Picture a club with a Cessna 172 on the VH register and an RA-Aus two-seater parked beside it. They share a hangar, a fuel bowser and a booking sheet, and it's tempting to give them one set of pilot rules too. Don't. The RA-Aus aircraft needs an RA-Aus pilot certificate, current RA-Aus membership and recent landings in that type. The VH aircraft needs a CASA licence, a Part 61 flight review and recent landings in the same category. Set one rule for both and sooner or later the wrong member books one of them.
This guide covers the Australian rules as published on 9 November 2026: the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR), Civil Aviation Order (CAO) 95.55 and the RA-Aus Flight Operations Manual (FOM). Here they are side by side, before we get into the detail.
RA-Aus and VH requirements side by side#
| Requirement | RA-Aus aircraft | VH aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot authorisation | RA-Aus pilot certificate in the aircraft's group (CAO 95.55, paragraph 8.5) | CASA licence with the class rating (Part 61) |
| Medical | A health standard equal to a private motor vehicle driver licence, declared to RA-Aus, with a GP statement or higher evidence for listed conditions, including diabetes, epilepsy and heart disease, and from age 75 (FOM 2.16) | RPL: class 1 or 2, a recreational aviation medical practitioner's certificate lodged with and acknowledged by CASA, or a medical exemption (61.405). PPL: class 1 or 2, or a medical exemption (61.410(1)), or in a recreational aircraft such as a Cessna 172 a recreational aviation medical practitioner's certificate, with the RPL passenger rule (61.410(2) and (3)). Under CASA EX11/25, to the end of 31 January 2028, a current Basic Class 2 is accepted for both (sections 16 and 19) |
| Flight review | With an RA-Aus examiner, within two years before the day of the flight (FOM 2.07) | Valid to the end of the 24th month after the month it was done (61.745) |
| Passenger recency | 3 take-offs and landings in 90 days in the same group and type (FOM 2.07) | 3 take-offs and landings in 90 days in the same category (61.395) |
| Operations | Day VFR, below 10,000 ft, no hire or reward (CAO 95.55) | As the licence allows |
How RA-Aus and VH registration differ#
A VH aircraft is on the Australian Civil Aircraft Register and carries the nationality mark "VH" (CASR 45.010).
An RA-Aus aeroplane isn't on that register at all. It's listed with RA-Aus under CAO 95.55, and RA-Aus keeps the record and issues its identifying mark (paragraph 5.1). CAO 95.55 covers three kinds of aeroplane:
| Kind | Seats | Maximum take-off weight |
|---|---|---|
| Ultralight aeroplane | One or two | 600 kg, or 650 kg on water |
| Light sport aircraft | Two at most | 600 kg, or 650 kg on water |
| Lightweight aeroplane | One or two | Over 600 kg (650 kg on water), up to 760 kg |
So anything with more than two seats fits none of these, and can't be an RA-Aus aircraft. RA-Aus calls the lightweight category Group G. It has CASA approval for aircraft from 601 kg to 760 kg, and an aircraft able to operate above 760 kg on the manufacturer's data can't be registered with RA-Aus.
Who may fly which aircraft#
The RA-Aus aircraft needs an RA-Aus pilot certificate#
This is the one that catches CASA pilots out. CAO 95.55 paragraph 8.5 says nobody may fly an RA-Aus aeroplane as pilot in command without a pilot authorisation granted by the sport aviation body that administers it. A CASA PPL or CPL on its own doesn't count, however many hours sit behind it. A member with a CASA licence converts under FOM section 2.13. They:
- join RA-Aus and hold a Student or Converting Pilot Certificate
- do at least 5 hours of flying training (1 hour as pilot in command) in a recreational aircraft of the right group and type, if their experience is in other aircraft
- pass the RA-Aus theory exams, unless their logbook or qualifications are accepted
- pass a flight test or a flight check the CFI accepts
Once they have the certificate, FOM 2.07 lets them act as pilot in command only while their RA-Aus membership, medical, flight review and recency are all in order, in a group shown on their certificate, and with every endorsement the flight needs.
And Group G is a group of its own. RA-Aus says a Group G aircraft must not be flown on an existing Group A pilot certificate. A member checked out in the club's 600 kg aircraft isn't cleared for a 760 kg one, even if the two look much the same on the apron.
The VH aircraft needs a CASA licence#
Going the other way, a member who only holds an RA-Aus certificate can't take the VH aircraft. CASR 61.480 does give them a shorter route to a recreational pilot licence (RPL). Under it, a holder of a sport aviation body pilot certificate is taken to have passed the RPL theory exam and flight test, and to meet the requirements for the class ratings and design feature endorsements their certificate covers.
It's shorter, but it isn't nothing. They still need the flight training and the 25 hours of flight time in 61.475(2)(b) and (d), and RPL endorsements such as recreational navigation and controlled airspace aren't granted this way. A class rating granted under 61.480 also comes without a flight review, so the new RPL holder needs a CASA flight review before using it (61.745(4)). That last one is easy to miss in the excitement of a new licence.
The RPL has its own limits, separate from the RA-Aus ones. It covers single-engine, single-pilot aircraft of up to 1,500 kg maximum certificated take-off weight that aren't turbine or rocket powered, by day under the VFR, in private operations or flight training (61.460). Without a recreational navigation endorsement, the pilot must stay within 25 nautical miles of the departure aerodrome, a flight training area or the direct route between them (61.470(1)).
Medicals and passengers#
On a mixed fleet the medical decides more than whether a member may fly. It also decides how many seats they can fill in the four-seater. An RPL holder may carry more than one passenger only with a class 1 or 2 medical, or with a second pilot on board who holds one (61.465(2)). A Basic Class 2 holder is exempt from that rule but has to meet the passenger conditions in EX11/25 instead. The recreational aviation medical practitioner's certificate is current for 24 months, or 12 months once the pilot is 65 or older (61.405(3)).
