What a CAA standardisation visit asks for

A plain checklist of the evidence an inspector typically wants at a standardisation visit or continuation audit — and where it lives if you keep records well.

Before the visit

Inspectors usually confirm the scope in advance: which courses, which people, which aircraft, and the period under review. The organisation is asked to have its manuals current — the operations and training manuals with their revision status — and to be ready to show that staff are working to the latest revision.

Training records

For a sample of students, expect to show the full lesson history: what was covered, the grade, and who signed each record. The traceability point matters — a record should show it was signed by an identified person and be protected from alteration, with any correction appended rather than overwritten (the intent behind ORA.GEN.220). Records are expected to be retained for three years after course completion (ORA.ATO.120).

Theoretical knowledge and examinations

For theoretical knowledge, an inspector may check recommendation validity, attempts and sittings against the rules — the eighteen-month recommendation window from the end of the calendar month of first attempt, the attempt and sitting limits, and examination paper custody — and that the required reporting has been made.

Instructor qualifications and currency

Licences, ratings, medicals and instructor privileges, each in date, and evidence that the school does not roster an instructor for something they are not currently authorised or current to do. Flight-time and duty limitations (ORA.ATO.130(d)) may be reviewed as rolling windows rather than a single snapshot.

Aircraft and airworthiness

That aircraft flown for training were airworthy on the day — maintenance in date, defects recorded and dispositioned, and that a due or deferred item removed the aircraft from the line rather than being flown around.

Safety and occurrences

The occurrence log, hazard and risk records, and evidence that corrective actions were tracked to closure — plus that mandatory occurrences were reported as required.

How this looks with good records

None of this should be a fortnight of reconstruction. If the day-to-day records are kept properly — signed, retained, traceable — an inspection becomes a matter of scoping and exporting the relevant evidence, not rebuilding it. That is exactly what the FlyerOS compliance hub is designed around.

This is general guidance, not regulatory advice. Always work to the current CAA and EASA requirements and your own approved procedures.