Introduction — Page 1, Lesson 7

Welcome to Air Law. I want to walk you through the very start of this subject, because how you approach it sets the tone for everything else. First, let's talk about what this course actually is. The content of this course meets the requirements of the EASA FCL syllabus, specifically Subject 010 – Air Law, along with its associated Learning Objectives. The main reference documents are the Annexes to the Convention on International Aviation, which is the Chicago Convention, and the associated PAN documents. Additional references come from EASA Part-FCL and EASA Part-MED. Now, here's an interesting point. The subject of Air Law is actually a misnomer. That means the name is a bit of a misnomer—it's not quite what it seems. The content is effectively airmanship, but with the addition of information about some of the international conventions adopted to regularize the administration of aviation and the aviation industry. The subject matter is diverse. It ranges from international agreements, through the rules of the air, flight crew licensing, instrument procedures, ATC, and the physical characteristics of aerodromes. You don't need to be a lawyer to pass this subject. Most of the requirements are common sense, and the majority will be familiar to a PPL holder—that's a Private Pilot Licence holder. If you're an ab initio student, meaning a beginner with no prior experience, you should approach the subject from the 'need to know' principle. Let the examination feedback and the syllabus guide you. The end-of-chapter questions are based on real examination questions, so they give you a feel for the level of knowledge required on completion of the course. Now, let's talk about abbreviations. Air Law, perhaps more than any other subject, is inundated with abbreviations. Some of them are examinable, and where that's the case, they're specified in the appropriate chapter and 'decoded.' The list I'm about to give you is not exhaustive, but it covers abbreviations commonly used in aviation. Let me go through them. AAIB is the Air Accident Investigation Board. AAL is Above Aerodrome Level. ABIP is the Advisory Body of Interested Parties. ABN is the Aerodrome Beacon. a/c is Aircraft. ACC is the Area Control Centre. AD is an Airworthiness Directive. ADA is Advisory Airspace. ADF is Automatic Direction Finding. ADO is the Approved Design Organization. ADR is Advisory Route. ADT is Approved Departure Time. AFI is Assistant Flying Instructor. AFIS is the Aerodrome Flight Information Service. AFS is the Aeronautical Fixed Service. AFTN is the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network. AGL is Above Ground Level. AGNA is the Advisory Group of National Authorities. AIC is an Aeronautical Information Circular. AIP is the Aeronautical Information Publication. AIREP is an Air Report. AIS is the Aeronautical Information Service. a/l is Airline. And ALT is Altitude. That's the foundation. You'll see these abbreviations throughout the course, and as we go through each chapter, I'll decode the ones that matter for the exam.