[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 24 November 2023

24 November 2023



– Steve Hitchen

LMH is back after another forced sabbatical. During the last few weeks there have been many people in the aviation community checking up on me and sending their best wishes. It's been very humbling and I appreciate the encouragement I've been given and the assistance to get back to the keyboard. It is these people and their spirit that remind me why I am part of the general aviation community. To everyone that hung out for the return of LMH: here it is at last. 

Ausfly has made the strategic decision to throw-up their traditional home at Narromine and relocate to Wentworth for 2024. They've also moved out of Spring and into Autumn, joining a string of other aviation events that seek more reliable weather. According to the organisers, Wentworth is a better location because Sydney basin pilots who have been thwarted in attempts to get to Narromine by low cloud on the Great Dividing Range can now head south coastal to get around the mountains. All of that makes sense, but Ausfly is hanging its hat on weather being the only reason for poor turn-outs in previous years. Some exhibitors have described the 2023 event as "a ghost town" and that it lacked energy. The move to Wentworth should actually re-energise the event because it's a different place for people to explore that has very interesting history (get this: it was once touted as a possible capital city of Australia). For Melbourne and Adelaide pilots, Wentworth is a lot closer; not so for Sydney and Brisbane pilots. The move to Narromine has one other redeeming feature: it distances Ausfly from Flyin' for Fun, which is scheduled for Parkes only a couple of weeks later. Pilots will go to two events that close together in time, but not if they are basically in the same location. All this should give Ausfly a kick in the pants provided, as always, the organisers provide compelling reasons to go.

"..the justification for the exclusions is a bit on the nose.."

The GA community can almost smell Class 5 self-declared medicals. After so many years of lobbying and broken promises, it seems were are on the cusp of finally achieving a very desired goal. However, it seems what we are being offered is not exactly what we were looking for. Class 5–consultation for which has closed–lists a serious of flight activities that pilots on self-declared medicals will be barred from: aerobatics, IFR and formations are just three. But like too many things coming out of CASA, the justification for the exclusions is a bit on the nose. In some cases, CASA has proposed exclusions in dissent with its own Technical Working Group, and others have been applied even though RAAus pilots have been safely performing some of these activities for decades without the medical examination that CASA says is so important to safety. Where RAAus pilots have demonstrated safety, CASA should enable that with Class 5 based on the weight of evidence provided by RAAus. Arguments about other activities such as IFR and aerobatics are more complex, but keep in mind there are more jurisdictions around the world that permit some of these flight activities on self-declared medicals, putting them at odds with CASA. 

The Class 5 proposal is entangled with the project to give RAAus pilots access to CTA; so much so that I believe behind the walls of Aviation House that they have been considered together. With RAAus pushing for CTA, CASA was compelled to revisit their previous policy of demanding medicals in CTA. That seems to have been rescinded in the Class 5 proposal, permitting PPLs on Class 5 to access CTA. So if the CTA proposal demands medical certificates of RAAus pilots, CASA has once again created it's own regulatory contradiction. I think that's a bit much even for the rusted-on middle managers who have put up so much resistance to change in the past. In sum, if Class 5 gets up as written then CTA access for RAAus must logically follow. However, there haven't been many instances in the past when CASA has been accused of using logic. If they had, they wouldn't have applied so many exclusions to the Class 5 medical standard.

It was disappointing to hear of the departure from CASA of Rob Walker. Of all the managers at CASA, Rob was perhaps the one we needed to retain the most. That there's a controversial statement; Rob was often the face of bad news as Stakeholder Engagement Manager, but it was something he never shirked away from, and was quite capable of stating his case firmly. Behind the scenes, Rob was (still is, I presume) a GA fanatic who part-owned a Grumman Tiger. He understood that reform was needed for GA, but struggled with breaking the inertia to get things going. The last thing we need is for Rob to be replaced with someone who doesn't have a similar level of understanding of, and passion for, general aviation. As a journalist who had plenty to do with Rob, I could always trust what he said was the truth, even if it was an unpalatable one.

Forget "Black Friday", the best bargain you'll get this season in on the Great Magazines website, where you can land a subscription to Australian Flying for just $34.00. That's 40% off the normal price! It means you have six editions of Australia's greatest aviation magazine slotted into your letterbox and you don't have to worry about getting to the newsagent again. It's easier, it's more convenient, and it's much cheaper. Get onto the Great Magazines website today and get yourself signed up.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 8 December 2023

8 December 2023

– Steve Hitchen

And then there were none. CASR Part 149 approvals are now closed with five sport aviation bodies (SAB) that applied being awarded their certificate. Originally, it was thought that nine SABs were on the slate for approval. Those that haven't made the cut for whatever reason will now fall under CASA administration or continue to operate under exemptions. CASA seems pretty pleased with the SABs that made the jump to Part 149 because it means a comprehensive leap in the professionalism of the organisations. RAAus won Part 149 approval, whereas I am sure the AUF wouldn't have cut the mustard. But not everyone is smiling; there are still advocates out there that believe Part 149 is just CASA abdicating their responsibilities and foisting cost back onto the industry. If you pick apart that opinion, you can see what makes it tick, but it really is a paradigm entrenched in the history of general aviation and not the future. CASA is facing a barrage of challenges in the next 10 years including urban mobility, RPAS, alternate fuel, electric power, skill shortages, environmental concerns, cultural concerns, space and cyberspace to highlight a few. That's an oncoming storm that GA needs to be insulated from as far as possible, and that's where Part 149 comes into it. Although CASA is still the regulator, their confidence in a Part 149 administrator will act as a buffer for sport aviation sectors and give SAB members a voice that is listened to as aviation in Australia goes through an necessary upheaval.

"..there is a very weak culture in fleet replacement to new in regional GA.."

Part of that upheaval is the move to sustainable power sources. This week the RAAA expressed doubts that general aviation will be able to make the leap to electric power, which will be disappointing for the Labor government to hear as they are pinning their net-zero dreams for GA to electricity. The issue is this: where SAF is likely to be a drop-in replacement for turbine fuel, electric systems need nearly a whole new aeroplane to support them. Whilst Pipistrel has made some advances with slotting electrical systems in to the Sinus/Virus airframe, the end result is heavily degraded capability. GA, especially in the regions, can't cope with that; they need power trains that will deliver similar capability to what they have now. Failure to deliver them economically will have operators turning back to legacy airframes with maintenance and upgrades to keep aircraft viable for the next 2000 hours. The astute among you will realise that I'm not talking about a new problem; fleet replacement in GA has been an issue for years. A new Cessna 206 capital cost is well over $A1 million, whereas a second-hand model with reasonable hours remaining can be snatched up for less that one-fifth of that (if you're quick!). And just don't ask about the cost of a new Baron; people are doing $1 million upgrades to old airframes because it's still cheaper than new. So there is a very weak culture in fleet replacement to new in regional GA, one that will need to be strengthened if viable electric aircraft are going to penetrate the market.

Aeria Management Group (AMG) has made a submission to the white paper process suggesting the government invest in new technologies and anchor those investments at  Bankstown and Camden Airports (of which AMG runs both). That will work for smaller technologies such as RPAS and electric power, but the Federal Government is focusing more on sustainable aviation fuel than any other, and for that you need copious amounts of sunshine and lots of space; both of which are to be found in abundance in Australia's regions moreso than the metro areas. That's where the money will go initially. Consider also that the minister for infrastructure and transport is also the minister for regional development; one hand giveth and so does the other one. So if your company is into new aviation technologies and you're looking for a grant that contributes to net-zero targets, a regional base is going to be an advantage in the near future. That, I suspect, will apply to all technologies, not just SAF.

Of course you should have most of your Christmas presents sorted by now. Chances are, however, that there may be some strays that are not quite accounted for yet. If one of those is an aviator, your solution is clear: a 12-month print and digital subscription to Australian Flying for only $34.00! That's a Scrooge-level saving of 40% over the normal price. Get yourself over to the Great Magazines website and sign-up your significant aviator today. Failing that, just get one for yourself; you deserve it too.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 15 December 2023

15 December 2023

– Steve Hitchen

With Group G approval on our doorstep, we will soon know the answer to a long-asked question: will this cause an exodus of aircraft from the civil register to RAAus? That, I believe, will depend on each owner's personal situation. Some will find no benefit in doing so, sitting happy with CASA administration. Others who have struggled to keep their Class 2 medical will probably see RAAus as their only pathway back into the air. But where Group G has the potential to shine is with new home-built aircraft. Builders can start using more robust materials and build extra layers of safety into their designs, knowing the aircraft can be registered without sacrificing kilograms of useful load. Manufacturers are still hamstrung and can't take full advantage of Group G because there is no existing standard to build to 760-kg without going to full FAR 23 certification, which requires an investment of eye-crossing amounts of dollars. The light at the end of the tunnel is shining on the MOSAIC regulations set to be implemented in the US next year. This re-defines Light Sport Aircraft in terms of parameters and removes any arbitrary MTOW. If CASA comes to the party and permits RAAus to administer MOSAIC aircraft to the full extent of the definition, Australian LSA manufacturers will be set loose to build new aircraft that slot straight into Group G. It's an exciting new world we are seeing through our telescope, and it all starts with Group G approval.

"...It's on-the-run aviation with little or no warning of the launch time or the mission..."

Moorabbin Flying Services and Flight Standards have merged their training operations in an attempt to solve an industry problem that is generally not spoken about too loudly: academy-style training to airline requirements doesn't turn-out pilot suitable for employment in GA. CPLs emerge from the academies fit for the dual-pilot environment of an airline cockpit where all flying is IFR and unsealed runways are no-go zones. GA pilots can be tasked to go anywhere with the needs of the customer flexible in the extreme. It's on-the-run aviation with little or no warning of the launch time or the mission; single-pilot with a flight plan that includes multiple legs to runways that are gravel-based and perforated with potholes. The mentality needed to deal with all of that and still comply with CASA regulations and the customer demands is very different from that needed to right-seat a SAAB 340 or B737. The paradox is that many graduates from academies will not be offered positions with the airlines, which catapults them into an environment that they haven't been trained for. There are plenty of jobs for well-trained charter pilots up in the Northern Territory. Literally, there are aeroplanes that remain tied down for extended periods not for want of work, but for a lack of CPLs to fly them. The MFS/Flight Standards tie-up is one solution; designed as a pipeline from the cities to the country for CPLs that are properly trained and prepared for the GA charter industry. Flight Standards has run a GA Ready course in Darwin for several years, which was designed to fill the gap between an academy-trained CPL and the needs of charter companies. If successful, this program will make CPLs GA ready before they leave the metropolitan environment.

Australian Flying was recognised twice in the Australasian Aviation Press Club awards announced this week: once for Rolls Royce Technical Story and once as runner-up Singapore Airlines Best Photographer. We're pretty proud of that given the quality of work and people that were nominated this year. The AAPC awards recognise quality journalism across the aviation industry; something that is very much needed in the era where anyone with an iPhone considers themselves media. Aviation journalists protect the industry from misinformation and material that is generated more for the benefit of the generator than the audience. It has been one of the pillars that Australian Flying has built a 60-year reputation on, and will continue to do so for many years. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to the AAPC for keeping these awards alive.

This is the last e-Newsletter and LMH for 2023. It's been an interesting journey this year with the output somewhat disrupted by my absence in three blocks. I want to thank all those that contacted me to say they missed LMH every Friday and were eagerly awaiting its return to the e-Newsletter. We are now shutting down for the customary summer break and will return mid-January. All of you out there stay safe over the Christmas-New Year period and we'll see you again in a few weeks time.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 2 February 2024

2 February 2024



– Steve Hitchen

Rob Walker's appointment as RAAA CEO is a blinder of a move that keeps a good operator in the aviation community. As Stakeholder Engagement Manager at both Airservices and CASA, he has a very firm grasp on what general and regional aviation needs to go forward. And now he has the ability to get things done without the constraints that come with being part of a relentless bureaucracy. Not that the job will be easy; all the advocacy in the world comes undone in the face of political imperative. However, Walker is a man that people listen to, which will stand the RAAA in good stead on advisory bodies such as the General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN) and, ironically, CASA's Aviation Safety Advisory Panel, which Walker himself set up. Although his brief will focus on the priorities of regional airlines and airports, I expect Walker will also take to the negotiating table the interests of general aviation where there is no clash with RAAA policy. I might be putting policy in the mouth of the RAAA here, but as they have branded themselves as "the preeminent aviation association" in Australia, it's fair to believe that GA has a place within the RAAA.

"..very few will swap letters for numbers just for the hell of it.."


Group G is nearly here! CASA has issued a new approval for RAAus to administer aircraft with MTOWs in the 601-760-kg range, and RAAus is saying they will be ready to start taking registrations by 25 March. It all sounds brilliant, but will it deliver the benefits to RAAus and GA that are being touted? There are several reasons why someone would want to register their aircraft in the RAAus Group G category: loss of medical, higher BEW for home-builts, cheesed-off with CASA. These are the big three. But in the absence of those, there is little reason to expect an exodus of RV, C150 and Victa Airtourer owners from GA into Group G; very few will swap letters for numbers just for the hell of it. If you build it, they won't necessarily come. And right now, the manufacturers' don't have a standard to build new aircraft for Group G other than full type certification, which costs a motza. Remember also that Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) can't be registered in Group G because the definition of LSA doesn't permit MTOWs over 600 kg. And there is another thorn in the side of this project: the SAAA. Whilst RAAus is trying to lure RV owners to their books, the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia will be pulling in the other direction. The SAAA is on record as saying they don't believe RAAus should even exist let alone be permitted to register amateur-built aircraft with MTOWs in the Group G range. So there are obstacles at the moment, but the idea is sound and eventually will find its place in the GA community. Time and patience will be necessary ingredients to Group G's success.

Congratulations to the aviation people who were honoured with gongs in the Australia Day Honours list. It's always good to see people recognised, but each year there seems to be so few in light of the good work being done by so many. The reason behind this, I feel, is that people aren't being nominated, or the nominations are half-hearted. As a community, general aviation needs to get its act together and put together some irresistible nominations for next year to make sure deserving people aren't being overlooked. After all, it is the quiet hard-workers that make GA what it is.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 9 February 2024

9 February 2024

– Steve Hitchen

From today onward, private and recreational pilots can fly without a valid medical certificate. The long-awaited self-declared medical system is now active and ready for people to apply. It sounds easy, but it is clear that CASA still recognises some risk, particularly when it comes to whether or not a pilot is able to accurately self-assess. Part of the risk management is an educational module that must be completed and passed as part of the application process. The module itself is nothing that most licensed pilots haven't encountered before, and being open-book you can refer to the medical assessment guidelines. But the eligibility to self-assess is more than just answering 80% of 15 questions; there are other requirements also. CASA has listed a lot of conditions and medications that they believe impairs a person's ability to self-assess. This stands to eliminate a lot of people who previously were celebrating not having to see a DAME again. So the Class 5 medical is not a free-for-all, but many pilots will qualify, and for them this is a huge step forward. 

"..The ALP government is on a crusade to convert aviation to alternative energy sources.."

The Australian Airports Association (AAA) submission to the federal budget has raised some thorny questions. In the submission, AAA calls for infrastructure support for mid-sized regional and metro airports. Whereas the Coalition government created funding programs for both remote and regional airports, nothing was forthcoming for the metro GA airports like Archerfield and Bankstown. Thorny question #1: as the six metro GA airports have been privatised and the operators have developed substantial tracts of land for commercial non-aviation use, should they be entitled to government funding? The general answer from the GA community would probably be a resounding "no". Destroying aviation infrastructure (RWY 18/36 at Bankstown and the west end of the northern apron at Moorabbin) usually earns you no friends in the aviation community. That being said, private enterprise is usually not excluded from government grant programs, so why should airport operators not be the beneficiaries of government hand-outs? Thorny question #2: what type of projects need to be supported? The ALP government is on a crusade to convert aviation to alternative energy sources, as exemplified by the green paper released earlier this year. That's going to be an expensive exercise, which may monopolise the aviation budget leaving no cash for non-sustainable projects like widening runways and putting in lighting systems. Admittedly, the AAA refers to infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and electric charging stations, but for general aviation, demand to justify this is still many years away. In the meantime, runways still need to be strengthened and lighting systems installed. Whether the ALP can stomach spending on non-sustainable projects may be the largest hurdle the AAA needs to clear.

If there was any indicator that eVTOLs are now part of the future of aviation and not just a space-aged fantasy, it is Aviation Logistics placing a huge order with AMSL Aero. With the Vertiia still in development, Aviation Logistics has shown confidence in Australian manufacturing and the future of the eVTOL industry; an industry that is still embryonic. eVTOLs are not just an evolution, they are a revolution in general aviation that Australia is still trying to accept. Airservices and CASA have done a lot of ground work in these areas, and some visionary companies bought into the eVTOL industry at the conception stage, but many traditionalists in GA are taking an I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it stance. Even though no eVTOL in Australia has reached the commercial stage, indicators such as Aviation Logistics' investment should convince the sceptics that it's time to open their eyes and see. Perhaps many of them have memories of the Very Light Jet (VLJ) craze of the mid 2000s that dissolved into nothing, expecting that eVTOLs will suffer a similar fate. However, whereas VLJs were being forced to fit into an impossible specification, eVTOLs like Vertiia have no such constraints, leaving designers free to build the best machines for the future of aviation.

