Aircraft Required Maintenance Inspections – Acronym: AAV1ATE

As you may have noticed, the Airworthiness Certificate in your airplane never expires, you can think of that document like a birth certificate for the airplane. It just states that the airplane was once Airworthy. It is (or will be) YOUR JOB as the pilot in command to confirm that the airplane is airworthy.

Hum, I though that was the airplane owner’s job? NO, just like if I let you borrow my car with expired insurance, registration and a missing headlight, who get’s the ticket? You do.. Once you take possession of the airplane and determine it is safe to fly, that’s on you…

What about the Airplane Mechanic, it’s this his / her job to make sure the airplane is safe? Yes and no, if the A&P signed the airplane off for return to service, they are simply saying that it looked good when they looked at it on that date, if someone drove a lawnmower into it or shot the prop with a gun (yes, that’s happened twice to people I know) the airplane isn’t Airworthy anymore, and you might want to call the cops..

My flight school says that I can’t look at the Airplane Logbooks… Get a new flight school.. NOW.

A word of caution, especially to instructors. If a student want’s to fly their airplane vs the flight School airplane, make sure their airplane is legal to fly. I’ve caught two unairworthy airplanes in the past 6 months while conducting record reviews.

• Airworthiness Directives 91.417(a)(2)(v)
  • Notifies aircraft owners and other interested persons of unsafe conditions and to specify the conditions under which the product may continue to be operated. They could be either one-time or recurring ADs.
• Annual Inspection 91.409
  • Every 12 calendar months. Can only be performed by an IAP (Inspection Authorized) mechanic. It also can substitute a 100-hr inspection.
• VOR 91.171
  • Every 30 days. Only required for IFR flights without WAAS.
• 100-hour Inspection 91.409
  • Only required if the aircraft is for hire.
  • An aircraft can exceed its 100hr inspection only by up to 10 hours while en-route to a place where the inspection can be done. A special flight permit is not needed to fly those 10 hours, but the time must be logged in the maintenance record and can not be added to the next inspection.. For example, if the 100 hour was due at 2344, and you overflew to 2349, the next 100 hour is still due at 2444. WATCH THIS! Check the ADs! Many come due at 100 hours and can not be overflown without a ferry permit.
    • If an inspection was due at 100hrs but the plane flew 105hrs before it was inspected, the next inspection will still be due at 200hrs, but now you most likely overflew the ADs. Oops!
• Altimeter, altitude reporting and static system 91.411
  • Every 24 calendar months
• Transponder 91.413
  • Every 24 calendar months
• ELT 91.207
  • Every 12 calendar months
  • The regulation lists a lot of cases in which an ELT is not required, in which case maintenance is not required. Out of all items in that list there are two which might apply for flight training purposes:
    • If engaged in training operations conducted entirely within a 50-nautical mile radius of the airport from which such local flight operations began.
    • If temporarily removed  for no more than 90 days for inspection, repair, modification, or replacement, and in its place is a placard stating the removal