Applicability, compliance and command
Annex 2 provides the common Rules of the Air. It establishes where the rules apply, who is responsible for compliance, what the pilot-in-command must know before departure and when safety permits a departure from a rule.
Applicability of the Rules of the Air
The Rules apply to every aircraft flying over Indian territory. They also apply to aircraft bearing Indian nationality and registration marks wherever they fly, so far as they do not conflict with the rules published by the State having jurisdiction over the territory being overflown.
Territorial application
| Where an Indian aircraft flies | Rules that govern |
|---|---|
| Over Indian territory | The Indian Rules of the Air apply. |
| Over another State | The territorial State's rules have priority. Indian rules continue to apply only where they do not conflict. |
| Over the high seas where no State has sovereignty | Annex 2 Rules apply without territorial exception, subject to accepted regional air navigation arrangements. |
Where a Contracting State has accepted responsibility for air traffic services over part of the high seas under a regional agreement, the appropriate ATS authority is the authority designated by the State responsible for those services.
Compliance with the Rules of the Air
An aircraft in flight or on the movement area of an aerodrome complies with the general rules and, when airborne, with either the Visual Flight Rules or the Instrument Flight Rules. A pilot may elect to fly IFR in visual conditions, and ATS may require IFR. A pilot may fly VFR only when the applicable visual conditions and VFR requirements exist.
Responsibility for compliance and pilot-in-command
The pilot-in-command is responsible for operation of the aircraft in accordance with the Rules whether or not personally manipulating the controls. A departure from the Rules is permitted only when circumstances make it absolutely necessary in the interests of safety. The pilot-in-command has final authority over the disposition of the aircraft while in command.
Pre-flight action
Before flight, the pilot-in-command becomes familiar with all available information appropriate to the intended operation. For every IFR flight and every flight away from the vicinity of an aerodrome, this includes current weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements and an alternative course of action if the flight cannot be completed as planned.
Problematic use of psychoactive substances
A person performing a safety-sensitive aviation function must not perform it while impaired by a psychoactive substance. Such a person must not engage in problematic substance use. Fitness for duty is a direct safety obligation.
Negligent or reckless operation
No aircraft may be operated negligently or recklessly so as to endanger the life or property of another person. A clearance never excuses such operation, and the pilot-in-command retains collision-avoidance responsibility.
Minimum heights and special operations
The general rules protect people and property on the surface and prevent unusual activities from creating uncontrolled risks. Take-off, landing, emergencies and specific DGCA permissions are the carefully limited exceptions.
Minimum Safe Heights
Except when necessary for take-off or landing, or when the Director General permits otherwise, an aircraft must not fly over a congested area, city, town, settlement or open-air assembly unless its height would allow an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
| Rule set | Minimum stated in the Rules |
|---|---|
| General protection rule | A height from which an emergency landing can be made without undue hazard to persons or property. |
| VFR over a congested area or open-air assembly | At least 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 600 m of the aircraft. |
| VFR elsewhere | At least 500 ft above ground or water. |
| IFR over high or mountainous terrain | At least 2,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 8 km of estimated position. |
| IFR elsewhere | At least 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 8 km of estimated position. |
These are baseline rules, not permission to descend below a published procedure altitude, an ATC restriction, an aircraft limitation or another higher operational minimum. DGCA may authorise lower operations for tasks such as aerial spraying, crop dusting or mineral exploration under stated conditions.
Cruising Levels
At or above the lowest usable flight level, or above the transition altitude where applicable, level is expressed as a flight level. Below that boundary it is expressed as an altitude. The direction-based cruising table is taught on page 7.
Dropping or Spraying
Nothing may be dropped or sprayed from an aircraft except under Rule 26 conditions and the relevant information, advice or clearance from the appropriate ATS unit. The operation must not create a hazard to persons or property.
Towing
Bali states that one aircraft may not tow another aircraft in India. An aircraft may tow an object only under requirements prescribed by the Director General and subject to the relevant ATS information, advice or clearance.
Parachute Descents
Except in an emergency, a person may not descend by parachute and no person may drop an article attached to a parachute unless the Central Government has permitted the operation under Rule 26 and its stated conditions. Normal-condition parachute descent is therefore not a casual pilot decision.
Acrobatic Flight
Acrobatics are conducted only by a licensed pilot, or by a person training for a licence while accompanied by a licensed instructor. Passengers must give prior written consent, and everyone carried must be secured by a safety belt. The manoeuvre begins high enough to finish at not less than 600 m, or 2,000 ft, above the ground, or at a higher height required by the aircraft's certificate.
No person shall fly acrobatically
- In a way that creates a hazard to air traffic.
- Within 2 NM of an aerodrome perimeter unless above 1,800 m, or 6,000 ft.