Congratulations are due to four Victorian women who placed second in the International Dawn-to-Dusk competition last year. Jess Phillips, Theresa MacDonald and Amanda Deed, who–along with observer Gail Collins–used a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza to touch every state and mainland territory in Australia between dawn and dusk on 13 December 2022. They began on Flinders Island (TAS) and finished in Forrest (WA), having landed in Victoria, the ACT, NSW, QLD, SA and the NT along the way. The crew traveled to the Royal Air Force club in the UK to collect their prize. A great effort all around that took a lot of planning to pull off.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Sandy in reply:

S. Hitchen quote;- 

 “So the Class 5 medical is not a free-for-all, but many pilots will qualify, and for them this is a huge step forward. “

But not a step forward for GA, by disincentivising Instrument Flight Rules the Class 5 will reduce pilots training for IFR and flying IFR which is the safest and most efficient form of cross country operations. Are we heading for more Visual Flight Rules to Instrument Meteorological Conditions accidents? And, not surprisingly, many applicants for C5 will be knocked out due to existing medical conditions, apparently by virtue of their medications. 

The new C5 also allows most four and six seat aircraft but you are only allowed to have two persons onboard, yes only two so your aircraft cannot be properly utilised and thus the C5 devalues its usefulness. This so called “world first” medical standard with its two person limit is justified by $688,000 pa CASA CEO Ms. Spence due to the successful history of the low weight category (Recreational Aviation Australia, RAAUS, 10,000 members) that has no aviation medicals. Most would say their 40 year history came well before Ms. Spence’s declaration of “world first.” The Gliding Federation (GFA) gets no mention, its zero aviation medical exam regime, more than 70 years, is not mentioned. 

Talk about illogical, you need only to declare fit to drive a motor vehicle, irrespective of medications, for flying RAAUS or GFA but you can’t qualify for this ridiculous and irresponsible new self declared medical if you have certain existing conditions, conditions that do not preclude driving a private car. 

Personally I’d rather have more people flying than having more on the roads because road danger to me is far more risky than the others that fly in my vicinity. 

MTF...P2 

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 16 February 2024

16 February 2024

– Steve Hitchen

OzRunways is the quintessential Australian small business that made good. From an idea spawned from the invention of the iPad, to a navigation and information app and approval as a full EFB, OzRunways has become a trusted application for both civil and military pilots. Along with AvPlan, the two EFBs revolutionised aviation cockpits in this country. So, it makes sense that a giant aviation corporation would come calling with cheque book at the ready. Boeing, who this week announced they'd bought OzRunways, already had ForeFlight and most of the USA's EFB market, but struggled to gain substantial market share in Australia. It seemed that Australian pilots loved their home-grown EFBs and weren't in a hurry to surrender to the call of the US product. Boeing's move to buy OzRunways is a classic corporate exercise in buying market share and available cash. We don't know the details of the transaction, but I hope the OzRunways team held out for a lot of greenbacks; their company and its products are worth it. What does this mean for Australian customers? Not a lot at the moment; OzRunways service and development will still come out of Adelaide. However, Boeing now has two apps battling for market share against each other, which is a risky strategy. Long term, I expect ForeFlight to be withdrawn from the Australian market, or OzRunways to be re-branded and essentially relocated to the USA. It is hard to see them both flourishing side-by-side in a relatively small market such as Australia.

"..That's a big difference that hints at convenience more than simple variation.."

Aeria Management Group (AMG) has called on the Federal Government to financially compensate Bankstown operators for the extra cost imposed on them by the proposed airspace redesign at Sydney. This represents a rare occasion on which a metro airport operator is standing up for their aviation customers; normally they are too absorbed in non-aviation development to worry about problems plaguing the operators at their airport. So, we have to deliver kudos and a bunch of flowers to AMG for using their influence on the Federal Government for the better of aviation. That's not to say I believe the government will take a whole lot of notice; they're too busy manufacturing a white paper that the industry and aviation community doesn't want. And the nature of the compensation is problematic. Is a one-off payment true compensation for extra costs that will be incurred forever? If an operator chooses to relocate to another airport, will the government cover their costs? Perhaps the first move should be to quantify the exact cost penalty to operators, given that the industry almost exclusively believes those used in the Western Sydney Airport Environmental Impact Statement represent a position well below reality. Five times below reality if the Urbis figures quoted by AMG are accurate. That's a big difference that hints at convenience more than simple variation. It's going to take a lot of irresistible force for the government to give in to demands for compensation, and it's only the general aviation industry and community that can provide that momentum.

The Australian Aviation Hall of Fame has lost a lot of dedication a determination with the retirement of Steve Padgett OAM from the board. That's OK, good people have come in to fill the hole Padgett leaves, and Steve deserves to step back after all the effort he has expended on AAHOF over the years. In truth, AAHOF owes its existence to Padgett and other people like Geoff Breust and Paul Tyrrell, who together propelled a great idea forward to the institution AAHOF is growing into today. For them, it must have been like watching a child grow-up and mature into a superstar. Padgett can rest assured that the AAHOF is in good hands with Greg Hood, a bloke who has breathed aviation almost from berth, and has held senior management positions with several aviation institution, including ATSB, Airservices, CASA and the RAAF. With Chris Manning as deputy and new colleagues in Sam Fairbairn and Jenny Houghton coming on board, the future of AAHOF is looking bright and exciting. All it needs now is for people to come. If you're on for Airshows Downunder Shellharbour, take the time to get the lift from the HARS cafe up one flight to AAHOF and immerse yourself in some aviation history.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 23 February 2024

23 February 2024

– Steve Hitchen

There is nothing new about the problem of aviation engineers; as long as I have been with Australian Flying the issue has been constantly highlighted. The problem seems to be that no-one has taken positive action to do anything about it. That was until the Cameron family stepped in with $500,000 in 2022 to energise the helicopter industry's intake of potential new engineers. This was the seeding capital needed, and by all accounts is starting to pay off. A new foundation, the Australian Helicopter Industry Future Foundation (AHIFF) was born to manage the money and make sure it was placed where it would do the most good. That's has proven the case, with the scholarships and workshops held around the country starting to raise interest in young people and encouraging them to think about aviation engineering as a career. This is the helicopter industry in action: doing something for itself rather than waiting for someone in government to solve the problem. It demonstrates that stuff does get done when an industry moves to secure its own future.

  "..a re-examination of the facts has seen CASA completely reverse their position.."

My interview with CASA Principal Medical Officer Kate Manderson was very enlightening, even though I don't necessarily buy into some of the philosophy surrounding the new Class 5 self-declared medical. What came through most prominently is that CASA has a risk framework into which just about everything they do has to be squeezed. This is the largest difference between CASA and RAAus, and explains why CASA seems to ignore the RAAus experience on a number of levels: RAAus doesn't have such a stringent risk framework and their Part 149 certificate affords them the ability to establish their own risk standards. Hence an RPC can fly formations on a self-declared medical but a PPL with Class 5 cannot. But CASA has displayed some flexibility here by permitting self-declared medical holders to fly in CTA. That has been a rock-hard "No way" for several years, but a re-examination of the facts has seen CASA completely reverse their position. With a post-implementation review due in February next year, it is not outside the borders of possibility that some of the other restrictions could also be relaxed. It all comes down to the risk framework and whether or not it has enough give to accommodate logic and reason.

