Definition
An FAA program and ongoing process aimed at ensuring that aircraft, engines, propellers, and appliances remain safe to operate throughout their service life. It involves monitoring in-service performance, identifying safety issues that emerge after a product is certified, and taking corrective action through service bulletins, airworthiness directives, design changes, or operating limitations.
Plain English
Once an aircraft or part is approved and in use, the FAA and manufacturers keep watching how it performs in the real world. If a problem shows up, they act on it — issuing fixes, inspections, or rule changes — so the fleet stays safe to fly.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft certification, maintenance records, manufacturer service information, and airworthiness directive discussions.
Why Pilots Care
It ensures that safety problems discovered after an aircraft enters service are identified and corrected before they lead to accidents.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as general advice to “keep flying safely.” In aviation, Continued Operational Safety means a formal after-approval process for finding and correcting safety issues that appear during real operation.
Example Sentence 1
The manufacturer issued a service bulletin as part of its continued operational safety program after several operators reported cracks in the engine mount.
Example Sentence 2
Operators submit data to support the Continued Operational Safety program required by the type certificate holder.