[Peetwo]

P9 - That’s the dark horse ain’t it though.  Boyd & Co have a mile of politics to beat down, a serious case of not so passive resistance to overcome, all that before they can even get positioned to confront the recalcitrant ego’s and the DoIT counteroffensive. 

Murmurings, MEMOs & post offensives..

I agree with Sandy to some extent, JB & the Board to date seem to be largely MIA the last bit of Media exposure was back on December 7 2015: see Boyd the believable &..

..Boyd said the Part 61 regulations were written up without adequate communication from industry and he lobbied against their introduction before he joined the CASA board.

“I was very much involved in it not being brought out when I was on the industry side,” Boyd said.

“We knew Part 61 was never going to work. It got put in a drawer for 12 months and instead of being reworked and rejigged unfortunately the very last day that our previous CEO was in the organisation he promulgated Part 61 as it was 12 months previously.

“The results have been horrendous for the organisation and for industry. It’s a debacle.”...

In November, CASA also unveiled a corporate restructure that sought to improve service delivery and operational efficiency. Boyd said the new-look organisation would reduce the number of executive managers from 10 to five and save $5.2 million in management salaries.

“I think we are well on our way to a new, invigorated organisation,” Boyd said.

“I want to see a combination of injection of some new blood into the the organisation, new skill, but I also want to see the people that are keen and want to stay there and want to achieve, I want to see them flourish.”

...While Australia’s peak aviation groups have previously expressed concern with the slow pace of change at CASA, Boyd said everyone at the organisation was moving as quickly as possible to complete the reforms necessary to better serve the aviation community.

“I know we are copping flack at the moment because we are not implementing things fast enough in this ASRR report,” Boyd said.

“No one more than me would like to see things happen quicker than it is but it is happening.”

“We are working our way through. The ASRR report is my road map of how we are going to make CASA a better organisation.”...

 
Going off Skidmore's track record so far, the quote that Sandy highlights is disconcerting if you consider the Ferryman words...

" ..Clearly Skidmore has been captured – if he was ever loose – and there’s serious money bet on him always being ‘the chosen one’; the track record to date fully supporting that investment.."

However, like Ken Cannane & "K", I also believe that we need to continue to have faith Boyd and the Board are beginning to gain traction, in the fierce & bullshit internal wars with a recalcitrant but firmly embedded (25+ years) toxic bureaucracy (Iron Ring) that is in self-survival mode.

Governance of CASA & Accountability

Referring to Sec 52-53 Part VII of CAA 1988:

52  Membership

             (1)  The Board consists of:
                     (a)  the Director; and
                     (b)  up to 6 Board members (including the Chair and Deputy Chair).
Note:          As a member of the governing body, the Director is a member of the accountable authority of a Commonwealth entity for the purposes of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013: see the definition of accountable authority in section 12 of that Act.

             (2)  The performance of a function or the exercise of a power of the Board is not affected by a vacancy in the membership of the Board.


53  Functions
             (1)  The functions of the Board are to:
                     (a)  decide the objectives, strategies and policies to be followed by CASA; and
                     (b)  ensure that CASA performs its functions in a proper, efficient and effective manner; and
                     ©  ensure that CASA complies with directions given by the Minister under section 12B.
             (2)  The Board has the power to do all things necessary or convenient to be done for or in connection with the performance of its functions.
             (3)  All acts and things done in the name of, or on behalf of, CASA by the Board are taken to have been done by CASA.

From that, as in private corporations, the primary purpose of the Board is the Governance of the entity i.e. CASA. IMO a major flaw with the CASA Board is having the DAS sit on the Board and have full voting rights on the Board. 

Under Hawke, in the McComic years, ironically this was never a problem because Hawke automatically deferred to McComic: i.e. rubberstamped any of the previous DAS policies & directives. In a sense McComic had a free reign to rule CASA as he saw fit, without any effective governance or oversight from the Board. 

Now we have a situation where the make-up of the Board with considerably more expertise in Aviation matters, means we have a Board that naturally wants to be more involved in the decision making process of CASA and have taken on the responsibility of overseeing the full implementation of the ASRR. Simply put the implementation of the ASRR, through Ministerial Direction, is effectively now a function of the Board.