Airshows Downunder Shellharbour is only a week away now. Formerly Wings over Illawarra, the re-branded event is now in the hands of AMDA Foundation, which also run the Australian International Airshow at Avalon. The last-minute announcement of Paul Bennet's Sea Fury has been a pleasant surprise; it has been years since we've seen a Sea Fury in action in Australia and it will, I'm sure, become a very welcome participant at many air shows around the country in future. The other sneaky superstar announced late is the Yak 110. To sum, this is two Yak 55s bolted together and augmented with a jet engine between the two airframes. It's sort of like a Frankenstein's monster of the air show industry, but it's performance in the air is something to behold. These two alone should be enough to get you out of your seat and down to Albion Park next weekend.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 8 March 2024


8 March 2024

Momentum is starting to build to correct a training anomaly: that new CPLs emerging from academies are ready for the airlines, but not for the hard-scrabble life of a GA charter pilot. People trained on G1000 cockpits are not ready to face an array of steam gauges with little installed navigation equipment, and don't understand that a charter pilot's duties go beyond flying the aeroplane. Non-academy schools have been turning out GA-ready pilots for many years, simply by their fleets being legacy airframes with little modern upgrades; exactly what CPLs are likely to face in their first GA job. A well-worn C210, C206, Baron or Lance/Saratoga are the machines of the Australian charter world, especially in the NT and WA, but academy-trained pilots generally haven't been exposed to these aircraft. The emerging answer is GA Ready courses that adapt academy-trained pilots to the ad-hoc and impromptu life of GA charter. And it's the academies that are launching these programs, revealing that they are finally recognising the shortcomings of airline-focused training. Regional operators have known of the problem for years; CPLs fresh from the urban academies needed a lot of re-training to make them fit for purpose. With the urban academies acting to correct the problem, hopefully charter operators will start to see more CVs that give them confidence in the pilot's training.

"..You don't set caps if your system is not capable of dealing with them.."

Digital control towers–where ATC is not physically at the airport they are controlling–may be a revolution in Australia, but it's not an unexpected one. Airservices Australia started trials in 2020, and some airports overseas are already controlled remotely, most notably London City Airport. With the announcement that Western Sydney International (WSI) will be built with a digital tower the way is now open for Airservices to think about locations where the cost of maintaining a full control tower is prohibitive. Airports like Albury, Alice Springs, Avalon, Mackay, Hamilton Island and Tamworth may be candidates for digital towers; they all have the need for tower control, but not necessarily the justifying movements. It all sounds like a logic forward step, but that step may be hindered by the obstacle of conservatism. The underlying philosophy of digital towers is that no loss of safety is incurred and that traffic flows can still be maintained. However, there is also the belief that nothing can replace a pair of eyes looking through binoculars, fed by fears of computer glitches and a reduction in situational awareness. But look at it like this: London City had 46,000 movements in 2022 using a digital tower, and has a cap of 45 movements per hour. You don't set caps if your system is not capable of dealing with them, which means the London City experience is a good measure of how digital towers handle traffic load. Obviously Airservices has confidence in the technology and is prepared to use WSI as a sort of guinea pig, a controversial move at an airport that seems to gather controversy around it at almost every step.


Airshows Downunder at Shellharbour last weekend contained most of the possible scenarios air show organisers can be confronted with. There was rain and low cloud on the Saturday forcing some flying displays to be canceled, last-minute aircraft unserviceability, heat and bright sunshine beating down on the crowd and the flying program running late. It had it all, but still put on a respectable air show that was great fun all around. With AMDA Foundation now at the helm, there were concerns that the show would become a mini Avalon that would just not work. If you went looking you could find some signs of that, but as far as the attendees go, it was one of the best flying displays ever put on at that airport, which is saying a lot when you consider some of the schedules put on in the days of Wings over Illawarra. AMDA now has two years to analyse the failures and successes from Shellharbour and plan ahead for further development and growth of the event. I am looking forward to 2026 and what AMDA can make of the show in the future.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

---

For some reason Hitch didn't mention this Oz Flying article but in order to acknowledge the great work of CEO Marge Pagani and  the not for profit charity flight operator Angel Flight I think it needs to be included...

Angel Flight launches Rural Medi-Flight Service
8 March 2024


Angel Flight has launched a new flight service to take important medical staff to rural and outback locations, saving hours of arduous travel.

The first flight of the new Rural Medi-Flight service took BUSHkids medical staff from Archerfield to Cunnamulla and back, a 2.5 hour one-way flight rather than several days of travel.

Angel Flight carried the medics on the newly-acquired Cessna 402 Kayla, named after a passenger who made 400 flights to critical care, but who ultimately lost her battle with illness aged only 23.

One of the medics on the first  Rural Medi-Flight was BUSHkids speech pathologist Rebecca Scanlan.

"It was a great flight and a really successful visit to Cunnamulla," she said. "Being partnered with Angel Flight means that as clinicians our travel time is reduced, and it allows us to spend more time in the community supporting more children.

"It is exciting to work with another organisation that shares the goal of ensuring that rural communities have the same access to support that families living in cities have.”

Angel Flight CEO Marjorie Pagani said the new operation aimed to even-out medical services available between city and rural locations.

“It is widely recognised that the arduous nature of the travel required to get out to the bush is one of the main reasons our doctors and nurses are reluctant to leave the city," Pagani said.

“As the needs of those living in the bush become more pressing, with research suggesting a widening gulf in the life expectancy of those who live in the city with access to the best medical care and those who live in the bush with limited or no access to health care, Angel Flight recognises the need to upscale its services to meet demand.”

From 2021-2022, demand for Angel Flight's core service of free passenger flight  increased  by 30%, but demand for health professional flights increased by 80% with numbers continuing to climb.

Angel Flight says it has responded to the national rural health crisis with the acquisition of the C402, which will be based in Archerfield Brisbane and service rural and remote Queensland.

Angel Flight chose the twin Cessna because Due to the size of the aircraft, it will operate at a fraction of the cost of the larger air ambulance aircraft and have very little limitations on airfields/ports in which it can land.

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 19 April 2024

19 April 2024

– Steve Hitchen

From 14 exhibitors at a motor exhibition to 680 as a stand-alone event, AERO Friedrichshafen has billowed over the years to become general aviation's greatest dedicated exhibition world-wide. You need only ask the US and European manufacturers that would not dare skip it for so much as one year. And yet, AERO is only an apparition in Australia; our manufacturers don't have a presence. The reason for that is probably simply cost; shipping aircraft and banners to Europe is expensive and the exchange rate from the Aussie dollar to the Euro is hardly encouraging. That makes the investment required of Australian companies significantly higher than those of the rest of the world. But I have a dream. In my dream AMDA Foundation catches REX kero-burner to Canberra and convinces the government to fund a mission to AERO to showcase Australian products and manufacturing capability. With the MOSAIC regulations due to emerge by the end of this year, Australian designs prove perfect for the new LSA regulations and take the world by storm. It's a great dream; please don't wake me up.

"..A lack of VFR fitment is currently reducing the effectiveness of ADS-B.."

The Federal Government now officially has an ADS-B problem: VFR aircraft owners have taken up the rebate offer with all the enthusiasm of a trip to the dentist. After two years of activity, less than 1500 aircraft owners had been enticed to register for the rebate. When you understand that recreational aircraft also qualify, the level of registration is appallingly low. This is somewhat of an embarrassment for GA advocates who told the department a rebate would encourage more fitment in VFR aircraft. For clarification: yes, a lack of equipment and engineers has plagued the program, but that hasn't stopped people registering, only claiming. ADS-B is considered the future of ATC surveillance, but the effectiveness is proportional to the number of ADS-B out units fitted to aircraft. IFR was no problem; a mandate solved that. A lack of VFR fitment is currently reducing the effectiveness of ADS-B separation, which is what the rebate program was designed to solve. And that is really the driving force behind AMSA, ATSB and CASA all wading into the debate this week with encouraging sounds about the value of ADS-B. This is a clear indicator that Canberra is more worried about the lack of engagement with the program than the lack of equipment and engineers. Both are obstacles that impede the program, and any solution that doesn't address both sides is condemned to fail again.

I rarely make comments on accident reports, preferring to leave that position to the ATSB and CASA. On occasion, something will happen that I believe needs more weight behind the message, and the emergency go-around at Gold Coast Airport is one such occasion. And here's the message that I think needs amplifying: the responsibility for the safety of the flight lies primarily with the pilot in command, not ATC. In this case the crew landed fast and long trying to comply with a confusing tower instruction, which ruled out a stable approach. The correct response to the instruction probably should have been "cannot comply" or even the Hanson-ish "please explain". In CTA we are obligated to comply with ATC to the extent of the safety of the flight, but not an inch further. That means you can't reject an instruction on the grounds of inconvenience, but you can if it presents a threat to safety. You may then get an alternative instruction you don't want, but at least it won't get you star billing in an ATSB investigation report. And there is nothing wrong with asking for clarification if you don't comprehend; they'd rather you do that than something bewildering that they weren't ready for you to do. Keep in mind also that a go-around is a proper operational procedure that tower controllers handle every day without spilling their coffee. If you need it, use it.

After my speculating last LMH about the impacts of the Australian Grand Prix dates on Avalon, AMDA Foundation contacted me to say the logistics company had "plans in place" to ensure this is not an issue. That's good to hear, but if you need a hotel room in Melbourne between 13-28 March 2025, I'd still be booking it now!

