{"id":"F2006B09929","name":"AD/FA-200/17 Amdt 1 - Aerobatic Fatigue Life Limitation","slug":"ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":55164,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B09929-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/FA-200/17 Amdt 1 - Aerobatic Fatigue Life Limitation","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)  Fuji FA-200 Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\n# AD/FA-200/17\n\nAmdt 1\n\nApplicability: All models.\n\n# Aerobatic Fatigue Life Limitation NK\n\n \n\nRequirement: Retire the aircraft from service.\n\n \n\nNote: Assessments of fatigue equivalent flying hours previously calculated in accordance with the original issue of this Directive may still be used but should be divided by 1.5 to be compatible with the retirement life of this issue. This issue of the requirement is a simplification and alleviation resulting from a further assessment of non aerobatic flight load spectra.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Before achieving 1700 aerobatic flying hours.\n\n \n\nNote: The hours are those actually spent in aerobatic flight and do not include positioning time.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This amendment replaces the earlier issue's treatment of aerobatic fatigue life by imposing a single, explicit retirement ceiling of 1700 aerobatic flying hours for all Fuji FA‑200 aeroplanes and by specifying how earlier \"fatigue equivalent flying hours\" map to the new rule (they must be divided by 1.5). The text itself characterises the amendment as a \"simplification and alleviation\" following a further assessment of non‑aerobatic flight load spectra, which indicates a change in the retirement‑life calculation method from the original issue. Mechanically, the scope of the retirement rule and the conversion method for prior assessments have been altered; operators must reapply previous assessments using the new 1.5 conversion and ensure compliance with the explicit 1700‑hour aerobatic limit."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, model‑specific applicability (all Fuji FA‑200 models) — reduces breadth but concentrates effect.","Single, clear numeric threshold (1700 aerobatic flying hours) — reduces legal complexity.","Recordkeeping requirement to distinguish aerobatic flight hours from non‑aerobatic/positioning time — operational complexity for operators.","Conversion rule for prior fatigue assessments (divide by 1.5) — requires recalculation of existing records and may change operators' remaining life estimates.","Absence of a definition of \"aerobatic flight\" in the provided text — creates interpretive ambiguity in counting hours.","Lack of specified enforcement, approval or retirement procedures in the excerpt — increases implementation uncertainty for operators and regulators.","The directive mandates an outcome (retirement) without detailing administrative steps or acceptable post‑retirement dispositions — operationally relevant gap."],"plain_english_summary":"### What this instrument does\n\n- Applies to: All Fuji FA-200 series aeroplanes. (Applicability: \"All models.\")\n- Main requirement: Each affected aircraft must be retired from service on the ground of aerobatic fatigue life. (Requirement: \"Retire the aircraft from service.\")\n- Numeric limit and compliance timing: Retirement must occur before the aeroplane accumulates 1700 hours of aerobatic flight. (Compliance: \"Before achieving 1700 aerobatic flying hours.\")\n- How to count hours: Only time actually spent performing aerobatic flight counts toward the 1700‑hour limit; positioning time is excluded. (Note: \"The hours are those actually spent in aerobatic flight and do not include positioning time.\")\n- Treatment of previous calculations: Any previously calculated \"fatigue equivalent flying hours\" done under the original issue may still be used, but those figures must be divided by 1.5 to be compatible with the retirement life set by this amendment. (Note: \"Assessments ... may still be used but should be divided by 1.5 ...\")\n- Stated rationale in the text: The amendment says it is a simplification and alleviation based on a further assessment of non‑aerobatic flight load spectra. (Note: \"This issue ... is a simplification and alleviation resulting from a further assessment of non aerobatic flight load spectra.\")\n\n### Who is affected and who pays\n\n- Owners and operators of Fuji FA‑200 aeroplanes are the parties required to act: they must track aerobatic flight hours and retire aircraft before those hours reach 1700. (Applicability, Requirement, Compliance.)\n- Financially, the owners/operators bear the direct cost of retiring aircraft earlier than they otherwise might have used them. That cost can appear as accelerated write‑off of an asset, reduced resale value, or need to replace capability lost through retirement.\n\n### How it works mechanically (in plain steps)\n\n1. Operators must record and monitor the hours actually spent in aerobatic flight for each FA‑200 aircraft. (Note on counting hours.)\n2. When an aircraft approaches 1700 aerobatic hours, the operator must retire it from service before that threshold is reached. (Compliance; Requirement.)\n3. If an operator has an earlier fatigue assessment from the first issue of this directive, that assessment may still be used, but the hours from that assessment must be divided by 1.5 to map to the new retirement rule. (Note on division by 1.5.)