[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 22 July 2024

22 July 2024

– Steve Hitchen

I could always tell when the pilot was not happy: silence came through my headset. It was usually prompted by me, the bloke with the camera, asking the following aeroplane to do something radical because it might make for a good photo. I have learned to match my shot discipline to that of the pilots and don't ask for something out of the ordinary that was not included in the mission brief. If you need to ask why, read very carefully the ATSB's report into the S.211 crash last year. Nowadays I fly formations myself, and most of my briefing experiences have included a lot of questions being asked, a lot of questions being answered, and the pointed directive "don't do anything that hasn't been briefed!" Sorting out the risks in manoeuvres is always best done without the added brain drain of flying the aircraft at the same time; doing it in the air requires divided attention, which pilots can't afford in a formation. I broke that rule once, inside CTA in response to an errant direction from ATC. Everyone survived, but I learned the importance of not doing anything that the rest of the team is not already expecting me to do. And as for the camera work, much of my air-to-air work has appeared on the front cover of Australian Flying, and not one of the shots was the result of an ad-hoc manoeuvre.

"..recreational aviation is morphing into something it was never intended to be.."

CASA directing RAAus to make changes to their operations manual shows that, contrary to the belief of many, RAAus is not a law unto itself. They operate under a CASR Part 149 certificate, which still subordinates them to CASA regulation where necessary. That's why Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations (ASAO) are "self administering" and not "self regulating". But be sure that Part 149 approval has placed a lot of burden on RAAus and meant changes that took the organisation from a hobby association to a professional aviation organisation against, it must be said, the wishes of many members who wanted RAAus to shun Part 149 and maintain the status quo. That was not really an option because recreational aviation had grown so large so quickly that the infrastructure and culture couldn't keep up. And I can say this without too much fear: if RAAus hadn't gone to Part 149 we probably wouldn't be getting a weight increase and access to CTA would remain on the wish list unticked for a long time. And you can forget MOSAIC (see below) completely. We must, however, respect the opinions of those that are starting to believe that recreational aviation is morphing into something it was never intended to be. With MOSAIC in place and approved for ASAOs, there will be some very sophisticated and capable machinery wearing six numbers on the side, which was never the intent of recreational aviation in the first place. Keep in mind, though, that CASA just doesn't have the culture or flexibility of framework to do justice to the new recreational aviation that's emerging. It's only through ASAOs that Australia can adopt it, with CASA watching over their shoulders all the time to make sure there aren't too many "divergent views".

EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh starts tonight our time, and one of the main themes running through the event is the impending MOSAIC regulation. A quick recap: the Modernisation of Special  Airworthiness Category (MOSAIC) re-designs light sport aircraft to remove the arbitrary weight limits and permit more technology and capability in the category. It has been mooted for some time now and many in the USA were hoping they'd have something for Oshkosh this year. Not so, apparently; the process is dragging on. One of the balls-and-chain attached to the new standard is that several aviation organisations in the USA have thrown in other reforms they want included that weren't part of the original spec. For example, the Experimental Aircraft Association earlier this year asked the FAA to consider a higher stall speed than the original proposal and the ability for sport (recreational) pilots to be able to carry three passengers rather than the one permitted under the current rules. What this sort of thing does to regulators is send them back to their risk matrices to plug in the new freedoms and see how they work as one piece of a larger puzzle. It doesn't necessarily mean wiping the whiteboard clean, but it does add more information to a board that is already strapped for space. So when does the world get to see the new rules? The comment period closed in January this year, having been extended from last October, which means the notice of final rulemaking is due in the first half of 2025. Maybe by Oshkosh next year we'll have something concrete to work with.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 26 July 2024

26 July 2024

– Steve Hitchen


My logbook tells me I first flew an SR series Cirrus in 2004. The Avidyne glass cockpit was both exhilarating and intimidating, and with the type only five years young at the time, completely revolutionary. I'd seen these full-colour TV screens in corporate jets before, but here was similar technology delivered into the hands of a PPL! But no sooner had I completed my logbook entry than instructors were sounding warnings about the tendency for glass cockpits to drag VFR pilots' eyes onto the instrument panel and not out the window where they should be. Another caution was the over-reliance on the technology and eschewing the airmanship that had been instilled in us since our first flying hours. And that was before tablets, ADS-B, iPhones, smart watches, lift reserve indicators and A5-sized navigators. And soon, AI: artificial intelligence. Theoretically, AI is smarter than us (or else what would be the point of it), so therefore as pilots we should sit back, let AI fly and wallow in our own redundancy. AI is technology that stands to cause headaches for regulators because it will challenge the primary responsibility for the safety of the flight. Right now, that lies with the pilot-in-command. Will it stay there once cockpits are fitted with something more intelligent than a human? The upside, I suppose, is that our eyes will  be back outside the cockpit again because there will be no reason to have them inside anymore.

 "..it really should be no surprise that some engineers don't like signing-off components.."

Running on condition is one of the more contentious aspect of GA aircraft maintenance. This is when a component that has reached the end of its life can remain in service provided it can still do the job. It means reduced cost and reduced waste because engineers don't throw out stuff that is, theoretically, still perfectly good. But obviously something has been going astray, prompting CASA this week to issue a reminder to engineers that on-condition components still need to be monitored with a very critical eye. That takes some doing when you think about it, and it really should be no surprise that some engineers don't like signing-off components to operate on condition. For the average PPL/owner who can fly OK, but thinks a screwdriver is a mixture of vodka and orange juice, it produces a conundrum. Do they accept a LAME's recommendation not to run on condition, or do they shop around to find an engineer who will sign off? That decision is now far more complex with a lack of engineer availability to do the work and almost infinite delays in getting components, particularly engines, out of the USA or Europe. This storm is not quite perfect, but it will produce a scenario that induces owners to run on condition more than ever before. Paradoxically, more components on condition means LAMEs need to do more monitoring, putting further strain on engineer availability. 

We've already got nominations for the 2024 CASA Wings Awards, which are starting to solidify into one of the largest fields of candidates we've ever had. That's been bolstered, no doubt, by the raft of prizes we have on offer for both the successful candidate and their nominator, thanks to the support of Garmin, David Clark, Bose and World Fuel. And it's about this time each year that I sound my usual warning about the criteria. Each award has set criteria by which the candidate and the nomination will be judged. Yes, you heard that correctly, we judge the nomination as well. When you make a submission, you need to make sure you have matched your candidate to the criteria as best you can. There is nothing more frustrating for us than to have to draw a line through a worthy candidate because the nomination hasn't been properly completed. So before you press the "go" button, check back through to see if you've done justice to who you are nominating.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 2 August 2024

2 August 2024

– Steve Hitchen

When Bonza fell into the abyss a few weeks back, a friend asked me if I thought REX would follow suit. All I could do was cross my fingers in response. Now they are teetering on the edge also, it would appear that maybe my wishful thinking was not enough. The good news out of this is that REX had structured itself so that not all the subsidiaries are involved in the voluntary administration, leaving their training academy and charter/aeromedical operations to carry on as if there was nothing to see here. Although the SAAB 340 regional ops are tangled up in the financial red mud, they are continuing with the subsidised routes, meaning that regional centres ignored by QF and VA will not go unserviced. Maintaining the regional operations is also critical for general aviation, because they provide stepping-stones for ATPLs aspiring to the cockpits of Boeings and Airbuses. SAAB 340s and Metroliners are good nurseries, and for those pilots content not to be wrangling lifestyle-disturbing shifts at the majors, regional airlines are a good outlet for their skills and flying passion. When I first started in aviation journalism, a colleague said to me that airlines are all about defying gravity, both physically and financially. Every now and then one of them comes thudding to the financial ground surrounded by a cloud of burning dollars, and this time it's REX. Let's hope they can trade out of this and keep at least the turbo-props turning over.


