UAM.OP.MVCA.200 Special refuelling or defuelling of VCA

REFUELLING WHEN LIFT AND THRUST UNITS ARE POWERED ON

(a)Refuelling when lift and thrust units are powered on should only be conducted:

(1)with no passengers embarking or disembarking; however, passengers may be on board;

(2)if allowed by the operator of vertiport or diversion location, as applicable;

(3)in accordance with any specific procedures and limitations in the AFM;

(4)using JET A or JET A-1 fuel types; and

(5)with the appropriate RFFS facilities or equipment available.

(b)In addition, operational procedures in the operations manual should specify that at least the following precautions are taken:

(1)all necessary information should be exchanged in advance with the vertiport or diversion location operator, and with the refuelling operator;

(2)the procedures to be used by crew members should be defined;

(3)the procedures to be used by the operator’s ground operations personnel that are in charge of refuelling or assisting in emergency evacuation should be described;

(4)the operator’s training programmes for crew members and for the operator’s ground operations personnel should be described;

(5)the minimum distance between the VCA turning parts and the refuelling vehicle or installations should be defined when the refuelling takes place outside a vertiport;

(6)a handheld fire extinguisher with the equivalent of 5 kg of dry powder should be immediately available and ready for use;

(7)a means for a two-way communication between the crew and the person in charge of refuelling should be defined and established;

(8)if fuel vapour is detected inside the VCA, or any other hazard arises, refuelling/defuelling should be stopped immediately;

(9)the PIC should stay at the controls, constantly monitor the refuelling process, and be ready to shut off the lift and thrust units and evacuate at all times; and

(10)any additional precautions should be taken, as determined by the operator’s risk assessment.

REFUELLING WHEN LIFT AND THRUST UNITS ARE POWERED ON WITH PASSENGERS ON BOARD In addition to AMC1 UAM.OP.MVCA.200, for refuelling with passengers on board, the operational procedures in the operations manual should specify that at least the following precautions are taken:

(a)the positioning of the VCA and the corresponding evacuation strategy should be defined taking into account the wind as well as the refuelling facilities or vehicles;

(b)on a vertiport or diversion location, the ground area beneath the exits that are intended for emergency evacuation should be kept clear;

(c)additional passenger briefing as well as instructions should be defined, and the ‘NO SMOKING’ signs should be on unless ‘NO SMOKING’ placards are installed;

(d)interior lighting should be set to enable the identification of emergency exits;

(e)the use of doors during refuelling should be defined: doors on the refuelling side should remain closed, while doors on the opposite side should remain unlocked or, weather permitting, open, unless otherwise specified in the AFM;

(f)at least one suitable person capable of implementing emergency procedures for firefighting, communications, as well as for initiating and directing an evacuation, should remain at a specified location; this person should not be the qualified pilot at the controls or the person performing the refuelling; and

(g)unless passengers are regularly trained in emergency evacuation procedures, an additional crew member or ground crew member should be assigned to assist passengers to rapidly evacuate the VCA.

REFUELLING OR DEFUELLING WITH PASSENGERS EMBARKING, ON BOARD OR DISEMBARKING

(a)The VCA should not be refuelled/defuelled with Avgas (aviation gasoline) or wide-cut type fuel or a mixture of these types of fuel when passengers are embarking, on board, or disembarking.

(b)For all other types of fuel, the necessary precautions should be taken and qualified personnel should be ready to initiate and direct passenger evacuation from the VCA by using the most practical and expeditious means available.

REFUELLING WITH PASSENGERS DISEMBARKING OR EMBARKING WHEN THE LIFT AND THRUST UNITS ARE POWERED OFF

(a)When the lift and thrust units are powered off, the efficiency and speed of passengers disembarking from and re-embarking the VCA should be such that disembarking before refuelling and re-embarking after refuelling is the general practice, except for VEMS.

(b)VEMS operators should refer to Part-SPA Subpart O.

REFUELLING OR DEFUELLING WITH WIDE-CUT FUEL Refuelling/defuelling with wide-cut fuel should be conducted only if the operator has established appropriate procedures, taking into account the high risk of using wide-cut fuel types.

SCOPE The requirements on special refuelling or defuelling of VCA apply to VCA using conventional fuel.

RISK ASSESSMENT

(a)The risk assessment, required by point UAM.OP.MVCA.200(a)(1), is intended to explain why special refuelling/defuelling is needed, identify any additional hazards, and describe how the additional risks are controlled.

(b)The operators’ risk assessment may include but may not be limited to the following risks, hazards and mitigation measures:

(1)risk related to refuelling with lift and thrust units powered on;

(2)risk related to the shutting down of the lift and thrust units, including the risk of failures during start-up;

(3)environmental conditions, such as wind limitations, displacement of exhaust gases, and blade sailing;

(4)risk related to human factors and fatigue management, especially for single-pilot operations for long periods of time;

(5)risk mitigation, such as the safety features of the fuel installation, rescue and firefighting (RFF) capability, number of personnel available, ease of emergency evacuation of the VCA, etc.;

(6)assessment of the use of radio-transmitting equipment;

(7)determination of the use of passenger seat belts;

(8)assessment of the use of PED(s);

(9)if passengers are to disembark, consider passenger disembarkation before refuelling rather than after; and

(10)if passengers are to embark, consider passenger embarkation after refuelling rather than before.

PROCEDURES FOR REFUELLING/DEFUELLING WITH WIDE-CUT FUEL The IAM operator should refer to GM3 CAT.OP.MPA.200, if applicable.