ENGLISH

FOREWORD

Historical background

Standards and Recommended Practices relating to meteorology were first adopted by the Council on 16 April 1948, pursuant to the provisions of Article 37 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944), and designated as Annex 3 to the Convention with the title Standards and Recommended Practices — Meteorological Codes. The Standards and Recommended Practices were based on recommendations of the Special Session of the Meteorology Division, held in September 1947.

Table A shows the origin of subsequent amendments, together with a list of the principal subjects involved and the dates on which the Annex and the amendments were adopted or approved by the Council, when they became effective and when they became applicable.

Action by Contracting States

Notification of differences. The attention of Contracting States is drawn to the obligation imposed by Article 38 of the Convention by which Contracting States are required to notify the Organization of any differences between their national regulations and practices and the International Standards contained in this Annex and any amendments thereto. Contracting States are invited to extend such notification to any differences from the Recommended Practices contained in this Annex, and any amendments thereto, when the notification of such differences is important for the safety of air navigation. Further, Contracting States are invited to keep the Organization currently informed of any differences which may subsequently occur, or of the withdrawal of any differences previously notified. A specific request for notification of differences will be sent to Contracting States immediately after the adoption of each amendment to this Annex.

Attention of States is also drawn to the provisions of Annex 15 related to the publication of differences between their national regulations and practices and the related ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices through the Aeronautical Information Service, in addition to the obligation of States under Article 38 of the Convention.

Promulgation of information. The establishment and withdrawal of and changes to facilities, services and procedures affecting aircraft operations provided in accordance with the Standards and Recommended Practices specified in this Annex should be notified and take effect in accordance with the provisions of Annex 15.

Use of the text of the Annex in national regulations. The Council, on 13 April 1948, adopted a resolution inviting the attention of Contracting States to the desirability of using in their own national regulations, as far as is practicable, the precise language of those ICAO Standards that are of a regulatory character and also of indicating departures from the Standards, including any additional national regulations that are important for the safety or regularity of air navigation. Wherever possible, the provisions of this Annex have been written in such a way as would facilitate incorporation, without major textual changes, into national legislation.

Status of Annex components

An Annex is made up of the following component parts, not all of which, however, are necessarily found in every Annex; they have the status indicated:

— Material comprising the Annex proper:

a) Standards and Recommended Practices adopted by the Council under the provisions of the Convention. They are defined as follows:

Standard: Any specification for physical characteristics, configuration, matériel, performance, personnel or procedure, the uniform application of which is recognized as necessary for the safety or regularity of international air navigation and to which Contracting States will conform in accordance with the Convention; in the event of impossibility of compliance, notification to the Council is compulsory under Article 38.

Recommended Practice: Any specification for physical characteristics, configuration, matériel, performance, personnel or procedure, the uniform application of which is recognized as desirable in the interest of safety, regularity or efficiency of international air navigation, and to which Contracting States will endeavour to conform in accordance with the Convention.

b) Appendices comprising material grouped separately for convenience but forming part of the Standards and Recommended Practices adopted by the Council.

c) Definitions of terms used in the Standards and Recommended Practices which are not self-explanatory in that they do not have accepted dictionary meanings. A definition does not have independent status but is an essential part of each Standard and Recommended Practice in which the term is used, since a change in the meaning of the term would affect the specification.

d) Tables and Figures which add to or illustrate a Standard or Recommended Practice and which are referred to therein, form part of the associated Standard or Recommended Practice and have the same status.

— Material approved by the Council for publication in association with the Standards and Recommended Practices:

a) Forewords comprising historical and explanatory material based on the action of the Council and including an explanation of the obligations of States with regard to the application of the Standards and Recommended Practices ensuing from the Convention and the Resolution of Adoption;

b) Introductions comprising explanatory material introduced at the beginning of parts, chapters or sections of the Annex to assist in the understanding of the application of the text;

c) Notes included in the text, where appropriate, to give factual information or references bearing on the Standards or Recommended Practices in question, but not constituting part of the Standards or Recommended Practices;

d) Attachments comprising material supplementary to the Standards and Recommended Practices, or included as a guide to their application.

Selection of language

This Annex has been adopted in six languages — English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. Each Contracting State is requested to select one of those texts for the purpose of national implementation and for other effects provided for in the Convention, either through direct use or through translation into its own national language, and to notify the Organization accordingly.

Editorial practices

The following practice has been adhered to in order to indicate at a glance the status of each statement: Standards have been printed in light face roman; Recommended Practices have been printed in light face italics, the status being indicated by the prefix Recommendation; Notes have been printed in light face italics, the status being indicated by the prefix Note.

The following editorial practice has been followed in the writing of specifications: for Standards the operative verb “shall” is used, and for Recommended Practices the operative verb “should” is used.

Any reference to a portion of this document, which is identified by a number, includes all subdivisions of the portion.

In order to maintain a comprehensive edition of this Annex, the latest amendments have been consolidated in a new edition of the Annex. In so doing, provisions with particular applicability dates have been adjusted editorially, as appropriate.

Applicability

The Standards and Recommended Practices in this document govern the application of the Regional Supplementary Procedures (Doc 7030), in which document will be found statements of regional choices, where such options are permitted by this Annex.

Responsibility

In accordance with a similar provision in the Foreword to Annex 6, Part II, the responsibility which devolves upon an operator, in accordance with the provisions of Annex 3, falls upon the pilot-in-command in the case of international general aviation.

Relation to corresponding WMO publications

The regulatory material contained in Annex 3 is, except for a few minor editorial differences, identical with that appearing in the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume II — Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation, Parts I and II.

The aeronautical meteorological code forms referred to in Annex 3 are developed by the World Meteorological Organization on the basis of aeronautical requirements contained in this Annex, or stated from time to time by the Council. The aeronautical meteorological code forms are promulgated in the Manual on Codes (WMO-No. 306), Volume I — International Codes.