FTO AUDIT

Information

Document No.
Audit Title
Client / Site
Conducted on
Prepared by
Location
Personnel

Training Programme Management

TRG 1.1 The Operator shall have a training and evaluation programme, approved or accepted by the Authority, that consists of ground and flight training and, when applicable, evaluations to ensure instructors are competent to perform assigned duties, and student achieve the required standard.
TRG 1.2 The Operator shall ensure objectivity in the training and evaluation programme is maintained by assuring: i) Evaluations administered in conjunction with aircraft and/or simulator are conducted by different individuals than those that conducted the training; ii) Instructors and examiners are permitted to perform assigned activities without inappropriate interference from management and/or external organisations.
TRG 1.3 The Operator should have processes for ensuring continual improvement of the flight crew training and evaluation programme, to include, as a minimum, the monitoring, recording and evaluation of results of successful and unsuccessful flight crew evaluations.
TRG 1.4 The Operator shall have a Training Manual for the use of personnel, which may be issued in separate parts, that contains the details of all relevant training programmes, policies, procedures, requirements and other guidance or information necessary to administer the operator's Training Programme
TRG 1.5 The Operator shall ensure the Training Manual contains standards for flight crew training and evaluation that have been approved or accepted by the Authority and include, as a minimum: i) standardised procedures for training and the conduct of evaluations; ii) standards that ensure piloting technique and the ability to execute normal and non-normal procedures are checked in a way that demonstrates competence; iii) a requirement that simulated aircraft, weather and environmental conditions are standardised and appropriate for the training/evaluation being administered; iv) A definition of the conditions and/or manoeuvres that can be safely simulated in the aircraft, as well as the minimum weather and environmental conditions required to ensure the training/evaluation being administered can be safely and effectively conducted; v) limits for the number of times manoeuvres may be repeated and the evaluation still be considered acceptable; vi) procedures for remedial training and subsequent evaluation of a flight crew unable to achieve or maintain required standards.
TRG 1.6 The Operator shall ensure instructors and examiners, whether employed or subcontracted, are qualified and standardised for their assigned tasks.
TRG 1.7 The Operator should ensure formal and regular communication occurs between and among flight operations management, instructors, and evaluators, to achieve continuous improvement of ground, simulator and aircraft training and operations.
TRG 1.8 The Operator should have processes for ensuring continual improvement of the flight crew training and evaluation programme, to include, as a minimum, the monitoring, recording and evaluation of results of successful and unsuccessful flight crew evaluations.
TRG 1.9 The Operator shall have a recurrent qualification programme for instructors, evaluators, and line check airmen that, as a minimum, requires participation in: i) standardisation meetings as defined by the Authority; ii) training or evaluation sessions (simulator or aircraft) conducted while supervised by an individual approved by the Operator; iii) an approved accepted minimum number of training events and/or evaluations per year; required participation in a supplementary re-qualification/recertification programme if the minimum number of events are not completed; iv) a seat-specific (right or left, as applicable) recurrent programme for instructors who perform duties from either seat. v) a jump seat observation programme or equivalent approved by the Authority for non-line qualified instructors to provide familiarity with current and type-related line operations.
TRG 1.10 The Operator shall ensure training aids and equipment, to include mock-ups, flight deck procedure trainers and other devices and/or course materials used in the flight crew training and evaluation programme, reasonably reflect the configuration of the fleet(s) for which the respective training is being conducted.
TRG 1.11 The Operator shall ensure engine failures are simulated for the purpose of accomplishing manoeuvres that involve a failed or inoperative engine.

Training administration

TRG 2.1 The Operator should ensure the designation of a common language(s) for use by all flight instructors, examiners and students for communication.
TRG 2.2 The Operator shall have a scheduling process that ensures flight crew members, prior to being assigned to a flight instruction duty, are qualified and current in accordance with applicable flight crew qualification requirements
TRG 2.3 The Operator should have policies in the OM that address flight time and flight duty periods for flight crew members to ensure fatigue occurring either in one flight, successive flights or accumulated over a period of time does not endanger the safety of the flight.
TRG 2.4 The Operator shall have procedures in the OM that describe instructors duties and responsibilities for flight preparation and ensure instructors, prior to the commencement of each flight, complete a review of: i) the Aircraft Technical Log (ATL) and the MEL/CDL to determine the airworthiness status of the aircraft; ii) the OFP; iii) weather information to include en-route and departure, destination and alternate airports; iv) NOTAMS; v) aircraft performance, weight and mass.
TRG 2.5 The Operator should have guidance in the OM that ensures approach and landing operations are not authorised when the airport operating conditions are outside limits.
TRG 2.6 The Operator shall have a fuel policy and guidance in the OM that enables the flight crew to determine the minimum dispatch/departure fuel for each flight, to include, as applicable: i) taxi fuel; ii) trip fuel (takeoff, climb, en-route, descent, approach and landing); iii) holding fuel, if applicable; iv) alternate fuel (takeoff, en-route, destination); v) contingency fuel; if applicable vi) reserve fuel; if applicable vii) additional fuel

