The Air Navigation Order 2005

Composition of crew of aircraft

25.—(1) An aircraft shall not fly unless it carries a flight crew of the number and description required by the law of the country in which it is registered.

(2) An aircraft registered in the United Kingdom—

(a) shall carry a flight crew adequate in number and description to ensure the safety of the aircraft;

(b) which has a flight manual, shall carry a flight crew of at least the number and description specified in that flight manual;

(c) which does not now have a flight manual but has done in the past, shall carry a flight crew of at least the number and description specified in that flight manual.

(3) A flying machine registered in the United Kingdom and flying for the purpose of public transport having a maximum total weight authorised exceeding 5,700 kg shall carry at least two pilots as members of the flight crew.

(4) Subject to paragraph (6) an aeroplane registered in the United Kingdom shall carry at least two pilots as members of its flight crew if it—

(a) has a maximum total weight authorised of 5,700 kg or less;

(b) is flying for the purpose of public transport;

(c) is flying in circumstances where the commander is required to comply with the Instrument Flight Rules; and (d) comes within paragraph (5).

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (4)(d) an aeroplane comes with this paragraph if it has—

(a) one or more turbine jets;

(b) one or more turbine propeller engines and is provided with a means of pressurising the personnel compartments;

(c) two or more turbine propeller engines and a maximum approved passenger seating configuration of more than nine;

(d) two or more turbine propeller engines and a maximum approved passenger seating configuration of fewer than 10, and is not provided with a means of pressurising the personnel compartments; unless it is equipped with an autopilot which has been approved by the CAA for the purposes of this article and which is serviceable on take-off; or

(e) two or more piston engines, unless it is equipped with an autopilot which has been approved by the CAA for the purposes of this article and which is serviceable on take-off.

(6) An aeroplane—

(a) described in paragraph (5)(d) or (5)(e) which is equipped with an approved autopilot shall not be required to carry two pilots notwithstanding that before take-off the approved autopilot is found to be unserviceable, if the aeroplane flies in accordance with arrangements approved by the CAA;

(b) described in paragraph (5)(c), (d) or (e) which is flying under and in accordance with the terms of a police air operator’s certificate shall not be required to carry two pilots.

(7) Subject to paragraph (8), a helicopter registered in the United Kingdom shall carry at least two pilots as members of its flight crew if it—

(a) has a maximum total weight authorised of 5,700 kg or less;

(b) has a maximum approved passenger seating configuration of 9 or less;

(c) is flying for the purpose of public transport; and

(d) is flying in circumstances where the commander is required to comply with the Instrument Flight Rules or is flying by night with visual ground reference.

(8) A helicopter described in paragraph (7) shall not be required to carry two pilots if it—

(a) is equipped with an autopilot with, at least, altitude hold and heading mode which is serviceable on take-off;

(b) is equipped with such an autopilot notwithstanding that before take-off the approved autopilot is found to be unserviceable, if the helicopter flies in accordance with arrangements approved by the CAA; or

(c) is flying under and in accordance with the terms of a police air operator’s certificate.

(9) An aircraft registered in the United Kingdom engaged on a flight for the purpose of public transport shall carry—

(a) a flight navigator as a member of the flight crew; or

(b) navigational equipment suitable for the route to be flown; if on the route or any diversion therefrom, being a route or diversion planned before take-off, the aircraft is intended to be more than 500 nautical miles from the point of take-off measured along the route to be flown, and to pass over part of an area specified in Schedule 7.

(10) flight navigator carried in compliance with paragraph (9) shall be carried in addition to any person who is carried in accordance with this article to perform other duties.

(11) An aircraft registered in the United Kingdom which is required by article 20 to be equipped with radio communications apparatus shall carry a flight radiotelephony operator as a member of the flight crew.

(12) Paragraphs (13) and (14) apply to any flight for the purpose of public transport by an aircraft registered in the United Kingdom which has a maximum approved passenger seating configuration of more than 19 and on which at least one passenger is carried.

(13) The crew of an aircraft on a flight to which this paragraph applies shall include cabin crew carried for the purposes of performing in the interests of the safety of passengers, duties to be assigned by the operator or the commander of the aircraft but who shall not act as members of the flight crew.

(14) On a flight to which this paragraph applies—

(a) there shall, subject to sub-paragraph (b), be carried not less than one member of the cabin crew for every 50 or fraction of 50 passenger seats installed in the aircraft;

(b) the number of members of the cabin crew calculated in accordance with sub-paragraph (a) need not be carried if the CAA has granted written permission to the operator to carry a lesser number on that flight and the operator carries the number specified in that permission and complies with any other terms and conditions subject to which such permission is granted.

(15) The CAA may in the interests of safety direct the operator of any aircraft registered in the United Kingdom that all or any aircraft operated by him when flying in circumstances specified in the direction shall carry, in addition to the crew required to be carried therein by the foregoing provisions of this article, such additional persons as members of the flight crew or the cabin crew as it may specify in the direction.