[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":511},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry":472},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":397,"dateModified":398,"description":399,"draft":400,"extension":401,"faqs":402,"howTo":412,"keyTakeaways":421,"meta":427,"metaDescription":428,"navigation":429,"path":430,"quiz":431,"seo":457,"series":458,"seriesOrder":459,"sources":460,"stem":469,"topic":470,"__hash__":471},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry.md","Aircraft documents you must carry",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":384},"minimark",[9,13,19,24,35,39,59,105,108,112,121,186,200,207,211,226,230,253,257,281,288,292,322,337,341,373,377],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Before an aircraft is legal to fly, a short stack of paperwork has to be aboard, or in some cases displayed or kept at base. The list is not long, but it is exact, and the two big systems carry slightly different things, so it is worth learning the right list for the right flag.",[14,15,16],"blockquote",{},[10,17,18],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[20,21,23],"h2",{"id":22},"why-the-documents-matter","Why the documents matter",[10,25,26,27,34],{},"The documents on board are the evidence that the aircraft is what it claims to be: registered to someone, certified as airworthy, operated within its approved limits, and, where required, insured and equipped. A ramp check is exactly that, an inspector asking to see the proof. At the international level the idea goes back to the ",[28,29,33],"a",{"href":30,"rel":31},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.icao.int\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2024-12\u002F7300_cons.pdf",[32],"nofollow","Chicago Convention",", whose Article 29 lists the documents an aircraft engaged in international air navigation must carry: its certificate of registration, its certificate of airworthiness, the appropriate crew licences, the journey logbook, the radio licence if it is so equipped, and the passenger or cargo manifests where carried. Each authority then writes its own carriage rule on top of that base.",[20,36,38],{"id":37},"the-us-list-arrow","The US list: ARROW",[10,40,41,42,46,47,52,53,58],{},"US pilots learn the required documents by the memory aid ",[43,44,45],"strong",{},"ARROW",", drawn from ",[28,48,51],{"href":49,"rel":50},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-A\u002Fsection-91.203",[32],"14 CFR 91.203"," and ",[28,54,57],{"href":55,"rel":56},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-A\u002Fsection-91.9",[32],"14 CFR 91.9",":",[60,61,62,73,79,93,99],"ul",{},[63,64,65,68,69,72],"li",{},[43,66,67],{},"A, Airworthiness certificate."," It must be aboard and, unusually, ",[43,70,71],{},"displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance"," so it is visible, not just present.",[63,74,75,78],{},[43,76,77],{},"R, Registration certificate."," The aircraft's certificate of registration must be aboard.",[63,80,81,84,85,88,89,92],{},[43,82,83],{},"R, Radio station licence."," Required for ",[43,86,87],{},"international operations",", but ",[43,90,91],{},"not"," for purely domestic US flights. This is the item people most often get wrong: it is conditional, not universal.",[63,94,95,98],{},[43,96,97],{},"O, Operating limitations."," The approved flight manual or pilot's operating handbook, together with the placards, instrument markings and other documents that make up the aircraft's operating limitations under 91.9.",[63,100,101,104],{},[43,102,103],{},"W, Weight and balance."," The current mass and balance data for the aircraft.",[10,106,107],{},"The airworthiness and registration certificates are the two that 91.203 squarely requires to be aboard; the operating limitations and weight and balance flow from 91.9 and the type certification, and the radio licence is the conditional extra.",[20,109,111],{"id":110},"the-easa-list-ncogen135","The EASA list: NCO.GEN.135",[10,113,114,115,120],{},"For general-aviation flying under EASA, ",[28,116,119],{"href":117,"rel":118},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-air-operations",[32],"NCO.GEN.135"," sets a longer list of documents, manuals and information to be carried on each flight, as originals or copies unless stated otherwise:",[60,122,123,126,133,138,145,148,153,158,164,170,177,180],{},[63,124,125],{},"the flight manual (AFM) or equivalent;",[63,127,128,129,132],{},"the original ",[43,130,131],{},"certificate of registration",";",[63,134,128,135,132],{},[43,136,137],{},"certificate of airworthiness",[63,139,140,141,144],{},"the ",[43,142,143],{},"noise certificate",", if applicable;",[63,146,147],{},"the list of specific approvals, if applicable;",[63,149,140,150,144],{},[43,151,152],{},"aircraft radio licence",[63,154,140,155,132],{},[43,156,157],{},"third party liability insurance certificate",[63,159,140,160,163],{},[43,161,162],{},"journey log",", or equivalent;",[63,165,166,167,144],{},"details of the filed ",[43,168,169],{},"ATS flight plan",[63,171,172,173,176],{},"current and suitable ",[43,174,175],{},"aeronautical charts"," for the route and likely diversions;",[63,178,179],{},"interception procedures and visual signals;",[63,181,140,182,185],{},[43,183,184],{},"minimum equipment list (MEL)"," or configuration deviation list, if applicable.",[10,187,188,189,192,193,195,196,199],{},"Two items stand out against ARROW: EASA explicitly requires the ",[43,190,191],{},"insurance certificate"," and the ",[43,194,162],{}," to be carried, neither of which appears in the US list, and it names current charts and the noise certificate. The flight crew's ",[43,197,198],{},"licences and medical certificates"," are required too, carried by the crew themselves under the licensing and rules-of-the-air requirements rather than as aircraft paperwork.",[10,201,202,203,206],{},"There is one relief worth knowing. NCO.GEN.135 lets several of these documents, the registration and airworthiness certificates, noise certificate, radio licence, insurance certificate and journey log, be ",[43,204,205],{},"retained at the aerodrome"," rather than carried, for flights that take off and land at the same place or stay within an area set by the authority. So a local circuit detail need not have the whole stack aboard.",[20,208,210],{"id":209},"the-two-systems-side-by-side","The two systems side by side",[10,212,213,214,217,218,221,222,225],{},"Both demand the core proof of identity and airworthiness, the certificate of ",[43,215,216],{},"registration"," and the certificate of ",[43,219,220],{},"airworthiness",", and both treat the ",[43,223,224],{},"radio licence"," as conditional. From there they diverge: the US ARROW list adds operating limitations and weight and balance and stops, while EASA's NCO.GEN.135 adds insurance, a journey log, the noise certificate, current charts and the MEL. The honest summary is that the EASA list is longer and the US list is tighter, and the safe habit is to carry the full list for the flag the aircraft flies under rather than the one you happened to learn first.",[20,227,229],{"id":228},"the-crews-own-documents","The crew's own documents",[10,231,232,233,236,237,240,241,244,245,248,249,252],{},"The aircraft paperwork is only half the story; the people flying carry documents too, and these are easy to overlook because they live in a wallet rather than the document pouch. The ",[28,234,33],{"href":30,"rel":235},[32]," lists the appropriate ",[43,238,239],{},"crew licences"," among the documents an aircraft on international operations carries, and both systems require a pilot to hold, and have available, a ",[43,242,243],{},"valid licence"," and a ",[43,246,247],{},"valid medical certificate"," for the flight being conducted. Most authorities also expect a means of ",[43,250,251],{},"personal identification",". A radio-equipped flight implies the right to operate the radio, which on international operations ties back to the radio licensing regime. The simple rule is that turning up with the aircraft documents in order but an out-of-date medical leaves you just as grounded.",[20,254,256],{"id":255},"current-not-just-carried-and-the-ramp-check","Current, not just carried, and the ramp check",[10,258,259,260,263,264,268,269,275,276,280],{},"Carriage is necessary but not sufficient: several of the documents have to be ",[43,261,262],{},"current",", not merely present. The aeronautical ",[28,265,267],{"href":266},"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-aip-and-airac-cycle","charts"," must be current and suitable for the route and likely diversions, which ties the carriage requirement directly to the ",[28,270,274],{"href":271,"className":272},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-airac",[273],"glossary-link","AIRAC"," cycle and to ",[28,277,279],{"href":278},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-aviation-data-goes-stale","how aviation data goes stale",". The mass and balance data must reflect the aircraft as it is now, not as it left the factory, and the insurance certificate must be in date. A folder full of expired documents satisfies the letter of carriage and none of its purpose.",[10,282,283,284,287],{},"This all comes to a head in a ",[43,285,286],{},"ramp check",", where an inspector asks to see the documents on the spot. In Europe the SAFA and SACA inspection programmes do exactly that, and the pilot-in-command is required to make the carried documentation available within a reasonable time of being asked. It is the moment the abstract list becomes concrete: every item the rule names, current where it must be current, produced on request. Knowing the right list for your flag, and keeping it in date, is what turns a ramp check from an ordeal into a formality.",[20,289,291],{"id":290},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,293,294,295,298,299,302,303,306,307,310,311,313,314,317,318,321],{},"A US-registered light single sets off on a ",[43,296,297],{},"domestic"," cross-country. Running ARROW: the ",[43,300,301],{},"airworthiness certificate"," is aboard and displayed at the cockpit entrance; the ",[43,304,305],{},"registration certificate"," is in the document pouch; the ",[43,308,309],{},"radio station licence"," is ",[43,312,91],{}," required, because the flight stays within the United States; the ",[43,315,316],{},"operating limitations"," are present as the POH plus the cockpit placards; and the current ",[43,319,320],{},"weight and balance"," is in the binder. The aircraft is legal to go. If that same aircraft were crossing a border, the radio station licence