So although the 'captured' DAS is a Board Member & can theoretically influence (conflict of interest) all other Members and the way they vote, he is also beholden to section 60 of the Act (CAA 1988) which gives the power to the Minister to terminate Board Members when certain conditions are breached. In particular I refer to sub-paragraphs (3) & (4):

  (3)  If the Minister is of the opinion that the performance of Board members or the performance of CASA has been unsatisfactory for a significant period of time, the Minister may terminate the appointment of all Board members or particular Board members.


             (4)  If the Minister is of the opinion that:
                     (a)  CASA has failed to comply with section 12B; or
                     (b)  the Board members have failed to comply with section 19 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013;
the Minister may terminate the appointment of all Board members or particular Board members.

{Reference PGPAA 2013: 19  Duty to keep responsible Minister and Finance Minister informed}

 
And if the Miniscule does not have the stomach for firing the DAS, under the PGPA Act he can now defer to the original 'appointer' (i.e. The Board): 

30  Termination of appointment for contravening general duties of officials

             (1)  A person (the appointer) may terminate the appointment of another person (the appointee) in relation to a corporate Commonwealth entity if:
                     (a)  the appointer holds the position that is responsible for appointing the appointee; and
                     (b)  the appointee is, or is a member of, the accountable authority of the entity; and
                     ©  the appointee contravenes Subdivision A in relation to the entity; and
                     (d)  the termination is in accordance with any requirements prescribed by the rules.
             (2)  The appointer terminates the appointment by giving the appointee a written notice signed by the appointer.
             (3)  The notice must include a statement of reasons for the termination.
             (4)  The appointer must cause a copy of the notice to be tabled before each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the day the appointer gives the notice to the appointee.
             (5)  Without limiting paragraph (1)(d), the rules may prescribe positions in relation to which appointments must not be terminated under this section.
             (6)  This section applies despite any provision in any enabling legislation for a corporate Commonwealth entity that provides for the termination of the appointment of a person in relation to the entity, but does not limit any such provision.

 
So if, for example, in the this Sandy quote.. 

"I have begun the process of renewing CASA through a major change program which will deliver more effective safety regulation and better regulatory services for all sectors of the Australian aviation community".


The Board of CASA has not communicated to the aviation community that it is in control of CASA.

From this one could be forgiven for deducing that Mr. Skidmore acts alone, not needing approval from anyone.

..it is proven that Skidmore has exceeded his authority; or without the knowledge; or approval of the Board (& by default the Miniscule), under the amended provisions of the CA Act & in reference to the PGPA, the Miniscule has the power to terminate Skidmore - just saying..

P9 - ..how much stamina and how determined the board is to bring in real change, starting with a decent deputy (a battle royal not yet lost) and a new DAS...  

About the Deputy position, it would seem that with the CASA corporate restructure that the Deputy Dog & the Associate Director position has been made redundant. So does this mean the deputy position will now default to the newly created (yet to be filled) Aviation Group Manager:

 

Aviation Group Manager

• Executive Leadership Role
  
• Attractive Senior Management Package
  
• Located in Canberra
  

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) was established on 6 July 1995 as an independent Commonwealth statutory authority.  CASA's primary function is to regulate the safety of civil air operations in Australia and the operation of Australian aircraft overseas.  CASA also has a range of other functions which assist in fostering a safety driven culture within the aviation community in Australia.
 
Following an organisational restructure, CASA has established three new Executive positions working directly to the CEO/Director of Aviation Safety to oversee significant cultural and work program changes. With the CEO/DAS, these three new roles make up a new Executive Team.  One of these roles is the Aviation Group Manager.
 
The Aviation Group Manager interacts directly with the aviation community providing front line services in maintaining aviation safety through entry control and surveillance, setting standards, regulatory development and implementation and airspace management. 
 
Qualities required of the successful applicant are:
 

• Extensive senior manager experience, including successfully leading organisation wide change processes.
  
• Sound understanding of the contemporary aviation industry environment. 
  
• Politically astute with the ability to engage credibly with high level representatives from industry, government and the wider aviation community. 
  

 
Contact Officer:  Mark Rilatt
 
Ref. No: Aviation Group Manager
 
If you would like to know more about this position, please e-mail mark.rilatt@casa.gov.au to obtain an information pack. The pack contains further details on CASA and the context for this role, along with information on the selection process and employment as a senior manager in CASA.
 
