06-16-2021, 07:06 AM
Oh my giddy Aunt, is there no end to the governments disrespect and contempt for the aviation industry?
(06-15-2021, 11:30 AM)Peetwo Wrote: QE2 birthday GONG for St Carmodious??
Via EWH:
Ken Broomhead with a local flying instructor on a visit to North Queensland Aero Club (NQAC), where he learnt to fly in 1963. (NQAC / Facebook)
Queen's Birthday Honour for a Life in Aviation
Ken Broomhead has been awarded an OAM for services to aviation.
Quote:****
Former CASA Director of Aviation Safety and CEO Shane Carmody was today awarded a Public Service Medal (PSM) for "modernising air safety regulations and drone pilot licensing." Carmody took over as Acting DAS in 2016 and was the head of CASA full time from June 2017 to 31 December 2020.
From the former patron Saint of Aviation Safety that stated this bollocks...
Plus this:
& this...
Ref: https://auntypru.com/sbg-13-06-21-the-ti...lrus-said/
Yet another, Mick Mack supported, up yours from the Iron Ring and Can'tberra aviation safety bureaucracy - UFB!!
Quote:SHANE CARMODY AWARDED PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL FOR MODERNISING AIR SAFETY REGULATIONS
AOPA Australia invites aviation industry participants to post a comment detailing your thoughts regarding the awarding of the Public Service Medal to the former CASA Director of Aviation Safety, Mr Shane Carmody, for outstanding service to modernising air safety regulations.
Pro Aviation
I had the dubious honour of first encountering Shane P Carmody in the mid 90s when he was deputy to Bruce Byron. He was devious then and misled a few ministers including the A.G. M. Dreyfus. I suppose blatant lies is to be expected from incompetence and if that is the basis for selection then I pity any well deserving recipients. As a burorat he is cunning. As to virtually killing off General Aviation, none better, in fact outstanding . Can only hope the tram network in CB is expanded soon !
Sandy Reith
Those of us that might be termed part of the General Aviation (GA) community can be forgiven for wondering who wrote, among other such erroneous statements, such as “rebuilding of industry confidence.”
Obviously the author has not one iota of knowledge about the sorry state of GA in Australia.
David Ian Grant
Modernising regulation???? surely that is a contradiction in terms.
Mark Noble
The medal just lost all meaning!!.
Over complicating regulation and making it illegible, YES!.
CASA regulation and safety don’t go together.
James Connolly
I was amazed when I read this in the newspaper, who on earth nominated him ? Makes a mockery out of the award.
Ian Carfrae
Seriously !! The clown destroyed aviation!
Eugene Butler
You're kidding right? April was 2 months ago!
I mean I had zero patience for CAsA to begin with but now.....just wow!
Justin RC
But it’s not April Fools?
Peter Phillips
Only in Australia will you see this level of corruption! Still you need to be a criminal to get recognised that's for sure!
Quote:Pro Aviation
Peter Phillips the penal colony alive and well, entry/exit by invitation only. Rum Corp now known as public servants, unelected masters of politicians.
Quote:Lead Balloon
Folks outside the bubble will have understandable difficulty in understanding that a mere PSM speaks volumes of the governments assessment of the value of Mr Carmodys contribution. Public servants were awarded PSMs for not finding MH370, because of their untiring efforts in organising other people to look for it, unsuccessfully, at the taxpayers expense.
Its the public service equivalent of a Tenderfoot Badge in Scouts.
Mr Carmodys primary value to the government was his shameless claim, or at least his willingness not to refute the assertion, that he completed the aviation regulatory reform program.
Although the regulatory reform program has effectively been abandoned while leaving a self-licking ice cream of impenetrable complexity in its wake, governments can now say its been completed.
Paragraph377
Originally Posted by glenb
Quote:The CASA culture.
The vast majority in CASA from my own personal experience are well intentioned and professional, and you cant ask for much more than that.