would now be required.",[10,323,324,325,327,328,327,330,332,333,336],{},"Fly the equivalent trip on an EASA-registered aeroplane and the list grows: registration and airworthiness certificates, the AFM, the ",[43,326,143],{},", the ",[43,329,191],{},[43,331,162],{},", the filed flight plan details, ",[43,334,335],{},"current charts",", and the radio licence if the aircraft is radio-equipped. For a local flight returning to the same field, several of those may instead be kept at the aerodrome under the NCO.GEN.135 relief. The two flights are the same shape; the paperwork that has to ride along differs because the rule does.",[20,338,340],{"id":339},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[60,342,343,349,355,361,367],{},[63,344,345,348],{},[43,346,347],{},"Carrying the radio licence on a domestic US flight as if it were required, or omitting it internationally."," It is conditional on international operation.",[63,350,351,354],{},[43,352,353],{},"Leaving the airworthiness certificate out of sight in the US."," It must be displayed, not merely present.",[63,356,357,360],{},[43,358,359],{},"Forgetting insurance and the journey log under EASA."," Both are on the NCO.GEN.135 list and neither is in ARROW.",[63,362,363,366],{},[43,364,365],{},"Flying with stale charts or weight and balance."," Current charts and current mass and balance data are part of the requirement, not optional extras.",[63,368,369,372],{},[43,370,371],{},"Assuming everything must always be aboard under EASA."," Several documents may be left at base for same-aerodrome or local flights under NCO.GEN.135.",[20,374,376],{"id":375},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,378,379,380,383],{},"Pilot EFB is a study and planning companion that keeps your ",[28,381,382],{"href":266},"charts and the AIRAC currency"," behind a briefing in one offline-first place, so the current information side of the list is easy to reach before you fly. It does not store, validate or file your aircraft's certificates, insurance or journey log, and it cannot confirm that the required documents are aboard. Pilot EFB is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, so treat it as a study and planning aid and check the documents against the current rule for your aircraft and operation.",{"title":385,"searchDepth":386,"depth":386,"links":387},"",2,[388,389,390,391,392,393,394,395,396],{"id":22,"depth":386,"text":23},{"id":37,"depth":386,"text":38},{"id":110,"depth":386,"text":111},{"id":209,"depth":386,"text":210},{"id":228,"depth":386,"text":229},{"id":255,"depth":386,"text":256},{"id":290,"depth":386,"text":291},{"id":339,"depth":386,"text":340},{"id":375,"depth":386,"text":376},"2026-05-08",null,"What paperwork has to be aboard before you fly: the US ARROW documents, the longer EASA list under NCO.GEN.135, and where the two systems differ.",false,"md",[403,406,409],{"q":404,"a":405},"What documents must I carry in a US-registered aircraft?","US pilots remember them by ARROW: the Airworthiness certificate, the Registration certificate, the Radio station licence (required for international operations, not domestic), the Operating limitations such as the flight manual and placards, and the Weight and balance data. The airworthiness and registration certificates must be aboard, and the airworthiness certificate must be displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance.",{"q":407,"a":408},"How does the EASA documents list differ?","EASA's NCO.GEN.135 list is longer than ARROW. It adds the third party liability insurance certificate, the journey log, the noise certificate and current aeronautical charts, alongside the registration and airworthiness certificates, the flight manual and the radio licence if the aircraft is equipped. For local flights returning to the same aerodrome, several of these may be kept at base rather than carried.",{"q":410,"a":411},"Does the paperwork have to be current as well as carried?","Yes. Carriage is not enough on its own; several items have to be current. The aeronautical charts must be current for the route, the mass and balance data must reflect the aircraft as it is now, and the insurance must be in date. A folder of expired documents meets the letter of carriage but not its purpose, which is what a ramp check looks at.",{"name":413,"steps":414},"How to check the required documents are aboard (the ARROW order)",[415,416,417,418,419,420],"Airworthiness certificate: confirm it is aboard and, in the US, displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance.","Registration certificate: confirm the aircraft's certificate of registration is aboard and current.","Radio station licence: carry it for international operations; in the US it is not required for purely domestic flights.","Operating limitations: the approved flight manual or pilot's operating handbook, plus the placards and markings that form part of them.","Weight and balance: the current mass and balance data for the aircraft.","Under EASA, add the items NCO.GEN.135 lists: the noise certificate, insurance certificate, journey log, current charts and the others, as applicable.",[422,423,424,425,426],"US pilots carry the ARROW documents: airworthiness and registration certificates, the radio licence for international flights, operating limitations and weight and