Closing Date for Applications: 31 January 2016
 

 
That's got to be a cool million dollar saving (at least) right there..


MTF..P2  

Ps Perhaps it would have been more prudent for Skidmore to have said:

"..On behalf of the Board and under the direction of the Minister..I have begun the process of renewing CASA.. "


  

[P7_TOM]

Cracking good post P2 – Tim Tam plus quality.  I’ll follow it up with one, equally good from the inestimable ‘Lead Balloon’ (on UP… )  who neatly puts it all back into it’s nut-shell.


Well done both, sometimes it all even seems worth the trouble and effort.  Bravo.

I have to disagree on at least one point.

"Frank and honest" would have been an acknowledgement of the fact - because it is a fact - that the regulatory reform program is an abject failure when measured against almost all of, if not all of, its stated aims.

"Frank and honest" would have been an acknowledgment of the fact - because it is a fact - that no amount of restructuring will ever render CASA competent to achieve the stated aims of the regulatory reform program. CASA has neither the expertise nor resources to do the job competently, no matter how the organisation is structured.

Either Mr Skidmore does not understand these facts - in which case he's not very smart - or he does understand them - in which case my opinion is that he's not being entirely frank.

Given his adoption of the same kind of spin as was spoon fed to and regurgitated by his predecessors, and given the resort to the standard look-busy tactic for achieving permanent improvements "a couple of years from now" - a restructure - my opinion is he's smart but not being entirely frank.

From my perspective, "frank and honest" would have been: "Diversion of further CASA resources to the regulatory reform program would be throwing good money out after bad. The current mess is a less bad outcome than spending more millions and decades on creating an even bigger mess. Fortunately the Australian aviation sector has continued to be very safe, despite the unnecessary distraction caused by the almost constant change, new complexity and unintended consequences of the program so far. But the fact is that the distraction has been unnecessary, as there has been no measurable, causal improvement in safety outcomes, despite the enormous consequential costs - in time, money and lost and ruined business within the industry. I have therefore terminated the program so far as CASA is concerned."

And this is one of the many reasons for the ongoing lack of trust of CASA.

When almost the entirety of the industry knows, from bitter, expensive and stressful experience, over decades, that the rhetoric about the regulatory reform program is almost invariably empty, more of it does not help.

The problem is the paradigm, not the people. That's why changing the people has not helped. Mr Skidmore could be the smartest and most honest person on the planet, but that wouldn't fix the problem.

The problem is that a regulatory reform program should not be run the regulator. The setting of regulatory standards is a political process and decision, not a technical process and decision.

CASA is not competent to, for example, decide on the standards for aeromedical operations. It is not competent, for a number of fundamental reasons. The simplest of those reasons is that CASA does not have access to all of the data necessary to make a properly-informed decision. The second simplest reason is that CASA does not have the authority to make cost/benefit/risk trade offs in other sectors, like the resourcing of road emergency transport and local hospitals, which trade-offs impact on where the standards for aeromedical operations should be set. (All of this is merely another way of saying it's a political decision, not a technical decision.)

So even though:

(1) it has suited successive governments to abdicate its standards-setting responsibilities to CASA, and thereby to shift the focus of responsibility to CASA, and

(2) there seems to be an endless supply of skygods willing to shoulder that responsibility, and

(3) there are still people who consider that throwing more money at CASA and hanging on for another couple of decades is the only option,

the fact remains that CASA is not and will never be competent to run the regulatory reform program.

So I agree with you when you say that none of us could do any better than Mr Skidmore, at least in respect of the regulatory reform program. But that's because it's not possible for anybody to structure and run a regulator so as to competently run a regulatory reform program. I'm utterly sick of skygods pretending they can

[Peetwo]

I concede the LB post definitely takes the frog..   A very typical insightful post from a clever man that has many years of internal experience/knowledge of the strange & wonderful machinations & ministrations of a self-serving bureaucracy..

Also good to see the AP thread - see HERE - has continued with a least some semblance of reasonable discourse without devolving into a gutter-snipe - Trolls must be on hols..   

Continuing back on topic here is Sandy's excellent reply via email...

You quote Jeff Boyd, Chairman of CASA thus:-

"We are working our way through. The ASRR report is my road map of how we are going to make CASA a better organisation "...

