Advisory Circulars (AC)
Advisory Circulars are non-regulatory guidance published by the Federal Aviation Administration on a wide array of topics.
Introduction
Introduction
- Advisory Circulars (ACs) provide a single, uniform, agency-wide system that the FAA uses to deliver advisory (non-regulatory) material to the aviation community
- Can be found on the FAA's website at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/
- ACs can be ordered through the Department of Transportation (DOT)
Advisory Circular Purpose
Advisory Circular Purpose
- Provide an acceptable, clearly understood method for complying with a regulation
- Standardize implementation of a regulation or harmonize implementation for the international aviation community
- Resolve a general misunderstanding of a regulation
- Respond to a request from some government entity, such as General Accounting Office, NTSB, or the Office of the Inspector General
- Help the industry and FAA effectively implement a regulation
- Explain requirements and limits of an FAA grant program
- Expand on standards needed to promote aviation safety, including the safe operation of airports
Heading Information
Heading Information
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Subject:
- Simply the title of the advisory circular
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Date:
- Date of that advisory circular release
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Advisory Circular Number:
- There are three parts to an AC number
Part 1 - Subject Matter Area:
- The first part of the number identifies the subject matter area of the AC and corresponds to the appropriate 14 CFR part
- For example, an AC on "Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors" is numbered as AC 61-65E
Part 2 - Sequence:
- Since ACs are numbered sequentially within each subject area, the second part of the number beginning with the dash identifies this sequence
Part 3 - Revision:
- The third part of the number is a letter assigned by the originating office and shows the revision sequence if an AC is revised
- The first version of an AC does not have a revision letter
- For example, AC 61-65E reflects that this is the fifth revision, as designated by the "E"
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Initiated by:
- Lists who issued the advisory circular
- AFS: Aviation Flight Standards District
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Changes
Body Information
Body Information
- Purpose
- Cancellation
- Related Reading Material
- The remaining of the circular will discuss information about the subject matter
Use of an Advisory Circular
Use of an Advisory Circular
- Provide an acceptable, clearly understood method for complying with a regulation
- Standardize implementation of a regulation or harmonize implementation for the international aviation community
- Resolve a general misunderstanding of a regulation
- Respond to a request from some government entity, such as General Accounting Office, NTSB, or the Office of the Inspector General
- Help the industry and FAA effectively implement a regulation
- Explain requirements and limits of an FAA grant program
- Expand on standards needed to promote aviation safety, including the safe operation of airports
Advisory Circular Development
Advisory Circular Development
- Advisory Circulars are sometimes first published as drafts, open to public comment
- You can find these drafts by visiting: https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/afs_ac/
- You may subscribe to the Flight Standards Service to receive updates
Conclusion
Conclusion
- The FAA issues Advisory Circulars (ACs) to inform the aviation public in a systematic way of non-regulatory material
- Unless incorporated into a regulation by reference, the contents of an advisory circular are not binding on the public
- Advisory Circulars are issued in a numbered subject system corresponding to the subject areas of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) (Title 14, Chapter 1, FAA)
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References
References
- Federal Aviation Administration - Pilot/Controller Glossary
- FAA - Advisory Circulars (resource 1)
- https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/#manuals - Preface
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)