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 26 April 2024

– Steve Hitchen


Every time an airport goes on the open market the general aviation community gets the shivers. We know how this works: developers buy the property, shove everyone off the airport and move in the bulldozers in preparation for a non-aviation cash-cow development. Ask anyone who flew out of Hoxton Park or Casey Field how it goes. So, naturally the GA community got the jitters again when Coldstream Airport in Victoria's Yarra Valley also went under the hammer. But wait! The airport has been bought by a development company headed by a CPL, which has plans to expand the airport and build more hangars. Could we have asked for a better outcome? Don't be in such a hurry to answer that question; there are too many unknowns at the moment. Given that CEM has been run on a largely private, recreational basis, Acuity Development Group, the new owners, will put the airport on a more commercial footing, which means it needs to make money for the investors. The danger for GA here is that current airport tenants could find themselves without hangars over their their heads as leases rise exponentially, or existing hangars are demolished to free-up land for the mooted airpark-style development. That makes it hard to accurately assess the future of Coldstream, but at least Acuity has plans that provide reason for at least a level of optimism. I've put calls through to Acuity to get some clarity, and hopefully will have some updates soon.

"..the world is currently capable of supplying less than 1% of SAF demand.."

Every year it becomes more obvious that the future power for GA aircraft is going to be electricity. The main reason behind that is that no-one seems to be developing alternatives that have commercial viability. The USA, the world's largest GA market, has largely diverted itself down the unleaded avgas or diesel routes (acknowledging the work of magniX), but in Europe, the energy for alternatives to avgas is being directed at electric power. It makes sense when you understand that most of the companies at the coalface of electric development are based in Europe: Diamond, Pipistrel, ZeroAvia, VoltAero et al. Whether that emerges simply as rechargeable batteries or hydrogen-electric is still many development hours down the track at the moment. This has implications in Australia, because the ALP's white paper–scheduled for mid-2024–is expected to focus on achieving zero-emissions goals, and electric power for GA is part of that. Whereas I agree with many in the GA community that diesel engines running sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a better capability match for GA, the world is currently capable of supplying (at an informed guess) less than 1% of SAF demand and the airlines are soaking up all of that. Second-guessing aside, I don't expect the white paper to include incentives to install diesel engines in legacy airframes, meaning we need to take a lot of notice of Europe's charge toward electricity because it may mirror our own future.

I am writing this column from a house in Darwin, where Sonya the Magnificent is currently lazing around a pool reading a book; I hope to join her soon. This, I have learnt over the years, is a GA city. The airport accommodates both airline and military traffic, but bustles with GA shuttling people to the Tiwi Islands or out to the remote communities where Boeings and Airbuses (rightly) fear to tread. For some communities, GA is their only connection to larger centres without taking very long drives along very poor roads. It's challenging stuff, which requires aviators that are not only up to the challenge, but also can emerge victorious every time. And it takes people like Trent Robinson to train pilots for this unique environment. We've just handed Trent the 2023 CASA Wings Award for Flying Instructor of the Year, which has turned out to be an inspired choice given the standing he holds in the aviation communities in both Darwin and Perth. And, through his Flight Training Australia podcast, his efforts are filtering right across the GA community in Australia. There's a lot of wisdom in his words, which many a PPL, RPC and flying instructor would do well to listen to.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

No LMH this week due to breach of BRB editorial standards -

After receiving the following SMS from Sandy and after assessment from the AP BRB editorial team it has been unanimously decided not to promo this week's LMH:

Sandy

Here's some typical Hitchen LMH, couldn't be more contrasting than with his much admired predecessor Paul Phelan,  as Hitchen reverts to his normal philosophy that the ills of GA are the fault of the GA community and he is so above the fray that his judgement has perception that's not available to mere mortals:-

"Several key challenges are the responsibility of government departments (e.g. airports, engineer training), which is covered by some excellent advocacy that stands to be reinforced with the impending emergence of The Australian Aviation Associations Forum (TAAAF). The residue of the catalogue of woes must therefore be loaded onto the GA industry itself. In a very Kennedy-esque manner, it may be time for the GA community to ask not what the industry can do for them, but rather what they can do for the industry."

However (unlike E-Karen) AP is not an arbiter of free speech or opinion, so for those who like to view the latest load of self-serving bollocks, from the self-appointed Oz Flying GOD Hitch you can read this week's LMH - HERE...

MTF...P2

[Sandy Reith]

I apologise for my somewhat intemperate remarks about Steve Hitchen’s thoughts in relation to bettering the fortunes of GA.
Whilst we may disagree on ways and means Steve has for many years advocated and published all things GA and therefore deserves recognition for that.
The problems that have beset GA are in part the fault of all of us as we vote for our representatives who form government and we have, many times, acquiesced to the various unhelpful moves by government. For example I don’t recall any pushback to the creation of an independent corporate monopoly to regulate aviation in denial of the Westminster principle of Ministerial responsibility which is at the heart of our democracy where the arms of government bear upon the different areas of community life.

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 17 May 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Federal budget week each year is always great fun: ministers throw money promises around like chocolates out of a piñata, opposition leaders make counter-promises that they'll never have to honour, and the media brands people "winners" and "losers". Customarily, aviation rarely gets mentioned except in the context of Western Sydney Airport. This year, funding announcements for remote and regional airports, ADS-B (see below) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) have all earned a place in the litany of PR that streams out of Canberra immediately the treasurer stops talking in the House of Reps. Most interesting of all announcements was the one that said nothing, only that more reforms could be expected in the white paper that is due sometime in the next month or so. By using the word "reforms" instead of "initiatives", is Minister King dropping hints that we can expect wholesale changes in the white paper that will alter the aviation landscape? And if that's so, will these reforms be simply changes or genuine improvements? Anyone who has studied CASA's 30-year regulatory reform program will understand the difference between a change and an improvement. Some of the white paper content has already been telegraphed; we're going sustainable whether we want to or not. But to make the aviation industry genuinely sustainable it's going to take a lot more than money for SAF development, and I am expecting the heralded reforms to include some initiatives handed to the industry from above rather than demanded from below.

"..Aviation is not recognised enough as the holistic eco-system that it is.."

There was really nothing else the federal government could have done but extend the ADS-B for VFR rebate further, although it was surprising to see it carry through for another three years. For various reasons that have been articulated to death over the past couple of months (mostly by me), the scheme had not reached the flight levels that it was expected to. Extending it by three years means it will be five years old when it's time for whoever is in power to close it or continue it beyond May 2027. If we haven't managed to equip the vast majority of the VFR fleet by then, even I would support lowering the scheme into a very deep grave. Oddly enough, it will be touch-and-go even with the ALP investing more money and time. Firstly, the numbers opting in are appallingly low; and secondly, there appears to be no fix to the shortage of avionics engineers on the horizon. And even if some fixes were launched this year, it would be three years at least before the impacts were felt. There is always the option to buy electronic conspicuity devices (EC), but many aircraft owners prefer to upgrade avionics that are in need of replacement anyway. This is all problematic given that ADS-B is the surveillance method of the future and VFR is largely not a part of that at the moment. Aviation is not recognised enough as the holistic eco-system that it is: change one thing and you have to change another; change another thing and you have to change a third. So whilst we welcome the extension to the rebate scheme, unless other things are done to facilitate it, VFR aircraft will still be a tiny blip on the ADS-B radar.

