Red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side. The colors represent the elements of earth, water, and fire. Black stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people. White symbolizes the sea surrounding the islands, the purity of the country’s aspirations, and equality. Red symbolizes the warmth and energy of the sun, the vitality of the land, and the courage and friendliness of its people.

Flag courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Map courtesy of CIA World Factbook

Google Earth

Trinidad and Tobago is a major nesting site for Leatherback Turtles.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Government

According to Britannica, the first constitution of independent Trinidad and Tobago, promulgated as a British Order in Council (1962), provided for a governor-general appointed by the British monarch, a cabinet, and a bicameral Parliament, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Under the constitution adopted in 1976, Trinidad and Tobago is a republic. The head of state is the president, who is elected by the Parliament; the prime minister is the head of government. The president appoints the prime minister from the House of Representatives—almost always the leader of the majority party.

The members of the House of Representatives are elected by universal adult suffrage every five years; the members of the Senate are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and the minority party leader, except for a number of independent senators appointed at the president’s sole discretion. Senators serve until the dissolution of Parliament or upon the request of the president that they vacate office. The voting age is 18.

Since 1980 Tobago has had a separate House of Assembly consisting of 12 members elected by district at a primary election, four appointed councillors, and a presiding officer, who may or may not be a member of the assembly. In January 1987 Tobago was granted full internal self-government, insofar as such self-government does not conflict with the unitary state as provided by the constitution. The legislation provides for a measure of devolution of executive powers in areas such as revenue raising and collection, agriculture, industry, tourism, environmental conservation, and social services.

Trinidad is divided into 14 local government authorities: 2 city councils (Port of Spain and San Fernando), 3 borough councils (Arima, Chaguanas, and Point Fortin), and 9 counties.

Civil / National Aviation Authority (CAA/NAA)

The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (“the Authority”) was established by the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority Act, No. 33 of 2000.  This Act was replaced by the Civil Aviation Act, No. 11 of 2001 (the “Act”), which came into effect on November 01, 2001.

The primary functions of the Authority are:

(1) To maintain a standard of safety and efficiency in the Civil Aviation system that is at least equal to the standard of safety prescribed by the Chicago Convention and any other Aviation convention, agreement or understanding to which Trinidad and Tobago is a party;

(2) To regulate, in accordance with the Act or other written law: –

A. Civil Aviation operations in Trinidad and Tobago

B. The operation of Trinidad and Tobago aircraft

C. The operation of maintenance organizations in respect of aircraft on the Trinidad and Tobago register

(3) To provide an adequate system of air traffic services in the Piarco Flight Information Region  and such other airspace as may be the subject of a treaty or an agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and any other State or organization;

(4) To carry out an investigation of any aircraft accident occurring in or over Trinidad and Tobago or in relation to any Trinidad and Tobago aircraft; and

(5) The development of Civil Aviation and the maintenance of a Civil Aviation system that is consistent with national security policy.

The TTCAA is comprised of four (4) main divisions:

1. Office of the Director General

2. Air Navigation Services

3. Safety Regulation

4. Corporate Services

Airspace

SkyVector – Google Maps – ADS-B Exchange

ICAO countries publish an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). This document is divided into three parts: General (GEN), En Route (ENR) and Aerodromes (AD). ENR 1.4 details the types of airspace classes they chose to adopt from classes A through G. Trinidad and Tobago AIP (you need a user name and password)

Drone Regulations

Drone Laws

The term ‘Unmanned Aircraft (UA)’ refers to an aircraft (or drone) without an on-board human pilot while an ‘Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)’ refers to the actual aircraft together with its associated components such as a ground control station and the communication data link. This UAS is also known as a ‘Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS)’. The UAS originated to serve as a tool within a country’s military arsenal however it has been adapted for civil use – within the last 15 years, the number of UAS and type of uses grew exponentially. Trinidad and Tobago has also experienced this growth.

In 2015, the TTCAA was tasked with providing an oversight on the use of UAS in Trinidad and Tobago. Consequently, there was the drafting and implementation of laws, regulations and guidelines to achieve such task. In 2016, the Civil Aviation [(No. 19) Unmanned Aircraft Systems] Regulations were passed by Parliament and pertinent regulatory oversight of these UAS began.

The TTCAA began offering the following UAS services;

UAS Registration – This registration is based on the characteristics of the UAS, particularly the weight and the speed of the UAS. It is mandatory for all UAS with a maximum take- off mass (MTOM) of 750g or more and a speed of 40m per second or more to be registered. It is optional to register a Category 1 (a UAS weighing less than 750). Sometimes, the UAS may be registered based on its intended use or type of operator. All foreign operators are required to meet with the TTCAA prior to any recreational or commercial operations in T&T. The registration process consist of attending a virtual webinar and completing a fillable form. For more information, contact us at drones@caa.gov.tt; and

UAS Approval – Prior to conducting any operation that is in violation of the Civil Aviation [(No. 19) Unmanned Aircraft Systems] Regulations or activities that are deemed ‘commercial operations’, the UAS operator is required to seek approval from the TTCAA and all other necessary Governmental and non-Government stakeholders. For example, operating in No Fly Zones (NFZ), operating over persons, public property etc. This Request for Approval shall be accompanied by a letter consisting of the details of the operations – coordinates/location, time, duration, altitude etc. As well as a Letter of Indemnity and Proof of Insurance. For more information, contact us at drones@caa.gov.tt.

If there are any additional, comments, concerns and queries, please feel free to reach out. If you are ready to fly, be sure to visit No Fly Zones Webmap to determine whether your operations will fall within a No Fly Zone.

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Regulations & Policies

None found by the author.

However, should you, the reader, happen to stumble across something to the contrary, please email the author at FISHE5CA@erau.edu and you may be mentioned in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this book by way of thanks for contributing to this free eBook!

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) News

None found by the author.

However, should you, the reader, happen to stumble across something to the contrary, please email the author at FISHE5CA@erau.edu and you may be mentioned in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this book by way of thanks for contributing to this free eBook!

Short Essay Questions