Flight reviews and recency#
The review periods are in the table above. An RA-Aus review is flown in a type similar to the one the pilot flew most as pilot in command over their last ten flights. A CASA review is flown in an aircraft of the class the rating covers (61.745(2)).
Credit between the two systems only goes one way, and this is the bit most people get wrong. RA-Aus accepts a CASA flight review or flight instructor review in a single-engine aeroplane under 1,500 kg by day VFR as an RA-Aus flight review, once the pilot sends a copy of the logbook statement to RA-Aus headquarters (FOM 2.07, paragraph 5(g)). A CASA flight test for an RPL or higher counts too (paragraph 5(e)). But regulation 61.745(3) lists what counts as a CASA flight review, and an RA-Aus flight review isn't on the list.
Recency is the other trap. Regulation 61.395 asks for 3 take-offs and 3 landings in the last 90 days in an aircraft of the same category, each take-off followed by a climb to at least 500 ft AGL. FOM 2.07 paragraph 6 asks for the same number in the same group, type and design features. So a member who flew the Cessna last weekend can take a friend in it today. If their last flight in the RA-Aus type was four months ago, they can fly that one solo, but they must do three take-offs and landings in it before they carry anyone.
Operating limits on the RA-Aus aircraft#
CAO 95.55 puts conditions on every RA-Aus aeroplane that don't apply to a VH aircraft.
It flies day VFR only, below 10,000 ft. Paragraph 9.1 limits flights to VMC under the VFR, during daylight hours, and below 10,000 ft above mean sea level. At or above 5,000 ft the aircraft needs a serviceable radio and a pilot qualified to use it.
It can't carry passengers or cargo for hire or reward (paragraph 8.3). Paragraph 8.4 limits its use to the purposes it lists, which are mainly private operations and certain flying training.
Controlled airspace is limited too. The default is Class E or G airspace (paragraph 9.1(j)). Since 15 May 2026, section 9A has allowed a controlled aerodrome, Class A to D airspace or a restricted area, but only when the aircraft, its equipment and the pilot's medical, English proficiency and licence or endorsement all meet the conditions in the CAO 95.55 Amendment Instrument 2026.
If your club is based at a Class D aerodrome, we'd check each of those conditions against the member and the aircraft before you open the aircraft to bookings. One more date for the committee diary: CAO 95.55 itself is due to be repealed at the end of 1 December 2027 (section 3), so check its replacement before relying on these paragraph numbers after that date.
A worked example#
Say a member wants to fly on Saturday 14 November 2026. The club has a VH-registered Cessna 172 and an RA-Aus Group A two-seater, and the member holds:
- an RA-Aus Group A pilot certificate with passenger and cross-country endorsements, and an RA-Aus medical declaration on file
- an RPL granted under 61.480 and a CASA class 2 medical
- a CASA flight review in the Cessna, completed on 20 March 2026, sent to RA-Aus as their flight review under FOM 2.07, paragraph 5(g)
On paper they look like they can fly anything on the line. Here's how each aircraft comes out.
| Check | Cessna 172 (VH) | RA-Aus two-seater |
|---|---|---|
| Authorisation | RPL, aeroplane class rating | Group A pilot certificate |
| Flight review | Valid to 31 March 2028 (end of the 24th month after March 2026) | Valid for flights up to 20 March 2028 (within two years before the day of the flight) |
| Medical | Class 2: passengers allowed | RA-Aus declaration on file |
| Passenger recency | Three take-offs and landings in the Cessna on 31 October 2026: current | Last flight in this type on 9 July 2026, 128 days earlier: lapsed |
The member can take two friends in the Cessna. In the RA-Aus aircraft they can fly solo, but they need three take-offs and landings in that type before they carry a passenger in it. A club with one recency rule for the whole fleet would get one of those answers wrong, and it would probably be the one with a passenger in it.
Keeping the club's records#
Hold the evidence once, against the member: RA-Aus membership and renewal date, the RA-Aus certificate with its groups and endorsements, any CASA licence with its ratings, the medical type and expiry, and the date of each flight review. Record review dates rather than expiries, because the two systems count validity differently. Keep RA-Aus type recency separate from CASA recency. If your system can't count landings by type, use a type checkout instead and write down that it's a club rule. Booking rules for licences, medicals and recent flying covers the general method.
Setting this up in Volanti#
Volanti puts the restrictions on each aircraft, checks them when a member books, and blocks a booking that doesn't meet them. Member management records licences and ratings with their expiry and a photo of the licence, and medical certificates with their expiry, including classes that don't expire. Club staff enter them; pilots will be able to upload their own licences and medicals Coming soon.
For the mixed fleet above, we'd use three kinds of rule.
- Licence and medical are direct rules on each aircraft, set to the licence and medical each aircraft needs.
- Flight reviews, RA-Aus membership and the Group G checkout work as user groups: RA-Aus members whose membership and flight review are current, CASA pilots with a current flight review, and Group G checkouts, with each aircraft restricted to the groups it needs. Whoever receives RA-Aus renewal notices and flight review logbook entries should update the groups the same day.
- Recent flying can be a minimum of recent hours. That counts hours rather than take-offs and landings, so for RA-Aus type recency keep a current-on-type group as well, and treat the pilot's logbook as the record.
Then a member who's current for the Cessna but not the two-seater can book one and is blocked from the other, without anyone on the committee having to remember. See how Volanti runs a flying club, and the full set of restriction rules on booking and scheduling.