Air Law and ATC Procedures
What the exam tests
This domain tests the Chicago Convention 1944, the ICAO Annex framework, rules of the air, ATS separation and clearances, and the Japanese Civil Aeronautics Act as applied by JCAB.
Core rules
- Article 1 of the Chicago Convention confirms the complete and exclusive sovereignty of each State over its airspace.
- Annex 2, Rules of the Air, applies the semi-circular rule: magnetic tracks 000–179 use odd levels, 180–359 even levels.
- Annex 11 covers ATS; Annex 14 aerodromes; Annex 10 communications, navigation and surveillance; Annex 6 operation of aircraft.
- A clearance is an authorization; 'expect' and 'standby' are not clearances.
- In Japan the common transition altitude is 14,000 ft; the transition level is derived from the QNH and is never below it.
Worked example
You cruise at indicated 5,000 ft with the altimeter set to 1013 hPa, but the local QNH is 1000 hPa. The subscale is 13 hPa too high, so the altimeter over-reads. At about 30 ft per hPa, true altitude is roughly 5,000 − 390 = 4,610 ft. High-to-low, look out below.
Traps
Confusing 'cleared for the approach' with 'cleared to land'; omitting mandatory readbacks of level, heading, speed, altimeter setting and SSR code; and using QFE when the question asks for QNH.