"..the elephant in the room has Western Sydney Airport painted on the side.."


Effective consultation is super-critical to safe aviation outcomes, but it has to be painful and get-wrenching to do so on a proposal that you don't really want at all. That's the situation facing GA advocates over both Ballina-Byron and Bankstown. Both these airports are facing operational upheavals as airspace architecture is changed to suit the major airlines to the detriment of the GA. Although CASA is putting a smiley-face sticker on the consultation over Bankstown, the elephant in the room has Western Sydney Airport painted on the side. The consultation talks about "safer routes to training areas", which will cause some sneers because the current CTR butts up to Class G airspace without the need to be connected by a long line of lavender dots. The proposed routes weren't needed before Badgerys Creek was started. My point is that any changes to the airspace architecture around Sydney will result in an outcome that is less safe than it is now. The airspace design is going to be complex and into that we are going to funnel inexperienced pilots who are still battling with the science of flying an aeroplane straight and level. But still, we are asking advocates to take up the pen, analyse the proposals and return an honest and fair critique, which they will do even though their ink carries insufficient weight to make much difference.

The plain English guides, on the other hand, do make a lot of difference, when it comes to understanding the regulations. This was one of the few recommendations from the ASRR that has a) actually been implemented as intended, b) had an impact. GA has had a plain English guide for many years, although it was not really recognised as being just that: the Visual Flight Rules Guide (VFRG). The VFRG puts the rules, regulations and legislation surrounding visual flight into a crisp, clear format that unclouds pilots' understanding. The PEGs do something similar, and should be used to advantage in a similar vein as the VFRG. Part 61 is one of the most complex and bewildering of all CASRs. It needed a taskforce to untangle it only 12 months after its birth and has been a target of CASA GA Workplan a decade later. That should tell you a lot about the way the regs were "reformed". Should we be surprised that a PEG has been produced? However, the most logical thing would be to have written the original legislation in plain English, but the requirements of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and the demands for legal acceptability get precedence. CASA will need to keep the PEGs coming; it's the only way anything they do makes any sense.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 9 August 2024

9 August 2024

– Steve Hitchen

CASA's figures released this week show that the RPL/PPL community is embracing the Class 5 medical despite the limited operations that are permitted under the self-declaration scheme. This isn't surprising given the number of years GA has been pursuing a self-declared medical, but its not an indication that the war is won, only the biggest battle. A true victory can only be (self) declared once we can fly with virtually zero restrictions and no GP involvement. But is that a bridge too far for CASA? None of the UK, USA or NZ have true self-declared medical standards; their equivalents all involve some form of medical examination or intervention, even if at GP level only. When the Class 4 goes live sometime in 2025, that will be a more equivalent standard to those other national authorities. That means CASA is already one step beyond with Class 5 and, given they can deliver a no-DAME medical with fewer restrictions in the form of Class 4 anyway, may be reluctant to take the final stride. Right now we're waiting for the 12-month review due in February, but in the meantime I expect the Class 5 numbers to increase as more and more Class 2 medicals expire.

"..Regional aviation is a tough industry, but so vital.."

REX going into voluntary administration has rocked the regional aviation industry and the communities the airline served. As the largest regional airline in Australia, they actually carry quite a bit on their shoulders. And that is why the Federal Government will be very keen to see them stay in the air, with financial backing probably forthcoming soon. But in the past fortnight, both Sharp Airlines and the Regional Aviation Association of Australia have come out and–whilst applauding support for REX–reminded the minister that there are more regional players in the game, and they are not immune from the same financial termites that are threatening the foundations of REX. Regional aviation is a tough industry, but so vital in linking Australia's remote communities (and we have a lot of those) to larger centres, and those larger centres to the capitals. Government support is already in place with subsidies for some of the REX services, but that wasn't enough to keep REX on a solid footing. So what of the small connector airlines that are running piston twins on routes so thin you could see through them, and doing it without government hand-outs? They also serve and I am sure could use some support similar to that likely to be extended to REX. The RAAA's call for a broader focus is on the money, but I am concerned that if something of this nature was not already included the the ALP's aviation white paper, then it's too late now for it to find a place. 

There has been a general opinion in GA circles that recreational access to Class C and D controlled airspace (C/D access) has been delayed because of a tie-up with CASR Part 103, which has also been a long time coming and isn't even on the horizon yet. That opinion had a solid basis in logic, Now, CASA is saying that the two are not connected, which means the logic for the project's delay also falls away. CASA's GA Workplan had the C/D access project due to be delivered by Q4 2023, and despite that passing months ago, there's no update. I believe CASA met with some of the Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations (ASAO) is June to thrash out some things, so there is movement at the station. What I am failing to nail down is why the regulator is still consulting on something that they were confident they could deliver seven months or more ago. Personally, I expected the C/D access to drop in right on top of the Class 5 medical for GA. Class 5 showed that CASA had done enough work on the risk side to give C/D access to pilots without a medical examination, and I presumed that work could also be leveraged over to RPC holders as well. So are there other weevils in this flour? Training standards or aeroplane standards perhaps? Whatever the obstacles, they need to be cleared with haste; the recreational community has waited long enough.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 16 August 2024

16 August 2024

– Steve Hitchen

I have used this column several times to cajole the government into getting out the aviation white paper that was promised mid year. I predicted early July, but here it is mid August and nothing yet. Agents within Canberra have hinted that the reason why it hasn't yet been tabled even though a final version was delivered to the minister, is that some new bits needed to be added. But now it is likely to be delayed even more by REX going into voluntary administration. People in the know have whispered that the original paper probably contained nothing for regional aviation other than platitudes and continuing subsidies for some routes. REX getting the financial wobbles may have caused ripples within the department and resulted in the white paper reverting to draft mode ... again. The public statements of support and understanding coming from the minister would look like political whitewash if the white paper then contained nothing of substance. Right now, the department could do a lot worse than re-engage with the Regional Aviation Association of Australia to sort out a holistic solution that keeps regional airlines healthy, retains connections for communities and provides an important link in the career chain for aspiring ATPLs.

"..the MOS gets thrown back at CASA in a flurry of fluttering paper.."

It's a rare moment when a technical working group (TWG) rejects proposed regulation outright and wholesale, but that's what happened with the CASR Part 103 Manual of Standards back in October 2021. Without a MOS of any sort, recreational aviation has had to benefit from a number of exemptions from the CAOs to make it legal. Since that happened, the TWG that threw back the MOS hasn't been reconvened. From my understanding, CASA's proposed MOS was overly prescriptive,  ignored the concept of informed participation and watered down the administrative responsibilities of the Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations (ASAO). If that's right, rejecting the MOS was probably the right thing to do, and in the circumstances, hardly a surprising move. What is surprising, is that the draft MOS got to that state in the first place. My first reaction (and first reactions are often wrong because they are based on incomplete information) was that somewhere in Canberra two connections are not meeting up: CASA's sense of what an ASAO is for, and the ASAOs' idea of what an ASAO is for. CASR Part 149 was supposed to make the ends meet, but somehow has failed. Hence, the MOS gets thrown back at CASA in a flurry of fluttering paper. So, it's a logical and smart move for CASA to reconnect the ends via consultation with the industry, and reconvening the TWG. The only snag is that the whole of Part 103 and its MOS will be torched when CASA accepts and moves to implement the new MOSAIC rules currently being developed in the USA. To that end, are we better off falling back on the exemptions for the time being and waiting to see what comes out of MOSAIC?

