Proposed Part 21 amendments including restricted category certification of foreign non-civil aircraft (CD 2514MS)
Change 3 - Requirements for the approval of equipment used for the carriage of persons external to a rotorcraft
Policy proposal
In May 2025, CASA issued Advisory Circular (AC) 21-32 v1.0 – Approval of equipment used for carriage of persons external to a rotorcraft, to provide guidance on the approval methods available under Part 21 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR).
The AC provides details on the option for CASA to accept independent assessment of the design and manufacture of products by third parties, and if independently certified in a manner acceptable to CASA, the products may be used in lieu of the traditional certification process.
The AC also provides a list of acceptable standards and criteria to allow for persons to apply to CASA for the approval of the equipment under subregulation 21.305(e) of CASR.
This proposed change takes the acceptance criteria from AC 21-32 and adds certain items of the criteria to the Part 21 Manual of Standards (MOS). Under subregulation 21.305(da) of CASR, operators may use equipment that complies with the requirements of the proposed changes to the Part 21 MOS without the need for separate application and further approval by CASA.
Policy aim
The aim of this policy is to establish appropriate means for operators to access equipment that is approved under Part 21 of CASR. This policy will allow the assessment of:
- the product design
- the manufacturers’ quality system
and the subsequent ongoing surveillance, to be undertaken by a third party. This would provide operators with access to suitable equipment specifically produced within the traditional aviation system.