- Over a city, town, village, populous area, public meeting, games or sports assembly unless the required request and Director General permission have been obtained.
Formation, remotely piloted aircraft and collision avoidance
Special flight arrangements never transfer away the pilot-in-command's duty to prevent collision. Formation leaders coordinate the group, but every participating pilot must understand the plan, spacing and breakaway procedure.
Formation Flights
Bali states that civil formation flight is not permitted in India. Annex 2 nevertheless describes the conditions used where a competent authority permits formation operation: prior arrangement among the pilots-in-command, compliance with ATS conditions in controlled airspace and operation of the formation as a single aircraft for navigation and position reporting.
The formation leader and the other pilots share responsibility for separation during the formation, joining and breakaway. Each aircraft maintains no more than 1 km, or 0.5 NM, laterally and longitudinally and no more than 30 m, or 100 ft, vertically from the leader.
Remotely piloted aircraft
A remotely piloted aircraft must be operated to minimise hazards to persons, property and other aircraft. Operations follow the applicable Annex 2 provisions, Indian rules, airspace permissions and operational conditions. The remote pilot must preserve separation, comply with airspace restrictions and be able to manage loss of command-and-control link under the approved procedure.
Avoidance of Collisions
Nothing in the rules relieves the pilot-in-command from taking the action that best avoids collision. That includes action in response to an airborne collision-avoidance-system resolution advisory. A pilot entitled to right-of-way maintains heading and speed but remains ready to act if the other aircraft does not comply.
Proximity
An aircraft must not be operated so close to another aircraft as to create a collision hazard. The aircraft required to give way avoids passing over, under or ahead of the other unless well clear, and allows for wake turbulence.
| Formation responsibility | Required control |
|---|---|
| Before flight | Every pilot-in-command agrees the formation plan, roles, joining and breakaway. |
| In controlled airspace | The formation follows the conditions prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority. |
| Navigation and reporting | The formation is treated as a single aircraft. |
| Internal separation | The leader and members are responsible, including during transitions. |
| Maximum displacement | 1 km or 0.5 NM laterally and longitudinally, and 30 m or 100 ft vertically from the leader. |
Right-of-way in flight
Right-of-way rules make reactions predictable. First identify the geometry, then identify any different aircraft category or special condition, and finally make the required avoiding action while remaining well clear.
Right-of-way
The aircraft with right-of-way maintains heading and speed. The aircraft that must give way avoids passing over, under or ahead of the other and remains well clear. Wake turbulence is considered as part of the avoiding action.
| Encounter | Aircraft with priority | Action by the aircraft giving way |
|---|---|---|
| Approaching Head-on | Neither aircraft has priority. | Each alters heading to the right. |
| Converging at approximately the same level | The aircraft that sees the other on its left. | The aircraft with the other on its right gives way, normally by turning right and passing behind. |
| Overtaking | The aircraft being overtaken. | The overtaking aircraft alters heading to the right and remains clear until entirely past. |
| Landing or final approach | The aircraft landing or in the final stage of approach. | Other aircraft in flight, on the ground or on water give way. |
| Two aircraft approaching to land | Normally the lower aircraft. | The higher aircraft gives way, but the lower aircraft may not cut in front of an aircraft already on final. |
| Emergency Landing | An aircraft known to be compelled to land. | Every aware aircraft gives way. |
| Taking Off | An aircraft taking off or about to take off. | Taxiing aircraft give way. |
Priority between unlike aircraft
A power-driven heavier-than-air aircraft gives way to airships, gliders and balloons. An airship gives way to gliders and balloons. A glider gives way to balloons. A power-driven aircraft gives way to an aircraft seen towing another aircraft or object.
Overtaking sector
An overtaking aircraft approaches from behind on a line forming an angle of less than 70 degrees with the plane of symmetry of the aircraft ahead. At night, it would be unable to see either the red port or green starboard navigation light and would normally see the white rear light. The overtaking aircraft remains responsible whether climbing, descending or level.
Surface movement, aerodrome vicinity and simulated flight
The same predictable geometry applies on the ground, but the consequences of a runway conflict are severe. Holding-position, stop-bar and tower instructions therefore sit above ordinary taxi convenience.
Surface Movement of Aircraft
| Taxi conflict | Rule |
|---|---|
| Head-on or approximately head-on | Both stop or, where practicable, alter course to the right to keep well clear. |
| Converging | The aircraft that has the other on its right gives way. |
| Overtaking | The aircraft being overtaken has right-of-way. The overtaking aircraft keeps well clear. |
| Runway-holding position | Stop and hold unless the aerodrome control tower authorises otherwise. |
| Lighted stop bar | Stop and hold. Proceed only when the lights are switched off and the required clearance exists. |
Operation on and in the vicinity of an aerodrome
An aircraft observes other aerodrome traffic, conforms with or avoids the established traffic pattern, makes turns to the left when approaching to land or after take-off unless instructed otherwise, and lands and takes off into wind unless safety, runway configuration or traffic makes another direction preferable.