And just to add further to the register of rickety regulation, people and organisations that once whole-heartedly supported the introduction of CASR Part 43 on GA maintenance are starting to rethink their positions. The Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) very publicly reversed their direction on Part 43 from "yea" to "nay", which may be a dagger in the heart of the proposed regulation. With that imprimatur in the bin, other organisations are wondering if persisting with Part 43 is simply pumping air into a punctured inner tube. Even if CASA implements a regulation that stands to reduce the maintenance burden for private and airwork aircraft owners, the MROs can simply refuse to do the work to that standard, making Part 43 a duck on crutches. It has been six years since this was first proposed, and now the GA community is perhaps further away from maintenance reform than ever before. At a time when engineers are scarce, parts are expensive or simply unobtainable, commercial and flying school aircraft get maintenance priority and aircraft are getting more complex, I find I need to pose one question: if not CASR Part 43, then what will be done to prevent this spiral dive?

On a sunnier outlook, I am getting more excited the closer we get to the 2024 Australian Aviation Hall of Fame (AAHOF) induction dinner at Shellharbour Airport on 26 October. One of the big drawcards is the Southern Cross Award being handed to the Australian Women Pilots Association (AWPA), which has seen a rash of bookings from members wanting to witness their association being honoured. Not only is this recognition of the AWPA well overdue, but also Australia's women aviators know how to party, and this is a great opportunity to join them. And there is the added attraction of seeing two of aviation's more contemporary icons being inducted into AAHOF: George Morgan and the late Peter Furlong. As the founders of GippsAero, these two showed the world that despite the discouraging aviation manufacturing culture in Australia, we could still design and build a classic aeroplane with amazing capability: the GA8 Airvan. I will be adding my applause to the ovation when their names are read out and encourage everyone else to do the same. If you're up for a great night of aviation with a bit of glitz and glamour thrown in, get yourself to the AAHOF webpage and book a chair for the night. I have been told there are spots left, but not a whole lot.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Also in General Aviation news, Oz Flying/CASA has provided an update on NOTAM'd airspace restrictions for the Pacific Air Show Gold Coast: Airspace Restrictions for Gold Coast this Weekend & Gold Coast airspace restrictions in place for Pacific Airshow & Significant temporary airspace restrictions for Gold Coast

I also note that the Federal MP has promoted the PAGC via the HoR Federation Chamber, well done that lady...

Ms BELL (Moncrieff) (10:36): The Pacific Airshow is back on the Gold Coast this weekend, after an immensely successful sellout in its inaugural year last year. It's held over three days. The rain, I know, is going to stop and the sun will come out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday all day so that we can be treated to what is going to be the sky show of the year in this country. Organisers are expecting to top last year's 150,000 tickets sold. We're likely to see up to 300,000 spectators line the beaches all the way from Main Beach down to Miami and all the surf clubs in between will be packed out to see this event in the skies. The restaurants will be absolutely bursting at the seams, and it will be great to see.

It's a family-friendly airshow that has cemented itself as a must attend. Of course, it's a unique annual event in South-East Queensland among residents and visitors alike and people will be coming from all over the world to the Pacific Airshow. We have wonderful veterans who are going to be there and some stunning acts in the sky. It will definitely feature the world's best civilian performers, some military aviators and emerging aviation technology doing things that will make you turn your head and perhaps hold your stomach a little bit. When you see the loop-the-loops, the corkscrews, the up-agains and the upside-downs that the planes do, it's quite incredible.

To all those incredibly talented pilots whom we'll see in the sky over the next three days and their teams, thank you. The joy and entertainment you bring to hundreds of thousands of spectators is unmatched. We've been flown into a new era of spectacular global events, with the second Pacific Airshow, a sister event to the famous Pacific Airshow Huntington Beach in California, and its professional team from Code Four locked in for three more years of in-sky entertainment that Gold Coasters, Australians, Americans and the rest of the world will enjoy. A big congratulations to the Pacific Airshow team, Major Events Gold Coast, Experience Gold Coast and the Australian Defence Force for the incredible work that you've done in the lead-up to this event.

Some of the biggest drawcards at this year's event are defence assets: the RAAF F-35A display; the USAF F-22 Raptors, which will be stunning; the US Navy's P-8 Poseidon; the RAAF Roulettes, which are the upside-down ones I was talking about; the RAAF 100 Squadron; and Nitro Circus—and that's just to name a few. Nothing compares to the joy and exhilaration that we are going to see this weekend on the Gold Coast.

This event also provides certainty to businesses that really need a lifeline, because so many businesses on the Gold Coast are struggling at the moment. At last year's event I spoke with the operator of a food van that pulled up outside one of the surf clubs and took a huge amount of revenue just in a couple of days with coffees and sandwiches. That really did save them and kept them going in that post-COVID period when they were trying to come back. The surf clubs I've mentioned, all the way from North Burleigh surf club up the coast to Southport surf club, will all be absolutely stoked this weekend when the air show comes to town.

I just want to say a few thankyous to some people who have been in this from the beginning. Right at the very beginning, in October 2020, Jan McCormick from Major Events Gold Coast came to my office on Chevron Island to discuss how we were going to deliver this air show. To bring the Australian Defence Force to the table with this is no mean feat, and I would like to thank the cabinet minister Stuart Robert for his contribution to bring the Pacific Airshow to the Gold Coast but also the Leader of the Opposition, who was the Minister for Defence at that time and signed off on the Pacific Airshow and those defence assets. And it would be remiss of me not to thank the current Minister for Defence for his continuing support for the air show. This means a lot to my community. It means a lot to businesses. It is so very, very important. It's the coalition that supports these events. The coalition supports free enterprise, reward for effort and small business. Just like Gold Coasters, the coalition backs all of the small businesses who will greatly benefit this weekend.

To finish, I would just like to say how important the Pacific Airshow is with regard to our relationship with the United States, our closest ally and our good friend since the ANZUS Treaty in 1951. We have been so very close. Just last night I was in the Deputy President's courtyard, and we were meeting with congress men and women who are here in Canberra. We welcome those congress men and women who have taken the time to come to see our parliament, to visit our nation. I wish the US ambassador, Her Excellency Caroline Kennedy—who has gone home at the moment—all the best with the arrival of her new grandchild. I also thank the person acting in her role, Erika Olson, the Deputy Chief of Mission, for her contribution while Her Excellency Caroline Kennedy is not here.

Finally I note that our useless Minister oversighting aviation, Dick King has been forced to act on guaranteeing regional customers booking seats on Rex will either fly or be refunded, while Rex is going through it's voluntary administration period:

Flight guaranteed for regional Rex customers

The Albanese Government has today announced it will guarantee regional flight bookings for Rex customers throughout the voluntary administration process.

Travellers can continue to book regional flights on Rex during this process with certainty that they will either fly or get their money back.

Rex operates one of Australia’s largest regional air networks and provides essential connectivity to move people and critical freight on 41 routes to regional and remote communities, including 21 routes that are only serviced by Rex.

Rex’s continuation is in the best interests of Australia – and the Government is working closely with the administrators to ensure a strong regional aviation presence now and into the future.

The guarantee is for all regional flight bookings with Rex made after it entered voluntary administration at 9:31pm on 30 July 2024.

This will give customers confidence to continue booking regional flights with Rex – flights that allow them stay connected to family, friends, healthcare and other services – while also helping to maintain regional aviation in Australia.

My department will continue to work with the administrator on their plans for the continuation of services to regional communities.

We also expect the administrator to honour and prioritise the entitlements of Rex employees.

