[Peetwo]

Up OARs - Part II   




According to Hitch in last week's weekly wrap the CASA OAR have stealthily & cynically white-anted the effective historical conduit with industry i.e the RAPACs - : The Last Minute Hitch: 27 November 2015

Who's heard of RAPACs? These are the Regional Airspace Procedures and Advisory Committees, and there is one in your state. What they do is advise the Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) on matters of airspace usage in the local areas. RAPACs are a way of getting the users heard in the OAR, but now it seems the OAR no longer wants to listen. What they've done is attempt to redefine the RAPACs to limit them to safety issues. That conveniently silences them over things like radio frequencies ... coincidentally (or not) a current topic being shuttle-cocked between Canberra and the aviation community. Happliy, CASA has announced a review of the OAR and the way it functions. Needless to say, those pesky RAPACs have made an inconvenience of themselves in their submission. If anyone in the aviation community wants to do the same, the details of the review and how to submit are on the CASA website.

Surprisingly the soon to be ASA spin-meister Creepy has more on this story; plus some heavily sceptical commentary from industry stakeholder reps, on Skidmore's latest spin & bulldust rhetoric on the CASA executive restructure etc... : 

Regional airline groups furious over CASA reforms

• Steve Creedy
  
• The Australian
  
• December 4, 2015 12:00AM
  
  

Regional members are worried that aircraft operating into uncharted airports will need to use the VHF area frequency, Picture: Mitch Bear

The aviation regulator came under renewed attack this week as members of regional airspace councils revealed they had written to Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss to express their anger at the lack of consultation by the authority’s Office of Airspace Review.

The letter, signed by the members or conveners of Regional Airspace and Procedures Advisory Committees (RAPACs) around Australia, came as some industry groups expressed scepticism about a restructuring announcement last week by Civil Aviation Safety Authority boss Mark Skidmore.

Noting they were members of industry’s longest established consultative forums, RAPAC representatives signing the letter said they had sent it because they did not believe a critical response submitted directly to the OAR “would ever see the light of day’’.

The RAPACs are particularly concerned about changes that mean aircraft operating into uncharted airports where there is no discrete common traffic advisory frequency must now use the VHF area frequency also used by en-route air traffic controllers to talk to airlines flying at high levels.

They worry about the potential added frequency congestion and jamming on the area VHF due to broadcasts from a large number of non-charted aerodromes underneath commercial aircraft flight paths and have also expressed concerns about procedures under the amendment.

The letter accused the OAR of attempting to frustrate attempts to discuss the issue at some state ­RAPACs and of trying to limit the influence of the consultative groups. It said the concerns of RAPAC members remained ­unaddressed.

“Over the last 18 months a serious gulf of mistrust has developed between the RAPACs and management of the OAR due firstly, to a reluctance by OAR management to consult with stakeholders and, secondly, an attempt, regarded by many as deceitful, to limit the scope of the RAPACs,’’ it said.

“Lack of consultation for at least the past 15 months the RAPACs have made many attempts to convey to CASA through the OAR, their concerns about three unintended consequences of a change in communications in G airspace via Aeronautical Information Package amendment number 75 which was made, apparently, without any stakeholder consultation.’’

The relationship further deteriorated in August when CASA was accused of trying to revise the RAPAC terms of reference without prior notice to members.

The letter said an email sent to 11 industry conveners allowed just 16 days for comment and claimed that the role of the groups would be unchanged.

“This immediately raised suspicion and, on close inspection, it was discovered that the above statement was incorrect and that proposal, in fact, had changed the RAPAC role considerably,’’ it said. “In summary therefore, it would be difficult to imagine a management less suited to an open constructive and effective stakeholder relationship than the current leadership of the OAR.’’

The RAPAC concerns come as CASA is heading towards a restructure and is grappling with rising anger about the need to fix flawed regulatory reforms. It also faces criticism about the pace at which it has adopted recommendations by the Aviation Safety Regulation Review chaired by industry veteran David Forsyth.

The restructure is due to take place by the middle of next year and will collapse six existing operational groups into three under the broader headings of stakeholder engagement, aviation and sustainability.

In addition to the restructure, Mr Skidmore recently announced the appointment of a 26-member task force to work fulltime on addressing problems with rule changes and set up an advisory panel, due to meet on December 16, representing key aviation groups.

The restructure announcement was cautiously welcomed by industry but there was criticism about the lack of detail.

Australian Helicopter Industry Association president Peter Crook said the association welcomed the restructure “subject to there being tangible and workable outcomes’’. The AHIA has told members to withdraw applications for new training credentials under the new system until problems are fixed.

“Because of the slow pace of the Regulatory Reform process, confidence in CASA is at a very low level,’’ Mr Crook said. “Over the past two years the AHIA and other Associations, individually and collectively via The Australian Aviation Associations Forum, have identified the major issues and concerns of the industry. We have given reasons why these concerns exist and offered potential solutions. Little or no action has been taken on these suggestions.’’ - Yep Pete, Skidmore is all talk no action.

Mr Crook said the Part 61 taskforce needed to act quickly and issues addressed as a matter of urgency. Another critic of CASA reform, The Aerial Application Association of Australia, also welcomed the restructure as a good idea but noted CASA’s problems continued.

“Poor execution — including Friday’s announcement that included no detail — poor planning and seeking to fix problems that don’t exist by imposing costs that can’t be afforded are not the way forward,’’ AAAA chief executive Phil Hurst said. “CASA continues to confuse words with actions.’’ - CF 4 Phil QOTW

Mr Hurst questioned how the Part 61 taskforce would differ from previous ineffectual efforts to fix the disputed rules and said the industry needed urgent exemptions before Christmas. There was also no movement on “discredited” flight and duty times rules or any effort to fix the damage caused to maintenance training in Aust­ralia, which he said had contributed to the closure of three apprenticeship training organisations.