balance.","The FAA airworthiness certificate must be displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance, not just carried aboard.","EASA's NCO.GEN.135 list is longer, adding the insurance certificate, journey log, noise certificate and current charts.","The crew's licence and medical must be valid and available, and several documents may be kept at base for local flights.","Carried information such as charts and weight and balance must also be current, not just present.",{},"What paperwork must be aboard before you fly: the US ARROW documents, the longer EASA list under NCO.GEN.135, and where the two differ.",true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry",[432,441,449],{"q":433,"options":434,"answer":439,"explanation":440},"In the US ARROW memory aid, what does the second R stand for, and when is it actually required?",[435,436,437,438],"Registration, required on every flight","Radio station licence, required only for international operations","Reserve fuel, required at all times","Rescue equipment, required over water",1,"The second R is the radio station licence. Under FAA rules it is required for international operations, not for purely domestic US flights, which is the common trap in the ARROW list.",{"q":442,"options":443,"answer":439,"explanation":448},"Which document does EASA's NCO.GEN.135 require to be carried that the US ARROW list does not include?",[444,445,446,447],"A second altimeter","A third party liability insurance certificate","A copy of the airway manual","A spare transponder","NCO.GEN.135 lists the third party liability insurance certificate among the documents to be carried, alongside the journey log, noise certificate and current charts. The US ARROW list does not include insurance.",{"q":450,"options":451,"answer":439,"explanation":456},"Under the FAA, where must the airworthiness certificate be?",[452,453,454,455],"Locked in the baggage hold","Displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance","Filed with the destination airport","Kept at the operator's base","14 CFR 91.203 requires the airworthiness certificate to be displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so it is visible to passengers or crew, unlike most documents which simply have to be aboard.",{"title":5,"description":399},"rules-of-the-air",5,[461,463,465,467],{"label":462,"url":49},"FAA 14 CFR 91.203 (Civil aircraft: certifications required)",{"label":464,"url":55},"FAA 14 CFR 91.9 (Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements)",{"label":466,"url":117},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations (NCO.GEN.135 Documents to be carried)",{"label":468,"url":30},"ICAO Convention on International Civil Aviation (Doc 7300), Article 29","learn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry","Regulations","nx9YRm2m1IO2FRs2bxh51IlQuT-acFtO80RxQ_a2qz0",{"related":473,"newer":491,"older":498,"series":504},[474,480,485],{"path":475,"title":476,"description":477,"date":478,"topic":470,"draft":400,"minutes":479,"series":398,"seriesOrder":398},"\u002Flearn\u002Fclass-and-type-ratings-explained","Class and type ratings explained","Class rating versus type rating, what each lets you fly, and how EASA's revalidated ratings compare with the FAA's certificate-based system.","2026-06-11",7,{"path":481,"title":482,"description":483,"date":484,"topic":470,"draft":400,"minutes":479,"series":398,"seriesOrder":398},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained","Medical certificates explained","The classes of aviation medical and what each allows: the FAA's first, second and third class against EASA's Class 1, Class 2 and LAPL, with validity by age.","2026-05-30",{"path":486,"title":487,"description":488,"date":489,"topic":470,"draft":400,"minutes":479,"series":458,"seriesOrder":490},"\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them","Position and anti-collision lights","An aircraft's navigation and anti-collision lights, the red-left green-right convention, when each must be shown, and how SERA.3215 and 14 CFR 91.209 compare.","2026-05-19",6,{"path":492,"title":493,"description":494,"date":495,"topic":470,"draft":400,"minutes":496,"series":497,"seriesOrder":459},"\u002Flearn\u002Fstandby-and-reserve-duty","Standby and reserve duty","What standby and reserve mean, how airport standby differs from home, how the FAA handles long-call and short-call reserve, and how standby becomes duty.","2026-05-09",8,"duty-rest-and-flight-time-limits",{"path":266,"title":499,"description":500,"date":501,"topic":502,"draft":400,"minutes":503,"series":398,"seriesOrder":398},"The AIP and the AIRAC cycle","What an Aeronautical Information Publication is, how its GEN, ENR and AD parts are organised, and why aeronautical data changes on the fixed 28-day AIRAC cycle.","2026-05-07","Briefing",4,{"slug":458,"title":505,"part":459,"total":490,"prev":506,"next":485},"Rules of the air",{"path":507,"title":508,"description":509,"date":510,"topic":470,"draft":400,"minutes":496,"series":458,"seriesOrder":503},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsupplemental-oxygen-requirements","Supplemental oxygen requirements","When the rules require oxygen for crew and passengers, why the thresholds are cabin altitudes, and how 14 CFR 91.211 and EASA NCO.OP.190 differ.","2026-04-30",1782839404823]