Maintenance Check Flight - Initial for Technicians (Helicopter): what you need to know

Initial Maintenance Check Flight training for helicopter Part-145 technicians: SPO.SPEC.MCF rules, CRM in the cockpit jump-seat, briefing/de-briefing, AMM checklist discipline, RFM emergency procedures, and the specialist techniques of track-and-balance and engine performance monitoring - 12 h taught content with a 30-item server-graded final exam at 80 %.

Overview

A Maintenance Check Flight is not a normal flight and a technician on board is not a passenger. EU Regulation 965/2012 Annex I §76a defines an MCF as a flight carried out to troubleshoot, verify the proper functioning of a system, or check the airworthiness of an aircraft after maintenance. Part-SPO Subpart-E (SPO.SPEC.MCF.100 - 145) sets the operational framework, while Part-145 (145.A.50(e), AMC1 145.A.50(e)§4), Part-CAMO (AMC3 CAMO.A.305(g)) and Part-M / Part-ML (GM M.A.301(i), GM1 ML.A.301(f)) place specific duties on the AMO and CAMO. This course gives technicians - acceptance release engineers, B1/B2 certifying staff and support staff who will sit in the cockpit during an MCF - the regulatory floor, the CRM and communication skills (ORO.FC.115, GM1 145.A.30(e)), the risk-assessment cycle, the briefing and de-briefing discipline, and the airframe-specific techniques (EC135 SDS 18-10 track-and-balance, SDS 77-00 engine performance, AMM 05-60 checklist structure, RFM emergency procedures) needed to participate safely and effectively. Built from the same first-principles, station-driven instructional spine as the Safety & Human Factors Initial course, it ends with a 30-item server-graded final exam at 80 % pass.

Topics covered

  • M1 - Foundations of the Maintenance Check Flight - What an MCF is in EU law, why a technician is on board, and the full regulation framework joining Part-SPO, Part-145, Part-CAMO and Part-M / Part-ML.
  • M2 - Human Factors for the MCF crew - CRM for the technician in the jump-seat, communication and handover discipline, and the R.I.S.K. cycle used to plan and brief every check flight.
  • M3 - Preparing the check flight - Building the flight programme under SPO.SPEC.MCF.105/110/125, running the walk-around safely, and conducting a structured pre-flight briefing.
  • M4 - Executing the check flight - Cockpit roles and decision-making, AMM-driven checklist discipline, and the RFM emergency procedures every MCF technician must recognise in flight.
  • M5 - Specialist MCF techniques - Track-and-balance fundamentals (EC135 AMM 18-10) and engine performance monitoring (EC135 AMM 77-00 with ECMS trend) - the two technical signatures of a productive MCF.
  • M6 - Closing the loop & final exam - Structured post-flight de-briefing that feeds the CAMO and the AMO back-to-service record, then the 30-item server-graded final exam.

Regulation references

Annex I to Reg (EU) 965/2012, point (76), SPO.SPEC.MCF.100, SPO.SPEC.MCF.105, SPO.SPEC.MCF.110, SPO.SPEC.MCF.115, SPO.SPEC.MCF.120, SPO.OP.230, 145.A.50(b), AMC1 145.A.50(b) paragraph 4, GM1 M.A.301(7), GM1 ML.A.301(d), AMC1 145.A.30(e) paragraph (10), GM1 145.A.30(e), AMC1 CAMO.A.305(e), EC135 AMM 05-50, EC135 AMM 18-10, EC135 AMM 77-00

Train with Rotor Academy

Maintenance Check Flight - Initial for Technicians (Helicopter) - 12 hours online, with a verifiable certificate of completion.

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