{"id":"F2005B00937","name":"Civil Aviation Amendment Order (No. R89) 2004 - Civil Aviation Order 100.93 - Administration & procedure - Aircraft maintenance engineer licences - Category radio (12/12/2004)","slug":"civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":32332,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005B00937-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Civil Aviation Amendment Order (No. R89) 2004 - Civil Aviation Order 100.93 - Administration & procedure - Aircraft maintenance engineer licences - Category radio (12/12/2004)","content":"Civil Aviation Amendment Order\n\n(No. R89) 2004\n\nI, WILLIAM BRUCE BYRON, Director of Aviation Safety, on behalf of CASA, issue the following Civil Aviation Order under regulation 31 of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988.\n\n\\[Signed Bruce Byron\\]\n\nBruce Byron\n\nDirector of Aviation Safety and\n\nChief Executive Officer\n\n12 December 2004\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n1 Name of Order\n\nThis Order is the Civil Aviation Amendment Order (No. R89) 2004.\n\n2 Commencement\n\nThis Order commences on gazettal.\n\n3 Replacement of section 100.93 of the Civil Aviation Orders\n\nSection 100.93 of the Civil Aviation Orders is omitted and a new section substituted as set out in Schedule 1.\n\nSchedule 1 Substitution of section 100.93 of the Civil Aviation Orders\n\nSECTION 100.93\n\nADMINISTRATION AND PROCEDURE — AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE ENGINEER LICENCES — CATEGORY RADIO\n\n1 APPLICATION\n\n1.1 Except where otherwise approved or directed by CASA, this section of the CAOs applies to the requirements for the grant of an aircraft maintenance engineer licence in category radio systems and for the grant of additional ratings to a licence in this category.\n\n1.2 This section of the CAOs is to be read in conjunction with the current issue of CAO section 100.90 and AAC 9-93.\n\n2 DEFINITIONS\n\nTerms and abbreviations used in this section are detailed in CAO section 100.90.\n\n3 RATINGS\n\nCategory radio systems is classified into the following ratings:\n\nGroup 1 VHF and HF communication systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 2 Audio and cockpit voice recorder systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 3 Automatic direction finding systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 4 VHF OMNI range systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 5 Marker, localiser and glideslope systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 6 Weather radar systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 7 Air traffic transponder systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 8 Very low frequency navigation systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 9 Radio altimeter systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 10 Distance measuring equipment systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 11 Doppler navigation systems other than Group 20 systems.\n\nGroup 12 Satellite Navigation Systems.\n\nGroup 20 Radio systems installed in aeroplanes classified as high capacity aeroplanes and employed in regular public transport operations.\n\n4 LICENCE RATINGS AND FORM OF ENDORSEMENT\n\n4.1 Ratings specifying the groups of radio systems and, if applicable, the aircraft type or series for which the privileges of the licence may be exercised must be endorsed on the licence.\n\n4.2 Applicants who comply with the experience and examination requirements of subsections 5 and 6 of this section may be granted the appropriate rating, subject to the conditions specified at paragraphs 4.3 and 4.4.\n\n4.2.1 A separate rating in Group 20 is required for each aircraft listed in AAC 9-93.\n\n4.3 Applicants for a Group 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 rating must hold a Group 1 rating.\n\n4.4 Endorsement of ratings must take the following form:\n\nCommunications Systems Group 1\n\nAudio CVR Systems Group 2\n\nADF Systems Group 3\n\nVOR Systems Group 4\n\nILS Systems Group 5\n\nWeather Radar Systems Group 6\n\nATC Transponder Systems Group 7\n\nVLF Navigation Systems Group 8\n\nRadio Altimeter Systems Group 9\n\nDME Systems Group 10\n\nDoppler Systems Group 11\n\nSat Nav Systems Group 12\n\n\\*.................... Group 20\n\n\\*(The appropriate aircraft type or series description as listed in AAC 9-93 is inserted.)\n\n5 EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR EXAMINATIONS, GRANT OF A LICENCE OR ENDORSEMENT OF A RATING\n\n5.1 There are no work experience requirements to be met prior to sitting any examination.\n\n5.2 The minimum experience required for the grant of a licence is 4 years’ aircraft maintenance or aircraft component maintenance including:\n\n    (a) aircraft maintenance experience, consisting of:\n\n(i) 2 years’ maintenance experience in category radio systems; or\n\n(ii) if the person holds an aircraft maintenance engineer licence that is endorsed with a rating in category electrical systems or category instruments — 1 year’s maintenance experience in category radio systems; and\n\n    (b) practical experience in the group or type for which a rating is sought, to the scope and depth indicated in the relevant Schedule of Experience issued by CASA, or other approved documents.\n\n5.3 For the endorsement of additional radio ratings, the minimum experience required is that specified in the relevant Schedule of Experience.\n\n5.4 Successful completion of a relevant training course acceptable to CASA will be required for aircraft classified as Group 20 aircraft.\n\n5.5 For aircraft classified as Group 20 aircraft, practical experience must be specified in a Schedule of Experience compiled by the Operator and approved by CASA.\n\n6 EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS\n\nFor the grant of a licence or endorsement of additional ratings, applicants must pass the relevant examinations specified by CASA and listed in AAC 9-93.\n\n7 LICENCE RATINGS AND EXAMINATION EQUIVALENCY\n\n7.1 From the effective date of this CAO, ratings granted in accordance with section 100.93 will be deemed to be equivalent to the corresponding ratings listed in AAC 9-93.\n\n7.2 From the effective date of this CAO, examination credits granted in accordance with section 100.93 will be deemed to be equivalent to the examinations specified by CASA and listed in AAC 9-93.