This guarantee is a message to regional Australia that we know how important reliable air services are to you and that we are not going to allow your communities to be left behind.

MTF...P2

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 23 August 2024

23 August 2024

– Steve Hitchen

It's all going down at The Oaks, it would seem. The airport west of Sydney has been a supporter of recreational and private aviation for years and there are now plans for a serious redevelopment that will result in 60 hangars being built, airpark-style homes/hangars, aero club, sealed runway, convention centre, museum and various sundry facilities. With something similar being mooted for[b] [/b]Coldstream in Victoria, its fair to ask if this is going to be the way of the future for airfields on the periphery of the capital cities. In the case of The Oaks, the business plan probably looks sturdier given an almost certain exodus of aeroplanes and flight training organisations from Bankstown after Western Sydney gets going. But even though the local council and some pollies have expressed support for The Oaks, the traditional NIMBY screams from the sidelines can still cause support to swing towards populist causes. Councilors regularly buckle under the weight of people screaming "no" because its safer than bucking for change, even if that change is a good idea. GA in the Sydney basin really needs this development to go ahead and succeed, but the road ahead is rocky and long. It always is when someone wants to sink money into a local airport.

"..The lack of suitable sims condemns us to endure the risks of OEI training.."

The crash of VH-OMD at Cowra has given me the excuse I need to saddle up a hobby horse: one engine inoperative (OEI) training in twins. It's a sad but true fact that more twin-engine crashes have occurred during OEI training than have in genuine engine-out situations. That illustrates how dangerous it is to fly an aeroplane on one engine; the aerodynamic forces go feral on you and the aeroplane tends to follow. Simulation becomes reality. The answer is to conduct this sort of training either at altitude, or in a suitable simulator. You've got me at "simulator". Emergency procedures for some aircraft don't have to be done in the real thing if a suitable simulator is available, and that should extend to any twin-engined aeroplane. The problem is that so few simulators are available, and probably none for an E55 Baron. My own experiments with Seminoles showed that if a sim has six degrees of freedom (6DOF) and active control loading (force feedback) on the rudder, there is absolutely no need to do OEI training in a real aeroplane. The lack of suitable sims condemns us to endure the risks of OEI training and crashes such as this one will continue. What I believe is needed is a twin-engine flight training device that can be used across several models of aircraft. There is not a lot of difference in emergency procedures between a Baron and Seneca or a Seminole and a Duchess. One or two such machines positioned around Australia might give CASA the confidence to say "OK, you can do your OEI training in a sim". Yes, there is a danger that some cockpit differences could complicate things, but is that danger greater than doing the OEI training in a real aeroplane? The stats would suggest not.

It's heartening to see the number of nominations for the 2024 CASA Wings Awards we've already received ... and there's still about 11 weeks to go until we close off the books! The scheme has matured well since it began a decade ago, as evidenced not only by the nomination numbers, but also the quality of the winners. We may have to think about stepping it up some more in the future. But, through all that, we still get the occasional lazy nominator; a one-liner about who they reckon should win without addressing the criteria and without supplying anything more than a name. Whilst we appreciate the interest and in some cases understand the integrity of the nomination, we can't progress the name to the judging stage with such little information. If a person or organisation is worthy of the award, then they're worth nominating properly. All the criteria and the nomination process is on the Australian Flying website.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 30 August 2024

29 August 2024

– Steve Hitchen

The Engadine Corridor will probably work, but like so many Airspace Change Proposals (ACP), it's not the actual change that brings the angst; it's the reason for the change. In this case, the corridor will enable VFR flight from Bankstown to the south-east remaining OCTA, whereas before that route would transit SY CTR, and so a clearance was needed. Perhaps the biggest upside to this corridor is that it will connect the Victor 1 route at Jibbon Point to Bankstown VFR all the way. As it is now, VFR pilots wanting to return to BK have to skirt all the way around the Holdsworthy restricted area and back to 2RN. So, bouquets to the proponents; this is a good idea. But why now? This is about trying to encourage training in the south-east as lopsided compensation for Western Sydney Airport commandeering much of what was Bankstown's training area to the west. Designers and regulators have presumed that having student training in that area is a good idea. I am not convinced. The CLL in the corridor is 1500 feet, and from Woronora Dam down to Stanwell Park the CLL is 2500. If you want to do some stalling, you could cruise to the area south-east of Wedderburn to get under the 4500 step, but with the terrain there up to 1500 AMSL, instructors will need to be happy to stall with a recovery deck of less than 3000 feet. In my experience, instructors turn white if you suggest doing that; they like a bit more under their belt. Consequently, this corridor is good for transit to some where south, but is no compensation for losing training area acreage in the west.

"..the entire white paper won't ever be an effective way forward.."

In a GA sense, bits of the ALP's 2024 Aviation White Paper have the potential to work, but holistically this is a plan that just won't come together. Mandating ADS-B whilst there aren't enough engineers to fit the equipment, coming down hard on the operators of leased federal airports whilst promising to review the act to give them security of the future; acknowledging the importance of new net-zero technology for GA and cash for manufacturers whilst denying operators grants to adopt it. These are just a few of the contradictions that mean the entire white paper won't ever be an effective way forward. I'll give the department a chop-out here: they have been listening and this document acknowledges the challenges, but too many initiatives are heavy on motherhood and light on action. How will things get done and when will you do them? This is what the GA community wants to know; it was what we were counting on. There are happy people in the industry, though: regional and remote airports, sustainable technology developers and the eVTOL industry. The government clearly sees how they fit into political policy and has embraced them. But if there is any group out there that is feeling completely ignored, it's the recreational community. Other than a "we're watching you" statement, it barely gets a mention. And yet, recreational aviation makes up a large part of a general aviation community that the government says it's committed to. One of the better initiatives the should work in GA's favour is the study to determine the value of GA to the Australian economy. If that, too, ignores recreational aviation, we still won't know the real numbers once the report is in.

Geoffrey de Havilland is credited with saying that he liked his aeroplanes to look right, because it meant they usually were right. I think, then, that Sir Geoffrey would be happy with the Electra EL2 Goldfinch. This is a high-wing hybrid that uses only 300 feet (not metres) for take-off. Despite the eight electric engines mounted in the leading edge of the wing, the EL2 is a very conventional design that looks right straight off the drawing board. Many electric designs being touted as the future don't resemble the aircraft of the past, usually because of the need for vertical flight. But when your aeroplane will take-off and climb to 50 feet inside a standard rugby ground and still out-climb the grandstands, it does beg the question if vertical flight is really needed. We'll be keeping an eye on this one; it does look right from the very first glance.

And now I leave you for four weeks. LMH is going on leave and will return on 4 October. In the meantime Australian Flying editor Kreisha Ballantyne will continue feeding new onto the website and produce a weekly newsletter, so you'll still be up to date with what's going on. I am headed to Europe, where I am scheduled to visit Pipistrel Italia and catch up with the Explorer certified two-seater, and the Velis Electro. I will bring back the good oil on both of these models. 

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 4 October 2024

4 October 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Group G is proving harder to get up and running than anyone thought. The 760-kg category is one of the pillars of RAAus strategy for the future, and had CASA approval way back in February. And yet aircraft owners still aren't able to take advantage of this eight months later. Initially, RAAus said it wasn't ready and so pushed-back the implementation date of 25 March for an indeterminate time. Then CASA stepped in. A much-quoted "divergence of views" prompted, I believe, by an unrelated coronial inquiry, is the sticking point. As CASA pulls the strings of RAAus' Part 149 approval, we can expect the two views to re-converge in CASA's favour. I think this highlights a couple of things. 1. Administering aviation at any level is challenging. 2. CASA is not letting RAAus do anything they want as some within the GA community believe. Part 149 is a substantial burden on any ASAO; it has transformed RAAus into an organisation almost unrecognisable from the days of the AUF. ASAO approval brings freedoms and oversight in varying measures, so much so that some administrating organisations elected to forego Part 149 and stay operating under exemptions. That was never going to work for RAAus if they continued to push for Group G and their other pillar, access to controlled airspace. This issue is a reminder that RAAus is an administrator, not a regulator, and they still answer to CASA the way the rest of us do.

