Fundamentals of International Aviation

Suzanne K. Kearns

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000338614
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Aviation
• Index: Technology & Engineering

International aviation is a massive and complex industry that is crucial to our global economy and way of life. Designed for the next generation of aviation professionals, Fundamentals of International Aviation, second edition, flips the traditional approach to aviation education. Instead of focusing on one career in one country, it introduces readers to the air transport sector on a global scale with a broad view of all the interconnected professional groups.

This text provides a foundation of 'how aviation works' in preparation for any career in the field (including regulators, maintenance engineers, pilots, flight attendants, airline and airport managers, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers, among many others). Each chapter introduces a different cross-section of the industry, from air law to operations, security to environmental impacts. A variety of learning tools are built into each chapter, including 24 case studies that describe an aviation accident related to each topic. This second edition adds new learning features, geographic representation from Africa, a new chapter on economics, full-color illustrations, and updated and enhanced online resources.

This accessible and engaging textbook provides a foundation of industry awareness that will support a range of aviation careers. It also offers current air transport professionals an enriched understanding of the practices and challenges that make up the rich fabric of international aviation.

CHAPTER 1
International Air Law

Quiz

1) Annexes to the
Chicago Convention contain Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) which States must abide by and those they should comply with. Currently, the Convention has annexes.

1. 9
2. 13
3. 19
4. 26

2) The Wright brothers are famous because they were the inventors of aviation.

1. True
2. False

3) Under international air law, all countries that have signed on to the Chicago Convention have complete freedom to each other’s airspace.

1. True
2. False

4) The sovereign body of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is its Assembly, with representatives from 193 Member States. ICAO’s Assembly meets at least once every:

1. Month
2. Year
3. 3 years
4. 5 years

5) International organizations, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airports Council International (ACI), do not play important roles within international air law.

1. True
2. False

Answer key:

1. c;

2. b;

3. b;

4. c;

5. b

Chapter Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, you will be able to

• discuss the origins of aviation and the history of international aviation law;
• describe the 1944 Chicago Conference, as well as the structure and function of the International Civil Aviation Organization, which was established as a result of the Conference;
• differentiate between multilateral, bilateral, and national aviation regulations;
• identify the various international organizations that influence international aviation regulation; and
• use your understanding of international air law to discuss a case study on the shooting down of KAL 007, a civilian aircraft, by a military aircraft.

Introduction

The sheer complexity of international aviation law can be overwhelming to those first studying it. You may wonder how so many countries, with varying laws and cultural values and practices, can agree to follow the same rules and policies. However, without large-scale international agreement, a safe and efficient aviation system would be impossible.

Consider for a moment what air travel might be like if each country designed its own unique methods for certifying aircraft as safe to fly, communicating and navigating, planning airports, or establishing pilot licensing standards. Whenever a flight crossed international borders, the flight crew would have to follow a new set of rules, which would be confusing and possibly unsafe! An aviation professional trained in one country might never be able to work in another country, as the standards and practices would vary greatly.

For the aviation community to function safely and efficiently, international regulations must be standardized. International air law refers to the rules and regulations that impact global air transport and is a unifying element of civil aviation. To gain a solid understanding of how the aviation industry functions on a global scale, it is necessary to develop a familiarity with international air law; for this reason, aviation law is the foundation upon which the following chapters in this text are built.

The Origins of Aviation

Flight has fascinated humankind for probably as long as people have walked the Earth. Early recorded history is filled with legends of flight and early experiments—from the tale of Icarus, who flew too close to the Sun and fell to Earth when the wax holding his wings together melted (Greek mythology, approximately 30 bce) to the work of Leonardo da Vinci, who was the first to apply scientific principles to aviation in his sketches of flying machines (late 1400s to early 1500s). As long as humans have observed the flight of birds, there have been those who dreamed of joining them. In fact, the term aviation, which refers to the operation of aircraft, is derived from the Latin avis, meaning “bird.”

Figure 1.1 Early History of Aviation

Did You Know?

Early attempts at flight involved the use of ornithopters. An ornithopter is a device designed to achieve flight using flapping wings (powered by either an engine or the pilot’s muscles). Unfortunately, in the era of da Vinci, several monks lost their lives from jumping off buildings or bridges with unsuccessful ornithopters.

The aviation industry, as we understand it today, is still relatively young. On 17 December 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright made history when Orville successfully flew their flyer about 37 meters (120 feet), earning the brothers the distinction of being the first to accomplish powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight. In the years that followed the Wright brothers’ success, several other functional aircraft were developed.

Did You Know?

The Wright brothers were not the “inventors of aviation.” The Wright brothers built their success upon the contributions of earlier aviation pioneers. Otto Lilienthal, considered the Father of Gliding, performed many controlled glides in the late 1890s. Lighter-than-air flight—using hot-air balloons and airships—began with the French Montgolfier brothers in the late 1700s and evolved to include dirigibles (blimps) offering scheduled passenger service during the time of the Wright brothers. Several other pioneers experimented with powered flight, including Clément Ader, Hiram Maxim, Karl Jatho, and Augustus Moore Herring. Therefore, to be accurate, the Wright brothers were the first to accomplish powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight.

World War I, which began in 1914, was the catalyst for the dramatic acceleration of the use of aircraft. During the war, aircraft were initially used for reconnaissance, and then eventually for bombing and air-to-air combat. When World War I ended in 1918, a surplus of trained pilots and aircraft were available for the first time in human history, and the market for civil aviation began to develop. In the interwar era, air shows, flight training businesses, chartered passenger services, aerial surveying, firefighting, and advertising outfits that scattered printed material over towns grew in av...