A near collision at Mildura (thanks for not calling it a "near miss") has led the ATSB to ask pilots to consider some optional radio calls at CTAFs. The optional call in question in this case was a "rolling" call. This is a call most GA pilots would make, so its a bit disappointing the crew of the Dash 8 missed it, but I don't think they are to blame. CASA's list of mandatory calls at CTAFs doesn't include this one, but it has become customary at most CTAFs around Australia anyway; hence, the ATSB report notes that the Warrior pilot made such a call. Over time, pilots that regularly (or always) operate from non-controlled airports develop insight into what will keep everyone in the circuit safe, and the fact that rolling calls are commonplace should send a message to CASA about what's important. CASA does promote the use of an "entering" call, but it lacks further information that other pilots in the circuit need to complete the picture. Are they doing an immediate take-off? Is an instructor holding them in place whilst they give a take-off briefing? An "entering" call alone creates uncertainty, which I believe is one of the main pillars that uphold an unsafe situation. I do believe a call that you are rolling on a runway further populating the circuit is an important one and should be mandatory. Mildura is not the only airport in Australia where intersecting runway thresholds are not visible from each other.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 24 May 2024

– Steve Hitchen


The epoch 1920-1930 was the golden age of pioneering aviation in Australia. Pilots–many de-mobbed after WWI–were desperate to find a way of staying in the air and trailblazed their own industry to do so. We are currently in the midst of the centenary window for all those achievements; a period ripe for celebration and homage. Present day aviation adventurer Michael Smith has just completed his tribute flight to Goble and McIntyre by re-enacting their 1924 circumnavigation of Australia, virtually faithful to the day, hour and sometimes minute. There were some variations, but it was a determination to stick to the bones of the original flight that made it so special. Michael's journey showed locals wherever he stopped in that their community had made its own contribution to aviation history; one that I suspect many of them never knew of. They appreciated his efforts to commemorate that part as well. And for me, that is one of the reasons that it's incumbent on us, today's aviators, to remember the pilots who stuck their necks out 100 years ago and keep their stories alive. The thing about blazing a trail is that it's a pointless act if no-one follows. We who have followed have a much easier path because of what they did. So think over the next few years about the many achievements of the aeroplane drivers of 1920-30, and how you can create your own tribute. It doesn't have to be as complete a re-enactment as Michael Smith's, but as long as it highlights our rich aviation heritage, the ghosts of aviators past will nod in approval.

"..it would have been the highest Class D airspace in Australia.."

None of us should be surprised that Airservices has asked for the new airspace to be placed over Ballina-Byron Gateway to be Class C 4500-8500 feet. In June 2022, I wrote that the architecture was likely to be C over D with the C as low as possible. That the original proposal was for Class D from SFC-8500 is somewhat perplexing; had it been implemented, it would have been the highest Class D airspace in Australia (that I can find!). The major operational difference between Class C and D is that transponders aren't needed in D. CASA has made the note that data shows most of the aircraft operating in the Ballina-Byron area now have transponders anyway, so the impact of the change has been assessed as minimal. There might be some Tiger Moth operators in Australia that would prefer to dispute that. The new design will add some complexity when it aligns with the Class C steps over Gold Coast. The current Gold Coast steps to the north are CLL 4500 over the sea, but CLL 6500 over the land. It seems Airservices wants to create a corridor of CLL 4500 north of Ballina to abut it to the Gold Coast steps. The diagram doesn't show the Gold Coast steps to the north, which is a valuable piece of information we need to properly evaluate the proposal. At the moment, it appears the steps don't align at all unless there are plans to lower the Gold Coast CLL 6500 step over land to 4500 to meet the Ballina corridor. Anyone who can shed light on this is more than welcome to send me an e-mail.

If GA comes to an inglorious end in Australia in 10-15 years time, the most likely culprit is shaping up as a lack of engineers. Aeroplanes are complex children that need a lot of maintenance to keep them flying, but there are so very few engineers to do the work. Mathematics says it is only a matter of time until planes no longer fly because there's no-one to sign-off the MRs. Also, the cost of a visit to the LAME is heading for the flight levels because parts are more expensive, shipping is more expensive, training is more expensive, leases are more expensive. On top of that, engineers are being vacuumed up into the larger operators to work exclusively, denying their skills to a GA industry that just can't match the pay offers. Eventually, propellers must grind to a halt. Now, when this is discussed in government circles, the standard answer at the moment is "the white paper will fix everything!" Don't count on it. The white paper is unlikely to contain silver-bullet solutions and even if it does, the impacts won't be felt until at least three-five years downrange of now. We are paying the price for government apathy and mis-regulation going back a couple of decades and one white paper pregnant with politically-charged promises is unlikely to correct that. If the last white paper is a reliable predictor of the coming one, it will be but a stepping-off point for more advocacy for effective solutions rather than the solutions themselves.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 31 May 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Jason Harfield's departure from Airservices is shrouded in a lather of mystery, enough to ensure it would become a target for senate estimates this week. In the Regional and Rural Affairs and Transport (RRAT) committee, Senator Bridget McKenzie went pretty hard at Airservices on the matter of Harfield not being re-appointed, zeroing in on the reasons for his departure and the handover to new management. Hardly an answer was given that didn't end with a look of incredulity on McKenzie's face. It was a look well justified. Here are some facts. 1. Harfield was told the board had recommended he be re-appointed. 2. His tenure was extended by 90 days while cabinet mused. 3. Harfield expected to be re-appointed. 4. Cabinet ignored the board and refused a third term for Harfield. 5. Harfield was given no official reason. As cabinet musings are confidential, we are being kept in the dark. But there is one thing I can say without any fear of mistake: 100% of the decisions made in cabinet are political. It would have been reasonable to rubber stamp the Airservices application to keep Harfield, but cabinet jumped on the opportunity to use him as a sacrificial anode. Whether or not Jason Harfield deserved a third term will draw no comment from me. I am happy to say, however,  that he deserved better treatment from the department, having spent the best part of a decade doing exactly what the department wanted him to do.

"..modifying the pegs is producing a compromise result.."

You really have to wonder if the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry in Australia is actually beyond repair. Costs have risen astronomically, there are fewer LAMEs to do the work, regulation is confusing and the training pathways are wonky and covered in weeds. There's not much there to recommend the system to aircraft owners. Things got messier this week when AMROBA withdrew its support for CASR Part 43, saying the CASA proposal was too far removed from the FAR 43 it is supposed to be based on. CASR Part 43 covers GA maintenance for private and airwork aircraft, and in 2018 was promised with a flourish from then Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack. The applause got louder when we were told it was to be based on the FAR rather than the EASA. And that, believe it or not, is the problem. EASA compliance demands that charter be classified as passenger transport and therefore not covered by Part 43. Charter is, however, covered by FAR 43. CASA is trying to fit square pegs in round holes, and modifying the pegs is producing a compromise result that has put AMROBA offside. Their doom-saying predictions of MROs simply closing up rather than trying to untangle the red tape is not without foundation; every second contemplating rules is a second not spent applying skills to aeroplanes, something the GA community desperately needs right now. AMROBA's call to merge Part 43 with Part 42 (commercial transport) has a lot of merit, but is likely to produce a brick-wall response from CASA because it would mean a lesser standard of maintenance regs for passenger transport ops, which they have repeatedly said is not on the table.

I was reminded this week of a yarn told at an aero club Sunday BBQ a few years ago. A VFR pilot told a story of how he flew VFR-on-top to Mount Gambier, and on arrival found the overcast had only one very small hole in it. Unable to cruise down through the hole, he elected to stall the aeroplane and hold it in a wings-level stall as he plunged down through the hole, then recovered to land safely. He was proud as punch of his innovative airmanship until asked how he knew the cloud base would give him enough height to recover from the stall. His face became ashen as he admitted he hadn't thought of that. Let's get honest: VFR pilots use cloud holes all the time, and if they're long and wide enough to drop down through in a cruise descent, there's not a lot wrong if you can keep the ground visual and don't enter cloud. The problem becomes when the hole leaves no margin for error and may even change size and shape on you thanks to wind. They're like one-ended valleys in a way: you may be able to get into it, but can you get out if the end is coming at you fast? Success breeds contempt, and in aviation contempt breeds ATSB reports. Cloud holes need respect because they are all different and can lure in the unsuspecting fat-dumb-and-happy pilot if reconnaissance and consideration before taking the plunge is not adequate enough to ensure safety. Cloud-hole adventures make for great yarns, but only if you're still around to tell them.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 7 June 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Whilst I was among the first to stand to applaud CASA appointing Andrew Andersen as the new chair of the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), my thoughts turned quickly to the seat he vacates: chair of the General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN). Andersen will bring depth of aviation experience and passion, as well as significant industry respect, to the ASAP role; the same attributes he bought to GAAN when he took over in December 2019, and the same attributes his replacement will also need to bring. And that's what is occupying so much of my brain space (which is admittedly somewhat limited): who would be the perfect replacement? One of Andersen's chief advantages that would have been a key factor in him getting the GAAN call-up was that he wasn't a member or executive of any of the groups he was asked to wrangle. Impartiality coupled with expertise is very hard to find; they often are not compatible with each other. I assembled my own short-list of people who might fit the bill, but slowly drew a red line through every one of them: can't be expected to be impartial, too busy, known to not want the job, doesn't have broad respect appeal. In the end there are no uncrossed names on my list. Whilst ASAP will flourish under Andersen, for GAAN to do the same, the minister needs to come up with an inspired appointment.

"..things began to unravel like a marriage based on one passionate weekend.."