"..many will baulk at having to get an ARN..."

And speaking of access to CTA/R, it's not surprising to see that Maxine Milera at RAAus has expressed disappointment over CASA's demand for Class 5 medicals as a condition for RPC holders to use controlled airspace. I am surprised, however, that CASA will be asking for this as it could become the immoveable object that blocks all progress. RPC holders, as a generalisation, are happy not being on CASA's radar, and I have no doubt many will baulk at having to get an ARN in order to pass the Class 5 training; they'd gladly suffer staying in G as a trade-off. I get where CASA is coming from: they are a safety regulator and demanding Class 5 is, in their view, a risk mitigator. But through my logic-coloured glasses I see an alternative means of compliance emerging. If RAAus was to take the Class 5 learning material and integrate it into the Human Factors training, CASA may be in a position to accept that as a Class 5 equivalent. Newly-minted RPCs come off the production line with Class 5 capability already installed and awareness of medical conditions and their impacts on fitness to fly are embedded from the outset. RPCs might also actually take up the privilege of flying into controlled airspace.

Earlier this week, a Piper Twin Comanche completed the first official flight onto the runway at Western Sydney (Nancy-Bird Walton) International Airport. It was done to test the visibility of the lighting system. Is there anyone else out there that sees the irony in a GA plane being the first to land at WSA when GA won't be permitted into the airport once operational, and the very existence of WSA will do significant damage to GA in the Sydney basin? As this flight demonstrates, GA is a valuable part of aviation in Australia and brings capabilities that the airlines and other operators of heavy and corporate jets don't have. However, that has been put at risk by WSA and the work-around airspace design soon to be overlaid on Sydney. So, yes, it's a irony-laden situation that WSA can't get operational without GA input when GA stands to lose the most when the airport goes loud.

Australian Flying editor Kreisha Ballantyne has been looking after the website and News feed for the past four weeks whilst I have been wandering around the Balkans. I owe her a standing ovation for her work, which has enable me to get away and also do some snooping around Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel at the same time. There's a great story emerging there, which I will elaborate on very soon.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 11 October 2024

11 October 2024

– Steve Hitchen

If aviation companies thrived on passion alone, then the resurrection of GippsAero would be a foregone conclusion. That was on display for me this week in a chat with "new" owners George Morgan and son David. George, an original founder of GippsAero, bought the company back from Mahindra last year and is slowly waking it up again in order to restore Airvan production. It's going to take some time thanks to the loss of momentum and mass caused by Mahindra's clumsy exit, but these two, along with wives Marguerite and Sarah, know exactly how to go about doing it because they have a deep understanding of how the organisation works. The passion is there; the aviation smarts are there. All it will take now is for customers to get the word that GippsAero is back and life will be breathed back into a great Australian icon. I should be able to tell the whole story soon, but in the meantime, have confidence that new Airvans will soon be rolling off the Latrobe Valley production line.

"..the team he leads will still follow without reservation.."

When I was told that Andrew Andersen had relinquished the role as chair of GAAN, I set about writing down names of who was the ideal person to take on the job. I drew a line under my list after 10 names, confident that one of them would ultimately get the gig. The problem I had was which of the 10 I thought could best emulate Andersen, who was an independent that owed no loyalty to any of the organisations represented on GAAN. That independence, I thought, was invaluable. One of those names on my list was Rob Walker. He was confirmed this week as stepping into the role, cementing further the influence of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA), of which Walker is the CEO. Normally I would be lamenting the loss of a true independent chair, but such is the respect that Walker commands within the aviation community that I expect the team he leads will still follow without reservation. Another mitigating factor is that there are already people on the GAAN who are RAAA members also, and the work produced by the network shows bias more towards commonsense than the political aims of any one organisation. Ultimately, Walker was probably the right choice because he was the best choice, and I have no doubt will make sure the best advice gets dropped on the minister's desk. 

Listen carefully, for I shall say this only four more times: there is less than a month until nominations close for the 2024 CASA Wings Awards. If you haven't submitted your nomination by now you need to get your head down and get it done. Most importantly, now would be the optimal moment to start comparing your submission arguments to the category criteria and making sure you've addressed them all. Although I don't have any good oil on what makes a successful nomination, I can say that not addressing the criteria tends to guarantee an unsuccessful one. And this year looks like being one of the most competitive we've has since inception in 2014, which means your submission needs to be pretty solid to stand out from the crowd. So, get going, and make sure you don't miss the 10 November deadline.

And speaking of awards, you've got even less time if you want to grab a share of the $120,000 on offer from the Avalon 2025 Innovation Awards. These are handed out to companies that demonstrate cutting-edge innovation in aviation, aerospace and defence technologies. Three categories each carry a $40,000 award, with companies and individuals selected to pitch their innovations to a panel of judges at Avalon 2025. You've got until 25 October to put in your best submission, with the finalists announced on 18 November. 

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 18 October 2024

18 October 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Conundrum: should smaller regional airlines and airports be excluded from the Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme? The AAA thinks so, and has come out swinging in that direction. It makes sense because the scheme is clearly in response to the behaviour of the major airlines as they emerged blinking from the dark days of COVID. That being so, why should the smaller ones be subject to the same level of scrutiny? Doesn't that make them collateral damage? I am sure, given their druthers, that the airports would be happy to dodge the ombuds and concentrate on staying alive, but why not take a different approach. Quality assurance dogma teaches that a complaint can be an opportunity for improvement and should be treated with respect. Perhaps being captured by the ombuds scheme is not such a bad thing; complaint can bring improvement and in improvement often resides efficiency. The big question mark is over how the ombuds scheme will actually work, which is what the Federal Government was consulting about. If they focus on their bread-and-butter complaints–refund policies, cancelations, late arrivals and other shenanigans–then the ombuds office is likely to be too snowed under to pay much attention to the industry's minnows. And if due respect is paid to the regulations under which aviation must exist, I suspect the ombuds won't always come down on the side of the complainant. Regardless, time is money and a lot of time is generally expended on dealing with complaints. It's probably a tinny argument; I suspect politics to yield to the prongs of public opinion, which is likely to demand complete capture.

"..resurrecting circuit caps has also reinstated the same side-effects.."