No organisation will work if you cant get the staff sharing the vision of the management.
Uniquely for CASA they have a problem where the current leadership will never get the staff to share the vision, because the staff are well intentioned and professional.
They choose not to share the vision, and thats indicated in the staff survey
The main problem with CASA, or dare I say the root cause of CASAs issues is Aleck. Its been that way for 3 decades. The one constant feature through 30 years of issues, Aleck. Of course, the Government really dont care, because if they did he wouldve been gone a long long time ago. When you see wankers like Carmody rewarded by the Queen for decades of incompetence you soon see that there is no hope in reforming the Regulator. When it comes to reform nobody cares. Nobody wants to. Nobody knows how to. Nobody will.
Who knows, maybe Aleck is of the same ilk as Scotty from Marketing and he is into faith healing and he actually believes his legal hands are miraculously reforming the Regulator? He certainly speaks in tongues, sprouting legal wankery and Rhode Island language at every opportunity. Its all the same, absolute manure.
Quote:she has the mettle to do the things that are hard
Quote:that makes radio mandatory, which angried-up the glider pilots
(09-13-2021, 08:40 PM)Peetwo Wrote: RAAA - 19.1 Supplementary to submission 19
Picked up that the RRAT committee recently published the CEO of the RAAA supplementary submission (personal opinion piece) to the McDolittle WOFTAM inquiry...
See here - 19.1 Supplementary to submission 19 (PDF 2366 KB)
Extract:
Quote:...On top of this, aircraft operating costs are only going higher as they age and fuel costs go even higher, renewing aircraft is not cheap and we have seen the lifespan of GA aircraft extending beyond 40+ years. Later on we talk about CASA, but whilst ongoing costs from regulations are a small percent age of total costs of running a GA business, regulatory changes have incurred significant costs to the industry which were not fully understood by CASA and we have another big change coming soon .
I believe too much focus has been placed on CASA by GA for the cause of their woes, I believe it is time for GA to look inward for some real self-reflect ion . Some GA businesses are built from a passion or hobby, once upon a time this worked out ok, but with privatisation of airports, maintenance and fuel costs going up, our GA businesses needed to adapt. Rather than harking back to the 'good ol days' GA needs to be looking 5-10 years ahead, what will flying training look like, how will drones affect GA, how will technology change GA, should GA be looking to regional bases??
There are IMO some reasonable points and recommendations made. However I find it passing strange that this submission, written on behalf of some fairly high profile operators and airlines (eg Rex, Alliance), would appear to be the sole considered opinion of the new CEO of the RAAA Steven Campbell??
I also believe there is a weighted perception of a 'conflict of interest' that questions the independence and veracity of this individual to give unbiased, credible opinion to the RRAT committee??
Ref: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-campb...bdomain=au
Quote:Airservices Australia
Government Relations Manager
Company Name Airservices Australia Full-time
Dates Employed Feb 2020 – Jan 2021
Employment Duration 1 yr
Location Canberra, Australia
Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Senior Advisor - Aviation
Company Name Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Dates Employed May 2018 – Feb 2020
Employment Duration 1 yr 10 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Senior Aviation Adviser-Office of the CEO
Company Name Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Dates Employed Oct 2017 – May 2018
Employment Duration 8 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development
Company Name Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development
Total Duration 1 yr 8 mos
Title Special Aviation Adviser
Dates Employed Jul 2017 – Oct 2017
Employment Duration 4 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Western Sydney Airport Division-Airspace and flight path design
Title Senior Advisor-Aviation
Dates Employed Mar 2016 – Jul 2017
Employment Duration 1 yr 5 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Company Name Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Total Duration 2 yrs 8 mos
Title Manager, Part 61 taskforce, Part 141/142
Dates Employed Oct 2015 – Mar 2016
Employment Duration6 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Manager of CASR Part 141/142 review team.
