Opspecs - Need a little help

[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