I suppose it had to come to this. In the six years since CASR Part 43 was first announced, the GA community has gone from broad smiles to furrowed brows; from amorance to animosity. The key cost-killer promised in the regulation was that GA aircraft would no longer need to be maintained using regimes designed for airlines. It was even supposed to be based on the much-hailed FAR 43. But slowly, things began to unravel like a marriage based on one passionate weekend alone. Now, there is little support behind the regulation. The reason for such an aggressive volte-face is at the same time obvious and confusing. Obvious because the connection to FAR 43 has become tenuous, and confusing because arguments based on intimate knowledge of complex rules are lacking clear explanation. Part 43 was going to mean that private and airwork aircraft could be maintained under an alternative system to continuous airworthiness management. That means no MRs, aircraft maintenance technicians rather than LAMEs, standards based on CASR Part 21 and, importantly, the owner takes responsibility for airworthiness. There's a lot of other intricate changes as well, but there are a couple of glaring negatives. An aircraft maintained under CASR Part 43 will probably have to stay there for life. This means, for example, a flying school couldn't use an aircraft for charter work if they bought it from an owner who had kept it in Part 43. Not easily, anyway, which is the experience that is coming out of the USA. Another problem (unverified) is that insurance companies may not be happy covering hulls kept in Part 43. The good news, which seems not to mollify anyone, is that this legislation is optional. If you don't like it, you don't have to have it. Despite that, this is taking a lot of skin off the noses of people in the GA MRO business. Such is life.

If you, as an alien, had stridden confidently down the ramp of your flying saucer and into RotorTech (don't forget to register!) this week, your report back to your bosses on Planet X would probably say that the helicopter industry in Australia has only one serious problem: a lack of engineers. From poaching engineers from each other, enticing internationals, trying to attract apprentices, confusing career paths, Part 66 problems, theory courses, misleading outcomes, attitudes of the younger generation and why the hell is CASA implementing Part 43 anyway?, everything got a hearing that resulted in some very strident bashing of regulators, educators and the government in general. But I loved something that Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) CEO Julian Fraser said, possibly with his tongue in his cheek, but so relevant: amidst all this gloom the industry in Australia is booming anyway. If you needed confirmation of that then you hadn't spent much time in the exhibition hall; energy and optimism ruled the roost and there were very few unhappy faces. That you can attribute to the commitment of the industry and a desire for RotorTech to become a major aviation event not just in Australia, but internationally as well. There was no expo space unaccounted for, and having helicopters on the grass outside just topped-off the whole event. So, bouquets to AHIA, the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems (AAUS) and AMDA Foundation for conspiring to pull off a great show.

Minister King, where is our White Paper? Wait, don't tell me, let me guess. Is it sitting on your desk in completed form waiting for a politically-profitable time for you to make it public? So predictable. My issue is that I don't know whether to berate you for holding onto it or suggest you slide it off your desk into the rubbish bin on the floor. I am going to go with the former, because even if this paper turns out to be as junk-worthy as the last one, it is better for the aviation community to know that than be constantly roadblocked the way it is now. Virtually all approaches are being greeted with the response "wait for the white paper". Information is power, and withholding information is even more powerful, but it also creates damage. The sooner this white paper is out in the sun the better off the aviation community will be, even if we don't like what's in the Executive Summary.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 14 June 2024

14 June 2024

– Steve Hitchen

You might be feeling tremors beneath your feet, or perhaps a disturbance in the force. They're real. If you put your nose to the wind, you should be able to smell what's coming: the ALP government's aviation white paper. Last week I postulated that the report was lazing around the minister's desk, but now I feel it has been taken in hand and will soon see the light of day. Large, politically-potent documents like this are never dumped wholesale; they're preceded by announcements that prepare the ground ahead, such as the Emerging Aviation Technologies Partnership, or promoting a low-carbon liquid fuel industry. Even closing off a long-forgotten inquiry (see below) can be read as tying up loose ends that may inconveniently contradict white paper recommendations. Little tremors that cometh before a big bang. When cometh the big bang is ripe for speculation. Politically, releasing a huge policy paper is often left to the last parliamentary sitting day before a long break. That removes from the opposition the ability to launch ambushes in question time until everyone has cooled down a bit. If that's the strategy, then Thursday 4 July is the most likely day we'll see it. That's a prediction that has little inherent stability; it could come on any sitting day up until then. In fact, it would be better for the aviation community if it came to us on the next sitting day. We've been waiting long enough as it is.

"...They deliberately did nothing because the inquiry was self-referred..."

When I received an e-mail notification that the government had finally responded to the senate inquiry into the state of Australia's GA industry, my first thought was filled with jubilation. It had been more than two years since the report was tabled and not a squeak from the government. Silly me; the update was a forward defensive shot that Geoff Boycott would be proud of and no cause for jubilation. To the 12 recommendations, the government said that too much time had elapsed and a response was no longer appropriate. Are you kidding me? The ALP engineered that elapsed time! They deliberately did nothing because the inquiry was self-referred by the Senate Standing Committee on Regional and Rural Affairs and Transport (RRAT) and stood to be a distraction on the inexorable march to another white paper. In October 2022, RRAT chair ALP Senator Glenn Sterle said that the inquiry could not continue until the government responded to the interim report. A touch of chicanery, maybe, given that Senator Sterle at the time was part of that very government. Cards, meet table. This was the inquiry that both sides of government wanted to forget and the wider GA community couldn't be bothered with. Baulked, admittedly, by COVID restrictions, it collected only 74 responses and held only four hearings. That's not enough material to give weight to the 12 very sensible recommendations. The ALP's big gun in the fight to kill the inquiry was that the inquiry was self-referred by the RRAT committee, meaning governments of neither colour asked for it and therefore had no obligation to respond. All that work has been reduced to a single-line response that could be further condensed to simply "go away". However, some of the recommendations may have influenced the white paper, which would be some reward for the efforts of those that did put in.

A changing of the guard at AHIA last week saw Jim Norrie take over as president from Ray Cronin, and Ian Sheffield elected VP, replacing Myles Tomkins. Both Cronin and Tomkins retired, having dragged AHIA into a solid financial position during their tenure. The two also added significant respect and street cred to AHIA as it levitated itself from the wreckage of the defunct Helicopter Association of Australia. My favourite part of the Cronin years was Ray's consistent message that the helicopter industry had to clean its own house and fix its own behavioural problems. That's not the preferred position taken by most aviation associations; blaming the government and the regulator is the usual calls to arms. AHIA has owned the problems and taken the burden of corrective action on their own shoulders. Whilst there are still some spaces where AHIA and CASA don't enjoy harmony, the relationship between the two is constructive, a crucial point in improving safety in an industry that has faced quite a few challenges of late. It is hoped that the Norrie years are just as productive.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 21 June 2024

21 June 2024

– Steve Hitchen


If you're looking to convert your flying qualifications to an RAAus recreational pilot certificate, you may have found yourself standing in a non-moving queue. Some time back, RAAus suspended conversions whilst they sorted out an ambiguity in their operations manual with CASA. This came to light in the investigation into the fatal crash of a Jabiru aircraft near Lucyvale in Victoria, when a pilot tried to fly from Mount Beauty to Shellharbour in weather other pilots feared to tread in. There is some contention about whether or not RAAus should have permitted his conversion from paragliding qualifications. Right now, the whole thing is under the watchful eye of the Victorian coroner, who has suspended findings in light of late information that RAAus, for whatever reason, withheld until the last minute. The whole episode is one that everyone will want to put behind them, but I fear civil action is brewing that could hold consequences for everyone in the recreational field. My chief beef is that the ATSB has had scant involvement. This is a fatal crash in which the training and approval system of RAAus has been called into question, yet RAAus has been left to take the lead on the investigation. I'll put this bluntly: the ATSB should have stepped in and taken control on this one, which doubtless would have revealed the ambiguity earlier and made sure all information was in front of the coroner. Now, this one is going to turn ugly, and the GA community and the general public really do expect better.

"...dealing with CASA on certification may be its biggest obstacle..."

The best aviation news for 2023 happened very late in the year: the announcement that George Morgan and family had bought out Mahindra Aerospace and GippsAero was back in Australian hands. It meant a return to a belief in a fantastic aeroplane and its ability to deliver for pilots, passengers and operators. I spoke to David Morgan this week to catch up on what had happened since the announcement, and found someone enthusiastic about GippsAero's future, and a company planning a strategy to meet the challenges of the current manufacturing environment and meet a demand that never went away. Although it has been only four years since Mahindra hit the emergency stop button in a blue funk (the last reported new delivery was in Q3 2020), the aviation industry has changed a lot, which strangely enough may work to GippsAero's advantage. The push for sustainable fuel (SAF) means that GippsAero can start immediately looking to diesel power for the Airvan 8 and has the jet-fueled Airvan 10 already certified. At the moment, these engines aren't suffering from shortages to the extent their avgas-drinking cousins are. But to put a diesel in front of an Airvan 8 means re-certifying the aircraft, which is not only a drain on cash reserves, but also requires the involvement of CASA. GippsAero already has to navigate its way around skills shortages, parts availability and rising costs, yet dealing with CASA on certification may be its biggest obstacle. We don't need that; we need CASA to enable rather than disable and get behind a program that has the potential to big an even bigger winner for Australia than it was in the pre-Mahindra years.