There are many things that we human beings cling to ferociously even though they have been proven not to work. Think any form of government, transit lanes, stress toys, B&S balls, chicken Twisties and Royal Commissions. Add one more: circuit caps at metro Class D airports. Airservices Australia has brought them back from the dead at Moorabbin in response to rising "operational deviations", even though when CASA lumped them on all the GAAP airports in 2009, they created greater safety issues than the one they were purported to solve. So, resurrecting circuit caps has also reinstated the same side-effects, all of which either bring about a decrease in operational safety or an increase in operational cost. Or both. What needs to be forensically examined is the reason for the caps and whether or not they are the best solution to a problem. In a presentation widely distributed to the industry, Airservices detailed the operational deviations causing concern as mostly Airservices own requirements, missed mandatory calls, sequencing, incorrect levels and taxying. Really, were they expecting crisp, professional airmanship every time at Australia's largest training airport? This has been going on at Moorabbin and all the other metro Ds for years. So why now? RVAC has stated plainly that they think this is about making the stats look good; other operators have hinted at staffing issues in the tower. Either way, having inexperienced students holding outside the zone, forcing them to rush pre-flights, delaying solos, queuing at holding points and over-fueling is a desirable solution to no problem. And I can't see Airservices getting much support for this during their post-implementation review, so they may as well ditch it before something goes sadly wrong.
I am quietly pleased to see a full-motion Caravan sim coming to Australia. When you add that to the news that the RFDS is going to make their King Air sim available for wider GA use, we've gained a couple of very useful tools that represent a quantum leap in safety. I am an unashamed fan of using full-motion sims to practice and embed emergency skills without putting on line the skin of the instructor and pilot. Too many times it has gone wrong, usually resulting in tragedy. Full-motion sims are a powerful tool for mitigating risk, and I'd like to see CASA in particular embrace the technology and permit training ops in simulators for some sequences even though an aeroplane is available for the training. Yes, sims are cheaper than using a real aeroplane, but this is about safety more than anything else, and when the technology increases safety, we all have an obligation to make it the rule rather than the exception.

Your next eNews will be out not next Friday, but rather Monday 28 October. This is because Sonya the Magnificent and I will be traveling to Shellharbour airport for the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame induction dinner. Whether that be by air or by road is up to mother nature and the aviation gods, but either way I'll be en route next Friday and won't be at my desk. The good news is that I'll be able to deliver the good oil on the induction dinner in the next Last Minute Hitch, and I'm expecting there will be plenty of that!

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 28 October 2024

28 October 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Australian aviation's night-of-nights was given extra sparkle this year when the Australian Women Pilots Association (AWPA) showed up in numbers to see their organisation carry off the 2024 Southern Cross Award. It all happened on Saturday night at the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame induction dinner. This event is already a who's who of aviation, attracting everyone within the industry considered a mover and shaker. But I don't think the AAHOF dinner has ever been moved or shaken like it was when the AWPA rocked up. Their enthusiasm for their organisation, for aviation and for each other is infection and–unfortunately–completely unmatched by any other aviation association in this country. That was pretty obvious from the cheers and applause when Flt Lt Sarah Hume stood up to accept the award. But it's not only the membership that should be applauding, the entire aviation industry in Australia should join in the ovation: the AWPA deserves it. The night also contained some classic Aussie humility from George Morgan, who admitted he didn't know how to take his induction. A hard working bloke who's not used to accolades, he nevertheless regaled the attendees with stories of GippsAero and his fellow inductee Peter Furlong. It was a masterclass in understated pride from George, but everyone there knew how much it was really deserved.

"..the all-metal airframe may prove too heavy to pioneer electric aviation.."

I had a very enlightening conversation with Gabriel Massey from Pipistrel last month. Massey is a Textron man at heart, dropped into the Slovenian LSA and glider manufacturer when Textron bought them to best leverage Pipistrel's expertise in electric aviation. One of the things that Massey hinted at was their ambitions for a four-seat, practical electric GA plane aimed at the private market, for the post-avgas era. He did admit that the current Pipistrel airframes were not the ideal thing to carry forward and that a completely new design was needed. Or not. Naturally, that got me thinking about an electric C172, but the issue with that is the all-metal airframe may prove too heavy to pioneer electric aviation with the capability of extant technology. So that turned me in another direction. Who remembers the Cessna NGP? This was the composite Next Generation Piston that buzzed Oshkosh in 2006 as an introduction to the world. It got nowhere; a bit over a year later Textron bought Columbia, which had the desired composite expertise, and the Cessna TTx became the prime composite offering. The TTx went into production, but wasn't the "Cirrus killer" that Textron was after. The NGP, a high-wing composite, exists now as only the answer to a trivia question, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it, or a derivative, emerge again as a platform for developing practical electric aviation. Of course, all of this is guesswork, but isn't that the way so much innovation starts?

Navigating Aviation's workplace culture survey is probably something that needed to happen. One thing we know about the commercial side of GA is that it's high-pressure and asks a lot of engineers, pilots, students and administrators. It has proven many times to be the cause of broken hearts and broken dreams. For many, the costs is high, perhaps too high. Whether the pressure comes from employers, passengers/customers or regulators, at times it takes its toll. There is, shall I say, a degree of reticence within the GA community to engage with this survey. That comes from a natural fear of honest feedback coming straight back at you like an ugly headwind. That in itself is probably an indicator of a cultural problem that needs some attention. Another cause of trepidation, ironically, is that the survey may expose cultural issues that GA operators will need to foot the bill to fix, leading to more stress. Sometimes surveys asks more questions than they can answer, but that doesn't mean you don't ask them anyway.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

&..

The Last Minute Hitch: 1 November 2024

1 November 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Standard business practice dictates the fastest possible return on investment (ROI) period; mostly that's around five years. In aviation, when it comes to investing in developing new types, 10 years is not unknown. Vickers Aircraft is now 15 years into the Wave development, possibly the longest gestation period of any new type in recent memory. And CEO Paul Vickers is not apologising for that. From the inception, Vickers has always stated that he wouldn't set milestone deadlines, not even so much as an estimate, because he wanted the space to develop the Wave without the pressure that too often leads to shortcuts and a final product that is short of the original ambition. It's a gutsy approach; his investors must have patience and belief in biblical proportions. But time erodes everything, and that includes patience and belief. The Wave is now expected to market next year, and I think Vickers now needs to deliver the product before the market gives up on it. Patience and belief need returns on investment as well as money.

"..we are navigating a great uknown.."

Piper Aircraft is trying to head off an Airworthiness Directive (AD) that, if taken to the extreme, could ground the world's PA28 Cherokee series of aeroplanes, and with them, the flight training industry. The AD will require the wings of nearly all PA-28 and PA-32 aircraft to be removed and checked for cracks around the bolt holes. That will be expensive and time consuming, and you can add the cost of correction onto that, which may mean replacing the wings completely. For many of the early PA-28s, that's a death knell because the cost will exceed the airframe value. The FAA is concerned that wings with cracks could separate in flight, which brings into focus once again Australia's ageing aircraft fleet. It came to light during the Cessna SIDs program that the aircraft manufacturers never thought their aeroplanes would still be in service over 40 years after they were first rolled out. That means we are navigating a great ughknown; one with a central contradiction. Piper has pointed (and the FAA agreed in 1989) that the inspection regime is actually capable of doing more damage to the wing spar connections than any extant cracks. That fact that the FAA wants to push ahead with this despite agreeing with past arguments leads me to believe they've run out of patience with old airframes. The AD may not come out exactly as proposed, but something is likely, and we can expect that CASA will adopt the final AD wholesale. For Australia, that's a bigger problem: our dwindling engineer population just doesn't have the capacity to deal with a sudden workload of that immensity. 

Graphical weather forecasts (GAF) were introduced to simplify interpretation, and yet we can still get it wrong sometimes. That's probably because weather is not a definite thing; forecasts are accurate only to a degree and anything outside that degree is anyone's guess, sort of like flying an aeroplane outside its tested limits. Sometimes our desire to fly can cause us to read a forecast through CAVOK-coloured glasses, which I suspect is what led to the C210 tragedy the ATSB reported on this week. I can remember times when I launched happily having decided the weather would not be a factor, only to have clouds and viz spoil my day. Then, when I looked back later on, I could see that the GAF did contain hints, I just didn't see them clearly enough. Who else has done that? I doubt my hand is the only one raised. Aviation weather forecasts are always going to need interpretation; there's too much information to be delivered in anything but code. What's needed is better education on reading the codes and, more importantly, understanding what the information is telling you about the flight conditions. CASA has scheduled a webinar called Mastering Aviation Weather Forecasts, slated for 15 November. I've signed up in the hope that this will close what may be a large gap in my understanding of GAFs.