Problem is that the first and urgent requirement is for specific reforms and new and workable regulation. How CASA attempts to shuffle its internal deck chairs is not of prime interest.

The ASRR recommendations as interpretated by Minister Truss "agree in principle" and "with further studies" are not enough. General Aviation is dying and needs initiatives from the Board to give the incentive for people to remain in the industry. Not simply a patchwork to take us back to the stultifying past. It can and should do much more than the ASRR recommendations. If the Board cannot take control and cause specific reforms then it has failed.

Policies to ease ASICs, combine with licence and give extra years of validity to longer term participants  or professional pilots. (As an aside, it is clear that many aviators have given up renewing their ASIC passes, it would be interesting to know what are those figures. Maybe the Board can enlighten us.)

Medical requirements as for the car driver for most pilots.

Independent instructors and LAMEs.

Reverse the SIDs debacle, apologise for the LAME insulting media release ("many critical components never checked")  and replace the 15 year control cable requirements. Allow charter engines eighteen years instead of twelve. 

Advise us that the word "privilege" will be removed from the regulations along with the strict liability and criminal provisions, and advise that no prosecutions or disciplinary actions will be taken without full approval of the Board.

The Board should be talking to the Government about airport reforms, incorporating freehold policies, and to State governments about airport planning. 

Specific reforms along these lines would make a difference, wouldn't take ten minutes to think up many more. If the Board commenced to make reforms of this nature it would be very difficult politically for the Minister to sack them. It is up to the Board, they can act by themselves decisively now, or hope for slowing the rate of decline. The latter seems more likely, take the pay and don't rock the boat. 

Sandy

MTF...P2

[Kharon]

OMGA. (Oh my giddy Aunt).

Seems there is to be another tent revival and feel good session scheduled in Perth – Feb 04. (Tambourines not provided, BYO).

Flight Plan 2030 is the grandiose title (who dreams this shite up).  One can only hope the intention is sort things out by 2030 LMT rather than 2030 AD.

There is a ‘free’ lunch provided.  Now every fool in the market place knows, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." 

Kipling...came upon a bar-room full of bad Salon pictures, in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts.

Snake oil salesmen use similar tactics to sell bridges to tourists.  It’s bollocks – there are many other things the DAS could be spending his time and our money on, which would provide immediate relief; but a ‘free lunch’ ain’t going to provide much more than additional, unwanted, post event flatulence .  The gods know we have too much of that product floating about the place right now.

Somebody get a rope on these clueless, witless idiots, before they hurt themselves.  

[P7_TOM]

Never been much on ‘high blown philosophy’, but some of the enforced classical edification stuck; certain parts of Senenca for example did.  Oft, I find them quaintly apropos,

“His last words heard on earth came after he'd let off a louder noise from his easiest channel of communication: 'Oh my! I think I've shit myself.' For all I know, he did. He certainly shat on everything else.” – Seneca.

[Gobbledock]

Of pots of money and mischievous activities

Latest rumour (well it's circulated periodically over the years) is that Fort Fumble will finally close the doors on its Townsville branch of the big 'R' regulator (love that saying. Where's Halfmanhalfbiscuit when you need him!).

Good ol Townsville was the subject of much scrutiny as it sanctioned the use of many  incredible acts of aviation buggery, thrust upon the buttocks of numerous operators. Townsville's cousin, Cairns, was also a notorious industry sodomiser and it too perpetrated incredibly awful acts upon many an innocent individual. Numerous pieces of shit still work out of the Cairns office, but at least young Tom has steadied the ship a little.

Anyway, not many tears will be shed in Townsville if the rumour is true and the doors are shut upon a bad historical legacy, a legacy of gross acts of incompetence and malfeasance.

"Safe closed chapters for all"

[thorn bird]

Snake oil salesmen use similar tactics to sell bridges to tourists.  It’s bollocks – there are many other things the DAS could be spending his time and our money on, which would provide immediate relief; but a ‘free lunch’ ain’t going to provide much more than additional, unwanted, post event flatulence .  The gods know we have too much of that product floating about the place right now.

Somebody get a rope on these clueless, witless idiots, before they hurt themselves.  

Back in the snake oil days Kharon, people who sussed they were being conned turned up with boxes of over ripe tomatoes and rotten eggs!!!  Now wouldn't that make a headline?