Training operations

TRG 3.1 The Operator shall have guidance that describes flight crew duties and responsibilities for the use, completion and/or application of the ATL and MEL as applicable. Such guidance shall be included in the OM or in other documents available to the flight crew during the flight preparation process.
TRG 3.2 The Operator shall have a process to ensure an aircraft does not depart with any defect affecting airworthiness that has not been processed in accordance with the manual.
TRG 3.3 The Operator shall have a process to ensure the PIC records in the ATL, for each flight, a description of known or suspected defects that affect operation of the aircraft.
TRG 3.4 The Operator shall ensure, prior to each flight, an exterior aircraft inspection (walk-around) is performed by a member of the flight crew or delegated to a licensed aircraft maintenance technician.
TRG 3.5 The Operator shall have guidance in the OM that requires flight crew to monitor weather information during the en-route phase of flight, to include current weather and forecasts, as applicable, for: i) destination airport; ii) destination alternate airport(s), if applicable; iii) en-route alternate airports(s), if applicable.
TRG 3.6. The Operator shall have guidance and procedures in the OM to ensure flight crew monitor flight time and fuel burn for the purposes of identifying trends and for comparison to the OFP.
TRG 3.7 The Operator shall have procedures in the OM that require the use of checklists by the flight crew prior to, during and after all phases of flight operations and in abnormal and emergency situations, to ensure compliance with: i) procedures contained in the OM; ii) provisions of the aircraft certificate of airworthiness
TRG 3.8. The Operator shall have a policy and procedures in the OM that require flight crew members to crosscheck and confirm critical actions, to include: i) aircraft configuration changes (landing gear, wing flaps); ii) altimeter bug and airspeed bug settings, as applicable; iii) altimeter subscale settings; iv) transfer of control of the aircraft; v) changes to the radio navigation/communication aids during the departure and or approach phases of flight; vii) performance calculations.

Organisation and management

TRG 4.1 he Operator shall have a management system for the flight training organisation that ensures: i) management of safety and security of flight training operations; ii) supervision and control of flight operations, flight operations functions and other associated activities; iii) compliance with standards of the Operator and requirements of the State and other applicable authorities.
TRG 4.2 The Operator shall have a valid FTO Approval or equivalent document issued by the State that authorises the Operator to conduct commercial flight training operations in accordance with specified conditions and limitations.
TRG 4.3 The Operator shall have a process for the delegation of duties within the flight training management system that ensures managerial continuity is maintained when operational managers are absent from the workplace.
TRG 4.4 The Operator shall have a communication system that enables and ensures an effective exchange of operationally relevant information throughout the flight training/operations management system and among operational personnel.
TRG 4.5. The Operator shall have a process to ensure issues that affect operational safety and security are coordinated among personnel with expertise in the appropriate areas within the flight training organisation and relevant areas outside of flight training, to include, as appropriate: i) accident prevention and flight safety; ii) engineering and maintenance; iii) manufacturers, (AFM/AOM, operational and safety communication); iv) regulatory agencies or authorities.
TRG 4.6. The Operator shall have a process to ensure the dissemination of safety-critical operational information to appropriate personnel within and external to the flight operations organisation.
TRG 4.7. The Operator shall have a process to ensure candidates, prior to being employed as instructors/examiner, are screened for the purpose of determining if they possess the requisite certifications, skills, competencies and other attributes required by the Operator and/or State. Such process, as a minimum, shall include procedures for reviewing and/or assessing: i) technical competencies and skills; ii) aviation experience; iii) credentials and licenses; iv) Interpersonal skills; v) medical fitness; vi) security background; vii) common language(s) fluency.
TRG 4.8. The Operator should have a policy that addresses the use of psychoactive substances by flight crewmembers, which: i) prohibits the exercise of duties while under the influence of psychoactive substances; ii) prohibits the problematic use of psychoactive substances; iii) requires that all personnel who are identified as engaging in any kind of problematic use of psychoactive substances are removed from safety-critical functions; iv) conforms to the requirements of the Authority.
TRG 4.9.The Operator shall have an Operations Manual (OM) for the use of personnel in the flight training/operations organisation, which may be issued in separate parts, and which contains the policies, procedures, checklists and other guidance or information necessary for compliance with applicable regulations, laws, rules and Operator standards
TRG 4.10. The Operator should have a system for the management and control of flight operations records to ensure the content and retention of such records is in accordance with requirements of the Authority

Quality System

TRG 5.1 The Operator should have a quality assurance programme that provides for the auditing and evaluation of the flight operations management system and operational functions at planned intervals to ensure the organisation is: i) complying with regulatory and internal requirements; ii) satisfying stated operational needs; iii) identifying hazards, undesirable conditions and areas requiring improvement.
TRG 5.2. The Operator should have an audit planning process and sufficient resources to ensure audits of flight operations functions are: i) scheduled at intervals that meet management system requirements; ii) completed within a specified time period.
TRG 5.3. The Operator should have a process to ensure significant issues arising from audits of flight operations functions are subject to regular review by senior management of the flight operations organisation.
TRG 5.4. The Operator should have a process for addressing findings that result from audits of flight operations functions, which ensures: i) identification of root cause(s); ii) development of corrective action as appropriate to address the finding(s); iii) implementation of corrective action in appropriate operational areas; iv) evaluation of corrective action to determine effectiveness.