At a controlled aerodrome, the pilot-in-command maintains a listening watch on the tower frequency unless under another service. If radio watch is not possible, the pilot watches for visual instructions. Radio or visual authorisation is obtained before any manoeuvre preparatory to or associated with taxiing, landing or take-off.
Simulated Instrument Flights
Simulated instrument flight requires fully functioning dual controls and a qualified safety pilot at a control seat. The safety pilot must have adequate vision forward and to each side. If not, a competent observer in communication with the safety pilot must occupy a position whose field of view adequately supplements it.
Take-off protection
An aircraft taxiing on the manoeuvring area gives way to an aircraft taking off or about to take off. A route or taxi clearance does not override the runway-holding rule or a lit stop bar.
Lights to be displayed by aircraft
Aircraft lights communicate presence, relative path, movement and engine status. Their purpose is defeated when another light can be mistaken for a navigation or anti-collision signal.
Lights to be displayed by aircraft
| Situation | Required display |
|---|---|
| Aircraft in flight from sunset to sunrise | Anti-collision lights to attract attention and navigation lights to show relative path. Do not display other lights that could be mistaken for them. |
| Aircraft moving on an aerodrome movement area from sunset to sunrise | Navigation lights showing relative path, plus attention lights as required. |
| Stationary aircraft on the movement area from sunset to sunrise | Lights indicating the extremities of the structure unless the aircraft is stationary and otherwise adequately illuminated. |
| Aircraft operating on the movement area | Lights intended to attract attention to the aircraft. |
| Aircraft on the movement area with engines running | Lights indicating that fact, normally the anti-collision light. |
| Aircraft fitted with anti-collision lights | Display them outside the sunset-to-sunrise period as well, both in flight and while operating on the movement area. |
Navigation-light meaning
Red is shown on the left, or port, side; green on the right, or starboard, side; and white to the rear. This pattern lets another pilot infer relative aspect at night. The anti-collision system attracts attention but does not describe the aircraft's track by itself.
Permitted reduction of flashing lights
A pilot may switch off or reduce the intensity of a flashing light when it adversely affects satisfactory performance of duties or subjects an outside observer to harmful dazzle. This limited safety discretion does not permit routine non-use.
Cruising levels and special-use airspace
Direction-based levels reduce head-on conflict between cruising aircraft. India uses the semicircular system, with the aircraft's magnetic track deciding whether the eastbound or westbound column applies.
Semicircular cruising levels used in India
| Magnetic track | IFR levels | VFR levels | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 000 degrees to 179 degrees | Odd thousands below RVSM transition, then the published odd-direction flight levels. | Odd thousands plus 500 ft where VFR cruising levels apply. | IFR FL 050, FL 070, FL 090; VFR FL 055, FL 075, FL 095. |
| 180 degrees to 359 degrees | Even thousands below RVSM transition, then the published even-direction flight levels. | Even thousands plus 500 ft where VFR cruising levels apply. | IFR FL 040, FL 060, FL 080; VFR FL 045, FL 065, FL 085. |
In RVSM airspace from FL 290 through FL 410 inclusive, 1,000 ft vertical separation permits the directional sequence to continue at each thousand-foot flight level. Above FL 410, the modified table uses the larger separation prescribed for that airspace. ATC clearance or published regional procedure can assign a different level.
Quadrantal system recognition
| Track sector | Traditional quadrantal pattern |
|---|---|
| 000 degrees to 089 degrees | Odd thousands. |
| 090 degrees to 179 degrees | Odd thousands plus 500 ft. |
| 180 degrees to 269 degrees | Even thousands. |
| 270 degrees to 359 degrees | Even thousands plus 500 ft. |
The quadrantal pattern is included for recognition because it appears in older study material. The Bali table for India is semicircular, divided into 000 to 179 degrees and 180 to 359 degrees.
Prohibited, Restricted and Danger Areas
| Area | Meaning | Pilot action |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibited area, VI P | Flight is prohibited for the published reason and period. | Do not enter. |
| Restricted area, VI R | Flight is restricted under published conditions. | Enter only when every stated condition and permission is satisfied. |
| Danger area, VI D | Activities dangerous to aircraft may exist during published times. | Avoid or assess and comply with the published information and ATS instructions. |
A series of ground projectiles discharged at 10-second intervals, each bursting into red and green lights or stars, warns an unauthorised aircraft that it is flying in or about to enter a prohibited, restricted or danger area. The pilot takes the necessary remedial action immediately.