Managers Perspective

MGMT 203
Module 4- Manager’s Perspective Paper
Airworthiness
February 7, 2015

Airworthiness is the measure of an aircraft’s suitability for a safe flight. Many aircraft owners might be surprised to find out that there are multiple violations for flying an aircraft that is not airworthy. In order to determine that an aircraft is airworthy it needs to undergo an annual inspection every 12 calendar months in order to be legal to operate. Every division of aircraft have their own inspection regulations, the division that we will be concentrating on will be the small (under 12,500 pounds) airplanes.
To determine the specific inspection requirements and rules for the performance of inspections, I referred to FAR 91 Subpart E which prescribes the requirements for various operations. The small airplanes (under 12,500 pounds) require quite a few inspections in order to keep operating in a legal manner. These inspections include the following: annual inspection, 100 hour inspection, altimeter system inspection, transponder inspection, and the preflight inspection.
The annual inspection is required at least annually by an FAA certified A&P mechanic holding an Inspection Authorization (IA), or an FAA certified repair station that is appropriately rated, or the aircraft manufacturer. The aircraft may not be operated until the annual inspection has been performed. The only exception to this rule is by a special permit issued by the FAA allowing the aircraft to be flown to a location where the inspection will be performed. The basic checklist for the annual inspection includes the fuselage and hull group, the cabin and cockpit group, the engine and nacelle group, the landing gear group, the wing and center section, the empennage group, the propeller group, the communication and navigation group and miscellaneous.

Next is the 100 hour inspection which happens to be very similar to the annual inspection. The aircraft must be inspected within each 100 hours of...