Title Standards Officer (Large aeroplanes)
Dates Employed Aug 2013 – Oct 2015
Employment Duration 2 yrs 3 mos
Providing policy guidance and regulation development for the CASR operations suite of regulations.
Quote:
24 September 2021
The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) is taking a cautious approach to the new flight training association that was announced last week.
The Australian Flight Training Industry Association (AFTIA) was formed in reaction to what some flight training organisations (FTO) believe is under-representation of the sector, a task the RAAA has proported to champion in the past.
RAAA CEO Steve Campbell said whilst he wished AFTIA all the best, many questions still needed to be answered.
"I welcome the new AFTIA initiative and agree that training in general deserves more of a focus," he told Australian Flying, "but we do need to understand more detail in AFTIA’s policy platform with their ideas on how they will make a difference for their potential members.
"I am personally not one for more associations in an already crowded space, so it would be interesting to hear how AFTIA believes they will be able to stand out in the crowd."
Campbell also pointed out that RAAA had several members who were FTOs and that the association had ongoing projects with Canberra and felt a co-operative effort was better than presenting a divided facade.
"The RAAA has already been working in this space of course with the Department of Infrastructure, focusing on key skill shortages in our industry and will be looking at bringing some of our members together, who are the largest training providers in Australia, to put forward solutions for future government consideration," he said.
"The RAAA also recently put in a submission to the general aviation senate inquiry calling on the government to produce the Future of Aviation paper, which will be key in understanding where the government’s focus will be in the short to medium term for aviation and in particular skills shortages.
"It would be more advantageous for us all to be putting our shoulders to the same wheel, but none the less I wish AFTIA the very best."
Several other advocates in the flight training sector have expressed similar sentiments to Campbell, but have preferred to remain off the record.
AFTIA has released some preliminary material and is believed to be in the process of producing a prospectus for potential members.
Quote:The general aviation community's reaction to AFTIA has been varied but very forthright. The theme coming through to me is that everyone wishes the new association the best, but wants to see what emerges before they give it whole-hearted support. The audience gives a round of applause as the curtain goes up, but holds the standing ovation until they see how good the show actually is. With the flight training sector almost universally assessed as being under-represented for years you would think the GA community would show more enthusiasm, but that's being quelled slightly by concerns that published policies may be infected by self-interest. There's validity in that: it's a concern being aired about almost every association and advocacy group in the country, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that AFTIA is being subject to the same eyebrow-raising. However, there has been an obvious void in the flight training industry for many years: leadership. Not only in advocacy, but also in policy, promotion and development, there has been no association or any other entity that has helmed the industry. Despite the reservations expressed in the last week, the flight training industry is better off for having one banner for FTOs to unite behind.
(09-13-2021, 08:40 PM)Peetwo Wrote: RAAA - 19.1 Supplementary to submission 19
Picked up that the RRAT committee recently published the CEO of the RAAA supplementary submission (personal opinion piece) to the McDolittle WOFTAM inquiry...
See here - 19.1 Supplementary to submission 19 (PDF 2366 KB)
Extract:
Quote:...On top of this, aircraft operating costs are only going higher as they age and fuel costs go even higher, renewing aircraft is not cheap and we have seen the lifespan of GA aircraft extending beyond 40+ years. Later on we talk about CASA, but whilst ongoing costs from regulations are a small percent age of total costs of running a GA business, regulatory changes have incurred significant costs to the industry which were not fully understood by CASA and we have another big change coming soon .
I believe too much focus has been placed on CASA by GA for the cause of their woes, I believe it is time for GA to look inward for some real self-reflect ion . Some GA businesses are built from a passion or hobby, once upon a time this worked out ok, but with privatisation of airports, maintenance and fuel costs going up, our GA businesses needed to adapt. Rather than harking back to the 'good ol days' GA needs to be looking 5-10 years ahead, what will flying training look like, how will drones affect GA, how will technology change GA, should GA be looking to regional bases??
