To develop an understanding of the structure of the Australian legal system. To develop an understanding of the influence and interrelationship of our legal system and the aviation industry.

Law and Regulation in Aviation aims to provide you with an overview of the regulatory structure of civil aviation in Australia. The course focuses on the legal system within which this regulatory system operates and the powers, responsibilities and scope of the various aviation regulatory authorities. In particular the course will concentrate on providing a practical insight into the legal implications associated with various aviation personnel including the pilot-in-command.

To help develop your understanding of the law and its relationship to the aviation regulatory regime, legal principles and concepts, as they apply to the aviation industry, are explained. In certain instances selected aviation-related cases are summarised to emphasise a point or legal principle. Legislation is explained in plain English and where relevant extracted from source documentation.

Aviation and the law share some basic similarities. Both the aviation and legal professions are highly specialised and each require an extensive degree of training before one can be classed as a "professional" within the respective disciplines. Although aviation professionals are highly trained technicians or managers it does not follow that such training has necessarily included training in the law and legal systems.

The fact that the aviation industry is a highly regulated and legislated sector is even more reason why today's aviation professional should be conversant with, and knowledgable of, the law as it applies to the aviation industry. In most sections of the aviation industry there are no formal requirements for training in the law or legal systems. Of course there is a myriad of rules and regulations in aviation that must be known but that does not equate to training in statutory interpretation or the like.

Aviation professionals, like their legal counterparts, spend a long time undertaking formal, structured training. Then there follows years of practical, on-the-job training. In fact the training never really ends. Both professions require ongoing professional training. Because of the extensive time taken to "learn the profession" quite often people working in the aviation sector enter at an early age. It is not usually a career in which one 'switches' to later in their working life. In light of the recent restructuring of Australia's aviation regulatory regime particular emphasis has been given to a consideration of the role and functions of Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Also the recent developments in the increasingly important area of aviation environmental law are considered.

Mr. Ronald I C Bartsch BA, BSc, LLB, LLM, Dip Ed

The MScTech (Aviation) Program's approach to assessment closely follows that of the Australian Open Learning Program of the Australian Graduate School of Management. At all times assessment is intended to form a component of the learning process and assignments are designed to encourage you to apply what you learn to your own organisation.

Assignments will be assessed on the basis of how you apply course material to gaining new insight into your organisation. Written comments will accompany your return assignments and exercises and should provide useful feedback.

Students are required to complete two written assignments on topics that will be detailed in the Distance Learning manual. The assignments must be word-processed with all students expected to have a back-up copy on disk, to be made available to lecturer on request.

There is also a final examination with this course.
The examination will provide you and us with feedback about your comprehension of the course content.

Course Study Materials which are distributed to students and available via WebCT Vista.

The recommended texts are available for short term loan from the UNSW Library or for purchase from;

The University of New South Wales provides a range of resources to help students develop their skills and to realise their full potential. The Learning Centre, located at the entrance to the Library provides guidance material, which is also available on-line.

In particular, students may wish to access the following:

Note-Taking Skills
The Basics of Essay Writing
Answering Assignment Questions
Report Writing FAQs
The Basics of Studying for Exams
Surviving Exams
Exam Skills
Plagiarism
The American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing System