Originally Posted by
Archive mole
As a Form 4 holder you are expected to be competent, knowledgeable and responsible about what you are overseeing. You will also have direct access to the CAA OPS inspector of your organisation to ask for advice when you need it - it’s free, impartial and the best advice you will get. Perhaps you would be better advised doing that rather than asking questions on an online forum?
Perhaps, but generally I have found ops inspectors are more receptive when you tell them what you intend to write, the reasons why, and the safety case for doing so, and if you are unsure what is considered acceptable, that you have exhaustedy all available resources in attempting to arrive at the most sensible and acceptable content. Usually within the framework of the regulation this is very straightforward, other times it is less so. Having spoken to a number of other current postholders (and ex-postholders), as well as some of the most established IR trainers in the UK, this specific issue seemingly remains largely unaddressed within the onshore framework of operators who don’t have an OM C entry for every licensed aerodrome that they may be expected to fly to, or a state/company approved procedure. I therefore standby my approach that I will very happily reach out to other professional colleagues in industry to see what I am missing, before going to my ops inspector to ask for help. It’s easy to downplay the potential benefit of an ‘online forum’ but personally, like Wikipedia, I find that there is a huge amount of useful information which is not taken as fact, but which may lead you to the right source to find the answer. There is also the potential benefit, though you may not personally see it as one, that promoting conversation can be useful to others who have any interest on the topic. If they are not interested I would suggest they needn’t read this thread 👍🏼
I have read of a number of ops manuals, and most contain a line in OM A 8.1.2 to the effect of “Unless specific instrument approach/departure procedures exist, flights are to be carried out under Visual Flight Rules…”. I also know that many depart IFR from airfields without instrument departures every day without the AIP or OM C giving any published IFR departures. I’m not going to keep pressing this one, I shall take it offline now. Thanks to those who have input with useful suggestions.