There are IMO some reasonable points and recommendations made. However I find it passing strange that this submission, written on behalf of some fairly high profile operators and airlines (eg Rex, Alliance), would appear to be the sole considered opinion of the new CEO of the RAAA Steven Campbell??
I also believe there is a weighted perception of a 'conflict of interest' that questions the independence and veracity of this individual to give unbiased, credible opinion to the RRAT committee??
Ref: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-campb...bdomain=au
Quote:Airservices Australia
Government Relations Manager
Company Name Airservices Australia Full-time
Dates Employed Feb 2020 – Jan 2021
Employment Duration 1 yr
Location Canberra, Australia
Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Senior Advisor - Aviation
Company Name Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Dates Employed May 2018 – Feb 2020
Employment Duration 1 yr 10 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Senior Aviation Adviser-Office of the CEO
Company Name Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Dates Employed Oct 2017 – May 2018
Employment Duration 8 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development
Company Name Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development
Total Duration 1 yr 8 mos
Title Special Aviation Adviser
Dates Employed Jul 2017 – Oct 2017
Employment Duration 4 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Western Sydney Airport Division-Airspace and flight path design
Title Senior Advisor-Aviation
Dates Employed Mar 2016 – Jul 2017
Employment Duration 1 yr 5 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Company Name Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Total Duration 2 yrs 8 mos
Title Manager, Part 61 taskforce, Part 141/142
Dates Employed Oct 2015 – Mar 2016
Employment Duration6 mos
Location Canberra, Australia
Manager of CASR Part 141/142 review team.
Title Standards Officer (Large aeroplanes)
Dates Employed Aug 2013 – Oct 2015
Employment Duration 2 yrs 3 mos
Providing policy guidance and regulation development for the CASR operations suite of regulations.
Quote:
24 September 2021
The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) is taking a cautious approach to the new flight training association that was announced last week.
The Australian Flight Training Industry Association (AFTIA) was formed in reaction to what some flight training organisations (FTO) believe is under-representation of the sector, a task the RAAA has proported to champion in the past.
RAAA CEO Steve Campbell said whilst he wished AFTIA all the best, many questions still needed to be answered.
"I welcome the new AFTIA initiative and agree that training in general deserves more of a focus," he told Australian Flying, "but we do need to understand more detail in AFTIA’s policy platform with their ideas on how they will make a difference for their potential members.
"I am personally not one for more associations in an already crowded space, so it would be interesting to hear how AFTIA believes they will be able to stand out in the crowd."
Campbell also pointed out that RAAA had several members who were FTOs and that the association had ongoing projects with Canberra and felt a co-operative effort was better than presenting a divided facade.
"The RAAA has already been working in this space of course with the Department of Infrastructure, focusing on key skill shortages in our industry and will be looking at bringing some of our members together, who are the largest training providers in Australia, to put forward solutions for future government consideration," he said.
"The RAAA also recently put in a submission to the general aviation senate inquiry calling on the government to produce the Future of Aviation paper, which will be key in understanding where the government’s focus will be in the short to medium term for aviation and in particular skills shortages.
"It would be more advantageous for us all to be putting our shoulders to the same wheel, but none the less I wish AFTIA the very best."
Several other advocates in the flight training sector have expressed similar sentiments to Campbell, but have preferred to remain off the record.
AFTIA has released some preliminary material and is believed to be in the process of producing a prospectus for potential members.
Quote:The general aviation community's reaction to AFTIA has been varied but very forthright. The theme coming through to me is that everyone wishes the new association the best, but wants to see what emerges before they give it whole-hearted support. The audience gives a round of applause as the curtain goes up, but holds the standing ovation until they see how good the show actually is. With the flight training sector almost universally assessed as being under-represented for years you would think the GA community would show more enthusiasm, but that's being quelled slightly by concerns that published policies may be infected by self-interest. There's validity in that: it's a concern being aired about almost every association and advocacy group in the country, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that AFTIA is being subject to the same eyebrow-raising. However, there has been an obvious void in the flight training industry for many years: leadership. Not only in advocacy, but also in policy, promotion and development, there has been no association or any other entity that has helmed the industry. Despite the reservations expressed in the last week, the flight training industry is better off for having one banner for FTOs to unite behind.