" Senior Staff of CAsA pelted with rotten eggs"

[Kharon]

Nah mate; they’d spin it back as tokens of appreciation, gifted in response to their fine efforts on industry behalf; or that they had provided the eggs to allow industry full expression and they had gained much from the exercise, which, sometime into the future they would use, much to our benefit…. .

On a different note, I see the UP has a thread running on the ‘Free Lunch Fiasco’.  There are those who believe we can trust and engage with the same crew that Forsyth castigated as untrustworthy; and, those who don’t.  Calls for engagement and calls for boycott; the usual merry-go-round.  The only really bad thing on there is the Mach E Avelli #1500 post.

Arm is right. We should not boycott these events, which are well intentioned and often conducted by mere underlings following their Team Leader's direction.

Instead, attend, take a leaf from the politicians and press the flesh, and rather than deride or heckle, engage in conversation to put your point of view across firmly but respectfully. What harm is there in this, as opposed to reinforcing the belief that we are all criminals who just have not been caught yet?

There are other more appropriate avenues for airing grievances. Complete the survey on line. Don't just whinge about how bad CASA is (we know, and by now they know that we know they are bad) but have the cojones to put your name to it and agree to be contacted for further input.

And that friends is 1500 posts. My new year's resolution was to quit posting at this number, so you can poke the bear all you like - there will be no more. Thank Christ for that I hear

That being the ‘last’ from him is a sad thing; I always enjoyed reading his offerings, in fact I would have skipped reading that thread has his not been the last post made.  Wish him well fellahs, the UP crew will feel the loss.  Thanks for the laughs and logic Mach.

Cheers.

[Peetwo]

Continuing back on topic here is Sandy's excellent reply via email...

You quote Jeff Boyd, Chairman of CASA thus:-

"We are working our way through. The ASRR report is my road map of how we are going to make CASA a better organisation "...

Problem is that the first and urgent requirement is for specific reforms and new and workable regulation. How CASA attempts to shuffle its internal deck chairs is not of prime interest.

The Boyd quote originally came from this Oz Aviation online article - CASA chairman proposes new funding model

That article also led to P9 writing this - Boyd the believable.:

"..We are a long way from Nirvana, but Boyd at least is believable, no rhetoric, no spin no ducking tiger teams; just plain, old fashioned common sense and truth. Most refreshing. Thank you Jeff and the board for providing some of the best news these tired ears have heard in a long while. Hell it’s even believable. Bravo that man, well done.."

A bit slow to catch on but recently on the UP the AA Boyd article was rehashed:

AOTW - A sign of change perhaps:

Chair of CASA’s Board speaks out on unintended problems. Australian Aviation Magazine, January/February 2016 Edition, Prefight Comment feature. In part, article stated: Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Chairman, Jeff Boyd, recently stated the implementation of CASA Part 61 licensing regulations had been “a debacle”. Boyd was named chairman in July 2015 after joining the board a year earlier. The report stated the nation’s aviation safety regulator has formed a full-time task force and an industry advisory panel in an effort to resolve issues raised by Part 61, which covers pilot ratings, licenses and endorsements, as well as a number of other licensing regulations.

Boyd said the Part 61 regulations were written up without adequate communication with industry and he had lobbied against their introduction before he joined the CASA Board. “We knew Part 61 was never going to work. It got put in a drawer for 12 months and instead of being reworked and rejigged unfortunately the very last day that our previous CEO was in the organisation he promulgated Part 61 as it was 12 months previously,” Boyd said. The results have been horrendous for the organisation and for industry. It’s a debacle.

Lead Balloon - At last: Some honesty. In plain English. Well done Mr Boyd.

I look forward to the next opportunity he has to speak candidly. At the point he states that the entire regulatory reform program is an abject failure and CASA has no hope of fixing the mess, I will hold a glimmer of hope of some restoration of trust in the regulator.

Sunfish - Agreed Leady. We can but hope.

  
All good stuff but on a second read of the Boyd quotes it was this that got me thinking.. :

“..We knew Part 61 was never going to work. It got put in a drawer for 12 months and instead of being reworked and rejigged unfortunately the very last day that our previous CEO was in the organisation he promulgated Part 61 as it was 12 months previously..”

