ATPL Air Law & Operational Procedures key terms

The 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, a treaty that created ICAO and set the basic principles of international air transport: state sovereignty over airspace, aircraft nationality, mutual recognition of certificates and the safe, orderly development of civil aviation.

One of the nineteen technical annexes to the Chicago Convention, each dealing with a subject such as personnel licensing or rules of the air and containing the Standards and Recommended Practices that contracting states are expected to implement.

The traffic rights by which one state allows another state's airlines to overfly its territory, make technical stops, and set down or pick up traffic in commercial service; the first two are technical, the remainder commercial.

Carriage of passengers, mail or cargo between two points within the territory of a single state by an aircraft registered in another state; Article 7 of the Chicago Convention leaves each state free to refuse it.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which prepares and adopts common safety rules, certifies aircraft types and organisations and coordinates standardisation, while national authorities of member states continue to license personnel and oversee operators.

Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, the framework that establishes EASA and defines the scope of European Union aviation safety rules, under which detailed implementing regulations on airworthiness, air operations and licensing are adopted.

The European implementing regulation that sets the requirements for pilot licences and ratings, including theoretical knowledge, flying experience, medical fitness and instructor certification, applied in national law by each member state.

A ground safety inspection of a visiting foreign aircraft and its crew carried out by a European or ECAC state under the SAFA programme; serious findings may lead to detention and are entered in a shared database.

Aircraft have the nationality of the state on whose register they are entered; that state exercises jurisdiction over the aircraft, and an aircraft may not be validly registered in more than one state at a time.

Document issued by the state of registry recording the aircraft's registration marks, type, serial number and owner, and providing evidence that the aircraft is entered on that national register.

Certificate confirming that the aircraft conforms to an approved type design and is in a condition for safe operation, issued by or on behalf of the state of registry and subject to the operating limitations and maintenance requirements stated in it.

A mandatory instruction issued when an unsafe condition is found in a type design, requiring inspection, modification or a limitation on affected aircraft, engines or equipment within a stated time; compliance is compulsory.

The operator's document, approved by the competent authority and derived from the manufacturer's master list, showing which items may be inoperative for dispatch together with the associated operating, maintenance and crew conditions.

The professional pilot licence that allows its holder to act as pilot-in-command of multi-pilot aeroplanes in commercial air transport, granted after the required flying experience, theoretical knowledge and skill tests have been completed.

An entry on a pilot licence authorising flight of a specific aircraft type; for multi-pilot aeroplanes it involves theoretical training, simulator or aircraft training, and a skill test or proficiency check.

Aeromedical certificate required to exercise the privileges of a commercial or airline transport pilot licence, issued after examination by an approved aeromedical examiner or centre and valid for a period that depends on the holder's age.

Licence endorsement stating the holder's speaking and listening ability in the language used for radiotelephony; at least operational level 4 is required for international operations and the endorsement is re-assessed at intervals.

Document issued by the competent authority permitting an operator to conduct specified commercial air transport operations, granted after the authority has verified the organisation, its procedures, aircraft and personnel against the applicable requirements.

The operator's approved manual of instructions, procedures and limitations for its personnel; the parts relevant to flight crew must be carried on board, kept up to date, and complied with by the crews concerned.

The period beginning when a crew member is required to report for duty and ending when the aircraft finally comes to rest with engines shut down at the end of the last sector, including positioning but excluding rest.

Rules that cap flight time, duty periods and cumulative duty and set minimum rest, designed to control crew fatigue; operators apply an approved scheme within the limits set by the competent authority.

Airspace of defined dimensions within which an air traffic control service is provided and in which flights must comply with the rules for that class of airspace, including any requirement to hold a clearance.

Authorisation for an aircraft to proceed under conditions stated by an air traffic control unit; it is issued to prevent collisions and expedite traffic but does not relieve the pilot of responsibility for the safety of the flight.

The requirement for a pilot to repeat an air traffic control clearance or instruction back to the controller, particularly safety-related items such as route, level and frequency, so that correct reception can be verified.

Weather conditions expressed as visibility and distance from cloud that equal or exceed the minima set for the airspace class concerned, allowing a flight to be conducted under visual flight rules.

The four distances published for each runway direction, namely take-off run available, take-off distance available, accelerate-stop distance available and landing distance available, used by crews to calculate take-off and landing performance.

The limits for using an aerodrome for take-off, approach and landing, expressed as visibility or runway visual range together with cloud base, decision altitude or height; the operator specifies them for each runway and approach type.

Any occurrence at an aerodrome in which an aircraft, vehicle or person is incorrectly present on the protected area of a surface designated for landing and take-off, creating a risk of collision.

The operator's plan for a specific flight, prepared by the pilot-in-command or a flight dispatcher and accepted by the commander, containing route, fuel, alternate and mass data, and retained for the prescribed period.

The fuel needed to fly for 30 minutes at holding speed at 1,500 ft above the aerodrome in standard conditions; it must still be on board at landing and is never planned for use in the flight plan.

An aerodrome named in the flight plan to which a flight may divert if it cannot land at the departure aerodrome after a failure occurring shortly after take-off, required to lie within a stated distance.

A notice, distributed by telecommunication, giving information on the establishment, condition or change of a facility, service or procedure whose timely knowledge is essential to flight crews; it is checked during pre-flight preparation.

The radiotelephony distress signal, transmitted three times, indicating that an aircraft is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance; it has absolute priority over other communications.

The radiotelephony urgency signal, transmitted three times, used when an aircraft has a concern affecting safety but is not in immediate danger, in order to request advice or assistance without claiming distress priority.

A transmitter carried on the aircraft that activates automatically on impact or can be switched on manually, sending a distress alert on 406 MHz and a homing signal on 121.5 MHz to help search and rescue.

Under ICAO Annex 13, an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft in which a person is killed or seriously injured, the aircraft sustains substantial damage, or the aircraft is missing.

An occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operations, such as a near collision, a runway incursion or a serious technical failure.

The state in whose territory an accident or serious incident happens; it institutes the investigation under Annex 13 and invites the states of registry, operator and design, and others with substantial interest, to participate.

An act of violence or threat against civil aviation, such as hijacking, sabotage or an attack on an aerodrome, which states must counter through the security programme required by ICAO Annex 17.