Nine days. That's all you have. Nine days to complete and lodge your 2024 CASA Wings Awards nominations. We're closing the collector on 10 November, so if you haven't done your submission yet, I would advise you to get it in this week. The judging panel will get to work immediately the collector closes because we're have a tight schedule to meet, and that means it's unlikely there'll be an extension to the deadline this year. Keep that in mind if you still have some work to do.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

MTF...P2 

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 8 November 2024
8 November 2024

– Steve Hitchen

CASA's GA workplan looks to run on for a few more years yet. The regulator expects to have the next version ready for scrutiny by the end of this year or early into next year. Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence dropped some teasers this week about non-scheduled passenger carrying, pilot licensing, medicals and addressing skills shortages, but the GA community is still in IMC over the key proposals of Workplan 2.0. Unlike genuine consultation (the workplan is not regulation nor legislation), industry feedback is not guaranteed to be made public even in summary, so matching input to output is going to be more difficult. Spence also went on to say that the idea going forward is to forge a "risk-based regulatory environment that offers improved service delivery, supports innovation, facilitates new entrants and removes unnecessary requirements that act as obstacles to growth." Presumably, the actions contained in the workplan are supposed to make that happen, all without triggering a decrease in aviation safety. But like all good grand visions, it's heavy on the "what" and light on the "how". There is a big hint in Spence's reference to the 2024 GAAN strategy paper. If you want a positive to take away, make it this: that GAAN paper was put together by a panel very experienced in the needs of GA, and most of the members have skin in the game. It may be a more valuable foundation for GA Workplan 2.0 than random individual opinions.

"..You'll be able to Airdrop photos to your mate coming in the other direction.."

Consultation on the south-east corridor closed last month, and I expect the feedback to Airservices and CASA to produce no changes to the proposal whatsoever. This is closely tied to Western Sydney Airport, and so far none of GA's input to WSA and the redesigned airspace it has provoked has made even the smallest dent in this disaster. The issues highlighted by the RAAA all have merit, and I suspect other feedback reflects similar concerns. For example, at its narrowest point, Melbourne's Kilmore Gap is 5.0 nm wide. The choke point between Sandy Point Mine and Casuarina Oval that has the RAAA worried is only 1.4 nm wide. By some measures, that's barely wider than Bankstown Airport itself. You'll be able to Airdrop photos to your mate coming in the other direction! My point is this, you wouldn't design this corridor this way if you had any other options. And that's why I think this is a fait accompli: WSA has left the entire GA industry–regulators and all–without any alternatives regardless of the feedback. The problem now falls back on CASA. For years, people have been worried about the VFR approach points at Class D towers funneling inexperienced pilots into close proximity, but rather than come up with a solution, Airservices and the OAR are proposing to create Australia's most dangerous patch of airspace that will easily eclipse any worries ever aired about 2RN or the extinct Six South. That means this design represents a decrease in safety. Over to you, CASA.

Waiting for the aviation white paper resulted in a lot of things not being addressed. It was the elephant in the room that everyone could see and was talking about; it created a lot of frustration within the GA community. For me, perhaps the most important thing that was delayed was the public revelation of the 2024 GAAN Strategy paper. This paper was produced in December 2023 and made public with all the noise of a floating bubble only last month. I recognise that there is no obligation for this paper to be published–it's industry advice given to the minister–but as it has been referred to by CASA in statements about their workplan and the department itself in the white paper, it's very clear that this is a key document that underpins the future–healthy or otherwise–of the GA industry. If the bandmaster wants everyone to march to the same beat, there's no point keeping the drummer in a sound-proof booth. Right, that's done. Now we can go forward because this is one hell of a good beat to march to. You can read it for yourself on the Department of Infrastructure and Transport's GAAN webpage.

And then there were two ... days left for you to get your 2024 CASA Wings Awards nomination in. We're closing the collector on Monday, so if you have plans to get something done, you have homework for the weekend. And for the many who have already submitted, thanks for supporting this awards scheme in the volume you have this year. It's going to take some work getting through it all, but we're pleased that so many people value this scheme to such an extent. For you leave-it-to-the-last-minuters, the links you need are on the Australian Flying website.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Sandy Reith]

Perhaps it’s just a case of being in the game long enough to understand the CASA make work playbook.

CASA is fond of talking in ponderous and learned fashion about human factors.

What has driven CASA to 2/3rds destroy General Aviation is the maintenance of its facade that to deal with enormous intricacies and uniqueness of Australian aviation there must be years of the most crucial investigations that somehow seem to continuously roll one into the other.

Human factors suggests that without any forces of practicality, such as a democratic political input, human nature allows the motivation of hubris and social standing in hot house of Can’tberra, and the enjoyment of colossal salaries, to ensure the continuum.









I think Steve Hitchen is beginning to catch on.

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 15 November 2024

15 November 2024

– Steve Hitchen

It has been a long haul establishing a tower at Ballina-Byron. CASA's Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) started viewing the airport with suspicion around 2015, pushed on by passenger projections that were bordering on the half million mark. Then came a series of proximity incidents that seemed to support the idea of putting in a tower. After that came a CAGRO and an SFIS operated from Brisbane. All the time more reports and reviews were generated that prepared the groundwork for the inevitable controlled airspace. The problem with Ballina is that the traffic there is more GA than it is heavy RPT, yet a tower has always been a discouraging obstacle for VFR GA. For GA pilots happy to negotiate the CTR, the delta airspace at Ballina will present few problems, but what of the marginalised sector of the GA community? For those who prefer to shun CTA/CTR for whatever reason, or for RAAus pilots who won't get access, the only option for avoiding the new airspace is miles off the coast well outside gliding distance of land, or to the west between Alstonville and Lismore, provided you have a co-operative cloud base. Although the OAR says it has taken into account the needs of stakeholders, they have no influence whatsoever when a tower answers a clearance request with "remain outside controlled airspace". Whether or not Ballina Tower becomes a roadblock will depend on Airservices' preparedness to accommodate the needs of all users, not just the IFR GA or the heavy RPT.

"..There is no doubt that aviation is being sacrificed in favour of commercial opportunities.."

Last week I wrote of my admiration for the 2024 GAAN strategy paper, drawing criticism from a representative of one sector who believes the paper isn't the fillip that the industry is greeting it as. The sector? Metro Class D airports. Recommendations in the GAAN paper can be summarised as pulling into line the developers that run the leased federal airports and enforcing the priority of aviation as laid out in the original lease documents. It's natural that Metro D operators would take a bucket full of umbrage at that because it infers that they are milking aviation for what they can get out of it and prioritising commercial non-aviation development. But they have to be realistic: how could any other conclusion be drawn when operators have bulldozed taxiways, aprons and runways to convert the land to commercial development? Although I recognise that leases to commercial companies subsidise aviation activities, it also paints the aviation companies into a corner as airport movement areas get smaller, hangar leases get higher, security of tenure is non-existent and communication is in complete collapse. There is no doubt that aviation is being sacrificed in favour of commercial opportunities, which is what the GAAN strategy reflects. The feedback I got was that painting the Metro D airports as the enemy needed to stop and a new way found. In that, the feedback is 100% correct: a new way has to be found. But that doesn't mean simply expecting the aviation community to throw their arms open and love the airport operators whilst simultaneously watching their businesses go to the wall.

