{"id":"F2006B09072","name":"AD/DHC-3/23 - VNE Placard","slug":"ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":52841,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B09072-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/DHC-3/23 - VNE Placard","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 22.10.0\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\nCOMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY\n\nSCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES\n\n \n\n![](image.001.png)  DHC-3 (Otter) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/DHC-3/23 VNE Placard 8/68\n\nApplicability: All models not incorporating De Havilland Canada Modification No 3/909. Requirement:               Placard the airspeed indicator to show a never exceed speed (Vne) of 130 knots. Compliance:               Within 10 hours time in service after 6 September 1968.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The text presents a narrow, specific directive: require a Vne placard of 130 knots on all DHC-3 aircraft unless they have Modification No 3/909, to be complied with within 10 hours time in service after 6 September 1968. The instrument itself does not indicate any change from that original, narrowly defined scope."},"complexity_factors":["Single, narrowly framed technical requirement (place a Vne placard of 130 knots).","Clear applicability clause (exempts aircraft with Modification No 3/909).","Short, explicit compliance timeframe (10 hours time in service after a specific date).","No discretionary or performance-based compliance routes provided in the text.","Absence of additional procedural, inspection, or enforcement detail in the text."],"plain_english_summary":"What this directive does (mechanical change)\n\n- Orders that the airspeed indicator in affected DHC-3 (Otter) aeroplanes be marked to show a never-exceed speed (Vne) of 130 knots. (Requirement: \"Placard the airspeed indicator to show a never exceed speed (Vne) of 130 knots.\")\n\nWho it applies to\n\n- Applies to all DHC-3 (Otter) models except those that already have De Havilland Canada Modification No 3/909 fitted. (Applicability: \"All models not incorporating De Havilland Canada Modification No 3/909.\")\n\nWhen it must be done\n\n- The placard must be fitted within 10 hours time in service after 6 September 1968. (Compliance: \"Within 10 hours time in service after 6 September 1968.\")\n\nStated purpose and how the directive works\n\n- The instrument sets a displayed maximum operating speed (Vne) of 130 knots. The text itself does not include an explanatory justification; its immediate, mechanical effect is to create a uniform, visible speed limit on the airspeed indicator for the specified aircraft unless they already have the noted modification.\n\nWho decides and who pays\n\n- The directive is prescriptive: it requires aircraft operators/owners of affected aeroplanes to carry out the placarding. The document does not allocate funding or exemptions beyond the stated modification exclusion, so installation costs and labour would fall to those operators/owners. (See Applicability and Requirement.)\n\nBehavioural and operational effects, implementation characteristics, and risks\n\n- Behaviour change: Pilots will have a visible Vne of 130 knots on the airspeed indicator and are expected to observe that limit in flight. (Requirement.)\n- Compliance burden: The action required is a single prescriptive modification (fitting a placard), with a short, specific compliance window (10 hours time in service after the listed date). The document gives no additional instructions about placard specifications, who may fit it, or inspection/recording procedures. (Requirement; Compliance.)\n- Administrative discretion: The directive is prescriptive and leaves little to administrative discretion in its text; it does not provide alternative compliance methods or performance-based options. (Entire text.)\n- Trade-offs and opportunity costs: The text does not quantify costs or describe operational trade-offs; the concrete cost to operators is limited to procuring and fitting the placard and any associated downtime within the compliance window. (Implied by Requirement and Compliance.)\n- Substitutions or exemptions: The only listed exemption is aircraft that incorporate De Havilland Canada Modification No 3/909. (Applicability.)\n\nKey text references\n\n- Applicability: \"All models not incorporating De Havilland Canada Modification No 3/909.\"\n- Requirement: \"Placard the airspeed indicator to show a never exceed speed (Vne) of 130 knots.\"\n- Compliance: \"Within 10 hours time in service after 6 September 1968.\""},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, single-issue safety directive from 1968 addressing a specific airspeed limitation for one aircraft type. It has not expanded beyond its original narrow purpose of mandating a Vne placard for DHC-3 Otters lacking a specific factory modification."},"complexity_factors":["Single, unambiguous requirement with no conditional logic","Only one defined applicability criterion (absence of Modification No 3/909)","No cross-references to other legislation or regulations beyond the parent Civil Aviation Regulations 1998","Simple compliance deadline structure (hours of operation, not calendar date)","No exceptions, exemptions, or nested provisions","Extremely short — approximately 100 words of substantive content"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — essentially a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for specific aircraft.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Requires owners/operators of **DHC-3 Otter series aeroplanes** (a type of Canadian-built utility aircraft) to install a warning label on their airspeed indicator.\n- The label must show a **\"never exceed speed\" (Vne)** of **130 knots** — meaning pilots must not fly faster than this speed or risk structural damage.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- All DHC-3 Otter aircraft **not** fitted with a specific factory modification (De Havilland Canada Modification No 3/909).\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- Flying beyond safe speed limits can cause catastrophic structural failure. This directive prevents accidents by clearly marking the maximum safe speed on the instrument panel.\n- The deadline was strict: compliance required within **10 hours of flying time** after **6 September 1968**.\n\n**Key terms explained:**\n- **Vne** (Velocity Never Exceed): The maximum speed an aircraft can safely fly — exceeding it risks damage or destruction.\n- **Time in service**: Actual flight hours, not calendar time.\n- **Placard**: A permanent label or marking."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard","history":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-23-vne-placard/documents"}}