CASA EX69/09 – Exemption – from standard take-off minima

Explanatory Statement

Civil Aviation Regulations 1988

Exemption — from standard take-off minima

Section 98 of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 (the Act) empowers the Governor-General to make regulations for the Act and the safety of air navigation.

Legislation

Under subregulation 257 (1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (CAR 1988), CASA may determine the meteorological minima, that is the visibility requirements, for landing or take-off at an aerodrome. Under subregulation 257 (2), the determination must be published in AIP or NOTAMS. Under subregulation 257 (3), it is an offence for an aircraft to take-off if an element of the meteorological minima for that operation is less than that determined for the aircraft at the aerodrome.

The determination of standard meteorological minima for take-off and landing was made in instrument CASA 146/08. The minima are also set out in AIP En Route 1.5, section 4. If conditions are met, the minimum visibility for take-off inside Australian territory is currently 500 metres (proposed to become 550 metres). An exemption would be required to operate in lesser minimum visibility.

Under subregulation 308 (1) of CAR 1988, CASA may exempt aircraft, or persons in, on, or otherwise associated with the operation of, the aircraft, from compliance with specified provisions of CAR 1988. Under subregulation 308 (2), before making an exemption CASA must take into account any relevant considerations relating to the interests of safety. Under subregulation 308 (3), CASA may make an exemption subject to any condition specified in the exemption as being necessary in the interests of safety. Under subregulation 308 (3A), it is an offence to contravene a condition of an exemption that is otherwise being relied upon for an operation.

Delta Air Lines Inc of Delaware Newcastle, USA

Delta Air Lines Inc. of Delaware Newcastle, United States of America (the operator), is a highly experienced US airline operator which has applied for approval to conduct low visibility take-offs in Australia, initially from Sydney, using its B777 type aircraft (the aircraft).

CASA has assessed the operator’s operations manuals and instructor guides covering all aspects of pilot training and operating procedures for low visibility take-offs and found them satisfactory. The operator already holds a US FAA Operational Specification C078, approving low visibility take-off operations in the aircraft with runway visual range of at least 150 metres.

Instrument and conditions

The instrument, therefore, exempts the aircraft operated by the operator from the minimum take-off visibility requirements of instrument CASA 146/08. To ensure the safety of air navigation, the exemption is subject to certain performance conditions and limitations. The technical details of the exemption and its conditions are set out in Attachment 1.

Legislative Instruments Act

Under subparagraph 6 (d) (i) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 (the LIA), an instrument is a legislative instrument for section 5 of the LIA if it is declared to be a disallowable instrument under legislation in force before the commencement of the LIA. Under subregulation 308 (4) of CAR 1988, an exemption is a disallowable instrument. The exemption is, therefore, a legislative instrument and it is subject to tabling and disallowance in the Parliament under sections 38 and 42 of the LIA.

Consultation

Consultation under section 17 of the LIA has not been undertaken in this case. The instrument is required by the operator to enable low visibility take-offs at Sydney consistent with the standards and requirements specified in the instrument which are not considered prejudicial to the interests of safety.

Office of Best Practice Regulation

The exemption would be of beneficial effect to the operator. The Office of Best Practice Regulation does not require preparation of a Regulation Impact Statement in this case because a preliminary assessment of business compliance costs in the context of the nature of the instrument indicates that it will have only a nil to low impact on business.

Making and commencement

The exemption has been made by a delegate of CASA in accordance with subregulation 7 (1) and regulation 308 of CAR 1988.

The instrument comes into effect on the day after it is registered. It stops having effect at the end of August 2011.

[Instrument number CASA EX69/09]

Details of exemption

1 Duration

 The instrument commences on the day after it is registered and stops having effect at the end of 31 August 2011.

2 Definitions

 In the instrument a range of words and phrases are defined as follows (key details bolded):

aircraft means a B777 type aeroplane.

ATC means air traffic control.

CAT means category, and refers to Category I, Category II or Category III minima.

controlling zone means any runway zone where the RVR or RV reading represents the minima for the runway zone.

low visibility operation or LVO means:

(a) a landing with less than CAT I minima; or

(b) a take-off with less than 550 metres RV or RVR.

Note   The instrument is for low visibility take-offs only, but the LVO concept also includes low visibility landings.

operator means Delta Air Lines Inc. of Delaware Newcastle, United States of America, Aviation Reference Number 594069, under Air Operator’s Certificate for the time being numbered 1-AXGP4-01.

runway zone means the touch down zone (TDZ), the mid-zone (MID) or the end zone (END) of a runway.

RV means runway visibility and is assessed by an approved observer and reported by ATC.

RVR means runway visual range and is measured by instrument and reported by ATC.

3 Application

 The instrument applies only to aircraft operated by the operator in an LVO take-off at the aerodrome when ATC is in operation and if ATC has informed the pilot of the aircraft that low visibility procedures are in force.

4 Exemption

 Each aircraft is exempt from compliance with regulation 257 of CAR 1988 in relation to the standard take-off minima. The standard is as determined by CASA under subregulation 257 (1) of CAR 1988. Details of the standard determination, CASA 146/08, are set out in AIP En Route 1.5, sections 4.3.

5 Conditions

 The exemption is subject to safety conditions so that each aircraft must use not less than the aerodrome minima mentioned for it and the requirement mentioned in Schedule 2 (cross-wind) must be complied with.

Schedule 1 Aerodrome minima for low visibility operations

 1 This Schedule sets out the low visibility take-off requirements. Thus, where it has operating facilities to support low visibility take-offs, the following are the take-off minima that may be used by the specified aircraft:

 2 The aircraft operation must also observe additional safety requirements as follows:

  Visibility measurements

(a) visibility must be measured by:

 (i) RVR or RV for each applicable zone; or

 (ii) RV for each applicable zone other than the TDZ, provided the pilot makes the assessment for the TDZ;

  Controlling zones

(b) for controlling zones:

 (i) any zone reading shown in the above table must act as the controlling minima for the zone; and

 (ii) if 2 zone readings are required and a MID zone RVR or RV in accordance with paragraph 2 (a) above is not available, the END zone RVR or RV may be substituted provided it is at least 350 metres;

  Runway lighting and markings

(c) for runway lighting and markings for take‑off with minima at 350 metres or greater:

 (i) the runway must have either centreline lighting or centreline markings; and

 (ii) the runway edge lighting must be spaced at not greater than 60 metres for all low visibility operations.

Schedule 2 Conditions

Operational restrictions

  This Schedule sets out an additional safety requirement. Thus, the maximum cross-wind component for an aircraft conducting an LVO under this exemption is 15 knots.