Regulations - Inspections | Training Blog

What inspections must an airplane have to be airworthy?

Airworthiness is more than “it flew fine last time.”

For an aircraft to be legally airworthy, it must:

1️⃣ Conform to its type design
2️⃣ Be in condition for safe operation
3️⃣ Have all required inspections and Airworthiness Directives (AD) current

​The Annual Inspection is only one piece of the puzzle.
 
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✈️ Why This Matters (Owner + Student Reality)

The FAA places responsibility for determining airworthiness directly on the pilot in command and operator — not the mechanic and not the previous pilot.

Inspection issues most commonly show up as:

• Expired equipment inspections discovered before IFR flight
• Missing or undocumented AD compliance
• Assuming the Annual covers everything
• Logbook entries that do not properly approve return to service

This is not paperwork trivia. It’s operational legality.

And yes — this is a favorite checkride topic for a reason.
 
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✈️ The Practical Memory Tool:  AV1ATES

This acronym is found in the preflight section of GCAC in-flight guides and provides a clean way to verify inspection compliance. In-flight guide hard copies are located in each aircraft, as well as in CrewChief Systems and here on our website.

Visit our GCAC Airplane pages for each in-flight guide

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A.V.1.A.T.E.S.
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A — Annual Inspection (FAR 91.409)
Required every 12 calendar months for most GA aircraft.

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V — VOR Check (FAR 91.171)
Required every 30 days if flying IFR using VOR navigation.

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I — 100-Hour Inspection (FAR 91.409)
Required if the aircraft is used for hire or certain flight instruction operations.
Must occur every 100 tach-hours time in service.

GCAC Context:
Member-owned aircraft are not for public hire and are generally not subject to this requirement.

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A — Airworthiness Directives (FAR 91.403)
If an AD applies, compliance is mandatory.
No compliance = not airworthy.
ADs may be:

• One-time
• Recurring
• Conditional

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T — Transponder (FAR 91.413)
Required every 24 calendar months if operating where a transponder is required.

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E — ELT (FAR 91.207)
Required every 12 calendar months.
Battery replacement rules apply based on use and lifespan.

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S — Static System / Altimeter (FAR 91.411)
Required every 24 calendar months if operating IFR.
 
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🧠 Operational Scenarios

Scenario 1
The Annual was completed last month.
Pitot-static inspection expired two weeks ago.

Can you fly IFR?
Answer: No. You’re fine for VFR, not IFR.

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Scenario 2
Annual is current.
Transponder inspection expired.

Can you enter Class C?
Answer: Not legally.

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Scenario 3
AD compliance is not documented in the logs.
Aircraft flies fine.

Airworthy?
Answer: No.
 
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⚠️ Most Common Real-World Misses

• Assuming Annual = fully legal for all operations
• Missing ELT inspection timing
• Forgetting VOR check currency
• Not tracking recurring AD intervals
• Confusing airworthy with legal for a specific operation

 
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🔎 GCAC Operations — Where to Verify

Inspection status for Club aircraft is tracked in CrewChief Systems.

Visit our CrewChief Systems page at GreenCastleAeroClub.com

Use it to verify:

• Inspection due dates
• AD compliance
• Time-limited components
• Upcoming maintenance windows

Think of it as the “preflight for paperwork.”
 
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🧩 The Big Takeaway

Airworthiness is not a single inspection.

It’s a layered compliance system tied to:

• Time
• Equipment
• Operation
• Documentation

The airplane doesn’t care what acronym you use.
The FAA does.
Stay ahead of it.
 
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🗓 Next Week

Plane & Pilot – Theories of Lift

What actually makes an airplane fly?

Is it Bernoulli? Newton? Both?
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Next week, we’ll simplify the major theories of lift and connect them to what you actually see in the cockpit — angle of attack, airspeed, and performance.