Aircraft Documents to be Carried On Board
General (ICAO)
ICAO Annex 6 Part II Operation of Aircraft — International General Aviation lists the minimum documents required on board on every flight.
Pilot — personal documents
Every pilot must carry and be able to present amongst other the following documents: log book with certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, proof of continued airworthiness, license, personal identification, aeromedical certificate:
| Document | What it proves |
|---|---|
| Pilot licence | Authorisation to fly the aircraft type |
| Medical Class 2 | Medical fitness |
| Personal ID | Identity (ICAO-compliant ID, passport, ID card) |
| Logbook | Flight-time record |
| Language Proficiency (LP) | Language proficiency |
Aircraft — onboard documents
The following papers must be on board (Annex 6 + ICAO Annex 7):
| Document | Content |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Registration (C of R) | Registration |
| Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) | Airworthiness certificate (original, must always be carried — see Annex 8) |
| Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) | Maintenance review certificate (current validity!) |
| Aircraft Radio Station Licence | Radio station licence (for aviation radio transmitter) |
| Aircraft Flight Manual / POH | Flight manual |
| Current Mass & Balance / Weight & Balance | Weighing report and CG calculation |
| Noise certificate | (for noise-certified aircraft) |
| Insurance certificate | Liability insurance (EU 785/2004) |
| Flight plan (if required) | When FPL is filed |
| Current charts and AIP | For the route |
When are documents NOT required?
The license and medical certificate need not be carried when putting an aircraft into the hangar:
- Pure taxi to the hangar after maintenance — not a "flight" in the regulatory sense.
- Cracker flight to a wash pad or similar: usually also uncritical.
- For actual flights: mandatory to carry.
Europe (EASA / EU)
In the EU Reg (EU) 965/2012 Part-NCO applies:
-
NCO.GEN.135 Documents, manuals and information to be carried:
- C of R, CofA, ARC.
- Noise certificate.
- Aircraft Radio Licence.
- Insurance certificate.
- AFM/POH.
- Mass and Balance.
- Flight plan (when filed).
- NOTAM/AIS briefing material.
- Maps and current charts.
-
NCO.GEN.140 Carriage of dangerous goods: separate regulation.
Pilot licence and medical
Per EASA Part-FCL.045 the pilot must carry and present on request the licence and medical on every flight.
Germany (national)
In Germany EU rules apply directly. In addition:
- The aircraft technical log (Bordbuch) is German-specific — see "National Law — Germany" lesson.
- For non-EU-conforming aircraft (Annex-I aircraft, historic) LuftPersV / LuftVZO sometimes apply directly.