“The great danger CASA is now facing — board, senior management and staff — is that a restructure will become code for delay and that the few Forsyth report recommendations being half-heartedly ticked off will be allowed to wither on the vine,’’ he said. “CASA needs real energy, leadership and action more now than ever before in recent years.” - CF 4 Phil for stating the obvious 

Several aviation organisations are preparing for the next federal election and Mr Truss on Wednesday released an update of the government’s response to the Forsyth review in which he urged industry to work with CASA.

A CASA spokesman said issues raised at RAPACs that did not ­directly relate to airspace or airways procedures were always directed to the relevant areas in the authority for review and approp­riate action. He said RAPACs were informed of the results but many issues were referred to other forums to get the view of the broader aviation community. - code for 'up yours'

The spokesman also signalled that Mr Skidmore would start a review of all CASA’s consultative mechanisms to ensure they were effective and efficient. - code for 'up yours'

In defence of plane spotters, a.k.a. ‘anoraks’
Ben Sandilands | Apr 24, 2010 11:46AM |


Schiphol Airport spotters, Amsterdam

Rumourmill: The following is from Dougy the former Editor of Aviation Business & now (judging from his new column title - Observation Deck) resident Planespotter  

..CASA’s Mark Skidmore has been quick off the mark to add some substance to the reorganisation of the regulator that he announced last week. Cheryl Allman has been appointed from within the organisation to head up the Stakeholder Engagement division, one of six direct reports to the DAS under the new structure...

So Oliver, with official Iron Ring & Murky Mandarin sanction, has made his first 'Captain's pick for the Magnificent Six...  

In some ways I can understand OST's appointment of Ms Allman, she is probably the only Executive member who remembers how to snap off a proper salute..

However given the current breakdown between industry stakeholders (i.e. the RAPACs) & the CASA OAR, I would have thought it is not a particularly good look to appoint the now former OAR executive manager to the Stakeholder Engagement Division - UFB but typical IR & MM cynicism..    

Also, courtesy the Yaffa (from new AvBiz Editor), Denise Mcnab's  1st weekly wrap..

Editor's Insights
03 Dec 2015

As 2015 hurtles to an end aviation initiatives are being rolled out or bedded down at a cracking pace, ensuring participants in this industry will enjoy a well-earned holiday break.

Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Trust told parliament this week that the implementation of the Aviation Safety Regulation Review to improve aviation safety regulations was on track and that the key going forwards was to ensure commitment from the whole range of industry people and organisations. He said shareholder engagement remained a critical part of the reform success.

First State Super and Altis Property Partners bought Sydney's Bankstown and Camden airports from BaAC Holdco, a consortium of companies, for $203m. They airports are located in what is viewed as growth corridor with billions being earmarked by government for infrastructure growth...

...In other news this week our Editor at Large, Doug Nancarrow shares some industry gongs for airlines and aviaiton journalists as well as keeping tabs on Waypoint.

 Denise McNabb

denisemcnabb@yaffa.com.au

 
Staying topical there was also this from Hitch in his weekly wrap:

As Warren Truss said in his speech to parliament, it has been a year since he delivered the government's response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review. One year since we all stood up and applauded the response that accepted 32 out of 37 recommendations. It was a seminal day in the history of aviation in Australia; the day someone with some power not only listened, but also understood. In the year since passed, that optimism has taken a bit of a beating as not a lot on the ground floor has changed. There have been improvements at Aviation House, but the benefits have yet to cascade down, meaning pessimism is starting to count the numbers for a leadership challenge to oust optimism. From my point of view, I see this as a year of preparation for the changes to come. There is a lot to be done, but we need CASA to do their homework first lest they embark ad-hoc on another caper that results in more millstone regulations. But, a year should be enough. I am expecting great change in 2016, and will likely join the howling minority if, in December next year, we aren't all a happier bunch of aviators.


Both Bankstown and Camden have been operating like ants under a magnifying glass: trying to go about their business whilst simultaneously waiting for sudden oblivion. When the company holding the leases, BAC Holdco, was put on the market, there was a slimmer of hope that a new owner would reverse what has been a downward trend in the aviation operations, particularly at Bankstown. But now it has finally been sold to new owners, it looks like nothing is set to change at all. When I opened the press release, I was harbouring foolish notions that maybe a company sympathetic to aviation had taken over, which would take an aggressive approach to making tenancy, particularly at Bankstown, sustainable. Alas, the release stated that a property developer and two superannuation companies had sold the leases to ... a property developer and a superannuation company. Insanity, said Einstein, was doing the same thing and expecting the results to be different.

Stand by for Round Two of SIDs, this time starring the Beechcraft range. The Cessna Supplemental Inspection Documents was a comprehensive invasion of old airframes for the purpose of checking for corrosion and fatigue cracks. The impact on the industry was substantial because the inspection and repair costs could easily out-weigh the value of the aeroplane. Owners had some tough decisions to make. Now it's the turn of Beechcraft, but this time the inspection schedules shouldn't be as onerous. Cessna, I am told, had virtually no data on the state of their ageing fleet, but through the various Bonanza societies around the world, there is a stockpile of research and information about the effects of ageing. That should enable the manufacturers to create a more targeted SIDs program, which should be more workable than the approach taken for the Cessna program. However, we'll have to wait on our hands until the documents are ready for industry consumption.

MTF..P2