Civil Aviation Order 100.96 Instrument 2015

The Order revolves around a compact set of technical and procedural concepts that define weight-control for balloons. These concepts are given precise definitions in section 1.1 and form the operational and compliance rules that follow.

• Balloon and balloon component. The Order limits what counts toward the "balloon" for empty-weight purposes to an envelope, a basket and a burner if any. "Balloon component" is formally any of those three items (1.1, definition of balloon and balloon component). The definition of "basket" is expanded to include the equipment and instruments required under civil aviation legislation for airworthiness and safe performance (1.1).
• Empty weight and operating weight. Empty weight is the weight of the balloon used in the operation as determined under this Order (1.1). Operating weight equals the empty weight plus the weight of everything else not included in the empty weight but in, on, or attached to the balloon, which the Order labels "additional weight" (1.1). The Order provides examples of additional weight (flight crew, passengers, luggage, fuel, ballast, and equipment not included in empty weight) in a note attached to the definition (1.1).
• Weight control. This term is defined to cover determination of empty weight, including weights of each balloon component, and recording of weight alterations (1.1). The "weighing summary" is the required document used to calculate operating weight and must list component weights (1.1, 3.2).
• Certifiers and authorised persons. The Order uses two relevant licensing/authority titles drawn from CAR 1988: MA holder (maintenance authority holder) and WCO (weight control officer). An MA holder is a person holding an MA under CAR paragraph 33B(1)(a) with privileges that include balloon weight control; a WCO is a person holding an airworthiness authority under paragraph 33B(1)(e) for balloon weighing (1.1). The Order also allows a person who has completed a CASA-approved balloon weighing procedures course within the last two years, and who uses CASA-approved scales (or scales approved by an organisation approved by CASA) and complies with CASA conditions, to carry out weighings for defined CASR certification purposes (3.4).
• Technical standards for weighing equipment. Scales must meet an accuracy specification over their operating temperature range of either ±0.2% of applied load or ±2 kg, whichever is greater, and be of a suitable type (3.5). Each scale must have been calibrated within a maximum five-year period, and must be calibrated in accordance with either manufacturer-recommended procedures or procedures recommended by an accredited laboratory, whichever produces the shorter interval, within that five-year maximum (3.6).
• Procedures for certification. An empty weight and each component weight must be certified and entered in the weighing summary by an MA holder, WCO or the authorised person only after at least two consecutive consistent weighings and only if the certifier is satisfied with weighing accuracy (3.3). The operator and the pilot in command are expressly prohibited from allowing takeoff unless the weighing procedures in subsection 3 have been completed for each balloon component (3.1).
• Record continuity and triggers for reweighing. A continuous record of changes in empty weight must be maintained in the balloon logbook or an approved alternative (4.1). The balloon must be reweighed if repairs or maintenance alter empty weight by more than 5 kg and the subsequent weight cannot be accurately substantiated by calculation (4.2). Each weighing must be followed by a new weighing summary and record of alteration (4.3). The current weighing summary must be used to determine empty or operating weight in any particular configuration (5).

These concepts together create a chain linking personnel qualifications, equipment standards, calibration regimes, documentation, and reweigh triggers into a discrete weight-control regime specific to balloons used in civil aviation operations.

The Order allocates duties and practical effects across a narrow set of actors involved in balloon operations and maintenance. The primary categories affected are operators, pilots in command, MA holders, WCOs, persons carrying out weighings under CASR certification provisions, and CASA itself as regulator.

