How
is IC Check used?
For aircraft operators who use it, IC Check is the hub
of their flight release and control process. In order to ensure safe
operations and operational control, the aircraft, crew, passengers and
flight parameters all are managed through IC Check’s formal release
process. IC Check manages all of the information necessary to vet a
flight against regulatory requirements and company standards. Only when
a trip passes all of these checks is a release granted.
Here’s an example. Let’s say that your operation
has a flight tomorrow out of Teterboro to West Palm Beach. The IC Check
process starts with a pre-release check. A pre-release can occur anywhere
from 24 to 48 hours before the trip up until just a few minutes before
a trip is schedule to “push back.” In the pre-release,
you would specify which of your aircraft will be flying the trip, which
of your crew will be operating the aircraft, the origin/destination/day/time
scheduled for the flight, as well as a variety of other parameters.
At this point, the system runs a quick check in order to determine if
there are any potential problems. These problems could range from a
crew member who will not be able to come on duty early enough, to an
aircraft that would overfly a maintenance inspection, or a passenger
who has been flagged as being on TSA’s No Fly List.
Assuming that the pre-release didn’t turn up any
showstoppers, the next step is to generate a release. This would occur
at the beginning of the crew’s duty day, or just before the flight.
At this stage, the system runs a complete check of the trip against
its rules. Assuming that there are no red flags, the system then would
grant a release number, confirming that all checks have been completed,
and the trip is legal to fly as scheduled.
After the flight is completed, the last step is to “close
out” a release. This would be done at the end of the trip, or
the end of the crews’ duty day. The close out step is a record
keeping step. The system will not allow a new release process for that
aircraft to be opened until the previous release has been closed. This
ensures that each release is made with current and accurate information.
Like many processes, it takes longer to explain, even
in summary, than to actually complete. But by following this process
day by day, release by release, aircraft operators using IC Check can
confirm and prove that they are generating compliant flight releases “by
the numbers” that meet all regulatory and company requirements.
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