Civil aircraft register

CASR Part 45 - Display of nationality and registration marks and aircraft registration identification plates

Part 45 describes the requirements for the markings and the display of markings and identification plates of Australian registered aircraft.

AC 45-01(1) - Nationality and Registration Marks (March 2008) - This Advisory Circular (AC) provides guidance and information in relation to aircraft markings.

Part 45 is currently subject to a Post Implementation Review (PIR).

Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the existing regulations

In October 2000 Part 45 of CASR's 1998 replaced Division 6 of Part 3 of the CAR's 1988. That CAR was not fully compliant with the ICAO Annex 7 recommendations.

Amongst other things, Part 45 required marks to have a minimum height of 300mm, against the previous requirement for a minimum height of 150 mm. CASA is aware that certain sectors have found difficulty in complying with the increased size of the markings and with other requirements of the regulations.

Additionally, technological restrictions imposed by certification limitations on new generation composite aircraft were not considered and are not addressed in Part 45. Some technical restrictions have resulted in the inability to comply with the marking requirements on the lateral surfaces and on the wings on some aircraft due to structural requirements. This has required CASA to exempt certain types from compliance with some sections of Part 45. Thus far, exemptions have been issued for the Cirrus SR Series and the Diamond DA-42. Although CASA acknowledges that composite material requirements were not apparent or considered in 2000, they reinforce the necessity to review the existing regulations.

This situation also raises the question of the currency of ICAO Annex 7 standards and the need for a more flexible set of Standards and Recommendations, as the current edition does not cater for contemporary operational and technical requirements applicable of the modern Australian fleet.

The objective of the PIR of Part 45 is to identify the existing limitations of the regulations and to address how they are to be rectified. CASA's proposed changes are detailed in the attached review document.

The review document takes into account the best practices of the ICAO contracting states, as noted on the current differences to Annex 7 – e.g. the USA FAA exempting marking under the wings and New Zealand CAA exempting aircraft from displaying their nationality while flying within their territory.

Some of the new proposals will require the Commonwealth to record differences to Annex 7.

The suggested changes reduce the number of regulations from 170 to 70.

Review Process

The review document was posted on the Standards Consultative Committee (SCC) forum on 20 July 2007 for one month for their consideration and comment.

After all SCC comments have been reviewed and any applicable changes have been incorporated into a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), the NPRM will be promulgated on the CASA website to allow comment from the aviation industry.

After input has been received from industry, the policy will be reviewed as required, and the new regulations will be drafted by the Office of Legislative Drafting. The draft regulations will be reviewed by CASA and the SCC and the final version will be forwarded to DOTARS who will arrange for the eventual making of the new regulation.

Exemption - Display of marking and carriage of identification plate

Due to anticipated delays in the legal drafting process it could be some time before revised regulations can be introduced. Therefore, to overcome the difficulties experienced in complying with the current regulations, CASA has issued a general exemption to some of the Part 45 regulation. The exemption applies only to fixed-wing and rotor craft of less than 5700kg, operating wholly within Australian territory. The exemption is effective from 5 February 2008.

Under the terms of the exemption, applicable aircraft will be exempt from:

• Displaying markings on the undersurface of the wings
• Displaying lateral markings of 300mm - Under the terms of the exemption the minimum height must be 150mm.
• Carrying an aircraft registration identification plate, provided the aircraft carries a manufacturer’s data plate.

For further details see Instrument CASA EX05/08. AC 45-01(1) provides guidance on the exemption.

Current exemptions to Part 45

• CASA EX05/08 - Exemption - display of markings and carriage of identification plates
• Cirrus SR EX21/07
• Diamond DA 42EX72/06
• VH-CTV EX36/07
• VH-ZYZ EX32/07

Enquiries

For further information regarding the current Part 45 regulations or the PIR, contact the Civil Aircraft Register at aircraft.data@casa.gov.au or by phone on 02 6217 1229 or 02 6217 1873.