• Operators and pilots in command. The operator and the pilot in command are required not to allow takeoff unless the prescribed weighing procedures have been completed for each balloon component (3.1). They must use the current weighing summary for any given balloon configuration when determining empty and operating weight (5). Thus operational decision-making,whether to permit a flight to depart,depends on compliance with the Order’s weighing and documentation requirements.
• Maintenance authority holders (MA holders). An MA holder, as defined by reference to CAR paragraph 33B(1)(a), is one of the persons authorised to certify and enter the empty weight and each component weight in the weighing summary, following the two-consecutive-weighings rule and satisfaction with accuracy (3.3). Section 1.2 also creates a pathway by which a person is "taken to be an MA holder with privileges that include the weight control of balloons" if they hold a balloon maintenance authority and have a certificate from a WCO showing at least one supervised weighing. That creates an operational training/privileging mechanic whereby MA holders gain weight-control privileges after specified supervised practice.
• Weight control officers (WCOs). WCOs hold a specific airworthiness authority under CAR paragraph 33B(1)(e) for balloon weighing (1.1). They can certify empty weight, supervise and certify MA holders’ practical competence (1.2), and carry out weighings themselves (3.3). A WCO’s certificate can be used to validate another person’s MA privileges for weight-control work (1.2).
• Persons carrying out weighings for CASR certification. The Order allows persons other than MA holders or WCOs to perform weighings in order to certify under certain CASR provisions (21.190 and 21.195A for purposes in 21.191(g),(h),(j)) provided they meet CASA’s course and equipment requirements (3.4). Those persons must have completed a CASA-approved balloon weighing procedures course within the last two years, use CASA-approved scales or scales approved by an organisation approved by CASA, and comply with any other CASA conditions (3.4).
• CASA and approved organisations. CASA exercises approval and supervisory powers under the Order. CASA may require reweighing if there is reasonable doubt about accuracy (2.2), approves courses for training (3.4a), may approve scales or organisations that approve scales for the purpose (3.4b), and can impose additional conditions on persons who carry out weighings (3.4c). CASA’s decisions determine access to the pool of authorised weighers and the pool of acceptable scales.
• Balloon owners and operators as economic actors. Owners and operators will bear costs for initial and subsequent weighings, acquisition or access to suitably accurate and calibrated scales, calibration services within prescribed intervals, training costs (for persons undertaking CASA-approved courses within two years), and record-keeping. The Order expressly places the operational responsibility for weight determination and the decision to permit take-off on operators and pilots in command (3.1, 5).

The Order does not create new licence classes beyond using existing CAR/CASR authorities and the Order’s course certificate requirement. It does not itself list offences or penalties within its text. Enforcement actions and sanctions would arise, if at all, under the broader Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the Civil Aviation Regulations or Safety Regulations referenced in the definitions, but the Order does grant CASA practical supervisory discretion such as the power to require reweighing (2.2) and to approve courses and equipment (3.4).

The Order allocates specific duties to operators, pilots in command, MA holders, WCOs, authorised weighing persons and CASA. It also recognises discrete rights or authorities, principally the authority of MA holders and WCOs to certify weights and CASA’s authority to approve and require actions.

• Duties on operators and pilots in command. The operator and the pilot in command must not allow a balloon to take off unless the weighing procedures in subsection 3 have been completed for every balloon component (3.1). They must use the current weighing summary when determining empty or operating weight for a given configuration (5). The practical effect is that operational clearance to depart is contingent on documented compliance with the Order’s weighing and documentation rules.
• Duties on MA holders and WCOs. MA holders and WCOs have a duty to certify the empty weight and component weights and to enter those figures into the weighing summary, but only after at least two consecutive and consistent weighings and if satisfied with the accuracy of the weighing (3.3). MA holders also have responsibilities around maintenance and record-keeping: empty weight alterations must be kept as a complete, continuous and current record in the balloon logbook or an approved alternative (4.1), and a new weighing summary and record must be prepared after each weighing (4.3).
• Duty to reweigh in certain circumstances. The balloon must be reweighed if the empty weight alters by more than 5 kg due to repairs or maintenance and the subsequent empty weight cannot be accurately substantiated by calculation (4.2). CASA can also require reweighing where there is reasonable doubt about the accuracy of submitted weight data (2.2).
• Duties on authorised weighing persons (non MA/WCO). Where persons other than MA holders or WCOs perform weighings for the purpose of certain CASR certifications, they must have completed a CASA-approved training course within the last two years (3.4a), weigh using scales approved by CASA or an organisation approved by CASA (3.4b), and comply with any additional CASA conditions (3.4c).
• Equipment and calibration duties. Scales used for weighing must meet accuracy requirements, be suitable for purpose (3.5), and be calibrated in line with manufacturer procedures or accredited laboratory procedures, whichever requires the shorter interval, and within a maximum five-year period (3.6).
• Record-keeping duties. A continuous record of changes in empty weight is required to be maintained in the balloon logbook or an approved alternative (4.1). After each weighing, a new weighing summary and record of empty weight alteration must be prepared (4.3).
• Rights and regulatory authorities. MA holders and WCOs are granted the authority to certify component and empty weights for the purposes of the Order (3.3). CASA retains discretion to approve courses, scales and organisations and to impose additional conditions on weighers (3.4). CASA may also order reweighs in circumstances of doubt (2.2). The Order’s repeal of the 2007 instrument (1C) and the citation/commencement clauses (1A, 1B) establish its legal effect and operational start date.

