[Peetwo]

A Soar Saga continues - 

Via the Oz:

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ATSB probes most recent student crash at Soar Aviation



An investigation has been launched into the crash of a light aircraft during a solo training flight by a student of Soar Aviation at Moorabbin in Victoria on Thursday morning.

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Bristell S-LSA aircraft was making a final approach for a touch and go landing which involves coming in to land then taking off again.

Instead, the plane pitched up and yawed steeply, crashing into the ground and flipping on to its bubble canopy, trapping the pilot inside.

The pilot suffered multiple fractures and had to be cut from the aircraft by paramedics. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition. The aircraft was substantially damaged.

The Australian understands another scheduled flight training session at Soar was cancelled because of unsuitable weather conditions.

At the time of the crash, just before 10am on Thursday the winds were between 10 and 12 knots, with a 12 knot crosswind.

As part of its investigation, the ATSB will examine the crash site and the aircraft wreckage, interview air traffic control and other relevant personnel and conduct data recovery.

Another crash involving a Soar student pilot and training instructor remains under investigation by the ATSB.

In that incident near Stawell on October 5, 2018, the student was left a paraplegic.

Soar was recently forced to suspend flight training for students of Box Hill Institute after its joint commercial pilot licence course with the TAFE college was audited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority.

A number of former Soar students are pursuing the flight training school in the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal, seeking a refund of their fees.

They claim their flight training was inappropriate and they were charged excessively with little to show for it.

Comment has been sought from Soar owner Neel Khokhani and Box Hill.

The ATSB expects to deliver its final report on Thursday morning's crash by mid-2020.

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Hmm...remind me is Soar Aviation a Part 141 or Part 142 operation? 



And also Alphabet related...

Via the Oz:

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Worker shortage adding to industrial disputes



Industrial action is likely to become a hallmark of the aviation industry as the shortage of skilled workers such as pilots and engineers becomes more critical, the group representing international airlines has warned.

The International Air Transport Association’s global media day in Geneva heard airlines were facing considerable challenges on the labour front with unemployment at record lows in some countries.

It came as Jetstar raced to reaccommodate passengers after cancelling 90 flights ahead of four-hour strikes by pilots this weekend.

IATA chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said labour relations had been an issue for many airlines over the past couple of years and there was no indication that was about to change.

“Labour markets are very tight, and unionised labour forces have a fair bit of market power,” Mr de Juniac said.

“They’re looking back at the profits airlines have earned in recent years and are demanding their members get their share. I think that will continue to be an issue until we get a recession, which we are not expecting.”

Despite the recent airline profitability, the conference was told 2019 was not as prosperous as ­expected. Mr de Juniac said economic performance was weaker than anticipated and, of more than 200 airlines, only “20 or 30” were keeping the industry in the black. “There’s a long tail of airlines that are still just about breaking even, and haven’t really seen much improvement in the last 10 years, and we’ve seen a series of bankruptcies mostly in Europe,” he said.

Trade wars, geopolitical tensions and continuing uncertainty over Brexit were blamed for a tougher than anticipated business environment for airlines, as well as the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Despite the IATA representing only 0.5 per cent of the global fleet, the association’s chief economist, Brian Pearce, said a number of airlines were unable to put on the services they wanted to, and connectivity suffered.

“As a result consumers suffered, and businesses suffered because they didn’t get the results they hoped,” Mr Pearce said. “Some airlines managed to bring aircraft out of storage and extend the lives of aircraft that are clearly less fuel efficient and that has damaged profitability.”

IATA senior vice-president of safety and flight operations Gilberto Lopez Meyer said the best way forward for the 737 MAX was a co-ordinated return to service.

“The public needs confidence in the integrity of the aircraft and there should be no suggestions (some states) don’t agree with the aircraft,” he said.

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Plus via AOPA Oz:

AIRPORT PRIVATISATION DOGFIGHT: AIRLINES CALLING OUT GOVERNMENT INACTION
December 12, 2019 By Benjamin Morgan

Australia's airline industry is hitting back at the destructive impacts of airport privatistion on both the aviaiton industry and broader economy.



