121 study guide

A1TAPE

Well-Known Member
Hey all! Im making a part 121 study guide using ASAs oral exam guide to help me get a better understanding of each concept. If you have the red book, my guide goes thru each 121 question as its listed in the book. All I did was write it in the way that was best for me to understand it and extract the needed info. Tell me what you think so far.

PS.. If you want to edit it or help me out with mine, feel free to PM me and I can give you edit perms. It can be a collaborative study guide with all of us adding our own examples and parts if you want. (only works with google accounts ie gmail)

Part 121 regs


121.11 US flagged aircraft flown outside USA have MOST RESTRICTIVE of FARs or host country regs


121.99 NO part 121 aircraft can ever be OUTSIDE 2 way rapid communications with the company


121.99 ETOPS what comms equipment is required


ETOPS UNDER 180 minutes - voice comms required unless not possible or unreliable due to poor quality. EX - datalink as substitute

ETOPS OVER 180 minutes - SATPHONE or equal voice comms are required unless not possible or unreliable due to poor quality.

***EASY WAY to remember - good luck getting voice comms WITHOUT a SATPHONE over water for OVER 180 minutes***


ONLY NWS or other APPROVED FAA WX SOURCES can be used for flight DX.

MUST INCLUDE

  • Means of being told about adverse wx for each company route and airport used

  • MUST be secured to prevent tampering - EX. secure login

MINimum NAVAID coverage required for dispatch on flag or domestic routes

Number AND type of NAVAIDS is determined by accuracy demanded by ATC.

***NOT*** required for certain VFR ops IF authorized by Op Specs.


ETOPS RFFS/ARFF requirements for alternate airports

ALL ETOPS alts MUST have RFFS/ARFF

Flight time > 180 minutes - EACH alt MUST have at LEAST CAT 4 rating BUT aircraft must stay within authorized maximum time from CAT 7 RFFS/ARFF airport

**IF REQS CANNOT BE MET BY ON AIRPORT SERVICES****

LOCAL RFSS can meet the regs IF

30 minute or better response time

Local RFSS MUST be able to be notified of inbound emergency A/Cs


Routes outside of controlled airspace

A/C CAN be dispatched as long as its “deemed safe & approved by the FAA.” (Its allowed if its in the Op Specs)


NO single engine aircraft under 121

**GOOD WAY To remember is - would you run Delta airlines if its fleet consisted of 172s and Warriors? Of course not TOO RISKY


Takeoff wieghts than A/C CANNOT exceed

  • MTOW

  • Structural limits

  • Runway limits (based on lengths and ambient conditions)

  • IF IT WILL CAUSE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
    • EXCEED accelerate stop distance + stopway

    • PREVENT T/O distance from being > runway length + clearway (CANNOT be > ½ runway length)

    • CAUSE a ground roll > runway length

    • EXCEED A/C climb limits

    • PREVENT A/C net takeoff path from clearing ALL obs by 35 ft vert and 200 ft laterally within airport boundary with 300 ft laterally OUTSIDE airport boundary

    • EXCEED driftdown maximum weights (121.191 for details)

    • EXCEED landing runway limits (.195)

    • EXCEED landing G/A limits

Wet runways CAN be planned as being dry IF

  • It is grooved

  • OR has a porous friction course PFC surface

  • Is acceptable to feds. (LISTED IN OP SPECS)
Driftdown


When an aircraft has an engine failure, the cannot maintain enough thrust to stay level as they are too heavy. Because of this, they DRIFTDOWN to a lower altitude where they can use the thrust from the operating engine to maintain altitude for their weight.


For driftdown planning, the aircraft CANNOT go BELOW the MSA (min safe alt) at the completion of driftdown. If it does, an escape route must be used to avoid the alt below MSA.


For route selection, it is better to have a lower MSA for the alternate airport route as the crew will declare an emergency and divert. Driftdown is normally used in twin engine aircraft.
 
***EASY WAY to remember - good luck getting voice comms WITHOUT a SATPHONE over water for OVER 180 minutes***

Generally. Though HF is acceptable, though having done a couple of HF patches, it's far from reliable. SATCOMM is a far superior solution and it provides datalink for more reliable tracking. Either way, the FAR as I interpret it requires 2 way communication be available at all times, and that method of communication cannot be a federal government means (ATC relay comes to mind). Between SATCOM and ARINC this usually has all bases covered.

ETOPS RFFS/ARFF requirements for alternate airports

Unless you're doing South Pacific work, you won't encounter anything beyond ETOPS 180, but the key to remember here is ARFF 4. If you're doing 60 minutes, it doesn't even need to be that. The airport must simply exist and have sufficient concrete to land and stop. The concept behind this is passenger safety. You want to get the airplane on the ground and the meat off the plane before it goes up in flames. ETOPS 207 really stretches that which is why they want to have ARFF 7 capability available. Honestly though, the whole idea is to get pax off the plane. It can then burn to the ground. If you have a cargo fire and go to a ARFF 4 airport, the airplane is going to be a write off. ARFF 4 is basically a fire truck and a guy in charge yelling at everyone to run away.

Everything looks good for your study guide. For driftdown, simply remember that at all segments of flight you must be able to clear all obstacles by 1000 feet, be it your entire route (method 1) or all SEGMENTS of the route (method 2), and the path to enroute alternates for each segment (does you no good to divert into a mountain).
 
Thanks. Did you guys make your own study guides and notes or did you just use the ones your achool gave you?
 
Thanks. Did you guys make your own study guides and notes or did you just use the ones your achool gave you?

for some reason i read this as "just use the ones your ALCOHOL gave you" and nodded my head in the affirmative
 
when you have something on your mind your brain sees what it wants. i'm sure freud wouldn't judge me too much
 
Back
Top