Quote:The senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport (RRAT) committee inquiry into general aviation now has less than eight weeks to table their final report. The terms of the inquiry demand the final report by the last parlimentary sitting day in November 2021. By the current calendar, that makes the report due no later than 30 November. But will we get it? The obligation to submit an interim report by December 2020 was fulfilled with a one-pager that effectively said that not enough work had been done to submit an interim report. COVID had killed meaningful progress. Ten months later there has been some progress, but not as much as was planned. Successful hearings were held in January and September via video link, but seven others planned for September didn't happen. With only 63 submissions, the senate committee must once again be evaluating whether or not enough work has been done. Right now, they're sticking to that 30 November date, but hedging their bets by saying they will leave open the option to extend. It revolves around how much work is considered enough. Personally, I don't believe the volume of work is as important as the quality of the material gathered. Consistent messages coming through the chatter are that GA is over-regulated and over-burdened by a safety authority that lacks the street cred to be trusted. That's a pretty harsh assessment, and not everyone will agree with it, but it's hard to deny that central theme. Whilst many other peripheral issues have been aired, most of them are derived in some way by the problems of regulation. Sort that out and I suspect many of GA's canker sores will also heal. If nothing else is said, it's worth tabling a report that just says that.
Quote:Steve Hitchen, Australian Flying magazine. Quote:-
Quote:“Consistent messages coming through the chatter are that GA is over-regulated and over-burdened by a safety authority that lacks the street cred to be trusted. That's a pretty harsh assessment, and not everyone will agree ….”
“Not everyone will agree”? Correct statement but if you could find 1 in 100 CASA supporters from our GA community you’d be lucky.
“Chatter”?
Maybe Hitch doesn’t remember any of the submissions to the 2014 Forsyth inquiry or those of the latest Senate Committee RRAT inquiry.
By characterising the legitimate concerns of the GA community as “chatter,” this feels dismissive, at best, towards the thousands of aviators and aircraft engineers who have been trying for years to precipitate reform.
Did Hitch miss my 2016 petition of 2924 signatories?
They agreed with the request to Government to:-“Save Australia’s General Aviation from bureaucratic disaster.”
Accompanying those signatures are about 1000 comments, many detailed with factual information which clearly show the dysfunctional regulatory environment that GA has suffered from for many years.
I characterise Hitch’s statements as way off the beam and upsetting, particularly in the context that Paul Phelan’s legacy is not being honoured. Paul’s Australian Flying editorials were beacons of light and perspicacity, he saw clearly where overkill regulation was destroying General Aviation, and wasn’t afraid to say so.
What about the real plight of those who are left in GA trying to make a living, or simply to enjoy flying, while burdened with ever more unworkable criminal code rules and swinging fees? Or is that just chatter?
Sandy
Quote:It was during one of the video link sessions that Senator Susan McDonald said she wasn't in favour of demanding a review of CASA, preferring to let the new DAS Pip Spence and Chairman Mark Binskin have their own impacts on the regulator first. It seems that, for the time being, McDonald's stance has proven insightful. This week it was announced that Rob Walker was to be crowned new head of Regulatory Oversight and that former Acting DAS Graeme Crawford would continue his career outside the organisation. Current boss of Regulatory Oversight Craig Martin will also exit the building after handing the keys to his office to Rob Walker at the end of this month. Is this just shifting deckchairs? I don't believe so. Walker is a reformist and a very capable one at that. Previous reformists at CASA have simply dashed themselves on the rocks of middle-management inertia, and I have to admit that I expected Walker would suffer a similar fate especially after he was overlooked for the DAS position. That the department most in need of change is being placed in the hands of someone with the motivation to change it is a good thing. It also signals to the aviation community that Spence is not afraid of reformists: good thing Number Two. But the future contains nothing in guarantees. Walker will be under immense pressure to straighten out regulatory oversight from the GA sector, under pressure from remaining inertia not to inflict change and under pressure from the government to keep aviation safety out of the headlines. But Walker has large shoulders, after all, he has been the person responsible for wrangling CASA's relationship with the aviation community for five years and still manages to crack a daily smile.
