Magic Weapon Caster Levels and bonuses

[Mars Ultor]

The Wizard turns 5th level and takes the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat and learns Fireball so he can make a +1 Flaming Burst longsword. He's of sufficient level to qualify for the feat and spell and the +1 enchantment bonus, but does he have to be three-times the level of the enchantment bonus and the Special Ability Bonus? A +1 Flaming Burst weapon would have a combined "cost" bonus of +3, would the Wizard need to be 9th-level to make that weapon?

Now the Wizard is 15th level and decides to make +1 Flaming Burst weapon. Regardless of which bonuses count, his caster level exceeds the requirements. Does his current caster level count for the CL of the weapon, or is it the requirements to make the weapon?

Can a 15th-level Wizard make a basic +1 sword that's CL 15 or is a +1 weapon CL 5* regardless of who makes it?

(*Prerequisite 3rd level for the enhancement bonus, but 5th level for the feat)

[tyckspoon]

Creating a magic weapon has a special prerequisite: The creator’s caster level must be at least three times the enhancement bonus of the weapon. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.

There is an errata that clarifies that the default Caster Level listed on an item is -not- a prereq - it's just the caster level the item will have if you generate it in the wild without knowing anything about the creator. This line does clarify that you do not consider the + equivalent value of the special abilities, as it marks out 'enhancement bonus' as distinct from 'special abilities'; you must meet the higher of the CL required for the base enhancement level, or the prereqs given for the special ability you want to apply.

So your example +1 Flaming Burst item would have a minimum required level of 5 in order to meet Flaming Burst's spell requirement. If your crafter is higher level than this, they may always opt to apply a higher CL to the item than the minimum. Your example level 15 Wizard can make a CL 15 +1 Flaming Burst sword if they desire (and there is usually no reason not to, as it makes the item more resistant to Dispels and does not affect the price/time to craft of this item class.)