\n\n### Incentives, trade-offs and implementation mechanics to note\n\n- Incentives and behavioural effects: Because only aerobatic hours count toward the limit, operators can preserve an aircraft for longer by using it for non‑aerobatic purposes (those hours do not count). That creates a clear substitution incentive away from aerobatic operations for an aircraft approaching the limit. (Note on what counts.)\n- Concentrated costs vs diffuse benefits: The compliance cost (retiring specific aircraft) is concentrated on FA‑200 owners/operators. The directive’s stated aim (managing fatigue life) is claimed in the note; the benefits of reduced fatigue risk, if any, are diffuse and accrue to users and regulators generally. (Requirement; Note.)\n- Compliance burden: Operators must establish or continue accurate record‑keeping that distinguishes aerobatic flying time from other flight time. The directive does not specify a method for recording or auditing those hours within the text provided. (Note on counting hours; absence of recording procedure.)\n- Conversion of prior assessments: Requiring previously calculated equivalent hours to be divided by 1.5 changes how past assessments map onto the new retirement life. That imposes a one‑off recalculation burden for operators relying on earlier assessments. (Note on dividing by 1.5.)\n- Discretion and enforcement: The text mandates retirement but does not set out enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or the administrative process for demonstrating compliance within the excerpt provided. That means practical enforcement and verification will rely on the regulator’s usual compliance procedures outside this text. (Requirement; absence of enforcement detail.)\n- Opportunity costs and market effects: Early retirement reduces the total aerobatic operating life available from each affected aircraft, which may increase demand for replacement aircraft, spare parts, or maintenance for non‑aerobatic reuse. It may also reduce the resale market value of FA‑200s used aerobatically.\n\n### Practical ambiguities in the text (mechanical, not interpretive)\n\n- The directive requires retirement \"before achieving 1700 aerobatic flying hours,\" but does not in this extract specify the retiring process, record‑submission or approval steps. (Compliance; Requirement.)\n- The instrument does not define \"aerobatic flight\" within the provided text; operators must rely on existing regulatory definitions or guidance outside this extract to determine what flight time counts. (Note on counting hours.)\n\nOverall, mechanically this amendment sets a single clear numeric ceiling on aerobatic hours for every Fuji FA‑200 aircraft, prescribes how to convert prior fatigue calculations to the new basis, and leaves operators responsible for hour tracking and retirement timing. The regulator provides the rule but the commercial and record‑keeping burdens fall to aircraft owners and operators."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This amendment slightly relaxes the original directive (allowing previous calculations to be adjusted rather than recalculated), but the core scope — establishing a fatigue-based retirement life for Fuji FA-200 aircraft — remains unchanged. The amendment represents a refinement based on updated technical data, not scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short document (under 200 words)","Only one substantive requirement: retire aircraft at 1,700 aerobatic hours","Single defined term implied ('aerobatic flying hours' clarified in a note)","No cross-references to other legislation or regulations","One simple mathematical adjustment for legacy calculations (divide by 1.5)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this is:** This is an Airworthiness Directive (AD) — essentially a mandatory safety order issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for specific aircraft.\n\n**What it does:** It forces all Fuji FA-200 series aeroplanes to be permanently retired (taken out of service) once they have accumulated **1,700 hours of aerobatic flight time**.\n\n**Who it affects:** Owners and operators of Fuji FA-200 series aircraft — these are light, single-engine planes originally manufactured in Japan, often used for training and aerobatics.\n\n**Why it matters:** Aerobatic flying puts extreme stress on an aircraft's structure (repeated high G-forces, rapid direction changes). Metal fatigue builds up invisibly over time and can lead to catastrophic structural failure. This directive sets a hard \"use-by date\" based on accumulated aerobatic stress to prevent crashes.\n\n**Key details:**\n- **\"Aerobatic flying hours\"** means time actually spent doing aerobatics — flying to and from the practice area doesn't count.\n- This version (Amendment 1) is actually **less strict** than the original: if you did calculations under the old rules, you can still use them but divide by 1.5. CASA relaxed the rules after realising normal flight puts less stress on the airframe than originally assumed.\n- **Compliance deadline:** Before hitting 1,700 aerobatic hours — not after."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation","history":"/api/acts/ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-fa-200-17-amdt-1-aerobatic-fatigue-life-limitation/documents"}}