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PPL Law (Aeroplane)

PPL Law (Aeroplane)

Product information

What you'll get

  • Covers the entire CAA Air Law syllabus (AC61-3, Subject 4) across 16 structured modules
  • Built on the primary sources: the Civil Aviation Act 2023, the Civil Aviation Rules, and AIP New Zealand
  • Interactive simulations for airspace, cruising levels, altimetry, minima, transponders and more
  • An AI tutor that answers your questions straight from the rules and the AIP
  • Module question banks plus a full exam-style final assessment calibrated to the real CAA paper
  • Plain-language teaching with worked cockpit scenarios, not rote memorisation

This course is intended solely for the purchaser and may not be copied, printed, redistributed, or shared with others. Read full licence

Description

Air Law is the rulebook every New Zealand pilot flies by, and it is one of the six written exams you must pass for your Private Pilot Licence. This course teaches the whole CAA Air Law syllabus (AC61-3, Subject 4) from first principles, so you understand not just what the rule says but why it exists and how it applies in the cockpit.

Sixteen focused modules take you from the Civil Aviation Act and the Rule Parts through licensing, medicals, airworthiness, airspace, meteorological minima, cruising levels, radio and ATS procedures, aerodromes, flight planning and fuel, and emergencies. Every rule is taught in plain language, cited to its source in the Civil Aviation Rules and the AIP, and brought to life with worked scenarios that put you in real decisions: a snag found on the pre-flight, a deteriorating-weather go or no-go, a converging-traffic call, a radio failure inbound to a control zone.

You learn by doing. Interactive simulations let you set a QNH and watch the altimeter respond, pick a legal VFR cruising level for a track, work an airspace block, or choose the right emergency squawk. An AI study tutor answers your questions against the actual rules and the AIP at any hour. Module question banks reinforce each topic, and a full exam-style final assessment, written to the real standard and harder than the module quizzes, tells you when you are genuinely ready to sit the CAA paper.

Whether Air Law is your first theory subject or your last, this course gets you to a confident pass and, more importantly, to being a safe and legal pilot in command.

Pre-requisites

  • No prior aviation knowledge needed; Air Law is a great first PPL theory subject
  • Comfortable reading English (the rules, AIP and exam are in English)
  • A device with a web browser; no special software to install
  • AIP vol.4 is required for the exam. But you can use the AIP online in the interim

Course Overview

  • Free

    1. Syllabus

  • Free

    1. Introduction

  • Free

    2. Aviation Documents

  • Free

    3. Fit and Proper Person

  • Free

    4. Duties of the Pilot in Command

  • Free

    5. Medical Conditions Changes

  • Free

    6. Safety Offences

  • Free

    7. Law in Practice

  • Free

    8. Summary

  • Free

    9. Review

  • Free

    1. Introduction

  • Free

    2. Aircraft and Operations Terms

  • Free

    3. Airspace and Aerodrome Terms

  • Free

    4. Personnel and Time Terms

  • Free

    5. Abbreviations

  • Free

    6. Scenarios

  • Free

    7. Summary

  • Free

    8. Review

  • Free

    1. Introduction

  • 2. Recent Experience Day

  • 3. Recent Experience Night

  • 4. The Biennial Flight Review

  • 5. Medical Certificates - The Basics

  • 6. Class 2 vs DL9

  • 7. Medical Currency

  • 8. Medical Fitness

  • 9. Law in Practice

  • 10. Summary

  • 11. Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Documents Carried

  • 3. Maintenance Responsibility

  • 4. Inspections

  • 5. Review of Airworthiness

  • 6. Maintenance Records

  • 7. Pilot Maintenance

  • 8. Operational Flight Check

  • 9. Inspection Periods

  • 10. Scenario

  • 11. Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Day VFR Instruments

  • 3. Night VFR Instruments

  • 4. Radio and Navigation Equipment

  • 5. Communications and Navigation Over Water

  • 6. Equipment for Night VFR

  • 7. Equipment for Flight Over Water

  • 8. Emergency Equipment and Indicating the Time

  • 9. Carriage of an Emergency Locator Beacon

  • 10. Law in Practice: Equipment

  • 11. Summary

  • 12. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. PIC Authority and Safe Operation

  • 3. Seats and Safety Belts

  • 4. Supplemental Oxygen

  • 5. Passenger Compliance and Briefing

  • 6. Simulated Instrument Flight

  • 7. Carrying Charts and Publications

  • 8. Operating In the Vicinity of an Aerodrome

  • 9. The Standard Overhead Join

  • 10. Right of Way

  • 11. Aircraft Lighting

  • 12. Law in Practice: Operating Requirements

  • 13. Summary

  • 14. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Alcohol and Drugs

  • 3. Smoking and Portable Electronic Devices

  • 4. Baggage, Cargo and Firearms

  • 5. Minimum Heights for VFR (Aeroplane)

