Introduction

To support safe aircraft operations at Defence aerodromes, the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA) released the Defence Aviation Safety Regulation (DASR) 139 - Aerodromes regulations. These regulations require all Defence aerodromes to be classified as Certified or Non Certified. For those aerodromes requiring certification, DASR 139.80 outlines the activities an Applicant needs to undertake to attain an Aerodrome Certificate.

To achieve aerodrome certification, an Applicant must undertake the following five primary activities:

• Define an Authority-agreed Certification Basis (CB) for the aerodrome.
• Demonstrate that the aerodrome design and construction complies with the agreed CB.
• Declare that the aerodrome design and construction complies with the agreed CB.
• Implement arrangements to support continued aerodrome compliance with the CB.
• Provide design information to support continuing safe operation of the aerodrome.

Each of these mandated activities (and other supporting aspects) form the basis of the certification process.

The folowing figure shows the aerodrome certification activities:

For more information see the factsheet on the certification process.

An applicant will have to complete a programme of work to be able to capture the operating intent; establish the design requirements; design, construct and demonstrate compliance to the design requirements; and establish arrangements for continued compliance to the certification basis and arrangements for continuing safe operations at the aerodrome. A means to document the plan for this programme of work is called the Certification Programme Plan (CPP), which will help all stakeholders involved in the aerodromes certification activity to be aligned and coordinated.

Develop a Certification Program

The applicant, seeking an aerodrome certificate, must complete the Certification Programme (CP) based on DASR 139 - Aerodromes regulations, to DASAs satisfaction. A CPP can be developed to get an agreement between the applicant and the DASA as to what certification activities must be completed. Acquisition projects and complex changes should produce a detailed CP while a simplified CP may be acceptable for less complex changes.

A CPP is not mandated by the regulations, but a project should consider developing a CPP to inform and align all stakeholders in an effort to increase efficiency in a complex process.

For more information see the Factsheet on Certification Program Plan. DASA has also produced a template which may be used to support Applicants development of a CPP.

What We Do

The DASA will review and endorse a CPP if found suitable to support the future application for a certificate. The DASA will be available to support the Applicant throughout the certification process and provide guidance and feedback where needed. This will reduce the likelihood of an application being incomplete at the time of submission.

How Do I Apply?

The applicant should submit a mature draft of the document to the DASA aerodromes mailbox for comments and feedback. The Aerodrome and Heliport section in DASA and the applicant will discuss the content of the CPP until both parties are satisfied that the certification activities are appropriate and sufficiently detailed for the stage of the project. The CPP must then be signed by the appropriate parties within the applicant’s organisation and may be submitted to the Authority who will then staff the document for DASA endorsement.

A mature draft or application for agreement should be submitted via the DASA Aerodromes Group Mailbox dasa.aerodromes@defence.gov.au  

I Want To Learn More…

If you want to learn more about the certification process and programmes please consult the following resources:

Support

If you have questions about this topic please contact dasa.aerodromes@defence.gov.au

For DASR queries please submit a DASR Query Form (DQF) Form 110

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