Commonwealth legislation

CASA 310/09 – Permission and direction – helicopter special operations

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

2/10 complexity

This aviation safety instrument grants Tude's Choppers Pty Ltd (trading as Dwyer Aviation Services) a special exemption from normal passenger safety rules for high-risk emergency operations.

Normally, passengers must sit inside the aircraft with seatbelts fastened. This instrument permits:

External passenger carriage: Passengers may ride on the helicopter's undercarriage (skids) while the aircraft is hovering to let them board or exit
No seatbelt requirement: Passengers need not wear seatbelts during these maneuvers

When it applies: Only for specific emergency service tasks where landing is impossible or unsafe—search and rescue, police operations, firefighting, or training for these activities.

Key safeguard: The exemption only works if the operation follows procedures approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and documented in the company's operations manual.

The instrument included a sunset clause, automatically ceasing effect after a specified date.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in CASA 310/09 – Permission and direction – helicopter special operations.

CASA 310/09 – Permission and direction – helicopter special operations

View image in the official sourceInstrument number CASA 310/09

I, gregory JAMES HOOD, Executive Manager, CASA Operations Division, a delegate of CASA, make this instrument under subregulations 207 (3), 250 (2) and (3), and 251 (9) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988.

[Signed Greg Hood]

Greg Hood
Executive Manager
CASA Operations Division

7 July 2009

Permission and direction — helicopter special operations

1 Duration

This instrument:

(a) commences on the day after it is registered; and

(b) stops having effect at the end of 31 July 2010.

2 Application

This instrument applies to a helicopter flight mentioned in Schedule 1 (a special operation) operated by Tude’s Choppers Pty Ltd, trading as Dwyer Aviation Services, Aviation Reference Number 565815.

3 Permission

When a helicopter is in the hover to enable a passenger to leave or board, the passenger may be carried on the undercarriage for the purpose of leaving or boarding.

4 Direction

When a helicopter is in the hover to enable a passenger to leave or board, the passenger is not required to occupy a seat or wear a seat belt.

5 Condition

The permission in section 3 is subject to the condition mentioned in Schedule 2.

Schedule 1 Special operation

A helicopter search and rescue operation, law enforcement operation, firefighting operation, or training for any of those operations, in which, for the purpose of the operation or training, it is necessary to leave or board the helicopter when a landing is not possible or safe.

Schedule 2 Condition

The special operation must be carried out in accordance with the instructions approved by CASA and set out in the operator’s operations manual.

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

1 CASA 310/09 – Permission and direction – helicopter special operations

Instrument number CASA 310/09