AIP Book and ERSA changes are now in effect

[Admin]

Updated 3 June 2010:

 

AIP Book and ERSA changes are now in effect

 

Further to the 10 April 2010 notice — Airservices Australia have released AIP Book amendment list 63 with an effective date of 3 June 2010 and the CAR amendments have been promulgated. The amended issues of the AIP Book and ERSA are available online at www.airservicesaustralia.com/publications/aip.asp (click the 'I agree' button to gain entry).

 

The changed communication requirements when operating in the vicinity of a non-towered aerodrome are defined in AIP ENR 1.1 section 20 — 'Radio communication and navigation requirements' (pages ENR 1.1 – 42 to ENR 1.1 – 51).

 

Changed 'Operations in Class G airspace' are defined in AIP ENR 1.1 sections 40 – 50 (pages ENR 1.1 – 69 to ENR 1.1 – 83).

 

Note that the CTAF® designation have disappeared from charts and other publications. When flight planning, the only sure way to identify which aerodromes are certified or registered — and thus associated with mandatory VHF radio carriage and use when operating in their vicinity, even at another airfield — is to gain the information from the aerodrome entry in ERSA FAC, or notam if an aerodrome is temporarily designated for mandatory carriage of VHF radio.

 

Members should be aware that, in general, there is an increasing need to familiarise themselves with all those parts of the Airservices Australia's Aeronautical Information Publications (i.e. AIP Book, ERSA, SUP/AICs, notam and charts) that are pertinent to flight outside controlled airspace under the visual flight rules. Also the exemptions to some Civil Aviation Regulations, currently provided by CAO 95.55, CAO 95.32 and CAO 95.10, will eventually no longer exist.

 

Please throw out your PCA, VNCs, VTCs and ERC-Ls and get a new set from the Airservices Australia online store or other source.

 

The only mandatory broadcast now defined in AIP is related to the new CAR 166C which makes an overriding ruling: 'The pilot must make a broadcast ... whenever it is reasonably necessary to do so to avoid a collision, or the risk of a collision, with another aircraft ...'

 

Note: in a regulatory or legal sense the word 'must' indicates a mandatory action or procedure while 'should' indicates a recommended action or procedure.

 

The requirement for mandatory broadcasts when (a) inbound to land, (b) before entering a runway and © when in the vicinity of the aerodrome has been removed from CAR 166A and does not re-appear elsewhere.

 

AIP recommends the following broadcasts:

 

• an inbound broadcast — by 10 nautical miles from the airfield
   
   
  
• a joining circuit broadcast immediately before joining the circuit
   
   
  
• if making a straight-in approach, broadcast on final approach not less than 3 nm from the threshold
   
   
  
• if joining on base leg, broadcast joining base leg prior to joining on base.
   
   
  
• If intending to transit the vicinity, make an overflying broadcast — by 10 nm from the airfield.
   
   
  
• immediately before, or during, commencing taxiing to the runway, make a taxiing broadcast
   
   
  
• broadcast immediately before entering runway
   
   
  

 

 

 

The AIP no longer defines any mandatory or recommended in-circuit broadcasts such as 'turning downwind', 'turning base', 'turning final' or 'clear of runway'.

 

The effect of these changes is to considerably reduce the number of transmissions previously considered necessary in the regulations or AIP Book. Such operational decisions are now properly left to the pilot, who is expected to conduct operations in an airmanlike manner in accordance with the existing environment and traffic conditions. It might be that a pilot arriving at a CTAF airfield need only make an 'inbound' broadcast followed by (say) a 'joining circuit downwind' broadcast and then perhaps a 'turning final' broadcast.

 

The 'Radiotelephony communications and procedures' and the 'Australian airspace regulations' guides have been updated to incorporate these changes.

 

... JB

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

...AIP recommends the following broadcasts:

 

• an inbound broadcast — by 10 nautical miles from the airfield
   
   
  
• a joining circuit broadcast immediately before joining the circuit
   
   
  
• if making a straight-in approach, broadcast on final approach not less than 3 nm from the threshold
   
   
  
• if joining on base leg, broadcast joining base leg prior to joining on base.
   
   
  
• If intending to transit the vicinity, make an overflying broadcast — by 10 nm from the airfield.
   
   
  
• immediately before, or during, commencing taxiing to the runway, make a taxiing broadcast
   
   
  
• broadcast immediately before entering runway
   
   
  

 

 

 

... JB

While accurate, there may be a difference in emphasis depending on individual interpretation of the adjective "recommends" versus the word "expected" as used in CAAP 166-1(0) para 6.3.

 

To me, "expected" implies a stronger, but still non-mandatory, imperative.

 

Isn't English a bugger :peepwall:

 

In addition to the above recommended reading, I'd also commend to you the CAAP 166-1(0) and CAAP166-2(0), from CASA's web site, which describe the changes (in a more compact form than the actual regulations) in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes and means of complying with them.

 

It is already apparent that a few have interpreted the lack of any mandatory calls to mean they don't need to make any calls at all, which somewhat defeats the desired objective of alerted see and avoid.

 

Another observation is that a number of pilots who have otherwise adopted the changes in an appropriate manner have not realised that ALL calls must now include intentions. (specified in CAR 166C and also CAAP 166-1(0) para 6.1).

 

 

[Yenn]

Not making any call will not be complying with the requirement to call to prevent a collision. If you don't make any call others would not know you are in the area. If you make a call others should hear you. If they come in after you made a call and didn't hear your call, you will hear their call. Safe and much better than the old way of multiple calls, especially when it is really busy.

 

 

[Mazda]

CFI the problem is charts are not free, just as university education is not free. Someone has to pay. Should we pay for boating charts for recreational boaters? Or should they pay? It's the same for aviation.

 

On compliance, the USA has had recommended calls for many years now and their compliance is higher than ours. They don't need it to be mandated to use common sense, they are trained that way.

 

This change is a cultural one which means we need to change the way we think.