Aircraft flight manual

Note the manufacturer revision is the most recent notified to the CAA. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for the latest data. Please advise CAA of any discrepancies at certification@caa.govt.nz.

Flight manual changes

We've been revising the New Zealand pages in all 750 aircraft flight manuals.

Information within each flight manual, which can no longer be verified, or which is no longer required under Civil Aviation Rules may be removed. In some cases, the manufacturer's owner's manual will be adopted as the aircraft's New Zealand flight manual, in lieu of a locally produced one.

'P' charts obsolete

'P' charts are an example of the sort of information which will be removed from your flight manual. These were based on the requirements of the old regulations, which have been simplified in the new rules. Therefore, your P charts may underestimate your aircraft's performance, because they included factors no longer applicable.

You may prefer, however, to continue using the safety margins the charts provide. This is your choice. They will simply no longer be part of your aircraft's flight manual.

Updating amendments

We've also changed the way we manage amendments to aircraft flight manuals. We no longer notify you individually when amendments have been made. We maintain, instead, a list of the current revision status of each flight manual on our website, under the AIR number. You should keep your flight manual up-to-date by checking this regularly under your aircraft registration. This is your responsibility.

Note that we update the flight manual database only when notified by the manufacturer. We don't have the resources to monitor this proactively. To ensure you have the latest information, you should check the manufacturer or type certificate holder's website. Again, this is your responsibility.

Supplements

We have also revised how we document the supplements in a flight manual. You're no longer sent a list of all supplements approved for your aircraft type. It is your responsibility to ensure your manual contains the appropriate supplements.

Which supplements your flight manual must contain depends on what modifications and equipment your aircraft has. Applications for locally produced supplements should be made by emailing certification@caa.govt.nz.

Aircraft performance requirements, previous in CASO 4, which your P charts were produced to meet, are now contained in the Civil Aviation Rules. See Subpart D - Performance in either:

Part 135 Air operations - helicopters and small aeroplanes

Part 121 Air transport operations - large aeroplanes

Aircraft performance for private operations can be found in:

Advisory Circular 91-3 Aeroplane performance under Part 91

We can provide a template and instruction to produce new P charts, if requested. Email certification@caa.govt.nz.

Flight manual information can be found under aircraft register. If you insert your participant number, or a flight manual number, you can see the status of flight manuals for your aircraft.