CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021

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Legislation au F2021L00867 Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021

as amended

made under regulations 11.160 and 11.205 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998.

This compilation was prepared on 31 May 2024 taking into account amendments up to CASA EX33/24 – Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) (CASA EX69/21 – Repeal Date) Amendment Instrument 2024. It is a compilation of CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021, as amended and in force on 31 May 2024.

Prepared by the Advisory & Drafting Branch, Legal, International & Regulatory Affairs Division, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Canberra.

Compilation No. 1.

1 Name

  This instrument is CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021.

2 Duration

  This instrument:

(b) is repealed at the end of 30 November 2024.

3 Definitions

Note 1   In this instrument, certain terms and expressions have the same meaning as they have in the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the regulations. These include altitude, Australian territory, authorised person, class, in relation to medical certificates, maximum take-off weight, medical certificate, officer, passenger and pilot in command.

Note 2   In this instrument, the following terms are defined in regulation 61.010 of CASR: conduct, current, flight activity endorsement, flight test, instrument endorsement, operational rating, pilot licence, single-pilot operation.

  In this instrument:

authorised CASA officer means an officer who holds an appointment as an authorised person for the purposes of regulation 302 of CAR.

Fitness Report, in relation to a relevant private pilot licence holder, means CASA Form 1474, Fitness Report, showing that a medical practitioner assessed that, on the date of making the assessment, the relevant private pilot licence holder met the medical standard basic class 2.

flight control seat has the same meaning as in the definition of conduct in regulation 61.010 of CASR.

medical standard basic class 2 means the commercial vehicle driver medical standards that apply to drivers of heavy vehicles, public passenger vehicles or vehicles carrying dangerous goods, published by Austroads, without conditions or restrictions other than a requirement to wear glasses or a hearing aid.

Note 1   To be assessed by a medical practitioner as meeting the medical standard basic class 2, a person must meet the commercial vehicle driver medical standards for an unconditional licence (other than the requirement to meet those standards without a hearing aid or glasses).

Note 2   At the commencement of this instrument, the commercial vehicle driver medical standards are included in the publication titled Assessing Fitness to Drive for commercial and private vehicle drivers, 5th edition 2016 (as amended up to August 2017). That publication is freely available to view or download by searching for the publication title on the Austroads Publications page, located at https://austroads.com.au/publications.

relevant check or review has the meaning given by subregulation 61.395 (6) of CASR.

relevant private pilot licence holder means a person:

(a)      who holds a private pilot licence; and

(b)      who has applied to CASA for an Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2); and

(c)      who has certified that the person has been assessed by a medical practitioner as meeting the medical standard basic class 2, as the medical standard exists at the time the application is made; and

(d)      to whom CASA has issued an Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) on the basis that CASA is satisfied that the person meets the medical standard basic class 2, as the medical standard exists at the time CASA issues the certificate.

4 Exemption

 (1) A relevant private pilot licence holder is exempt from compliance with subregulation 61.065 (1) of CASR, to the extent that paragraph 61.410 (1) (a) of CASR requires that, to be authorised to exercise the privileges of the licence in a single-pilot operation, the relevant private pilot licence holder must also hold a current class 1 or class 2 medical certificate.

 (2) The exemption is subject to the conditions mentioned in sections 5 and 6.

5 Conditions — conduct of operations and exercise of privileges

 (1) A relevant private pilot licence holder must not commence a flight that is a single‑pilot operation after the recommended date of next review against the medical standard basic class 2, mentioned in their most recent Fitness Report.

 (2) Subject to subsection (4), a relevant private pilot licence holder must not, during a singlepilot operation:

(a) exercise the privileges of the licence in conjunction with an operational rating, an instrument endorsement or a flight activity endorsement; or

(b) carry more than 5 passengers.

 (3) Subject to subsection (4), a relevant private pilot licence holder may exercise the privileges of their licence for a single-pilot operation only if:

(a) the single-pilot operation is either of the following:

 (i) a private operation;

 (ii) conducted for the purpose of undergoing a flight test, or a relevant check or review, associated with the issue of, or the exercise of the privileges of, a private pilot licence or recreational pilot licence; and

(b) the single-pilot operation is conducted:

 (i) under the V.F.R. by day; and

 (ii) below an altitude of 10 000 feet; and

 (iii) within Australian territory; and

 (iv) in a piston-engined aircraft with a maximum take-off weight less than 8 618 kg; and

(c) the relevant private pilot licence holder carries on the flight a copy of their Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2).

 (4) Subsections (2) and (3) do not limit the exercise of the privileges of the relevant private pilot licence holder’s licence for a single-pilot operation if a flight control seat on the aircraft for the operation is occupied by a person who:

(a) is authorised under the regulations to conduct the operation as pilot in command; and

(b) holds a current class 1 or class 2 medical certificate.

 (5) A relevant private pilot licence holder must:

(a) on request of an authorised CASA officer — produce their Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) for inspection by the officer; and

(b) within 48 hours of a request of an authorised CASA officer — produce their most recent Fitness Report for inspection by the officer.

6 Conditions — carriage of passengers

 (1) If a passenger is carried on a flight that is a single-pilot operation, the relevant private pilot licence holder must, before commencing the flight, inform the following persons of the matters mentioned in subsection (2):

(a) for each passenger who has a legal guardian — the passenger’s legal guardian;

(b) each other passenger.