The Order does not stipulate monetary penalties, enforcement procedures, or adjudicative mechanisms within its text. The duties it sets are operational and documentary; the text imposes discrete procedural obligations that translate into operational constraints on decision-making by pilots and operators and into technical and administrative requirements for maintenance personnel and weighers.

The text of Civil Aviation Order 100.96 does not itself prescribe penalties or offences. The instrument establishes procedural obligations, approvals and discretionary powers for CASA, but does not set out monetary fines, criminal offences, or explicit administrative penalty mechanisms within its own clauses. The enforcement picture in the instrument takes the following form.

• No penalty clauses in the instrument. The Order contains no provision that identifies a contravention as an offence or prescribes a penalty, fine, or sanction within its text. It addresses procedures, approvals, and documentation requirements only.
• CASA’s enforcement levers are administrative and supervisory. The instrument expressly grants CASA power to require a balloon that has been weighed to be reweighed if there is "reasonable doubt" about the accuracy of the weight data submitted for the balloon (2.2). CASA is also given authority to approve courses for persons carrying out weighings and to approve scales or organisations that approve scales, and to impose "any other condition that CASA deems necessary" on persons performing weighings (3.4(b)-(c)). These are administrative instruments of supervision rather than penalty provisions.
• Practical enforcement consequences. Because the Order conditions take-off on compliance with weighing procedures (3.1), one immediate operational enforcement mechanism is the possibility that an aircraft cannot lawfully be flown if the required weighing procedures and documentation are not in place. The absence of a weighing summary, or failure to carry out the required weighings and entries, therefore has a direct operational impact on the ability of the operator and pilot in command to proceed with flight. The text therefore creates a compliance gate,administrative non-compliance will prevent lawful flight operations by reference to the Order’s procedural requirements.
• Interaction with CAR, CASR and the Civil Aviation Act. The Order is made under subsection 98(4A) of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and under subregulations 5(1) and 235(1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (instrument heading). Although this instrument does not itself set out penalties, failure to comply with a Civil Aviation Order, or with associated regulations and conditions under the Act and Regulations, can have regulatory consequences under those instruments. The Order’s cross-references to CAR 1988 and CASR 1998 terms mean that enforcement and penalty regimes located in those instruments and in the Civil Aviation Act may be implicated in practice. The Order does not specify those regimes, and the instrument should be read in conjunction with the Act and Regulations to identify potential punishments for non-compliance.
• Evidentiary and certification consequences. The rules that govern who may certify weights (MA holders, WCOs, or persons authorised under 3.4) and the requirement for two consecutive consistent weighings prior to certification (3.3) create an evidentiary framework. Certifying outside those rules would be procedurally defective and could be relied on by CASA as a basis for administrative action, including ordering reweighs (2.2), revoking approvals or privileges under CAR/CASR, or other regulatory responses available under the governing legislation.

