Pilot safety hub

Non-controlled operations

Your safety is in your hands.
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A dusty runway in the outback.

Non-controlled operations

Weather and forecasting

Flight planning

Controlled aerodromes and operations

Crash comic – Dialling in disaster

Have you ever gotten distracted by something on the ground while in flight? 

In our latest Crash comic, a pilot learns the importance of always maintaining situational awareness.

Crash comic - Dialling in disaster

Videos

A series of gliders lined up in a row at an airport

Sharing the air with gliders

Brush up on your knowledge of operating around gliders so all pilots can share the air, safely.

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A helicopter spraying chemicals out of sprayers on its sides

Low-level flying

If you’re qualified to fly low, are you confident you know how to manage the risks? Get up to date on flying legally and safely.

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Non-controlled departures and arrivals - helicopter

Explaining the rules for helicopters

Refresh your knowledge of departure and arrival rules before your next flight.

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Landing rules

Explaining the rules for non-controlled landings

Refresh your knowledge on the conditions you must meet before reaching the runway threshold.

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Flying helicopter

SARTIME, ELTs and your safety

Have you got all the help you’ll need if something goes wrong in a remote area? Aviation search and rescue insights.

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Explaining the rules

Explaining the rules

Quick animations explaining the rules. Check out the non-controlled topics – radio calls and right-of-way rules.

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Recreational Aviation Australia - Loss of control series

Loss of control

Loss of control is the most significant cause of serious accidents for sports and recreational pilots. A 3-part video series on how to avoid it.

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A yellow and blue plane with power transmission lines in the foreground

One strike and you're out

Wire strikes rarely offer second chances. Knowledge, planning, and caution are your best defences.

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Two pilots in a commercial jet's cockpit

AvSafety non-controlled webinars

Situational awareness, radio calls and sharing the air – expert advice and tips for flying in non-controlled airspace.

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Audio

A plane flying through the air

Head on a swivel

In this close call, a pilot recounts near misses from early in his career that shaped his approach to safety.

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FSA feature - bogged down

Bogged down in assumptions

Complacency, assumptions, and waterlogged soil brought this pilot down in this close call.

Audio Fixed-wing
An aerial view of a dirt runway in the middle of the bush

Dog legs and goat tracks

He was heading straight for disaster with 2 passengers on board, when something clicked in. Hear how one pilot learnt his limitations and strengths.

Audio Fixed-wing
A red-and-white plane flies through the air with bushland and a river visible behind them

A tumble of numbers

Hear how subtle psychological pressures and an unintentional signal almost killed this experienced flier in the first hours of their career.

Audio Fixed-wing
An aerial view of Alice Springs with translucent images of slices of swiss cheese laid on top of it and each other

Alice through the looking glass

Hear a pilot’s reflections of a flight they took 20 years ago - and what they would do differently now.

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A man parachuting over fields and lakes, with mist-covered mountains in the background

Maiden flight fear

A close call for a pilot on their first solo flight - seeing another paraglider heading directly towards them.

Audio Fixed-wing
A plane sits on the ground as the sun rises behind it

Too many assumptions

A close call with the runway. A series of small decisions, harmless in isolation, create a terrifying situation by the end of the day.

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A female pilot setting the radio of a small airplane

AvSafety podcast – circuit and radio operations

Hear an insider’s view of the challenges, risks and techniques for operating safely at non-controlled aerodromes

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Events and resources

A pilot flying an aeroplane, conducting checks on his cockpit avionics

Checks for a safe landing

Which pre-landing check do you use? Experienced pilots talk about what works for them, and why.

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A firefighting aeroplane dropping a load of water onto the edge of a bushfire

Leave it to the professionals

Risky when things go right and dangerous when they don’t – that’s why there are rules for flying low. Tips from an expert.

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Pilot quiz

Helicopter pilot quiz

Do you fly in non-controlled airspace? Challenge yourself to get 100% on our quiz!

Quiz Rotary
A male and female pilot sitting in the cockpit of an aeroplane

Pilot health and wellbeing

Healthy pilots are key to aviation safety. Know how to monitor your own performance.

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Fixed-wing pilot quiz

Fixed-wing pilot quiz

Think you know all there is to know about non-controlled operations? Challenge yourself to get 10 out of 10!

Quiz Fixed-wing
A man in a suit blowing his nose

Don’t go cold

Simple "head colds" can impair performance more than most people realise. Find out how to stay safe.

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A number of birds flying through the air above a set of power lines with more birds sitting down on them

Animal strikes revealed

Try the ATSB's new interactive tool showing wildlife strikes with aircraft across Australia – particularly incidents with birds.

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A female pilot flying a plane, with fluffy blue clouds visible through the windows behind her

Radio work: are you being heard?

We’ve all blamed poor transmissions on aging equipment, but could human factors also be at play?

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International resources

An aeroplane coming in for a landing

Stabilized Approach and Landing in 57 Seconds

From the FAA: Maintaining a stabilised approach helps prevent loss of control during landing.

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A diagram of the area to avoid around a taxing helicopter's path

Beware the slowly taxiing helicopter

A heads-up from the CAA to light aircraft pilots - it can take minutes for the air to settle in the wake of some helicopters.

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Just say no

Just say no

The FAA Rotorcraft Collective on the most decisive but under-used word in the pilot’s vocabulary.

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Front of a light plan propellor parked on some dirt.

Rule breakers and accidents

NZ data reveals that pilots who repeatedly break the rules are more likely to have serious incidents and accidents.

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Helicopter taking off from an airstrip.

Know your neighbour

Listen to what different NZ pilots want other airspace users to know about the way they fly around non-controlled aerodromes.

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A pilot in the cockpit of a plane talking on his radio headset

Slow down those radio calls

A CAA NZ podcast offering advice for pilots on delivering effective radio calls.

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A black and white infographic image of an aeroplane

Accident case study – fatal altitudes

The AOPA Air Safety Institute examines a flight that crashed minutes after take-off in high-density altitude.

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Resources from our store

Safety resources for purchase or free download.
The title pages of many AvSafety cards

AvSafety cards

Enhance your knowledge of crucial safety topics with our popular A5 AvSafety cards—now available for free download.

Store
Preventing a stall at low level

Preventing a stall AvSafety card

Information on what causes a stall, the risks of a stall and factors that can affect stalling and recovery.

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Your aircraft is ready, are you?

Pilot wellbeing poster

You are the most important pre-flight check. Visit the online store to order informative pilot safety posters.

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Low flying poster

Low flying poster

This poster contains advice to help you with your pre-flight planning and operation in low-flying situations.

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A plane with the sun rising in front of it

Visual Flight Rules Guide and Plain English Guides

Download our Visual Flight Rules and Plain English Guides to make aviation rules easier to understand.

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The cover of the Radio Procedures in Non-Controlled Aerospace booklet

Radio procedures in non-controlled airspace

The latest on radio calls, frequencies, and when to broadcast at non-controlled aerodromes.

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Image of Non-controlled aerodrome circuit procedure poster

Non-controlled aerodrome circuit procedures poster

Guidance on proper circuit procedures at non-controlled aerodromes.

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Avoiding collisions folding card

Avoiding collisions in class G airspace

Learn more about pre-flight and enroute reminders to help you avoid collisions in class G airspace.

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Online version available at: https://www.casa.gov.au//resources-and-education/pilot-safety-hub/non-controlled-aerodromes
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