Air Law: ICAO framework, annexes and national rules
The framework
International air law rests on the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944), which created ICAO. ICAO adopts Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as Annexes; a Standard is a binding "shall" requirement for Contracting States, a Recommended Practice is a "should" whose uniform application is desirable. States may file differences. Kazakhstan's national rules implement these, alongside the bilateral air services agreements that grant traffic rights. The operator's manuals, once approved, have the force of law.
What you must know
Annex numbers are examined directly: 1 Personnel Licensing, 2 Rules of the Air, 6 Operation of Aircraft, 7 Nationality and Registration Marks, 8 Airworthiness, 10 Aeronautical Telecommunications, 11 Air Traffic Services, 12 Search and Rescue, 13 Accident and Incident Investigation, 14 Aerodromes, 16 Environmental Protection, 17 Security, 18 Dangerous Goods, 19 Safety Management. Also know the documents governing liability (Warsaw/Montreal), the meaning of the certificate of registration and of airworthiness, and crew duty and rest limitations.
Traps
- Confusing Annex 13 (investigation) with Annex 12 (search and rescue), or Annex 8 (airworthiness) with Annex 1 (licensing).
- Mixing "shall" and "should".
- Assuming the State of Registry and the State of the Operator are always identical - for leased aircraft they are not.
- Believing the commander's emergency authority is unlimited: it permits deviation from rules to the extent necessary, and must be reported.
Rule of thumb
Memorise Annexes 1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 14, 17, 18 and 19 as a block - they generate most questions. For notification, remember that an accident involving death, serious injury or substantial damage requires immediate notification by the fastest available means.