\n\n8 LIMITATIONS\n\nA licence holder exercising the privileges of a licence and engaging in telephonic communication with stations in the Aeronautical Mobile Service is required to be in possession of an appropriate Radio Operator’s Certificate. The following certificates satisfy this requirement:\n\n    (a) Radiocommunication Operator’s General Certificate of Proficiency;\n    (b) Senior Coast Station Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency;\n    (c) Coast Station Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency;\n    (d) First Class Commercial Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency;\n    (e) Second Class Commercial Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency;\n    (f) Restricted Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency (Radio Telephony);\n    (g) Aircraft Radio Telephone Operator’s Certificate;\n    (h) Radiotelephone Operator’s General Certificate of Proficiency;\n    (i) A wireless telephony operator’s certificate issued in another country and accepted by CASA as being of a satisfactory standard.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a straightforward amendment order replacing a specific section (100.93) of the Civil Aviation Orders. It maintains the established scope of regulating aircraft maintenance engineer licences for radio systems. The amendment appears to be a technical update or consolidation rather than an expansion beyond the original purpose of setting qualification standards for this licence category."},"complexity_factors":["Moderate cross-referencing: requires reading alongside CAO section 100.90 and AAC 9-93 (external documents not included in this text)","12 defined rating groups with specific technical scope, plus a special Group 20 with additional conditions","Nested conditional logic in experience requirements (paragraph 5.2 has multiple alternative pathways depending on existing licences held)","Multiple external document dependencies: 'Schedule of Experience' documents issued by CASA or approved operators, and AAC 9-93 for aircraft type listings","Specific endorsement format requirements with prescribed abbreviations","Examination equivalency provisions with deemed status (paragraphs 7.1 and 7.2)"],"plain_english_summary":"This legislation sets out the rules for getting and maintaining an aircraft maintenance engineer licence specifically for **radio systems** — the equipment that handles communication, navigation, and tracking in aircraft.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- People who want to become licensed aircraft maintenance engineers specialising in radio equipment\n- Current licence holders seeking to add extra qualifications (ratings)\n- Employers and training organisations in the aviation maintenance industry\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Defines 12 categories** of radio systems that engineers can be qualified to work on, ranging from basic radio communications (Group 1) through to satellite navigation (Group 12)\n- **Creates a special category (Group 20)** for complex radio systems in large commercial aircraft used for regular passenger flights — these require extra training and separate ratings for each aircraft type\n- **Sets experience requirements:** Generally 4 years of maintenance experience, including 2 years specifically in radio systems (or 1 year if you already hold related licences in electrical or instruments)\n- **Requires examinations** set by CASA (the Civil Aviation Safety Authority)\n- **Adds an important limitation:** If you're going to talk on aircraft radios to air traffic control or other stations, you need a separate Radio Operator's Certificate (this lists which certificates count)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis ensures that people who maintain critical aircraft communication and navigation equipment have proper training and experience. Radio systems are essential for safety — they let pilots talk to air traffic control, navigate in bad weather, and avoid collisions. The rules distinguish between simpler systems in small aircraft and the complex integrated systems in large airliners."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This substitution reorganises and clarifies the radio-category licensing rules and appears to extend and modernise scope compared with simpler earlier formulations. Notable scope changes: (1) an explicit enumeration of 12 technical groups plus a distinct Group 20 for high-capacity aeroplanes (Section 3), including the rule that Group 20 requires a separate rating per aircraft listed in AAC 9‑93 (Section 4.2.1); (2) an explicit equivalency provision deeming previous ratings and exam credits to match the new categories (Section 7), which broadens operational continuity; and (3) tighter, operator-specific experience documentation and CASA approval requirements for Group 20 (Sections 5.4–5.5). These additions shift some regulatory burden onto operators of high-capacity aeroplanes and create new administrative touchpoints for CASA, so the instrument both clarifies and extends the regulatory detail beyond a simple relabelling."},"complexity_factors":["Replaces an entire section (100.93) — single consolidated substitution (Schedule 1)","Cross-references to other instruments: CAO section 100.90 and AAC 9‑93 (Section 1.2), plus CASA-issued Schedules of Experience","13 distinct rating groupings to parse (Groups 1–12 and Group 20) (Section 3)","Conditional experience rules with exceptions (4 years general requirement; 2 years radio or 1 year for holders of electrical/instrument licences) (Section 5.2)","Different rules for examination (can sit exams with no prior experience) versus grant of licence (experience required) — two-step pathway (Section 5.1 vs 5.2)","Special regime for Group 20 (separate rating per aircraft, operator‑compiled Schedule of Experience, CASA approval, and required CASA‑acceptable training) (Sections 4.2.1, 5.4–5.5)","Equivalency clause treating previous ratings and exam credits as equivalent to the new regime (Section 7) — requires administrative alignment","List of acceptable Radio Operator’s Certificates (Section 8) creates an external compliance list to check","Dependence on non‑self-contained documents (Schedules of Experience, AAC 9‑93) that may introduce further specific conditions"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument replaces CAO 100.93 with a self-contained regime for radio‑category aircraft maintenance engineer licences: defining Groups 1–12 plus a bespoke Group 20 for high‑capacity RPT aircraft, the allowed ratings, exam and practical‑experience minima, and accepted radio‑operator certificates. It affects AME applicants, current licence‑holders, operators (who must document/obtain CASA approval for Group 20 experience) and CASA, and matters because it clarifies standards, credits prior qualifications, but concentrates extra compliance on Group 20 operators."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc","history":"/api/acts/civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc/history","analysis":"/api/acts/civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/civil-aviation-amendment-order-no-r89-2004-civil-aviation-order-100-93-administration-procedure-airc/documents"}}