CAA NZ CPL Air Law cheat sheet

The Civil Aviation Act 1990 establishes the Minister of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Director of Civil Aviation; the Director issues and revokes licences and certificates.

Civil Aviation Rules (CARs) are secondary legislation made under the Act; Part 1 contains definitions that bind interpretation of every other Part.

CAR Part 12 covers accident and incident notification and investigation; the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is independent of the CAA and investigates accidents.

The Act imposes a duty on pilots and operators to ensure safety; section 13 (dangerous activity) and section 44 (reckless operation) create offences.

Airworthiness certificates, type certificates and operating certificates are issued by the Director under Parts 21 and 119/121/135 as applicable.

Notices, Airworthiness Directives and emergency airworthiness directives are issued under the CARs and are legally binding on affected operators.

Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP New Zealand) and Civil Aviation Advisories (ACAs) provide operational detail; ACAs are advisory, AIP is regulatory reference.

The HSE/Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 applies to aviation workplaces in addition to the Civil Aviation Act; operators must manage hazards on the ground and in the air.

CAR Part 91 is the default general operating rule set; Parts 121, 125, 135 and 137 apply to specific operation types and may impose stricter requirements.

Pilot-in-command (PIC) is responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft and for compliance with the CARs; the PIC may deviate from rules in an emergency to the extent necessary for safety.

Pre-flight: PIC must ensure the aircraft is airworthy, documents on board (certificate of registration, airworthiness certificate, maintenance release, pilot licence, medical, aircraft log, and where required, flight manual, weight and balance, and radio licence).

CAR 91.215 requires the PIC to be satisfied that the aircraft's weight and balance is within limits and performance is adequate for the planned flight.

Fuel: sufficient fuel and reserve to complete the flight and land with the required reserve; for VFR day, reserve is typically 30 minutes (or as specified in Part 91 subpart C).

Minimum safe altitude: 1000 ft above the highest obstacle within 600 m horizontally over congested areas, and 500 ft elsewhere, unless taking off or landing.

Carriage of passengers: no person may be carried unless seated with seat belt fastened during take-off, landing and when directed by PIC; briefing required.

Dangerous goods: carriage is governed by Part 92; only trained and authorised persons may carry dangerous goods, and documentation and packaging must comply.

CPL(A) requires 200 hours total flight time including 100 hours PIC, 20 hours cross-country PIC, 10 hours instrument time (5 in an approved simulator) and 5 hours night (if night privileges sought).

CPL(A) privileges: act as PIC of aircraft engaged in operations under Part 91, 121, 125 or 135, and exercise all privileges of a PPL; may carry passengers for hire or reward.

Class ratings (e.g., single-engine land) and type ratings are required for the aircraft flown; a type rating is required for aircraft specified by the Director.

Medical: CPL requires a Class 1 medical certificate; validity depends on age (e.g., 12 months for under 40, 6 months for 40+ in some categories).

Recent experience: 3 take-offs and 3 landings within 90 days to carry passengers; night currency requires 3 take-offs and landings at night within 90 days.

Flight review (biennial flight review, BFR) required every 24 months for PPL/CPL; must include at least 1 hour flight instruction and 1 hour ground instruction.

Logbook: entries must be made for each flight and signed by the PIC; logbooks must be retained and produced on request by the Director or an authorised person.

Limitations: no person may act as a crew member while under the influence of alcohol (limit 0.00% BAC for aviation in NZ) or drugs, or while suffering from fatigue or illness that impairs performance.

Every aircraft must have a current certificate of airworthiness (or special category) and be maintained in accordance with an approved maintenance programme under Part 91 subpart E / Part 43.

Maintenance release (or equivalent) must be issued after maintenance; the aircraft may not be flown until the release is signed by an appropriately rated engineer or approved person.

Airworthiness Directives (ADs) are mandatory; compliance must be recorded and tracked; repetitive ADs must be scheduled within the specified intervals.

Defect reporting: defects affecting airworthiness must be recorded in the aircraft technical log and reported to the operator/engineer; serious defects may require notification to the CAA.

Weight and balance: must be computed before flight; centre of gravity must remain within the envelope for all phases of flight and fuel burn.

Performance: take-off and landing distances must be calculated using the flight manual data for the actual weight, altitude, temperature, wind and runway condition/slope.

Instruments and equipment: VFR day minimum equipment includes airspeed indicator, altimeter, magnetic compass, tachometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, and engine temperature gauge; night/VFR requires additional equipment.

Transponder and ELT: transponder required in controlled airspace; ELT required for aircraft operating beyond specified distances from shore or as specified in Part 91.

New Zealand airspace classes: A (all IFR, positive control), C (IFR and VFR, ATC clearance required), D (IFR and VFR, ATC clearance required), E (IFR and VFR, IFR separated from IFR), G (uncontrolled).

Class C and D require an ATC clearance; Class E VFR does not require a clearance but does require a transponder and radio in most cases.

VFR meteorological minima: in Class C/D/E, 5 km flight visibility and 1000 ft vertical / 1 NM horizontal from cloud (below 10,000 ft); in Class G, 5 km visibility and clear of cloud (below 10,000 ft).

Special VFR (SVFR) may be authorised by ATC in controlled airspace when VFR minima cannot be met; requires an ATC clearance and remains clear of cloud and in sight of ground.

Flight plan: required for IFR flights in controlled airspace and for flights crossing the NZ FIR boundary; VFR flight plans are recommended and required in some areas (e.g., over water).

Navigation: pilot must be able to navigate by visual reference to ground and/or radio navigation aids; must carry current charts and appropriate navigation equipment.

Altimeter setting: use QNH for altitude below transition altitude; QNE (standard 1013.2 hPa) above transition level; transition altitude in NZ is generally 13,000 ft (varies by area).

