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Commonwealth legislation
These are the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (CAR), a key piece of Australian aviation law that sets out detailed rules for aircraft maintenance, airworthiness, and safety.
What this legislation does:
Establishes CASA's authority: The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) administers these regulations and can issue directions, approvals, certificates, and exemptions to ensure air navigation safety.
Classifies aircraft: Aircraft are divided into Class A (transport category aircraft used in scheduled air transport) and Class B (all other Australian aircraft), with different maintenance requirements for each.
Sets maintenance requirements:
Controls who can perform maintenance: Only licensed aircraft maintenance engineers, holders of airworthiness authorities, or specifically authorised persons can carry out maintenance. Pilots can perform limited maintenance on their own aircraft under certain conditions.
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Direct links to the current provisions in Civil Aviation Regulations 1988.
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View on official registerSourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Requires certification and documentation: All maintenance must be certified as complete, recorded in aircraft log books, and a maintenance release must be issued before an aircraft can fly.
Mandates defect reporting: Major defects affecting structural integrity, control systems, engines, or fire safety must be reported to CASA immediately. Other defects must be reported within 2 working days.
Regulates aircraft components and materials: Strict rules govern the installation of replacement parts, requiring approved designs, authorised release certificates, and proper documentation.
Provides for exemptions: CASA can grant exemptions or variations from requirements if safety is not adversely affected.
Who it affects: Aircraft owners, operators, maintenance organisations, licensed engineers, pilots, and anyone involved in Australian aviation.
Why it matters: These regulations ensure aircraft are maintained to safe standards, creating a traceable, accountable system where only qualified people work on aircraft and all safety-critical work is properly documented and certified.