S.L. 499.9 Art. 27Loading - public transport aircraft and suspended loads.

(1) The operator of an aircraft registered in Malta shall not cause or permit it to be loaded for a flight for the purpose of public transport or any load to be suspended therefrom, except under the supervision of a person whom he has caused to be furnished with written instructions as to the distribution and securing of the load so as to ensure that -

(a) the load may safely be carried on the flight, and

(b) any conditions subject to which the certificate of airworthiness is in force in respect of the aircraft was issued or rendered valid, being conditions relating to the loading of the aircraft, are complied with.

(2) The instructions shall indicate the weight of the aircraft prepared for service, that is to say the aggregate of the weight of the aircraft (shown in the weight schedule referred to in article 15) and the weight of such additional items in or on the aircraft as the operator deems fit to include; and the instructions shall indicate the additional items included in the weight of the aircraft prepared for service, and shall show the position of the centre of gravity of the aircraft at that weight: Provided that this subarticle shall not apply in relation to a flight if -

(a) the aircraft’s maximum take-off mass does not exceed 1,150 kg; or

(b) the aircraft’s maximum take-off mass does not exceed 2,730 kg and the flight is intended not to exceed sixty minutes in duration and is either -

(i) a flight solely for training persons to perform duties in an aircraft; or

(ii) a flight intended to begin and end at the same aerodrome.

(3) The operator of an aircraft shall not cause or permit it to be loaded in contravention of the instructions referred to in subarticle (1).

(4) The person supervising the loading of the aircraft shall, before the commencement of any such flight, prepare and sign a load sheet in duplicate conforming to the specified requirements contained in Sub Part J of JAR OPS 1 ans JAR OPS 3 and shall, unless he is himself the commander of the aircraft, submit the load sheet for examination by the commander of the aircraft who shall sign his name thereon: Provided that the foregoing requirements of this subarticle shall not apply if -

(a) the load and the distributing and securing thereof upon the next intended flight are to be unchanged from the previous flight and the commander of the aircraft makes and signs an endorsement to that effect upon the load sheet for the previous flight, indicating the date of the endorsement, the place of departure upon the next intended flight and the next intended place of destination; or

(b) subarticle (2) does not apply in relation to the flight.

(5) One copy of the load sheet shall be carried in the aircraft when article 57 so requires until the flights to which it relates have been completed and one copy of that load sheet and of the instructions referred to in this article shall be preserved by the operator until the expiration of a period of six months thereafter and shall not be carried in the aircraft.