In short, the instrument itself is silent on explicit penalties, but it establishes procedural gates and CASA approval and supervisory powers that can be enforced through operational denial of flight, reweighing orders and, where applicable, the enforcement mechanisms contained in the Civil Aviation Act or the Civil Aviation Regulations and Safety Regulations that govern licences, approvals and airworthiness.

Civil Aviation Order 100.96 is deliberately cross-referential. It sits within the broader civil aviation regulatory architecture and relies on existing licensing and certification categories from the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (CAR 1988) and the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR 1998). The Order’s interaction with those instruments operates on definitional, procedural and practical levels.

• Delegation to CAR/CASR licence categories and authorities. The Order uses the titles MA holder and WCO and defines them by reference to CAR paragraph 33B(1)(a) and paragraph 33B(1)(e) respectively (1.1). These references import the licensing framework and privileges established by CAR into the Order’s certification regime. The Order does not create independent licensing categories; it presumes and uses existing CAR authorities for the persons who may certify weights.
• Cross-references to CASR certification provisions. The Order permits persons who have completed CASA-approved balloon weighing procedures courses to carry out weighings “for the purpose” of certification under CASR regs 21.190 and 21.195A and for purposes listed in CASR 21.191(g), (h) or (j) (3.4). This creates an operational bridge between the Order’s technical weighing rules and the CASR rules on certification (e.g., Type Certificates, airworthiness certificates or experimental certificates as those CASR provisions apply). Users must consult the referenced CASR provisions to understand the full certification consequences that attach to these particular weighings; the Order itself confines its scope to training and equipment standards for persons performing those weighings.
• Relationship to certificates of airworthiness and experimental certificates. The Order mandates that the initial weighing used to determine the empty weight for an operation must occur before any certificate of airworthiness or experimental certificate has been issued for the balloon (2.1(b)). That places the Order upstream in the certification chain: correct initial weighing is a precondition for those certificates insofar as empty-weight determination is concerned.
• Interplay with maintenance and repair obligations. The Order requires a continuous record of changes in empty weight in the balloon logbook or an approved alternative (4.1) and prescribes reweighing triggers following repairs or maintenance that alter empty weight by more than 5 kg where the change cannot be accurately substantiated by calculation (4.2). These provisions intersect with wider maintenance, airworthiness and record-keeping obligations in CAR and CASR. The Order specifies when reweighing must occur for weight-control purposes, while the broader regulatory framework governs maintenance approvals, qualifications, and airworthiness certification consequences.
• CASA’s approval and discretionary powers. The Order gives CASA explicit authority to approve training courses, scales or organisations that approve scales, and to impose conditions on persons who carry out weighings (3.4). CASA also has power to require reweighing where there is reasonable doubt (2.2). Those are administrative functions exercised under the authority of the Civil Aviation Act and the Regulations, meaning the Order operates as a technical specification within CASA’s broader regulatory discretion and administrative regime.
• Repeal and continuity with prior law. The Order repeals Civil Aviation Order 100.96 Instrument 2007, including previously set out section 100.96 (1C). That repeal indicates that the 2015 instrument supersedes the 2007 provisions; operational actors must look to the 2015 Order for current procedural specifications.
• No stand-alone penalty text. The Order does not itself prescribe penalties or enforcement mechanisms. Any disciplinary, financial or criminal consequences for non-compliance are to be found in the Civil Aviation Act 1988, CAR 1988, CASR 1998 and any administrative instruments made under those statutes.

For practical compliance, users must therefore read the Order alongside the referenced CAR and CASR provisions to understand full licensing, certification and enforcement consequences. The Order sets technical standards and procedures; the legal status, sanctions and licensing consequences for breaches are embedded in the wider statutory and regulatory framework it references.

The instrument includes only the limited historical and formal statements required by its own text. The key amendment-history facts contained in the instrument are the following.

• This instrument is the Civil Aviation Order 100.96 Instrument 2015, cited as Civil Aviation Order 100.96 (1A.1-1A.2).
• It commences on the day of registration (1B). The instrument bears the signature of the Director of Aviation Safety, Mark Skidmore, and is dated 6 July 2015.
• It expressly repeals the previous instrument: "Civil Aviation Order 100.96 Instrument 2007, also known as F2007L04936, including section 100.96 of the Civil Aviation Orders as set out in Schedule 1 of that instrument, is repealed" (1C). The effect is to replace the 2007 text with this instrument.
• There are no other amendment entries, savings provisions, transitional arrangements, or staged commencement provisions in the instrument text. The instrument does not include any schedule of earlier amendments, footnotes indicating prior modifications, or sunset clauses. The repeal clause is the only historical reference.
• The instrument was made under subsection 98(4A) of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and under subregulations 5(1) and 235(1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988, as stated in the preamble. Those statutory bases indicate the legal authority relied upon for making the instrument but the instrument does not itself chart any previous amendments to the Civil Aviation Act or Regulations.
• No subsequent amending instrument or later Civil Aviation Order is included in the supplied text. If later amendments were made after the date on the instrument, they do not appear in this text and are not part of the instrument as supplied.

Because the instrument explicitly repeals the 2007 instrument and presents no other amendment notes, users should treat the 2015 Order as the operative Order replacing the 2007 text. For a historical chain beyond that replacement, practitioners would need to consult legislative or administrative records outside this instrument; those records are not contained in the instrument itself.

The text of Civil Aviation Order 100.96 Instrument 2015 contains no record of litigation, judicial interpretation, or tribunal decisions. The instrument itself does not name any cases, nor does it include any references to legal challenges, adjudications, or precedent.

• No cases cited. The instrument includes only its own provisions, definitions, procedural requirements, CASA approval references and repeal of the 2007 instrument. There are no judicial or administrative determinations recorded in the instrument.
• No in-instrument guidance on dispute resolution or appeal. The instrument does not specify appeal routes or dispute resolution mechanisms tied specifically to orders under this instrument, beyond CASA’s approval and discretionary functions. Any appeals from CASA’s administrative decisions or enforcement actions would need to be located in the Civil Aviation Act 1988, CAR 1988, CASR 1998 or other applicable administrative law mechanisms, none of which are set out within this instrument.
• Practical implication for researchers and litigators. Because the instrument does not report litigation history, anyone seeking judicial interpretation of its clauses must consult external legal databases, tribunal records, or administrative decisions that post-date this instrument. The instrument itself is purely prescriptive and technical, and does not provide a record of contested interpretation.
• Evidence base limited to the text. For a litigation history or case law that invokes or interprets the Order’s provisions, the instrument does not supply those materials. Any arguments about how courts or tribunals might construe the Order therefore must rely on subsequent case law or on interpretive tools external to the text.

In short, the instrument as supplied contains no litigation history. Any legal interpretation or dispute resolution that has taken place after the instrument’s registration would need to be located in external sources; those sources are not included in the instrument.

This instrument contains several technical details that are likely to catch operators, maintainers and weighers unprepared unless read closely. The following items are concrete operational pitfalls and nuanced requirements that flow directly from the text.

• Two consecutive consistent weighings required before certifying. Section 3.3(b)(i) requires at least two consecutive and consistent weighings before the empty weight and component weights can be certified and entered in the weighing summary. A single weighing is insufficient for certification even if supervised or witnessed. That has time and scheduling implications, including for initial weighings required before issuance of airworthiness or experimental certificates (2.1(b)).
• Initial weighing is a pre-certification gate. The initial weighing used to determine empty weight must take place before any certificate of airworthiness or experimental certificate has been issued for the balloon (2.1(b)). Delays or errors in arranging initial weighings, access to approved scales, or availability of qualified certifiers will therefore delay certification.
• One supervised weighing suffices for MA privileging but not for certification. Section 1.2 provides that a person is taken to be an MA holder with weight-control privileges if they hold a balloon maintenance authority and have a certificate from a WCO that they have satisfactorily completed at least one weighing under supervision. Yet 3.3 demands two consecutive consistent weighings before certifying empty weight for a balloon. The practical nuance is that a personnel privileging pathway requires only one supervised weighing to qualify the person as an MA holder with weight-control privileges, but actual certification of a balloon’s empty weight requires completion of two consistent weighings on the balloon itself.
• CASA approval and conditions are open-ended. The Order requires CASA approval for courses and scales and permits the regulator to impose "any other condition" deemed necessary on persons who carry out weighings (3.4(c)). This creates regulatory uncertainty around what additional conditions might be imposed and when they may change, and requires operators to monitor CASA approvals continuously.
• Scales accuracy expressed as percentage or fixed kilogram threshold. Scales must have an accuracy over their design temperature range of ±0.2% of applied load or ±2 kg, whichever is the greater (3.5). For small loads the ±2 kg threshold may dominate, potentially producing a poorer relative accuracy than for large loads. Operators should check how the "whichever is the greater" test works with the expected weighing loads.
• Calibration interval is the shorter of manufacturer or accredited lab requirements, within a maximum five-year period. Section 3.6 requires calibration "in accordance with the procedures required or recommended by the manufacturer; or ... by a laboratory accredited ... whichever is shorter, within a maximum 5 year period." That means if the manufacturer recommends annual calibration but the accredited lab process is triennial, the shorter manufacturer interval (annual) applies; regardless, the interval may never exceed five years. Practically, users must determine which recommended procedure imposes the shorter interval and follow that.
• Reweigh triggered by >5 kg alterations only where changes cannot be substantiated by calculation. Section 4.2 requires reweighing where empty weight alters by more than 5 kg as a result of repairs or maintenance and the subsequent empty weight cannot be "accurately substantiated by calculation." The word "accurately" suggests an evidential threshold; operators should retain calculation records demonstrating why a reweigh is or is not necessary after maintenance.
• Record continuity requirement. A "complete, continuous and current record" of changes in empty weight must be maintained in the balloon logbook or an approved alternative (4.1). Gaps, informal notes, or inconsistent record formats could be claimed as non-compliance.
• Weighing summary must list each component. The weighing summary must list each specific balloon component included in the empty weight and state the weight of each component (3.2). That requires component-level granularity rather than a single aggregate figure.
• CASA reweigh power is fact-dependent. CASA may require reweighing if there is "reasonable doubt" about the accuracy of weight data submitted (2.2). The term reasonable doubt is fact-specific and could be triggered by inconsistent records, unusual operational changes or differences between calculated and actual weights.

These points demonstrate tight procedural conditions and technical specifications; small oversights in course currency, calibration timing, equipment selection, record-keeping format, or qualification pathways can produce compliance gaps with operational consequences for certification or flight clearance.

Below is a practical checklist and compliance roadmap reflecting the Order’s obligations, with references to the specific provisions to which each step corresponds. The aim is to convert the instrument’s technical and procedural requirements into an actionable compliance programme.

1. Confirm instrument applicability and timing

   • Ensure Civil Aviation Order 100.96 (2015) applies to the balloon operation and note the instrument commences on registration (1B). Confirm you are not relying on the repealed 2007 instrument (1C).

2. Ensure personnel hold required authorities and training

   • Identify MA holders and WCOs by reference to CAR paragraph 33B(1)(a) and 33B(1)(e) as used in the Order (1.1).
   • For persons to carry out weighings under CASR 21.190/21.195A and CASR 21.191(g),(h),(j), ensure they have completed a CASA-approved balloon weighing procedures course within the last two years (3.4a).
   • If seeking MA weight-control privileges, ensure the person holds a balloon maintenance authority and obtains a WCO certificate of at least one supervised weighing (1.2).

3. Acquire and maintain approved scales and calibration regime

   • Use scales that meet accuracy requirements: ±0.2% of applied load or ±2 kg, whichever is greater, and are suitable for the purpose (3.5).
   • Ensure scales are approved by CASA or an organisation approved by CASA where that approval is required by the CASR-linked provisions (3.4b).
   • Maintain calibration in accordance with manufacturer procedures or accredited-laboratory procedures, whichever requires the shorter interval, and in any event no longer than five years between calibrations (3.6). Document calibration certificates and schedule future calibrations consistent with the shorter interval rule.

4. Establish weighing procedures and documentation templates

   • Prepare a weighing summary template that lists each specific balloon component and provides a space to record the weight of each component, signature of certifier, date and observation notes (3.2).
   • Define an internal procedure to perform at least two consecutive and consistent weighings on each balloon and component before certifying the empty weight in the weighing summary (3.3(b)(i)). Document the method used to determine consistency.
   • Ensure MA holder, WCO or authorised person responsible for certification signs and records their satisfaction with the accuracy of the weighing before entering weights into the weighing summary (3.3).

5. Implement logbook and record-keeping controls

   • Maintain a complete, continuous and current record of changes in empty weight in the balloon logbook or an approved alternative (4.1). Include dates, reasons for weight changes, supporting calculations, signatures and references to maintenance records.
   • Prepare a new weighing summary and record of empty weight alteration after each weighing, and retain copies in the logbook or approved alternative (4.3).
   • Retain calculation records demonstrating when reweighing was not necessary after repairs or maintenance that changed empty weight by less than or equal to 5 kg, or when changes can be accurately substantiated by calculation (4.2).

6. Embed reweigh triggers and decision rules

   • Establish an operational rule that reweighing must be performed following repairs or maintenance that alter empty weight by more than 5 kg where post-maintenance weight cannot be accurately substantiated by calculation (4.2).
   • Set out procedures to respond to CASA requests for reweighing where CASA expresses reasonable doubt about weight data accuracy (2.2). Maintain contact channels to respond promptly to CASA directions.

7. Pre-flight procedures and operational checks

   • Before any flight, ensure the current weighing summary for the balloon configuration is used to determine empty and operating weight (5).
   • Require the operator and pilot in command to confirm weighing procedures have been completed for each balloon component prior to take-off (3.1). Place this confirmation in pre-flight checklists and maintain evidence of the check.

8. Train and audit

   • Maintain currency of CASA-approved training certificates for persons performing weighings: ensure retraining or course re-completion within two-year intervals where required (3.4a).
   • Audit weighing records, calibration certificates, and weighing summaries periodically to ensure continuous, complete and current records and to detect inconsistencies requiring reweighing.
   • Monitor CASA approvals for courses and for approved organisations that may certify scales, and update internal procedures to reflect any CASA-imposed additional conditions (3.4b-c).

9. Integration with maintenance and certification workflows

   • Link weighing and reweighing procedures to maintenance approvals and airworthiness certificate workflows so that initial weighings occur before certificates of airworthiness or experimental certificates are issued (2.1(b)).
   • Maintain workflows that ensure new weighing summaries are prepared after each weighing and that operating weight calculations for flights use the most current summaries (4.3, 5).

10. Evidence and dispute readiness

• Preserve records of component weights, weighings, calibrations, certifier initials, and any calculations substantiating changes so that, if CASA exercises its power to require reweighing (2.2), you can promptly produce convincing evidence.
• Prepare a procedural response to CASA reweigh notices, including logistics for accessing a CASA-approved scale, and appoint responsible officers to liaise with CASA.

Following these steps will align operations with the Order’s technical specifications, evidentiary requirements and procedural gates. The Order delegates substantial implementation detail to CASA through approvals and conditions; accordingly, compliance is a dynamic process that also requires monitoring of CASA’s approvals and any additional conditions it may impose.