We have stopped taking submissions for the 2024 CASA Wings Awards. This year, there have been more nominations in most categories than ever before, which we believe shows how important they have become to the GA community. As in other years, the judging panel will be looking to see who addressed the criteria best and the quality of the actual submissions. The number of submissions all for the one person or organisations is not something we look at. We look at the contribution to the industry, the reputation of the person and how well the nominator has presented their case. The judging panel has already begun deliberations, and there is a lot of work to go through. Be assured your nomination will be treated with the respect that it deserves.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 29 November 2024

29 November 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Although the phrase "do as I say, not do as I do" is most often attributed to sergeants and flying instructors, it can equally be applied to government departments. This week the department opened consultation on the Australian Airspace Policy Statement (AAPS) with all the fanfare of a muted kazoo; the minister sent out no press release and the news appears on neither the CASA nor the Airservices news feeds. Do they not want us to know about it? If you flick through the AAPS it is full of motherhood statements about making sure airspace is managed fairly and efficiently, which is a complete contradiction to what they are really doing as evidenced by the new airspace design proposals for Sydney. To look at the Sydney proposals and compare them to the AAPS you would swear the two weren't produced by the same government. The AAPS says one thing, the Sydney proposal does another. That's nearly impossible for the GA community to reconcile whilst simultaneously giving fair and balanced feedback. But are we expecting too much from something that admittedly is only policy? Policies are good until they are inconvenient, then they are discarded quicker than a losing Tattslotto ticket. So in the end, the aviation community is being asked to comment on a policy that may or may not be put into effect, which is why it contradicts so much with the Sydney airspace proposals.

"..they don't have the power to stop the ALCs gaming the system.."

One of the key pillars that supports the GA section of the 2024 aviation white paper is the government's stated aim of keeping the Airport Leasing Companies (ALC) honest in terms of the Airports Act. This week the department made it very clear they won't be approving master plans unless they guarantee continued access for general aviation and make sure everything clicks with the lease conditions. But there's a loophole: whilst the minister can control to a certain extent what the ALCs do, they have no ability to intervene in who the ALCs lease aviation infrastructure to. What this means is that an ALC can designate facilities for aviation use in a master plan, but lease those facilities to non-aviation organisations. If an ALC can get more for leasing an aircraft hangar to an engineering or storage firm rather than a flying school or MRO, then they are free to do that. This reduces access to the airport for GA companies, which the language of the white paper would infer the minister is trying to stop. The minister can influence and write letters about "good faith", but it seems they don't have the power to stop the ALCs gaming the system. Sometime between now and 2030, some of the ALCs will be wanting to exercise their options to extend their leases by another 50 years. I suspect that the GA community almost without exception will be asking for none of the leases to be renewed. Although the minister will be reviewing the airports act and including the metro Class D airports in the next Productivity Commission inquiry into airport regulation, I can't see them refusing lease extensions and reversing privatisation. The airports will continued to be leased, but their future use as airports is going to be reliant on tighter controls over non-aviation use.

There are several companies in Australia working on the problem of future propulsion for GA. This week Brisbane's Stralis updated the GA community on the progress of their hydrogen-electric fuel cell technology, which is being developed as a retro-fit system in two Beech Bonanzas. They're anticipating a piloted flight next year; a major milestone on the long highway of finding a new power source for practical GA aeroplanes. If Stralis can develop a practical drop-in replacement powertrain for avgas-powered airframes, they will have achieved something fantastic. It will be even better than fantastic if they can retain most of the airframe performance once a conversion is done. Aircraft like the Bonanza, Cessna 206 and Cessna 210 are legendary performers in terms of speed and loading. That's why we love them. It will be difficult to accept a hydrogen-electric conversion if the aircraft's characteristics are depreciated by the new technology. That leaves two options: make a better powertrain, or mate the existing one to a less demanding airframe. Stralis' two Bonanzas are test-beds, not prototypes, so there is opportunity to develop airframes specifically for hydrogen-electric technology rather than putting a 2025 system into a 1948 airframe. We'll know a lot more about the impact of Stralis' system after the first piloted flight next year, which should give the GA community more information about where it's going.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 6 December 2024

6 December 2024

– Steve Hitchen

Will the Cirrus SR22 be the king for eternity? Year after year it goes on its merry way as the supreme ruler of the shipments sheet, delivering in some years up to six times as many airframes as the combined efforts of all the other manufacturers of high-speed singles. One-by-one competitors have dropped away: the Bonanza is struggling to impact the market and Cessna gave up the TTx completely in 2017. It's hard to see any new model grabbing enough market to earn the name "Cirrus killer". But there is one that is turning heads more than the others: Diamond's DA50RG. This is a 300-hp diesel retractable with five seats and plenty of new technology. It's not a me-too model, but a very different machine that Diamond expects will compete hard for dollars that would once have gone straight to Cirrus. Diamond has stacked it with the sort of automation that seduces Cirrus customers, with the very powerful advantage of burning Jet-A1. But Cirrus still has one key feature in the SR series that the company attributes as a key selling point: the airframe parachute. Twenty-five years after it first appeared on a Cirrus, airframe parachutes have not proliferated to other GA models to any great extent. Is this the great differentiator that explains the rampant sales of the Cirrus? Australia's first two DA50RGs will cross our borders in February next year, in time for one of them to be displayed at Avalon. It may never prove to be a Cirrus killer, but there is still plenty of lustre in this big Diamond.

"...you can't design airports, aircraft or flight paths to eliminate all noise..."

New runways at Brisbane and Sunshine Coast, and an impending third one for Melbourne were the catalysts for the senate RRAT inquiry into aircraft noise, but the metro GA airports didn't escape scrutiny. These are airports that were built away from densely-populated areas so residents wouldn't be impacted only for the urban sprawl to catch up to them. As the RAAA pointed out in their submission, you can't design airports, aircraft or flight paths to eliminate all noise; all you can do is not build them anywhere near housing, which governments originally did. Developers, real estate agents, governments and the home buyers themselves are the ones who created the urban sprawl, not the aviation community. Through Fly Neighbourly areas and local circuit procedures, aviation does make an effort to meet the desires of residents, yet residents continue to prefer the metro GA airports be forced to close. Even the senate committee recognises the disastrous economic and social impact that would have. Personally, I find the senate report and the measures outlined in the 2024 aviation white paper quite toothless. Neither of them have addressed steps needed to prevent the problem getting worse: housing needs to be banned within certain distances of airports. Governments are taking on the matter of aircraft noise with their right hands and simultaneously collecting all that lovely stamp duty from housing sales with their left hands. In Victoria, a legal precedent was set in 2019 when the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) said of Tyabb Airport: "This is a situation where the residential newcomers, since they have in fact been allowed to come, must defer to the needs of the airfield, rather than vice versa." It would be well within the rights of the GA community in that state to point to that ruling and thumb their noses at complainants. But they won't; they'll do what they can like they always do, even though the fault is not theirs.

RAAus has issued their new technical manual, which, among other things, now includes Group G aircraft, tagged as Lightweight Aircraft (LWA). However, the ASAO says they are still a couple of months off being able to take registrations for this group. After years of pressure from members for the MTOW increase and RAAus themselves turning the screws on CASA, it was a gutsy call back in March to delay the implementation even after CASA gave the approval. To say "we aren't ready" is to turn the microscope on themselves, not a characteristic a lot of administrators and regulators would subscribe to. It was, perhaps, the right decision; if they think they are not ready then they probably weren't. It's better to delay and get it right than for the recreational community to go through another registration debacle. The impacts of Group G are still not well understood, and won't be until the FAA's new MOSAIC regulations are written, which will permit Australian manufacturers to factory-build new designs to go straight into Group G. And you can bring that on any time you're ready.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch