Rules for adventure fights

Some owners and operators of aircraft offer adventure-style flights to the public for a fee using ex-armed forces or historic aircraft.  These types of flights fall under what we call limited category aircraft operations.

These owners and operators may market adventure flights as:

• warbird
• combat
• military
• top-gun
• adventure.

They may involve mock military-style combat manoeuvres, aerobatics, and mock bombing runs.

The following information is not an endorsement of any adventure flight operator for adventure flights in general.

Know the safety risks

Taking an adventure flight is riskier than flying as a passenger on a commercial airline. This is because:

• some of the ex-armed forces aircraft were manufactured as early as the early 1940’s
• the aircraft were built and maintained to a military standard and not a normal commercial aircraft standard
• they were designed for military purposes and not for carriage of passengers
• the flights may involve aerobatics or mock military manoeuvres
• flights are mostly carried out in non-controlled airspace.

Our role in adventure flights

The Australian Warbirds Association Limited (AWAL) administers adventure flight aircraft. Operators and owners must operate and maintain aircraft in accordance with the relevant regulations and AWAL requirements. We may issue specific approvals for some operations.

• the AWAL manual
• specific approval issued by us to operate.

We licence the pilots of these flights. All adventure flight pilots must have a minimum of a commercial pilot licence and class 1 medical certificate.

We regard adventure flights operating in the limited category in a similar way to sport aviation.

Note: The Commonwealth nor CASA are liable in negligence or otherwise for any loss or damage incurred by anyone because of, or arising out of, the design, construction, restoration, repair, maintenance or operation of a limited category aircraft or an experimental aircraft, or any act or omission of CASA done or made in good faith to any of those things.

Adventure flight conditions

Adventure flight operators must meet requirements relating to adventure flights. These include:

• there must be no more than 6 people on each flight
• restrictions may apply on where aircraft can fly
• the aircraft must be in a good state of repair and airworthiness
• the aircraft type must have a history of safe operations as a limited category aircraft.

We or an AWAL authorised person:

• must consider the aircraft to be as safe as reasonably practicable when flown in accordance with any conditions and limitations contained in the limited category certificate issued to the aircraft.
• must receive an acceptable statement from the adventure flight operator identifying the aircraft's proposed use
• may inspect the plane to determine if it's in a good state of preservation and repair and is safe to fly.

Accepting the risks before flying

Before you take an adventure flight, the company must explain the risks to you, and you must accept them.

If you take an adventure flight in a limited category aircraft, the operator must brief you about the risks. The operator will ask you to sign a document acknowledging this.

The risks you must accept are:

• the design, manufacture and airworthiness of the plane don't need to meet any standard we recognise
• we don't require the aircraft to be flown to the same degree of safety as a commercial passenger flight
• you take the adventure flight at your own risk.
• If you are under 18 years of age a parent or guardian must acknowledge and sign that they understand the risk.

Every limited category aircraft must carry a placard with the following warning clearly displayed inside the plane in a way that everyone can read it:

Warning: Persons fly in this aircraft at their own risk. This aircraft has been designed for special operations and is not operated to the same safety standards as a normal commercial passenger flight.

Pilot licences for adventure flights

The pilots flying adventure flights must hold a commercial pilot licence or an air transport pilot licence. Their licence must have the appropriate endorsements and ratings to allow them to fly the aircraft and they must hold a valid class 1 medical certificate.

This is a higher standard than for a private pilot’s licence.

Types of aircraft used

Adventure flight operators use the term ‘warbird’ to refer to an ex-armed forces aircraft flown in civilian aviation. A warbird can be an historic or modern aircraft.

Adventure flights can use both jets and propeller-driven aircraft.

Types include:

• MiG
• YAK
• Strikemaster
• L39 Albatross
• Trojan
• Tiger Moth
• CT4.

There are currently more than 200 aircraft flying in the limited category in Australia.

Limited category aircraft accidents

There have been accidents involving these kinds of aircraft. But since adventure flight operations began in 1998, only 2 fatal crashes have occurred.