Semi-circular rule (quadrantal rule): magnetic tracks 000-179 use odd thousands + 500 ft; 180-359 use even thousands + 500 ft, for flights above 3,000 ft AGL.

ATC clearance: read back all clearances and instructions that involve altitude, heading, runway, or frequency; read back must be complete and correct.

Clearance limit: an ATC clearance authorises flight only to the specified limit; beyond that a further clearance is required.

Squawk codes: 7500 (unlawful interference), 7600 (radio failure), 7700 (emergency); these must be set immediately when the situation arises.

Radio failure: in controlled airspace, follow the published lost-communication procedures; in VFR, remain VMC and land at the nearest suitable aerodrome, then notify ATC.

Position reporting: required at compulsory reporting points for IFR flights; VFR flights should report position when requested or as specified in AIP.

Emergency communications: prefix 'MAYDAY' for distress, 'PAN PAN' for urgency; state callsign, nature of emergency, position, altitude and intentions.

Transponder: operate in Mode C (altitude reporting) in controlled airspace; ATC may instruct code changes; do not change codes without instruction unless emergency.

Handover: when transferred to another frequency, contact the new unit with callsign and altitude; maintain listening watch on the assigned frequency.

Aerodrome operating minima: pilot must comply with published minima for the aerodrome and runway; take-off minima may differ from landing minima.

Runway markings: threshold markings (piano keys), centreline, touchdown zone, aiming point, and displaced threshold; runway designator indicates magnetic heading to nearest 10 degrees.

Wind limits: crosswind and tailwind limits are specified in the aircraft flight manual; PIC must ensure the actual wind is within limits before take-off or landing.

Ground movement: obtain ATC clearance before entering a runway or manoeuvring area at a controlled aerodrome; at uncontrolled aerodromes, broadcast intentions on the appropriate frequency.

Apron safety: no smoking, no refuelling with passengers on board unless supervised, and no operation of engines near personnel without clearance.

Aerodrome lighting: runway edge lights, threshold lights, approach lights, and PAPI/VASIS provide vertical guidance; PAPI shows 2 white/2 red on correct approach path.

Bird and wildlife hazard: report bird strikes to the aerodrome operator and CAA; bird hazard is a reportable occurrence.

Landing area selection: for off-aerodrome landings, PIC must ensure the area is suitable (surface, slope, obstacles, wind, and emergency egress) and has permission from the landowner.

Notify the CAA and TAIC as soon as practicable after an accident or serious incident; notification must not be delayed by investigation.

Accident definition: an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft that results in death, serious injury, or substantial damage to the aircraft or property.

Incident definition: an occurrence, other than an accident, that affects or could affect the safety of operations (e.g., near miss, runway incursion, engine failure without damage).

Notification content: aircraft type, registration, operator, nature of occurrence, location, time, injuries, damage, and whether dangerous goods are involved.

Preservation: the PIC must preserve evidence (e.g., wreckage, documents, recorders) and not move the aircraft unless necessary to save life or prevent further damage.

Occurrence reporting (safety reporting): operators must have a safety management system (SMS) and report occurrences internally; CAA operates a confidential reporting scheme.

Reportable occurrences include: runway incursion, loss of separation, bird strike, laser strike, fuel emergency, and any malfunction of navigation or communication equipment.

TAIC investigates accidents and serious incidents; the CAA investigates other incidents; cooperation with investigators is mandatory.

Right-of-way: converging aircraft of the same category - the aircraft on the right has right-of-way; different categories - power-driven aircraft give way to gliders, balloons, and airships; all give way to aircraft landing or on final approach.

Head-on: both aircraft alter heading to the right; overtaking: the overtaking aircraft keeps clear (passes on the right).

Landing: an aircraft on final approach has right-of-way over other aircraft in flight or on the ground; aircraft on the ground must give way to aircraft landing.

Minimum separation: VFR aircraft must remain clear of cloud and maintain the specified distance from other aircraft; do not fly so close as to create a collision hazard.

Cruising levels: use the semi-circular rule above 3,000 ft AGL; below that, maintain a safe altitude and avoid other traffic.

Collision avoidance: use a systematic scan (e.g., 10-degree sectors, 2-3 seconds per sector) and listen on the appropriate frequency; use TCAS/ACAS if equipped.

Light signals: steady red - give way/stop; flashing red - move clear of runway; steady green - cleared to land/taxi; flashing green - return for landing; alternating red/green - exercise extreme caution.

Aerobatics and low flying: aerobatics require a clearance or are prohibited in controlled airspace; low flying below 500 ft is prohibited except for take-off/landing or with authorisation.

CAR Part 91 subpart B: operating limitations - aircraft must be operated within the limitations in the flight manual and any applicable airworthiness directives.

Crew duty and rest: Part 91 does not prescribe duty limits for private operations, but fatigue management is required; commercial operators under Parts 121/125/135 have prescribed duty limits.

Passenger safety: briefing must cover seat belts, emergency exits, oxygen (if applicable), and no smoking; passenger manifest required for some operations.

Oxygen: supplemental oxygen required for crew above 10,000 ft (or as specified) and for passengers above 13,000 ft; check the flight manual and Part 91 requirements.

Alcohol and drugs: no person may act as a crew member with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.00% or while under the influence; random testing may apply.

Flight time limitations: for commercial operations, the operator's exposition or Part 121/125/135 specifies maximum flight duty periods and minimum rest.

Emergency equipment: fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and survival equipment (if operating over water or remote areas) must be carried as specified in Part 91.

Incident reporting: any incident involving an emergency, malfunction, or breach of separation must be reported to the CAA within the prescribed time (usually 24-72 hours depending on severity).