A Military Air Operator (MAO) conducting flight test activities shall only conduct a flight test activity of Category 1 to Category 4 as defined in DASR 21 Subpart P - Military Permit to Fly, if an appropriate privilege has been granted in the MAOC OpSpec. AMCAMC GMGM
Purpose. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that a Military Air Operator (MAO) only undertakes flight test it is capable of safely conducting.
Flight test is a subset of Defence Test and Evaluation (T&E) activities that encompass a broad scope, from very simple to immensely complex, across the entire lifecycle of a capability. Not all flight test activities require regulation under DASR.
Categories of Flight Tests,Categories of Flight Tests, as defined and introduced by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) in June 2015, address a scope of flight test activity that involves, to varying extents, the operation of an aircraft other than within its currently established type certification basis. A MAO requires a specific privilege to be able to conduct flight test activities of this nature. Organisational privileges are granted following a review of the MAO’s organisation, people, processes and resources by the relevant Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA) - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)), and appending the relevant MAO Certificate OpSpec.
A. GENERAL
This topic establishes the approval arrangements for Military Permits to Fly (MPTF) associated with flight tests according to category.
B. CATEGORIES OF FLIGHT TESTS
Category ONE (1):
Initial flight(s) of a new type of aircraft or of an aircraft of which flight or handling characteristics may have been significantly modified.
Flights during which it can be envisaged to potentially encounter flight characteristics significantly different from those already known.
Flights to investigate novel or unusual aircraft design features or techniques.
Flights to determine or expand the flight envelope.
Flights to determine the regulatory performances, flight characteristics and handling qualities when flight envelope limits are approached.
Flight test training for Category 1 flight tests.
Category TWO (2):
Flights not classified as Category 1 on an aircraft whose type is not yet certified.
Flights not classified Category 1 on an aircraft of an already certified type, after embodiment of a not yet approved modification or substantial change to role or environment and which:
require an assessment of the general behaviour of the aircraft;
require an assessment of 'basic crew procedures*', when a new or modified system is operating or is needed; or
are required to intentionally fly outside of the limitations of the currently approved operational envelope, but within the investigated flight envelope.
Flight test training for Category 2 flight tests.
*NOTE: Reference to ‘basic crew procedures' refers to fundamental crew procedures for operating the aircraft, as opposed to simple/benign/low-risk crew procedures.
Category THREE (3):
Flights performed for the issuance of statement of conformity for a new-built aircraft which do not require flying outside of the limitations of the type certificate or the aircraft flight manual.
Category FOUR (4):
Flights not classified as Category 1 or Category 2 on an aircraft of an already certified type, in case of an embodiment of a not yet approved design change*.
*NOTE: For this purpose, a not yet approved design change is a design for which it is necessary to fly an aircraft in order to fully verify compliance with design requirements.
C. COMPETENCE AND EXPERIENCE OF PILOTS AND FLIGHT TEST ENGINEERS
Competence and experience of pilots, flight test engineers and flight test systems specialists shall be as specified in the approved flight conditions for the flight test activity.
Unless limited by direction or instruction from higher Command, a MAO may conduct flight test activities outside of Category 1 to Category 4 without any specific privilege or approval from the Authority; noting that statutory WHS obligations remain for all risks to be eliminated or minimised so far as reasonably practicable during flight test activities. The use of flight test conditions and restrictions, competent staff and appropriate test plans, schedules and procedures are common risk management controls for flight test activities.
The need to conduct flight test may arise from not only aircraft configuration changes, but also role and/or environment changes. Changes to role and/or environment may arise from configuration upgrades, other Test and Evaluation (T&E) activities, expansion of operational requirement, or through the evolution of tactics. Some changes to role and/or environment may impact the safe operation of the aircraft and hence are subject to DASR. To determine whether the role and/or environment change falls within categories 1 to 4 of flight test, the effect of the change needs to be assessed.
The flight test category of a role and/or environment change that results from a configuration change should be determined by the nature of the design change itself, ie in accordance with DASR GM FT.05A–Categories of Flight Tests. Role and/or environmental changes that are not accompanied by a design change shall be classified as per the following definitions:
Substantial change. A substantial change is one that has an appreciable affect on one or more of the following aspects:
Introduction of a new intended role and/or operating environment for an aircraft type.
Significant alteration to aircrew training and qualification requirements.
Significant additions or changes to the competency management system utilised for the aircraft type.
An increase in aircrew cockpit workload.
Significant alteration to the human-machine-interface.
Additional or unusual considerations for flight authorisation.
Any other operational impact where the extent is difficult to determine.
Non-substantial change. A non-substantial change is any change that has not been classified as substantial in accordance with the above criteria. A non-substantial change to role and/or environment falls outside of Category 1 to Category 4 of flight test.
Since a substantial change to role and / or environment does not automatically translate to any particular category of flight test, users should seek the advice of the relevant Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA) - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)).
Flight test activity meeting the criteria of Category 1 to 4 as defined in DASR 21 Subpart P must be conducted under the authority of a Military Permit to Fly (MPTF). AMCAMC GMGM
Purpose. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that flight test is conducted under appropriate airworthiness controls.
