Opspecs - Need a little help

[G4G5]

I went to the Opspecs.com web site and I could not find a list of Ops Specs.

Does anyone have a good link to an actual list of Ops Specs? I am refering to the A0XX, B0XX and C0XX data. The actual Ops Spec, what it is and it's associated data?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[English]

Yeah ya need a password for that site...and the FAA only gives those out to chief pilots, DOs, DOMs and "agents for service" for 121 and 135 companies.

 

[Flyoa1]

Call your local FSDO and ask. Also, look in FAA Order 8400.10 Volume 3, everything you ever wanted to know about Ops specs.

 

[AA717driver]

G4G5--You going the 135 route or do you just want to clean up your SOP's? TC

 

[G4G5]

Hi TC,
Actually it's something that every Part 91 operator will be getting intimately familiar with.

Our flight department is going through our biannual audit. Which caused me to actually open my MEL and look at it. Upon review I noticed that our RAAS system was not in our MMEL so I wanted to get it updated.

I had the MMEL changed and then went down to talk to my local FSDO folks and they informed me that the FAA WILL NO LONGER BE ISSUING LOA's AND THAT THEY ARE CHANGING TO OPSPECS. I asked about my RVSM LOA and they said that EVERYTHING has changed to Part 91 Opspecs. They also told me you can't just convert your MMEL to opspecs and not your RVSM Loa. You need to convert all your LOA's at one time.

So, I instituted the process to convert all my LOA's to Part 91 Opspecs. Upon doing so, a few questions came up regarding the Opspecs.

I can't seem to find a copy of the list of Opspecs all I have is what the FAA gave me. I guess I need to sign up with the FAA to have access to the Opspecs web site but I was just really looking for some quick info over the web.

 

[HS125]

Hi TC,
Actually it's something that every Part 91 operator will be getting intimately familiar with.

Our flight department is going through our biannual audit. Which caused me to actually open my MEL and look at it. Upon review I noticed that our RAAS system was not in our MMEL so I wanted to get it updated.

I had the MMEL changed and then went down to talk to my local FSDO folks and they informed me that the FAA WILL NO LONGER BE ISSUING LOA's AND THAT THEY ARE CHANGING TO OPSPECS. I asked about my RVSM LOA and they said that EVERYTHING has changed to Part 91 Opspecs. They also told me you can't just convert your MMEL to opspecs and not your RVSM Loa. You need to convert all your LOA's at one time.

So, I instituted the process to convert all my LOA's to Part 91 Opspecs. Upon doing so, a few questions came up regarding the Opspecs.

I can't seem to find a copy of the list of Opspecs all I have is what the FAA gave me. I guess I need to sign up with the FAA to have access to the Opspecs web site but I was just really looking for some quick info over the web.

If you know anyone that is currently operating under 135, you may want to ask to see a copy of their OPSPECS. That may be a quick and dirty way to get started.

Also, you can cross reference their OPSPECS against the appropriate chapters in the Inspectors 8400.10 manual http://faa.gov/library/manuals/examiners_inspectors/8400/ and against the FAA's Information Bullitens and Handbook Bullitens. This will probably be more information than you need, but it will get you pointed in the right direction.

Futhermore, it's my understanding that, even though the FAA will be issuing Part 91 OPSPECS, the information that is required to obtain them is the same as was required for an LOA. If you have a current LOA for RVSM, then the FSDO should convert that LOA to an OPSPEC with no extra work on your part.

Here is a link to the Notice the FAA issued for making the change from LOA's to OPSPECS http://faa.gov/library/manuals/examiners_inspectors/8700/notices/media/n8700-45.doc

 

[fly4kix]

Upon review I noticed that our RAAS system was not in our MMEL so I wanted to get it updated.

I'm sorry, what is RAAS??

 

[CorpLearDriver]

Hi TC,
Actually it's something that every Part 91 operator will be getting intimately familiar with.

Our flight department is going through our biannual audit. Which caused me to actually open my MEL and look at it. Upon review I noticed that our RAAS system was not in our MMEL so I wanted to get it updated.

I had the MMEL changed and then went down to talk to my local FSDO folks and they informed me that the FAA WILL NO LONGER BE ISSUING LOA's AND THAT THEY ARE CHANGING TO OPSPECS. I asked about my RVSM LOA and they said that EVERYTHING has changed to Part 91 Opspecs. They also told me you can't just convert your MMEL to opspecs and not your RVSM Loa. You need to convert all your LOA's at one time.