Quote:
The Last Minute Hitch: 19 November 2021
19 November 2021
– Steve Hitchen
You heard it here first: CASA is working on a new Class 5 medical status, which hints at PPLs being able to fly VH-registered aircraft on a self-declared medical. A technical working group has the matter in hand, and I expect we'll see something go out for public consultation sometime next year. We should applaud now, but hold the standing ovation until we see exactly what CASA releases. Both the UK and the USA have had self-certification for a number of years, and in neither case has it resulted in an increase in aeroplanes dropping out of the sky. However, this is not likely to be a simple wiping-out of the Class 2 medical; it will come with conditions. The USA's BasicMED, for example, limits self-certification to aircraft certified for no more than five passengers and aircraft below 2721 kg MTOW. Curiously, the pilot must also maintain a driver's licence. So we can expect that CASA will probably apply restrictions to Class 5; they will likely limit it by weight and could ban Class 5s from CTA. But all this is second-guessing before the first-guessing has been done. The TWG still needs to thrash through the issue and present CASA with a solution that is not only acceptable to the GA community, but also is practical and brings about the results we all want: lower costs and less red tape.
Quote:"RAAus has expressed disappointment; AOPA has gone troppo"
Ben Morgan has teed-off at CASA over what he sees as an apparent reluctance to engage on some reforms, accusing them of playing games over the self-certified medical, and the increase in MTOW expected to be handed to RAAus in early December. It's not so much the new 760-kg limits that is the problem, but a permissible increase is stall speed that didn't happen. When the amendments to CAO 95.55 come out–necessary because the TWG torpedoed CASR Part 135–it will demand a 45-knot maximum stall speed. RAAus has expressed disappointment; AOPA has gone troppo. But the reality is that an increase in the maximum stall speed is very likely to happen ... it just should have happened in conjunction with the MTOW increase. CASA's processes managed to split the issues when they are actually tied very tightly, resulting in blood letting because people in the community have rightly inferred that one was being implemented without the other. And that includes me. CASA has not backed away at any time from its position that an increase in the maximum stall speed is a major leap for RAAus, and not one CASA was going to allow without a lot of due diligence being done. Now that the MOS for Part 135 is back on the Etch-a-Sketch, it is hoped the TWGs will work out how to grant a higher stall speed and fold it into the new MOS.
The RRAT committee's inquiry into the general aviation industry has rescheduled its final report day to 17 March 2022. The initial date was supposed to be 30 November, but COVID hampered the inquiry to the point that two years' research produced about two weeks' work. The extension buys the senate committee another four months, but still the amount of activity done is nothing to write home about. In late October we wrote that the committee would be holding more public hearings in November, but the inquiry webpage shows that approximately nothing happened. So, is four more months enough for them to get this right? Figure at least one month to come up with some recommendations and compile the report and we're left with three months. For the report to have the integrity level that the GA community needs it to have, Senator Macdonald and her team are going to have to knuckle down ... as are we if we get called to the plate. Why is this so important? A few weeks ago I hinted that there seems to be a changing wind blowing from the House of Representatives towards Aviation House. Word has reached me that our regulator is starting to hear the windchimes and see the vanes turning. We could be on the verge of serious reforms, and an accurate, concise, well-structured senate report could be the catalyst that sets it all off. I am getting the idea that if the senate inquiry wasn't already underway then Barnaby Joyce would be demanding one by now.
