Attachment "C" OPERATIONAL CONTROL SYSTEM (Section 6.6.6)

Transcription

1 General Attachment "C" OPERATIONAL CONTROL SYSTEM (Section 6.6.6) Operational control is the exercise of authority over the formulation, execution, and amendment of an operational flight plan in respect of a flight. Another organization may be contracted to exercise operational control on behalf of an Air Operator. 1. Responsibility and Authority Prior to acceptance by the pilot-in-command of the Operational Flight Plan (OFP), operational control, as delegated by the Operations Director in the Company Operations Manual, is exercised jointly by the flight dispatcher/operations officer and the pilot-in-command of a flight. After the pilot-in-command accepts the Operational Flight Plan, the flight dispatcher/operations officer and the pilot-in-command share responsibility for Flight Watch. The flight dispatcher/operations officer shall provide pertinent and related flight information to the pilot-in-command, including any changes to the Operational Flight Plan proposed by the dispatcher or the Air Operator. Once a flight has commenced, the final decision on any changes to the Operational Flight Plan shall be taken by the pilot-in-command based on considerations of safety. For the purpose of operational control systems, a flight is deemed to be "commenced" after brake release for taxi. Limited, pilot self-dispatch of flights may be permitted where a lack of communications facilities prevents the co-authority dispatch of a flight. In such cases, the Air Operator shall develop, and submit to the Kuwait DGCA for approval, those additional procedures that are intended to compensate for the lack of flight dispatcher/operations officer participation in the flight's next operational flight plan. 2. Centres The Flight Dispatch Centre shall be established so as to ensure operational control throughout the Air Operator's entire route structure or area of operations. 3. Communications a) In-flight Communications Timely and direct communication between the responsible flight dispatcher/operations officer and the pilot-in-command of a flight shall be maintained during flight time over all or almost all the route structure. Page 1 of 5

2 b) On-ground Communications A direct communications capability between the pilot-in-command and the flight dispatcher/operations officer shall be provided at any station regularly served by the Air Operator. The equipment used shall be accessible to the pilot-in-command and may include the following: i) VHF/HF Radio voice; i telephone; data link; and teletype. Timely communication means the ability to establish communications within one hour when the flight is in cruise. Direct communication means the ability of the flight dispatcher/operations officer and the pilot-in-command to communicate using the Air Operator's facilities, an electronic data link facility, or a facility operated by a third party according to an agreement. 4. Flight Dispatchers/Operations Officers On Duty The Air Operator shall provide sufficient dispatchers/officers to operate their operational control system based on the Air Operator's workload analysis. 5. Flight Dispatch Centre a) Each centre shall have a means of providing to the flight dispatcher/operations officer without delay: i) NOTAM and NOTAM summaries; all weather reports for airports used as destination or alternate airports or for emergencies; i forecasts, area and terminal, for the area of responsibility and such wider area as are needed for proper weather trend analysis; and weather radar summaries, where available as part of the normal weather reporting system. The Air Operator shall establish a system to inform flight dispatchers/operations officers at each centre of significant changes in flight conditions and in conditions at stations significant to the company's flights. b) Each centre shall be provided with: i) aircraft operating manuals and Minimum Equipment Lists, as appropriate; Company Operations Manual; i airport runway data; and such additional information as may be needed to enable the formulation of an operational flight plan or to exercise Flight Watch services. Page 2 of 5