So, I instituted the process to convert all my LOA's to Part 91 Opspecs. Upon doing so, a few questions came up regarding the Opspecs.

Yes, they are called Part 91 J-Ops Specs and the FAA will issue them to you when you apply for renewal of your Part 91 LOA. The idea is they want to get away from having to renew the LOA's every two years. While they are similar to Part 135 Ops Specs, all the authorizations are covered in just a few pages. This means you have to ask for everything you want and give a reason it should be issued to you. i.e. RVSM, MNPS, RNP-10, Type A or B SID/STARs, P-RNAV, B-RNAV, etc.

I have a full MEL that covers my airplane but was told by my FSDO that they were only going to approve MMELs for Part 91 operators. That sounds a bit fishy to me and I haven't finished with them on that issue yet. But I have my new Ops Specs after pushing them very very hard to get them to move on them and having all my International Procedures Manual, MMEL/MEL, RVSM Maintenance program and equipment approvals, AFM Suppliments, training programs and such in place.

All of this is needed, but the actual Op Specs comprise of maybe 10 to 14 pages for all the authorizations listed above. As opposed to a 135 manual which will have a couple hundred.

 

[HS125]

Upon review I noticed that our RAAS system was not in our MMEL so I wanted to get it updated.

I'm sorry, what is RAAS??

Runway Awareness and Advisory System. Bithc'n Betty tells you what runway you're lind up on and many other things like runway remaining. And she likes to scream at you when you take off on a runway that is not in the data base.

 

[HS125]

....

Duplicate post

 

[HS125]

I have a full MEL that covers my airplane but was told by my FSDO that they were only going to approve MMELs for Part 91 operators. That sounds a bit fishy to me and I haven't finished with them on that issue yet.

Wouldn't be the ATL FSDO by chance, would it?

 

[fly4kix]

Runway Awareness and Advisory System. Bithc'n Betty tells you what runway you're lind up on and many other things like runway remaining. And she likes to scream at you when you take off on a runway that is not in the data base.

ahh..thanks

 

[G4G5]

If you know anyone that is currently operating under 135, you may want to ask to see a copy of their OPSPECS. That may be a quick and dirty way to get started.

Also, you can cross reference their OPSPECS against the appropriate chapters in the Inspectors 8400.10 manual http://faa.gov/library/manuals/examiners_inspectors/8400/ and against the FAA's Information Bullitens and Handbook Bullitens. This will probably be more information than you need, but it will get you pointed in the right direction.

Futhermore, it's my understanding that, even though the FAA will be issuing Part 91 OPSPECS, the information that is required to obtain them is the same as was required for an LOA. If you have a current LOA for RVSM, then the FSDO should convert that LOA to an OPSPEC with no extra work on your part.

Here is a link to the Notice the FAA issued for making the change from LOA's to OPSPECS http://faa.gov/library/manuals/examiners_inspectors/8700/notices/media/n8700-45.doc

Thanks,
I didn't mean to make it sound like doing this was difficult. The FSDO was very helpful with making the transition. The issue becomes checking that we have all of the Ops Specs we want and need. This is where having a list of the Ops Spec's would be nice.

We also had a question about some of the wording of the ops spec's. Since an LOA does not provide the specific guidance like an Ops Spec, once we sat down and actually read the fine print some questions naturally arose. The FSDO POI was great but this is new to him and he was not very helpful with the actual Ops Spec fine print.

Thanks again, it looks like I need to sign up with the FAA

 

[MikeN]

G4G5,

CorpLearDriver's basically right. Part 91 operators won't be issued Opspecs, like a certificated entity would. FAA is using their Opspec system to issue and manage LOAs for Part 91 operators. NBAA's VP of Safety and Regulation said it best on an NBAA AirMail posting earlier this year:

"With the introduction of D-RVSM, the FAA has started tracking LOAs using the Operations Specification Sub System (OPSS), a tool used to monitor authorizations given to commercial carriers. Unfortunately, many FSDO offices believe that they are now issuing OpSpecs to Part 91 operators for D-RVSM, MNPS, RNP, etc. To clarify, the FAA can issue OpSpecs ONLY to an air carrier (Part 135, Part 121, etc) as the OpSpecs are assigned to a certificate, not an aircraft or an operator. The new LOAs that FAA is issuing look a lot like OpSpecs, adding to much confusion. One benefit of the new system is that Part 91 operators will not have to renew their authorizations every 2 years if nothing has changed. Adding aircraft or modifying avionics equipment, however, will likely require issuance of a new LOA."

Mike