Flight test is a subset of Defence Test and Evaluation (T&E) activities that encompass a broad scope, from very simple to immensely complex. Not all flight test activities require regulation under DASR.
Categories of Flight Tests, as defined and introduced by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) in June 2015, address a scope of flight test activity that involves, to varying extents, the operation of an aircraft other than within its currently established type certification basis. An MPTF is the airworthiness instrument that authorises the operation of an aircraft in some manner that is outside the scope of that covered by the applicable Military Type Certificate (MTC) or Military Restricted Type Certificate (MRTC).
Authority for issue. As per DASR 21 Subpart P, a Military Permit to Fly (MPTF) may be issued by:
For all categories: The Authority,
For all categories: an appropriate Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA),
For Category 3: an appropriately privileged Military Production Organisation Approval (MPOA) holder (see DASR 21.A.163(e)), or
For Category 4: an appropriately privileged Military Design Organisation Approval (MDOA) holder (see DASR 21.A.263(c)(6) and (7)).
Approval of Flight Conditions. Flight conditions associated with an MPTF are approved separately and prior to the issue of the MPTF. With respect to paragraphs c. and d. above, where flight test is to be conducted by an organisation outside of the organisation approving the MPTF, flight conditions (see DASR 21.A.708 to DASR 21.A.710) may only be approved after operational endorsement by competent staff of a Military Air Operator (MAO) as determined by the relevant Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA) - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)). Flight conditions are approved using either DASR Form 18a (for organisations) or DASR Form 18b (by the Authority and DoSA(FT)).
MPTF content. MPTF for flight test should only be issued following approval of flight conditions, using either DASR Form 20a (by the authority and DoSA(FT)) or DASR Form 20b (for organisations using a privilege), and should include:
flight test category.
flight test scope.
identification of a suitable, qualified organisation to conduct the test.
reference to the design acceptable certification, if applicable.
any residual airworthiness risk.
Flight test plan. The flight test should be conducted in accordance with a flight test plan that includes:
Test scope and objectives.
Location of flight test activity.
Pre-cursor airworthiness instruments or clearances required prior to testing.
Required qualification, training and experience of the flight test personnel.
Flight test procedures to be conducted.
Data collection requirements.
Configuration and environmental limitations imposed on the flight test.
Operational limitations for each test configuration.
Operations, maintenance and support arrangements.
An aircraft stores clearance or aerial delivery clearance, if required.
Results of previous tests, if applicable.
Search and Rescue (SAR) requirements.
Reference to documented risk assessment and treatment, including any residual risk posed by the flight test.
The MAO must seek advice from the Authority if there is any doubt with respect to the category of flight test. AMCAMC
Military Air Operators should consult an appropriate Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA) - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)), as follows:
Director Test and Evaluation, Air Warfare Centre (AWC) for Air Force and Army aircraft,
Commanding Officer Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit (AMAFTU) for Navy aircraft
Delegates appointed in the DASA DoSA Appointment Register with the approval of 'Flight Test' as amended from time to time
The MAO must demonstrate that it has the organisation, personnel and processes to safely conduct flight test to the satisfaction of the Authority and within the scope of privileges for flight test as listed in the Military Air Operator Certificate OpSpec. AMCAMC GMGM
Purpose. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure the Military Air Operator (MAO) has suitable personnel, processes and data to undertake flight test.
A Delegate of the Safety Authority - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)), will act as a subject matter expert to assess the MAO's capability to conduct flight test and will assure that the MAO applies the appropriate minimum standards/qualifications.
Flight Test Operations Manual. A flight test operations manual should be maintained by the organisation conducting flight test in accordance with DASR 21.A.143(a)(13) and DASR 21.A.243(a)(1)). The organisation is not required to produce a specific flight test operations manual, providing that Orders, Instructions and Publications (OIP) issued covers the flight test operation manual elements, which are:
a description of the organisation's processes for flight test, including the flight test organisation involvement into the Military Permit to Fly issuance process (see DASR 21 Subpart P – Military Permit to Fly);
crewing policy, including composition, competency, currency and flight time limitations;
procedures for the carriage of persons other than crew members and for flight test training, when applicable;
a policy for risk and safety management and associated methodologies;
procedures to identify the instruments and equipment to be carried; and
a list of documents that need to be produced for flight test.
Flight test personnel qualifications, training and experience. Requirements for the qualifications, training and experience of flight test personnel are specific to each flight test activity and are documented within the approval of flight conditions (see DASR 21.A.708—Flight conditions) prior to issue of an MPTF. Flight conditions are approved by the Authority, or a Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA) - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)). (see DASR AMC 21.A.708 (AUS)).
The MAO must ensure that personnel conducting flight test hold the applicable qualifications, training and experience as specified in the approved flight conditions for each MPTF.
The MAO must provide the Authority with appropriate data and access to its organisation, when required. GMGM
Purpose. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that flight test activity is subject to appropriate oversight.
The Delegate of the Safety Authority - Flight Test (DoSA(FT)), will assess the Military Air Operator (MAO) for its ability to safely conduct flight test, and provide ongoing oversight of its ability. To facilitate this assessment and oversight, the MAO must provide the delegate with all requested data and appropriate access to its organisation.