Why LOAs = Languish of Aviation: A Fix is on the Way

Your shiny new business jet sits in the corner of the hangar collecting dust while waiting for a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the FAA. You stand there shaking your head, questioning this logic. Your shiny new aircraft is FAA-certified and your pilots are trained by an FAA-approved Part 142 sim provider and have completed an FAA-approved ground training course including International Procedures from Advanced Aircrew Academy; so why do we have to get more authorization to fly specific flight activities that we're already trained for and proven we can do safely? The painful answer: paperwork.

After years of agonizingly slow delays, the FAA has created a Streamlined Part 91 Operational Approval Process (OAP), with a caveat. According to the FAA, "The innovative Streamlined Part 91 Operational Approvals Application allows a Part 91 operator to request up to 10 basic LOAs using capability documentation from aircraft manufacturers and compliance documentation from training and procedures providers. This application supports a more efficient process for reviewing LOA applications. Note: The application is only applicable to Part 91 operators seeking certain common LOAs for a newly assembled aircraft delivered directly from the aircraft manufacturer."

So, where does that leave everyone else operating or purchasing pre-owned aircraft? The short answer is that a solution is in progress.

For Part 135 operations, Civil Air Regulations created Operations Specifications (Ops Specs), which can be modified/added and considered part of the operating certificate. Part 91 operators have similar obligations via applying for LOAs for activities like flying in RVSM, North Atlantic Tracks, Data Link Communications, MMELs, etc., but the system has become so bogged down, it is impeding operations.

Operational Approval Portal System

As part of the resolution, the FAA has standardized the application for the top ten LOAs in one location. Here's how you apply:

1. Request an OAPS account at https://oaps.faa.gov/. You must use the FAA's Operational Approval Portal System (OAPS).
2. Download the OAPS guide. These applications get changed often, so don't use a bootleg copy or you might have to start over.
3. Plan on having to submit extracts from AFM, IOPs, MMEL (cut and paste).

Using OAPS allows you to submit operations approvals, edit/review/approve previously submitted applications, and track the status approval request in real time.

Refer to the OAPS FAQ for more information.

The final critical component of the streamlined Part 91 Operational Approval Application is a Training Statement of Compliance (TSOC). Advanced Aircrew Academy is authorized by the FAA to provide you with a TSOC, which allows our training modules to meet your LOA's training requirements. We can tailor the contents of the training curriculum within parameters to meet your needs by adding topics from the elective list to meet additional LOA/Ops Spec authorizations or spotlighting specific areas of operation.

Part 91 operators are issued LOAs to operate in Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM), Performance Based Navigation (PBN), and High-Level Airspace (HLA). Our modules also comply with the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) training requirement for "International Operations" defined in Chapter 8 of IS-BAO. The Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) standard also requires training when LOAs are issued for international operations.

Advanced Aircrew Academy has TSOC authorization on the following Worldwide International Procedures training modules:

• Europe
• ICAO Differences
• North America / New York Oceanic West
• North Atlantic / Europe P-RNAV
• Performance Based Navigation
• Polar Routes
• Worldwide RVSM

Completing the Streamlined Process does not guarantee LOA approval. Each operator must present the training certificate(s) to your Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) for review and wait for approval.

Do you have questions or want to try a demo? Email info@aircrewacademy.com or call 843.557.1266.