This time next week I will be on the road somewhere between home and Wings over Illawarra. As a side-effect of that, you'll be getting your weekly e-News on Thursday instead. I am pretty excited about WOI because it holds more significance this year than any year before this. Not only is it the prime celebration of the RAAF's centenary, it also marks the emergence of the general aviation calendar from COVID hibernation. There are plenty of expectations of WOI, but the organisers, Bright Events, have a reputation of delivering plenty. Don't forget if you're camping up there this year to look out for the Bose seminar on the Saturday night and grab your chance to win a Bose A20 noise-canceling headset. I won't be there myself, but will be out and around the show on both the Saturday and the Sunday.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch
Quote:I’ve commented via the AP on Hitchen’s gloating revelation, “you heard it here first”, about a proposed Class 5 medical and I’m laying blame at the Minister’s door for such communication and it’s content.
Possibly unfairly in the immediate sense but in the broad picture he is responsible, if and unless the Westminster system doesn’t apply these days.
It certainly is looking that way if ‘independent’ Commonwealth corporations such as CASA can play merry hell and get away with it, as it has for the 33 years of it’s existence.
Otherwise it seems like some discontent in CASA has taken it upon themselves to propagate this idea of a medical standard reform, something that’s been a screaming no brainer for years, but giving it a silly name. To call this new one a ‘Class 5’ is preposterous. It should be, at minimum, known as the Basic Class 2 (amended).
The uninitiated might ask why? Because our ever
more unusual and unique Australian regulatory inventions serve to confuse and baffle the GA community, quite apart from bringing us into further ridicule and disrepute internationally. We are supposed to be integrating in the connected, but uncertain, world. AUKUS and our security being strong new factors that should cause us to parallel with our allies, especially when their aviation regulatory environments are demonstrably superior.
Let’s presume this was a rogue employee bent on embarrassing the CEO and DPM, then that person or persons responsible should be discovered and publicly reprimanded. Between them the Minister and Ms. Spence are paid well in excess of $1,000,000 pa to be in charge, surely they were not complicit in this underhanded information leak?
We should have explanations; why Hitchen? Why not proper channels? and we should be informed of remedial action.
If it doesn’t happen pretty smartly then we’ll question whether the Australian public are getting value for money because senior officials must be responsible and accountable for all of the actions of the whole entity for which they have responsibility.
Sandy
Quote:"Class 5" medical certificate?
Just goes to show the contempt in which CASA holds the Minister and the general aviation community. Just goes to show how weakened the fabric of government has become.
Hitchen's exposed himself as a useful idiot (which is why I haven't purchased the rag he works for, for years).
Safe flying
C
Quote:
GA has been under dark clouds for some years. Could the Aviation Recovery Framework mean CAVOK conditions ahead? (Steve Hitchen)
Aviation Framework promises to Revitalise GA
20 December 2021
Comments 0 Comments
The Federal Government today released a plan for the recovery of the aviation industry that includes several measures long thought to be critical to the revitalisation of general aviation.
The Aviation Recovery Framework, announced today by Deputy Prime MInister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce, is aimed primarily at recovery from the pandemic, but also acknowledges the condition of the general aviation industry and contains initiatives that have the potential to stimulate growth.
Among the GA measures are a review of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the regulations surrounding privatised airports, and subsidies to encourage owners to fit ADS-B to VFR aircraft.
The goverment will also extend the regional and remote airports funding schemes and commit $4 million to encourage women to enter the aviation industry.
“Aviation is integral to our national supply chains, providing essential services to regional and remote communities and connecting Australian businesses with international markets," Joyce said.
“Importantly, general aviation is a key pillar in our strategy. This is in recognition of the many critical services it contributes to the sector, none more important than flight and maintenance training capability.
“The Framework builds on the assistance we have provided to date and will provide the policy and financial settings aviation operators need to recover strongly and grow on the other side of the pandemic.”
