Changing the rules

Under development
CASR Part 132 – Air experience and corporate operations

CASR Part 132 will prescribe the regulatory requirements and standards for the approval of operators that provide air experience flights in Australian-registered aircraft, other than those operations that are conducted under a CASR Part 149 organisation. The term 'air experience' in the context of this Part includes 'joy flights' and 'adventure flights' in either normal or limited category aircraft (e.g. 'warbirds').

Air experience flights are usually flights involving the carriage of passengers in aircraft used in trade and commerce, other than flights that are classified as air transport. However, flights in aircraft not used in trade and commerce and operated by, or on behalf of, community groups where CASA believes that some regulatory provisions in addition to the provisions of CASR Part 91 are required in the interests of safety, may also be classified as 'air experience flights' for the purposes of this Part.

Air experience flights will be limited to flights:

  • undertaken in an Australian-registered aircraft with a certificated seating capacity of not more than 6,
  • that takeoff and land at the same aerodrome, with no intermediate landing, and
  • that remain within 50NM of that aerodrome during the flight.

CASR Part 132 will also prescribe the regulatory requirements and standards for the approval of certain corporate operations. Corporate operations are flights that are operated by or on behalf of a company or a group of companies, or by or on behalf of the owner or owners of the aircraft, that involve the carriage of passengers or cargo for business purposes other than air transport operations.

While some regulatory standards for small aircraft passenger charter operations currently exist, this is substantially a new set of regulations intended to apply to operations that would otherwise be classified as 'Air Transport' under CASR Parts 135 and 133. Depending on the type and complexity of the operation, Part 132 operations may be classified as either 'General Aviation', or as 'Aerial Work' requiring an Operating Certificate (OC).

The Part will cover:

  • Definition of operational applicability of the Part;
  • Procedure for the application and issue of a Part 132 Operating Certificate (where required);
  • Obligations and privileges of OC holders;
  • Operational requirements and standards to be complied with by OC holders;
  • Aircraft maintenance requirements and standards to be complied with by OC holders;
  • Qualifications of Flight Crew involved in Part 132 operations; and
  • Contents of an OC holder's Operations Manual.

Who Part 132 affects

  • Prospective operators of air experience flights, e.g. aero clubs, general aviation operators, flight training organisations, 'warbirds' operators, and certain community groups such as the Scouts, Air League and Air Training Corps; and
  • Corporate aircraft operators involved in carriage of non-fare paying passengers, including employees.

Key proposals

The most significant features of the proposed rules are:

  • Operating Certificate (OC) required for operations classified as Aerial Work under this Part;
  • OC to remain valid unless withdrawn by CASA for reasons of non-compliance with the standards;
  • Services to be provided to the standards specified in Part 132 or in a CASA Manual of Standards for Part 132;
  • OC not required for operations classified as General Aviation under this Part;
  • Granting of an OC will require the provision of an Operations Manual covering defined contents; all related operations must be in accordance with the Operations Manual of the organisation.
 
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