3 c) Each centre shall be provided with communications equipment that ensures: i) a means to provide a hard copy of an operational Flight Plan, or an amendment, to the pilot-in-command; and direct Air Traffic Services contact. 6. Flight Dispatcher/Operations Officer a) The Air Operator shall ensure that each flight dispatcher/operations officer are trained and qualified in accordance with the requirements of its approved training program. b) Before commencing duty, a flight dispatcher/operations officer shall receive a briefing on, or shall study, all pertinent weather charts, weather reports, NOTAM, operational restrictions in force, flights in the air, flights for which Operational Flight Plans (Dispatch Releases) have been issued but that have not yet commenced and for which he shall be responsible, and the forecast flight schedule. c) The responsible flight dispatcher/operations officer may supervise personnel, including assistants, as part of an approved on-the-job training program, provided this supervision does not interfere with the performance of his duties. d) The flight dispatcher/operations officer shall maintain a record of information generated or exchanged in relation to any flight for which that flight dispatcher/operations officer has responsibility. 7. Dispatch Release The Dispatch Release of a flight occurs when the flight dispatcher/ operations officer approves the Operational Flight Plan, after which it is submitted to the pilot-in-command for acceptance. When there is disagreement between the flight dispatcher/operations officer and the pilot-in-command over the dispatch of a flight, the disagreement resolution policy, where one has been specified by the Air Operator, or the most conservative course of action shall be followed. The dispatch release may be in the form of an Operational Flight Plan or a separate document, signed by the flight dispatcher/operations officer and issued in accordance with the Company Operations Manual. A means shall be provided and procedures should be developed to ensure that at each location where flights originate, the pilot-in-command: a) receives meteorological information related to the flight; b) obtains a hard copy of the Operational Flight Plan; and c) except where communication is not practical, can contact the responsible flight dispatcher/operations officer prior to take-off, if necessary. 8. Flight Watch a) A flight dispatcher/operations officer shall maintain current information on the progress of flights for which he is responsible. Page 3 of 5

4 b) Flight Watch, which shall continue until completion of the flight, shall be maintained on all factors and conditions that might affect the Operational Flight Plan. The pilot-in-command shall be kept fully advised of all these factors and conditions. c) In-flight reports should be directed to the flight dispatcher/operations officer performing Flight Watch: i) after each take-off and landing; at least once an hour on any flight longer than one hour conducted in uncontrolled airspace; i at intervals not greater than two hours on international operations where communications are possible; when the fuel remaining at any time on the flight falls below the minimum specified on the Operational Flight Plan; and v) where the pilot-in-command determines a change is necessary to the Operational Flight Plan enroute. 9. Operational Flight Plan The Minimum Required Content of an Operational Flight Plan is: a) Air Operator's name; b) date; c) aircraft registration; d) aircraft tail number; e) aircraft type and model; f) flight number; g) type of flight (i.e. ETOPS); h) pilot-in-command's name; i) flight dispatcher/operations officer's name; j) departure aerodrome; k) destination aerodrome; l) alternate aerodrome, including enroute alternates where required; m) routing to destination by successive navigational way points and a method to obtain associated tracks for each; n) routing to alternate aerodrome (as applicable); o) specification of any way points enroute to satisfy special operations requirements (ETOPS, etc.); p) planned cruise altitudes to destination and alternate; q) planned cruise true air speed; r) planned cruise indicated air speed, or mach number; Page 4 of 5

5 s) winds at planned cruise altitude: these may be expressed in terms of direction/velocity or as a component/drift angle; t) temperature at cruise altitude; u) ground speed or wind component during cruise; v) estimated time enroute: if broken down into way point time components, a total shall be specified; w) time from destination to alternate; x) distance to destination: if broken down into way point distance components, a total shall be specified; y) distance from destination to alternate; z) fuel burn enroute and from destination to alternate; aa) bb) fuel required for the type of flight plan for: i) taxi, i destination, alternate, holding reserve, and v) additional requirements or enroute reserve; weights: i) total fuel on board, i zero fuel weight, and planned maximum take-off weight; cc) signature of pilot-in-command and the flight dispatcher/ operations officer or alternate means of certifying acceptance; and The format of the full operational flight plan shall allow the crew to record the fuel state and the progress of the flight relative to the plan. The operational flight plan may be computer generated or produced manually, working from charts and tables, by either the flight dispatcher/operations officer or the flight crew. When an operational flight plan is prepared manually, an approved form displaying the requisite information and providing the necessary space to make flight following entries as the flight progresses shall be used. The Air Operator shall specify, in its Company Operations Manual, how formal acceptance of the operational flight plan by the Pilotin-Command and, if applicable, the flight dispatcher/operations officer shall be recorded. Page 5 of 5