The overall framework has been built on six strategic priorities:
- supporting aviation efficiency by targeting investment and enhancing regulatory settings to help businesses across the entire industry to thrive
- building a sustainable pipeline of workforce skills for the future
- adopting and integrating emerging aviation technologies, including drones
- modernising airports regulation to ensure Australia has the aviation infrastructure it needs for the future
- revitalising general aviation to help it realise its potential in supporting business and the community, especially in our regions, and
- better connecting regional communities by providing targeted support for access to essential aviation services and investing in regional aviation infrastructure.
According to the framework, the initiatives will be phased in over the next two to four years, guided by advice from a new Strategic Aviation Advisory Forum, the make up of which has yet to be disclosed. The department has also noted that the framework builds on the work of the General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN) and the Future of Aviation Reference Panel.
Among the measures that are thought to impact GA the most are:
- revisting the Airports Act 1996, which sunsets in April 2024, and the regulatory framework surrounding privatised airports, indicating that government approval of future master plans will focus on aircraft operations including development to support GA
- reviewing the government approach to aviation security with the aim to reducing red tape
- commissioning further research from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) to establish the value of GA and identify growth opportunities
- reviewing the Civil Aviation Act 1988 to identify and resolve regulatory bottlenecks and encourage regulatory activity based on outcomes
- removing barriers to export through mutual international recognition
- subsidise eligible aircraft owners to fit ADS-B, starting in Q1 2022 and ending 30 June 2023 or when funding is exhausted
- examine training pathways with a focus on the relationships between CASA, Vocational Education Training and the Australia Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)
- providing funding of $4 million to encourage women to participate in aviation.
CASA Director of Aviation Safety and CEO Pip Spence said today that CASA already had a reform agenda that was consistent with the announced framework.
"CASA has quietly begun working on a wide range of reforms that will benefit many people and organisations across the aviation community, particularly in the general aviation sector," Spence said. "These align with the commitments made by the Australian Government today in their Aviation Recovery Framework.
"You will see concrete outcomes in the course of 2022 and beyond.
"Work is underway to make regulatory changes that will assist private pilots, general aviation maintenance, maintenance training, flying training, aerial work, aerial application and sport and recreational flying.
"We are developing a general aviation work plan for 2022 and this body of work will build a consolidated picture of all the activity we already have underway.
"We're also continuing to look at what improvements and changes we need to make that will benefit other sectors in the industry."
Among the reforms in development at CASA are:
- reducing maintenance costs for industry to support private and aerial work operators, including the mandatory Cessna SIDs program, introducing new GA maintenance regulations and considering new rules for aircraft maintenance
- supporting flight training including expanding privileges for some flight instructors to improve flight testing, revisiting how CASA administers the Flight Examiner Rating, and working with industry to prioritise other initiatives
- looking at ways to improve access to training and reviewing the fatigue rules for aerial application operators in regional and remote areas
- considering a new small aircraft maintenance licence to address training limitations impacting the GA sector,
- putting in place a weight increase for aircraft administered by RAAus, reviewing the associated stall speed
- reviewing aviation medical standards for private operations including a potential "self-declared" Class 5 medical.
The Aviation Recovery Framework document is available from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development website.
Quote:...Campbell also said the RAAA was standing by to assist the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development in implementing the framework, which was to be supervised by a new Strategic Aviation Advisory Forum.
“We have already had numerous forums and reviews into our industry, there are also many representative organisations such as ours that the government can utilise, so we hope that the government will not waste any time in forming their Strategic Aviation Advisory Forum; we cannot afford to delay the work needed to be done to ensure supply of resources to regional Australia... (HINT..HINT?? )
Quote:Manager, Part 61 taskforce, Part 141/142
Manager, Part 61 taskforce, Part 141/142
Oct 2015 - Mar 2016 · 6 mos
Canberra, Australia
Manager of CASR Part 141/142 review team.