Press Release, 11th December 2019:  A4ANZ – Airport disputes to worsen, hurt economic growth, as Government passes on the opportunity for reform

Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ) today said that the Government’s refusal to act on the worsening behavior of Australia’s monopoly airports and their super profits would lead to more disputes, court action and hurt the wider Australian economy in 2020.

Commenting on the joint statement from the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer in response to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into the Economic Regulation of Airports Final Report, A4ANZ Chairman Professor Graeme Samuel AC, said, “By saying the ACCC need to monitor the airports more, the Government is admitting there is a problem. Yet they have squibbed the chance to actually do something about it for the Australian traveling public.”

“This is despite the Government having a solution in front of them; the modest, evidence-based reforms proposed by the ACCC, which would see the introduction of an independent umpire to resolve disputes between airports and their customers, improving efficiency and delivering benefits to consumers and the economy.”

“The Government must urgently rethink this, because Australia’s airlines and airport users face significantly increasing costs that will lead to more disputes like the multi-year court case where Perth Airport is suing Qantas to extract monopoly rent.”

Prof Samuel said “Three successive chairs of the ACCC – reflecting their experience of nearly two decades – have consistently said that monitoring of monopolies is useless and real change is needed, not just the collection of more data. Airlines, other airport users and Australian travellers don’t want this situation to continue either; 82% of consumers polled expected Government to make genuine changes. But where is the consumer in the Government’s response? Complaints about prices and service standards at our airports have obviously fallen on deaf ears. My advice to those who have a complaint over their airport experience, is to direct it to the Government. The airlines, together with a coalition of airport users, tried to have common sense applied in the interests of their customers, but the consumer has been ignored by Government.”

“This decision to endorse the recommendations of the widely-criticised PC Report is staggering. We are concerned that a decision to pass on the opportunity for any real reform is based on false assertions by airport lobbyists about the timing, costs, and consideration of competition and consumer interests.”

A4ANZ CEO, Dr Alison Roberts said, “Today’s announcement places the Government squarely on the side of monopoly airport operators and their investors. There is no other monopoly infrastructure in Australia which is exempt from processes to protect consumers against the exercise of market power. The Government’s response does nothing to ensure our airports can be the best and fairest in the world – simply the most profitable.”

“Australians now need to be prepared to accept that the next 5 years will deliver:
•airports continuing to slug passengers at every stage of the journey, from car parking (with 70% profit margins), $4 trolleys, outrageously expensive food and drinks, to the taxi fee (increased by nearly 300% in 2 years) or rental car surcharge;
•airports emboldened by the Government’s response – as we saw after the PC’s draft report’s release – to demand unreasonable terms in negotiations with airlines and other airport users, or embark on legal action;
•airports profiteering from the implementation of Government – mandated security measures;
•more costly and productivity-sapping disputes between airlines and airports; and
•more cases of expensive, inefficient and ineffective litigation through the courts to resolve these disputes.”

Prof Samuel said, “This announcement comes the same day that Perth Airport vs Qantas was heard in court for the first time, nearly one year after negotiations broke down, halting new routes and economic growth. This surely cannot be the Government’s preferred policy approach. There will certainly be an increase in litigation as the only means of resolving disputes, and this is what harms investment and creates negative outcomes for the community. Why the government would choose this course of action rather than the ACCC’s sensible proposal for an independent commercial arbitration that has been shown to work well in other sectors, defies commonsense. Why should airports be protected, and consumers have to pay the price?”

“As we are acutely aware at this time of year, air travel is a fundamental part of the Australian way of life. The aviation industry is essential to the economy, contributing over $100 billion and supporting over 700,000 jobs. This issue is too important to simply ignore. Faced with no option but more disputes and litigation, we will continue to work closely with the consumer watchdog – the ACCC, other airport users and Australian travellers, towards achieving the necessary reforms in any way we can. This will allow consumers to access more competitive fares, greater choice, and improved connections across Australia and the world.”

MTF...P2