 (2) For subsection (1), the matters are that the relevant private pilot licence holder:

(a) does not hold a standard medical certificate required for private pilots; and

(b) holds an Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) which:

 (i) is assessed against the Austroads commercial vehicle driver medical standards; and

 (ii) permits use of their private pilot licence, subject to conditions; and

(c) is carrying the following, for inspection by a passenger or a guardian of a passenger:

 (i) their Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2);

 (ii) a copy of the conditions mentioned in section 5.

Note to CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021

CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021 (in force under regulations 11.160 and 11.205 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998) as shown in this compilation comprises CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Orders

Year and
number

Date of registration on FRL

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or transitional provisions

CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021

28 June 2021
(see F2021L00867)

1 July 2021

CASA EX33/24 – Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) (CASA EX69/21 – Repeal Date) Amendment Instrument 2024

31 May 2024
(see F2024L00607)

31 May 2024

 

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted     am. = amended     rep. = repealed     rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

para. 2 (a)

para. 2 (b)

rep. Legislation Act 2003, s 48D

am. F2024L00607

 

Overview

The CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021 was enacted to provide an exemption for private pilot licence holders who hold a Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate. This instrument was introduced to address the gap in medical certification requirements for private pilots, allowing them to operate under certain conditions without the need for a more stringent medical certificate. The exemption was made under regulations 11.160 and 11.205 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The policy objective of this exemption is to ensure the safety of aviation operations by imposing specific conditions on the operations and privileges of pilots holding a Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate, thereby balancing safety with the practical needs of private pilots.

Scope and Application

CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021 applies to private pilot licence holders who have been issued a Basic Class 2 medical certificate by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). These individuals must meet specific medical standards as outlined in the Austroads publication Assessing Fitness to Drive for commercial and private vehicle drivers. The exemption pertains to the conduct of single-pilot operations under certain conditions and is in effect until 30 November 2024. The geographic reach of this exemption is limited to Australian territory and applies to piston-engined aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of less than 8,618 kg. The exemption exempts relevant private pilot licence holders from the requirement to hold a current Class 1 or Class 2 medical certificate while conducting single-pilot operations under specified conditions, such as operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) by day, below 10,000 feet, and within Australia. However, there are limitations, such as not exercising privileges in conjunction with certain endorsements and not carrying more than 5 passengers. Additionally, holders of the Basic Class 2 medical certificate must inform passengers about the exemption and its conditions before commencing a flight. The exemption can be extended or restricted through subordinate instruments, but such modifications are not specified in the provided text.

Key Provisions

The CASA EX69/21 — Medical Certification (Private Pilot Licence Holders with Basic Class 2 Medical Certificate) Exemption 2021 outlines key provisions for private pilot licence holders who possess a Basic Class 2 medical certificate. The main sections include the definitions of terms (Section 3), the exemption itself (Section 4), and the conditions under which the exemption applies (Section 5 and 6). Section 4(1) exempts relevant private pilot licence holders from the requirement to hold a current Class 1 or Class 2 medical certificate to exercise their licence privileges in single-pilot operations. This exemption is subject to the conditions set out in Sections 5 and 6. Under the obligations and requirements imposed by the Act, relevant private pilot licence holders must adhere to specific conditions to exercise their privileges. These include not commencing a flight after the recommended date of next review against the medical standard basic class 2 mentioned in their most recent Fitness Report (Section 5(1)). Additionally, during a single-pilot operation, they must not exercise their licence privileges in conjunction with an operational rating, an instrument endorsement, or a flight activity endorsement (Section 5(2)(a)), and they must not carry more than 5 passengers (Section 5(2)(b)). The operation must be a private operation conducted for the purpose of undergoing a flight test, or a relevant check or review, associated with the issue of, or the exercise of the privileges of, a private pilot licence or recreational pilot licence (Section 5(3)(a)). The operation must also comply with several conditions: it must be conducted under the Visual Flight Rules by day (Section 5(3)(b)(i)), below an altitude of 10,000 feet (Section 5(3)(b)(ii)), within Australian territory (Section 5(3)(b)(iii)), in a piston-engined aircraft with a maximum take-off weight less than 8,618 kg (Section 5(3)(b)(iv)), and the relevant private pilot licence holder must carry on the flight a copy of their Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) (Section 5(3)(b)(v)). Furthermore, the licence holder must produce their Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) for inspection by an authorised CASA officer upon request (Section 6(a)), and their most recent Fitness Report within 48 hours of a request by an authorised CASA officer (Section 6(b)). In terms of passenger carriage, if a passenger is carried on a flight that is a single-pilot operation, the relevant private pilot licence holder must inform each passenger and, if applicable, the passenger's legal guardian, of certain matters before commencing the flight (Section 6(1)). These matters include that the licence holder does not hold a standard medical certificate required for private pilots but holds an Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) which is assessed against the Austroads commercial vehicle driver medical standards and permits the use of their private pilot licence subject to conditions (Section 6(2)). The licence holder must also carry their Aviation Medical Certificate (Basic Class 2) and a copy of the conditions for inspection by a passenger or a guardian of a passenger (Section 6(2)(c)). Any breach of the provisions of this legislation can lead to civil and criminal consequences. Although specific penalties are not detailed in the text, under the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, breaches of aviation safety regulations can result in significant fines and other penalties. These can include fines up to the maximum prescribed by the regulations, which can be substantial for serious or repeated breaches. Additionally, non-compliance can lead to the suspension or revocation of the licence, further affecting the individual's ability to operate as a pilot.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.