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Civil Aviation Act, 2009 (Act No. 13 of 2009)

Regulations

Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011

Part 91 : General Aviation and Operating Flight Rules

Subpart 4 : Instruments and Equipment

91.04.31 RVSM operations

 

(1) An aircraft shall not enter an RVSM airspace unless—
(a) such aircraft has a valid RVSM specific approval issued by the Director  as prescribed in the Document SA-CATS  91:
(b) its minimum RVSM equipment as specified in an approved MEL is serviceable;
(c) its flight crew has successfully completed RVSM training as prescribed in Document SA-CATS 91; and
(d) such  aircraft  is operated as provided in an ATSU  clearance  to climb or descend throu gh RVSM airs pace to or from levels above RVSM  flight level band.

 

(2) The requirements for the issue of an RVSM specific approval,  including minimum equipment, maintenance, and crew training requirements, are specified in Document SA-CATS 91.

 

(3) The  Director shall issue an RVSM specific approval only if the Director is satisfied that—
(a) vertical navigation performance capability of an aircraft satisfies the requirements specified in Document SA-CATS 91:
(b) an aircraft owner or operator has instituted appropriate procedures in respect of continued  airworthiness,maintenance, and repair practices and programmes:
(c) an aircraft owner or operator has instituted appropriate flight crew procedures for operation in RVSM airspace:
(d) an aircraft is provided with equipment which is capable of—
(i) indicating, to a flight crew, a flight level being flown;
(ii) automatically maintaining a selected flight level;
(iii) providing an alert to flight crew when a deviation occurs from a selected flight level;
(iv) calibration of an alert  system threshold which  shall not exceed an  approximate height of 300 ft;
(v) automatically reporting pressure-altitude; and
(e) in the event of the failure of one item of equipment at any sta ge of a flight, the remaining equipment will enable an aircraft to navigate in accordance  with RVSM.

 

(4) In considering an application for an RVSM specific approval, the  Director may conduct an investigation deemed necessa ry to ascertain compliance with the requirements for RVSM operations prescribed in Document SA-CATS  91.

 

(5) If the Director is not so satisfied with compliance referred to in subregulation (4 ) the Director shall notify an applicant for a concerned RVSM specific approval of the reasons for such dissatisfaction, and  grant  such  applicant an opportunity to rectify any shortcoming within a determined period, after which  period the Director may grant or refuse an application concerned.

 

(6) If the Director is satisfied that an applicant has complied with the relevant requirements, the Director shall issue an RVSM specific approval in the format as prescribed in Document SA-CATS 91.

 

(7) The Director shall maintain a register of all RVSM specific approvals issued  in terms of this regulation.

 

(8) A register of RVSM specific approvals shall contain the following particulars, which shall be recorded in the register within  30 days from the date of issue of an RVSM specific approval:
(a) make, model, and registration marks of an aircraft;
(b) full names of owner of an aircraft or names of an air service licence holder and an air service licence number, where applicable:
(c) postal address of an RVSM specific approval holder; and
(d) date on which an RVSM specific approval was issued.

 

(9) A register of RVSM specific approval shall be kept in a safe place at the office of the Director or at a location approved by the Director.

 

(10) A copy of a register of  RVSM specific approval shall be furnished to a person who requests such copy upon payment of the appropriate fee as prescribed in Part 187.

 

(11) A duplicate of RVSM specific  approval may  be  issued upon application thereof by a holder of such RVSM specific approval or by an AMO a pproved under Part 145 and responsible for the servicing and maintenance of a concerned aircraft.

 

(12) An appl ication for a duplicate RVSM specific approval shall—
(a) be made in the appropriate form  as prescribed  in Document SA-CATS 91; and
(b) be accompanied by—
(i) data package referred to in Document SA-CATS 91; and
(ii) the appropriate fee as prescribed in Part 187.

 

(13) A holder of an RVSM specific approval shall—
(a) report any occurrence involving poor height-keeping in an RVSM environment as specified in Document SA-CATS 91 within 24 hours; and
(b) make an effective, timely response to each height-keeping error.

 

(14) An aircraft owner or operator authorised to operate in RVSM airspace shall  ensure that as a  minimum each  aircraft type grouping of its fleet shall have their height-keeping performance monitored as defined in Document SA-CATS 91 at least once every two years or within  intervals of  1 000 flight hours per aircraft, whichever period is longer.

 

(15) An aircraft owner or operator found to be operating in an RVSM airspace, within  or outside the  Republic, without a valid specific approval shall be subjected to enforcement  action.

 

[Regulation 91.04.31 substituted by regulation 8(b) of Notice No. R. 3169, GG 48228, dated 17 March 2023 (Twenty-Fifth Amendment of the Civil Aviation Regulations, 2023)]

 

 


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