Air Law
Air Law
Air Law tests how ICAO standards and Iranian civil aviation regulations apply to a CPL holder: licensing, rules of the air, documents, airspace, accident reporting and pilot responsibilities. Iran’s CARs and AIP are the controlling national references; ICAO Annexes supply the baseline, and a published national difference overrides the Annex for operations in Iran.
Core rules
- A CPL is issued under ICAO Annex 1 criteria: minimum age 18, Class 1 medical, knowledge and experience requirements, and demonstrated skill. The licence authorises the holder to act as pilot-in-command in commercial operations subject to the privileges and limitations of the national CAR.
- Documents to be carried on international flights include certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, crew licences, journey log, and, where required, radio licence and passenger manifest. The exact list is in the CARs and AIP.
- Rules of the air follow Annex 2: right-of-way, lights, signals, flight plan, position reporting and intercept procedures.
- Occurrence reporting: accidents and serious incidents must be notified promptly to the CAO/AAIB; preserve evidence and records.
Worked example
A VFR flight in controlled airspace at 2,000 ft AMSL reports flight visibility 4 km. ICAO Annex 2 baseline below 3,050 m AMSL is 5 km flight visibility and cloud distances of 1,500 m horizontally and 300 m vertically, unless the AIP states otherwise. The flight cannot continue VFR in that airspace; the pilot must request a clearance or leave controlled airspace.
Traps
- Mixing ICAO minima with national AIP minima.
- Assuming a CPL carries instructor or ATP privileges.
- Forgetting that medical validity and recency are separate from licence validity.
- Treating an incident as reportable only after landing.