizes there is a flat tire.
- Who's responsibility is it to repair? Who can repair it?
- While conducting a preflight, the pilot realizes there is no oil.
- Who's responsibility is it to repair? Who can repair it?
- While conducting a preflight, the pilot realizes the EGT guage is inoperative.
- Who's responsibility is it to repair? Who can repair it?
- If it is not repaired, what steps must be taken before flight?
- While conducting a preflight, the pilot realizes the vertical speed indicator is inoperative.
- Who's responsibility is it to repair? Who can repair it?
- If it is not repaired, what steps must be taken before flight?
- While conducting a preflight, the pilot realizes the airworthiness certificate is missing, but they saw it the other day and have a picture from a previous lesson.
- Who's responsibility is it to replace?
- Can the pilot legally fly?
- In conjunction with a preflight:
- Locate and review the documents required: airworthiness and registration certificate, radio station license (if applicable), operators manual, and weight and balance for accuracy and expiration.
- Discuss the types of airworthiness certificates.
- Review an aircraft maintenance logbook with an A&P and discuss:
- What the required inspections are and how they can be found/are logged in the aircraft logbook.
- What Airworthiness Directives exist, how to find them, and how they've been complied with and logged.
- What Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins exist, how to find them, and how they've been complied with and logged.
- Locate and review the documents required: airworthiness and registration certificate, radio station license (if applicable), operators manual, and weight and balance for accuracy and expiration.
- Still with an A&P, while conducting a preflight discuss provide examples of what maintenance requirements may be discovered and who must perform them.
- Discuss inoperative equipment found during preflight:
- Do the items appear on a minimum equipment list? (if applicable).
- If not applicable, use an example.
- Do the items appear on a kinds of equipment list? (if applicable).
- If not applicable, use an example.
- What are the items required for VFR operations?
- In any case, how must these items be placarded when found?
- Do the items appear on a minimum equipment list? (if applicable).
- Discuss if a discrepancy was noted on the ground, but could not be fixed, how a special airworthiness certificate could be obtained?
- Provide a scenario where the pilot has determined the aircraft is airworthy, but various items start to fail.
- At what point must the aircraft be legally terminated? (VFR required equipment/unairworthy).
- What are other considerations to an aircraft that has multiple pieces of equipment fail together or on the same flight?
- Related scenarios:
- guided scenarios>Preflight Assessment.
Student Actions
- Complete the assigned readings (see content above).
- Ask pertinent questions.
- Perform self-assessment, including fitness for flight and personal minimums, as appropriate.
- Make a go/no-go decision, as appropriate.
Airman Certification Standards
Sport Pilot (Airplane) Airworthiness Requirements Practical Test Standards
- Source: FAA-S-8081-29A, Section 1 - Sport Pilot Airplane.
- Task: AIRWORTHINESS REQUIREMENTS (ASEL and ASES).
- References: 14 CFR part 91; FAA-H-8083-25; Aircraft Operating Limitations.
- Objective: To determine that the applicant exhibits knowledge of the elements related to airworthiness requirements by:
Objective Elements 2 PTS Elements
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SP.1: Explaining—- required instruments and equipment for sport pilot privileges.
- procedures and limitations for determining if an aircraft, with inoperative instruments and/or equipment, is airworthy or in a condition for safe operation.
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SP.2: Explaining—- airworthiness directives/safety directives (as applicable to the aircraft brought for flight test.)
- maintenance/inspection requirements and appropriate record keeping.
Conclusion
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Re-Motivation:
- Airworthiness Requirements reinforces that safe flight begins with an aircraft that is properly documented, inspected, maintained, and determined to be airworthy.
- Understanding the responsibilities of manufacturers, mechanics, owners, and the pilot in command helps pilots recognize discrepancies and make defensible no-go decisions.
- Careful records review, systematic inspections, and disciplined use of regulations and aircraft limitations make airworthiness an active safety practice on every flight.
- Continued study of Airworthiness Requirements prepares sport pilots to evaluate more complex maintenance, equipment, and operational questions with confidence.
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Closure:
- Advise students that this lesson will be used as a starting point for the next lesson.
- Assign study materials for the next lesson.