Yesterday's announcement that CASA has accepted the Australian Operational Colour Vision Assessment (AOCVA) for testing pilots is a testament the the belief and persistence of Arthur Pape and the Colour Vision Deficient Pilots Association (CVDPA). It has been more than 10 years of hard work, door-knocking, e-mailing, cajoling and deployment of every weapon in their arsenal to get their cause to this point. However, most advocates out there that have ever lifted a banner to fight the good fight against the regulator are probably right now thinking "10 years ... that's about right." Compared with some of the more epic struggles (self-declared medicals: 20 years at least), one decade of lobbying is considered a quick result! To our continuous misfortune, that's how the aviation regulator works. It's a bureaucracy that moves slower than a Kiwi glacier and often spends its time and energy mangling regulations that never needed attention in the first place (Part 61, 141 and 142). Things have improved inside CASA, but the inertia within demonstrates that CASA is still an old-school regulator that needs regular kicking from without to make it see reason. Kudos to the CVDPA that never stopped sinking in the slipper no matter how frustrating the whole process became.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 28 June 2024

28 June 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Re-appointing Mark Binskin as Chair of the CASA board is probably the easiest decision that minister Catherine King has had to make since she began her tenure. "Bini" is possibly one of the most hands-on board members CASA has ever had and works well with Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence. The result is that the current bureaucracy is infused with aviation culture from above. There have been several Chairs in the past that have had aviation in their blood, but never to this extent. Bini goes "above and beyond" the traditional role, trying to understand what the regulations are trying to do and providing a guiding hand when it's needed ... and it is needed often. However, regardless of the ambitions and drive of the Chair, they can only do so much, because the CASA board is not part of the aviation safety regulatory hierarchy. That buck stops at Pip Spence. How much influence Bini–or any other chair–has is totally up to her personally. So, with a strong alliance at the top, should we be expecting marvelous things from CASA that solve all the festering sores in the GA community? Yes, and no. There are some things that CASA just will not grant no matter how much we plead for them, usually because CASA's remit is strongly skewed towards protecting the general public from the risks of aviation. So, whilst having a pure aviator as Chair is a booster for the aviation community, the regulator beneath will always carry the day in any conflict of opinion.

 "..Private owners can find their aircraft stuck at the back of a maintenance hangar for months.."

CASR Part 43 is becoming a very sore point with the GA community at the moment; once-lauded regulation that has become tarnished somewhat since it was first mooted. When it was announced that it would be based on FAR 43, people smiled and starting thinking that at last CASA was getting the idea of simply adopting the US regulations instead of re-inventing that which had already been invented. But according to AMROBA, the proposed CASR 43 will relax maintenance regulations for private and airwork aircraft too far, permitting a situation that regulation was once penned to eliminate. AMROBA is running for the silver bullets over the idea that an independent AMTC Class 1 should be allowed to overhaul an engine, something that is barred in FAR 23. The advantages to having an AMTC do overhauls is that they would be removed from the expensive and over-bearing rules that surround Part 66 organisations, which are geared-up to maintain passenger-carrying aircraft. As I see it, this could be a great thing because, by most MROs own admissions, their priorities are biased towards money-making aircraft. If a school or a charter company has a machine on the ground, the MROs give priority to that over a privately-owned aircraft. Private owners can find their aircraft stuck at the back of a maintenance hangar for months as it keeps getting duck-shoved down the pecking order. And furthermore, they are expected to accept the situation. Having an AMTC 1 being able to maintain aircraft including overhauls gives them a chance of getting back in the air sooner. As no other viable solution for private aircraft has been put forward to any effect, this may be the only way.

Hobart has always been a problematic destination for GA; Cambridge being the one and only airport other than Hobart International. There is a quasi-alternative at Sandfly near Kingston, but it's private and only 500 m long. Without Cambridge, Hobart International would need to accept a long more GA movements than it is now; the GA pad there is miniscule and looks like it could hold around five aircraft at the most. Cambridge airport has been listed for sale freehold, and after the Hoxton Park experience, the GA community is feeling a bit nervous about the outcome. One feature to hang our hats on is that the Wells family, which owns and operates Cambridge, is selling on the proviso that the airport is leased back to themselves through Par Avion Aviation. That lease is described as "short term", which not exactly encouraging for the long-term future of Cambridge. Any potential buyer won't do so because they want an airport, they will be salivating over the land the airport is on. This is actually not a new situation. When the Federal Airports Corporation divested themselves of Cambridge in 1992, they sold it freehold with no proviso that it continued to be operated as an airport. It was only that the buyer was involved in aviation that kept Hobart's GA airport on the charts. What of the future? We'll know only when Par Avion's lease runs out.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 5 July 2024

5 July 2024

– Steve Hitchen

There was a forest of papers tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday, but the aviation white paper was not among them. As the last joint sitting of both houses before a long break, I predicted that minister Catherine King would drop the white paper yesterday, but it seems I was not reading from the same strategy paper as she was. So right now, I am out of ideas as to why the aviation white paper has not been made public. Legitimate ideas, that is. There is always political chicanery going on in the background designed to ensure as much glitter from the white paper as possible rubs off on the government . That presumes the paper actually glitters, which may be the reason why we haven't seen it: it contains not enough gold. The white paper may be going through the spin cycle at the moment to make sure it gleams as brightly as possible before the minister holds it up like Excalibur. In the meantime, the general aviation community has to wait. But there is something different this time compared to the last Labor white paper. This time, rather than stalling, the aviation community is getting on with the job because it expects–like the last time–that the white paper will actually have little bearing on the future of the GA industry. Yes, I find it ironic that we are waiting impatiently for a document that we don't want anyway.

"..The WSI monster is hungry for airspace and must be fed.."

Airservices and CASA's Office of Airspace Regulation will be asking next month for the aviation community's feedback on new VFR lanes for Bankstown. These lanes will connect the airport with new training areas to be created to the south-east around Engadine. We'd probably scream at them if they didn't consult, but in reality feedback from the GA community is not likely to unearth anything that Airservices and the OAR don't already know. No line of violet dots on a map is going to address the underlying issue, which is the need for the training area to the south. This has been caused by Bankstown and Camden being swamped by the needs of Western Sydney International; their training area sacrificed to the needs of the heavy jets. Connecting Bankstown to a training area that is over inappropriate terrain is no solution, and has been imposed on operators in the Sydney basin regardless of the results of consultation. The WSI monster is hungry for airspace and must be fed, even if it means only scraps are left over for everyone else. The overwhelming feeling in the Sydney GA community is that Bankstown Airport is done for; it can't continue to operate as a healthy GA airport under the conditions that have been thrust upon it. In truth, nothing has changed since the announcement that a new airport would be built at Badgerys Creek. Governments were told then that a second airport built in the west would have very dire consequences, yet feedback was not listened to then. It really will be hard for the Sydney GA community to believe they are going to be listened to now.

Delaying the Class 4 medical until well into next year is not going down particularly well with pilots. CASA's reason for the delay is so they can gather data about the Class 5 medical to determine what operational restrictions are going to apply. Currently, both Class 5 and the Class 2 Basic have operational restrictions that are applied because the regulator considers only an examination by a DAME can render those operations safe. CASA wants to use the Class 5 experience to determine if a full DAME medical really is needed for some flight activities. It's not easy to see where their data is going to come from: if Class 5 pilots can't fly those activities then how will the experience be of any value to CASA? How can a pilot provide feedback on the safety of something they are not allowed to do? An enigma, but perhaps not. What I believe CASA is after is data on the integrity of those applying for Class 5. The self-declared medical is open to abuse, and I feel the regulator wants to be able to trust pilots not to abuse it before they let their guard down completely. As someone who went through the Class 5 process, I saw several points where lying would have been the easier option, but doing so could jeopardise our chances of having some restrictions on Class 5 and Class 4 removed. If CASA thinks people are lying to them, they'll fall back on a higher level of safety to compensate for that.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch