7.1 Reporting for Duty & Pre-Departure Duties

Reporting for duty

Reporting time is defined in Part 8 as the time at which flight and cabin crew members are required by the operator to report for duty, and the duty clock starts there. A crew member arriving at reporting time is already late for the personal checks that must precede the briefing.

What must be carried:

Self-assessment before signing on: within duty and rest limits, clear of the 8-hour alcohol rule, free of any impairing psychoactive substance, and not aware of any decrease in medical fitness. A crew member who fails any of these declares it immediately, before crewing has planned around them.

Pre-flight security search

The security search is a systematic examination of the cabin for prohibited, suspicious or unaccounted-for items and is carried out before boarding begins, in accordance with the operator's security programme under Nig. CARs Part 17.

Typical search areas — the point is coverage, not speed:

• Seat pockets, under seats and between and beneath cushions;
• Overhead stowage bins, including the far corners;
• Closets, wardrobes, coat stowages and crew stowages;
• Lavatories: bin, cistern area, behind and beneath fittings, mirror surround;
• Galleys: carriers, ovens, chillers, waste bins, cart stowages;
• Crew rest and vestibule areas where fitted;
• Life vest stowages under seats.

Anything found that does not belong is not moved and not opened. The crew member notes its position, moves people away and reports to the senior cabin crew member and flight deck, who involve the operator's security staff.

Safety and emergency equipment check

Each crew member checks the equipment assigned to their station and zone, using the operator's checklist. The general pattern, drawn from Nig. CARs Part 7 equipment requirements:

Every discrepancy goes to the senior cabin crew member, who passes it to the flight deck for entry in the technical log and assessment against the Minimum Equipment List. A crew member never decides alone that a missing item is acceptable.

Cabin acceptance and catering

• Cabin condition: seats, belts, tables, armrests and recline locks serviceable; safety instruction cards present and correct for the type and variant; no damage; cleaning complete.
• Catering acceptance: correct uplift, carriers and carts secured, seals intact, chillers and ovens serviceable, no damaged or leaking items. Reject anything that cannot be secured.
• Galley security: all carts braked and latched, containers stowed, ovens latched, hot liquid urns secured.
• Loading interface: report to the SCCM anything that will affect the cabin, such as a deferred defect, an inoperative lavatory, an inoperative PSU or a blocked seat.

Ground safety while parked

Nig. CARs contains specific rules for the period before doors close:

• 8.9.2.9 — no person may allow passenger loading or unloading of a propeller driven aircraft unless all engines are shut down, unless the aircraft is using a passenger jetway. On an ATR or Dash 8 operating to a remote stand, this is a live daily requirement.
• 8.9.2.8 — at stops where passengers remain on board, the PIC or co-pilot shall ensure all engines are shut down, at least one floor level exit remains open for deplaning, and at least one person qualified in the emergency evacuation of the aircraft is immediately available and has been identified to the passengers as responsible for passenger safety. Refuelling with passengers on board follows the operations manual procedures.
• 9.3.1.7(c) — the required number of cabin crew for a parked aircraft with passengers on board is half the in-flight figure, never fewer than one qualified person.
• 8.9.2.7 — no person may allow carry-on baggage or other items to block access to the emergency exits while the aircraft is moving on the surface, during take-off or landing, or while passengers remain on board on the ground.

Together these say something simple: a parked aircraft with passengers inside is not a quiet period. It is an operating phase with its own crewing, exit and evacuation requirements.