  • 6. The VFR Speed Limit

  • 7. Proximity to Other Aircraft; Dropping Objects

  • 8. Aerobatic Flight; VFR Flight in Icing

  • 9. Parachute Drops; Towing Gliders and Objects

  • 10. Dangerous Goods and Other Cargo

  • 11. Law in Practice: Restrictions

  • 12. Summary

  • 13. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. What VFR Minima Mean

  • 3. Minima by Airspace Class

  • 4. Special VFR

  • 5. Applying Minima in Practice

  • 6. Law in Practice: Met Minima

  • 7. Summary

  • 8. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Classes of Airspace (A to G)

  • 3. Control Zones and Control Areas

  • 4. VFR Transit Lanes and General Aviation Areas

  • 5. Visual Reporting Points

  • 6. Controlled Airspace When ATC Is Off Duty

  • 7. Restricted, Danger and Military Operating Areas

  • 8. MBZ, Common Frequency Zones and Low Flying Zones

  • 9. Volcanic Hazard Zones and Temporary Hazards

  • 10. Reading Airspace on a Chart

  • 11. Law in Practice: Airspace

  • 12. Summary

  • 13. Media manifest — Module 10 Airspace

  • 14. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Altimeter Setting for VFR

  • 3. Area QNH Zones

  • 4. When QNH Is Unavailable

  • 5. VFR Cruising Levels in the NZ FIR

  • 6. ATC-Assigned Non-Standard Levels

  • 7. Operating a Transponder

  • 8. Transponder Mandatory Airspace Without a Transponder

  • 9. Law in Practice: Levels and Altimetry

  • 10. Summary

  • 11. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Finding the Right Frequency

  • 3. Position Reports

  • 4. UNICOM, AFRU and AWIB

  • 5. TIBA Broadcasts and Tower Light Signals

  • 6. ATC Clearances

  • 7. AFIS, and Re-entering Controlled Airspace

  • 8. Traffic Information and Your Separation Responsibility

  • 9. Separation Standards

  • 10. Radar Services for VFR

  • 11. Law in Practice: Air Traffic Services

  • 12. Summary

  • 13. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Using a Place as an Aerodrome

  • 3. Runway Designation

  • 4. The Movement and Manoeuvring Areas

  • 5. Aerodrome Ground Signals

  • 6. Runway and Taxiway Signs and Markings

  • 7. Reading Aerodrome Charts

  • 8. Aerodrome Lighting Systems

  • 9. Aerodrome Beacons

  • 10. Law in Practice: Aerodromes

  • 11. Summary

  • 12. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Pre-flight Information

  • 3. Publications and Charts

  • 4. Day VFR Fuel Reserve

  • 5. Night VFR Fuel Reserve

  • 6. Filing a VFR Flight Plan

  • 7. Changing and Terminating a Flight Plan

  • 8. ETA, SARTIME and SAR Action

  • 9. Law in Practice: Planning and Fuel

  • 10. Summary

  • 11. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Deviating from the Rules in an Emergency

  • 3. Notifying Accidents

  • 4. Notifying Incidents

  • 5. Emergency Transponder Codes

  • 6. The Speechless Technique

  • 7. Ground-Air Visual Signals and Directing Surface Craft

  • 8. ELT Activation, Inadvertent Activation and Testing

  • 9. Receiving an ELT Signal

  • 10. Law in Practice: Emergencies

  • 11. Summary

  • 12. Module Review

  • 1. Introduction

  • 2. Course Overview

  • 3. Common Traps

  • 4. Practice Exam

  • 5. Next Steps

  • 6. Review

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the New Zealand PPL Air Law exam look like?
It is a 35-question multiple-choice paper with a 70 minute time limit, and you need 70% to pass. It is open book: you are allowed to use AIP New Zealand Volume 4 during the exam, so the course teaches you to find and apply information, not just memorise it.
Do I need to be enrolled with a flight school to take this course?
No. Anyone can work through the course to learn the material and prepare. To sit the official CAA exam you book it through an approved exam provider (likely ASPEQ).
Is this course specific to New Zealand rules?
Yes. It is written to the New Zealand Civil Aviation Rules, the Civil Aviation Act 2023 and AIP New Zealand. The principles overlap with other countries, but figures such as minima, cruising levels and reserves are the New Zealand ones, so do not use it as your sole source for an overseas exam.
How is this different from just reading the Civil Aviation Rules?
The rules are authoritative but dense. This course organises them into a logical learning path, explains the reasoning, shows how each rule plays out in real flying situations, and uses simulations and quizzes so the material sticks. We still cite every rule so you can go to the source.
Can I ask questions while I study?
Yes. The built-in AI tutor answers your questions at any time, drawing on the actual rules and the AIP, so you can clear up a confusing point immediately instead of waiting for a class. We also have discussion threads on each lesson where the community can chime in as well as our friendly and knowledgable instructors.