  
Hmm...has Boyd & the Board created an excusable scapegoat for the Part 61 debacle?? Time will tell I guess but it would effectively give Skidmore some wriggle room to crawl out from underneath the still growing Part 61 behemoth, that is slowly but surely strangling the industry...


MTF..P2     

[Kharon]

A circle in a circle; or, a deal within a deal.

That is the question; McComic becomes, ironically, the donkey on which the blame tail will be pinned.  That’s pure bollocks.  Unless he was truly a mad, evil genius who was determined to destroy and industry.  It is possible, I suppose but unlikely.  I could however believe McComic was so frustrated with the dithering and ineptitude of those who were charged with wet nursing Part 61 to ‘law’ that he simply barked at them to put the ducking thing out there.  

Boyd may have reached a ’compromise’ with the middle and upper management to satisfy the minister; he may have even found a way to move, albeit at snails pace, forward.  But the fact remains that the same venal management is in place, the same terminally incompetent are pecking away at the part 61 corpse and Oliver is still trying to talk his way out the mess, rather than correct it.  If Twist had an aircraft this far out of shape and control, it would be corrected immediately.

Sunfish refers to circuit breaker being required, take the failed items off line, repair, rectify and replace as necessary, then bring the machine back to service.  Bloody good idea, doomed.

Part 61 is the bastard child produced after years of incest, arrogance, incompetence and deceit.  Sure, lay all the blame on the McComic head, but it ain’t true.  He may have adopted the bastard, fed it and kept it alive; but he was not the father.  The CASA whore has had so many encounters it is difficult to determine to whom the bastard belongs.  Perhaps, like cats CASA is capable of multiples.

Blaming 61 all on McComic may be convenient, but it’s a crock.  He most certainly didn’t write 61, hell, I doubt he even read the ducking thing.  Culpable of much, capable of many crimes? ayup, that I could agree with; but 61 is someone else's aberration; ain't it.  Someone who's still there, smirking away, while climbing the greasy pole.  Resignation - not a hope in hell.  Termination with prejudice, recommended.  

Toot toot.

[thorn bird]

Part 61 is the bastard child produced after years of incest, arrogance, incompetence and deceit.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but at the end of the day it's still a pig. 

Spending more taxpayers money for more and more more "make up" bandaids, its still a pig.

Why in gods name don't they scrap the bloody thing and start again, spending good money after bad was never going to work, never has, never will.

Part 121 in the pipeline this year is the end game for GA in Australia, I understand CAsA themselves expect 80% of CAR 31 organisations will shut their doors.

[Peetwo]

The Yaffa back from hols -

From off the Yaffa today:

The Last Minute Hitch: 22 January 2016
22 Jan 2016

CASA announced today that they have developed special low-viz category of operations for safe landings in large passenger aircraft. According to them, this will save many dollars, prevent flight delays and enable aircraft crews to use technology available to them. As I stand to applaud CASA, the question that starts rattling around in my mind is: where was that logic when they removed RNAVs from 30 airports around Australia in 2010? In a move of bewildering mis-logic, CASA canceled the RNAVs at any airport that wasn't certified or registered. The spiel from Aviation House at the time was that they couldn't guarantee an obstacle-free path to private airports, therefore, to increase safety, the RNAVs had to go. That sort of ignored CASR 139.365, which requires builders of such obstacles to notify CASA. They also pointed out that the runway condition could change and the pilot on the RNAV wouldn't know; a completely redundant argument if the RNAV was to only a circling minima, not a runway. So now you have aircraft who can't use technology built into their GNSS units blundering home blind over mountains, which is apparently safer than an RNAV approach that may have an obstacle in its path that CASA already know about. Maybe the problem really was that Qantas doesn't use ALAs.

CASA DAS Mark Skidmore has called for an end to the vitriolic spleen-venting manner in which many members of the aviation community and CASA staff have prefered to deal with each other over the years.

CASA DAS Mark Skidmore has been charged with implementing the recommendations handed down in the Forsyth Report. (CASA)


Skidmore calls for Mutual Respect
22 Jan 2016

CASA Director of Aviation Safety Mark Skidmore has called for mutual respect to be shown by both the regulator's staff and members of the aviation community.

In his CASA Briefing Newsletter for January 2016, Skidmore noted the sometimes vitriolic relationship between CASA staff and operators and pilots.

" ... we need people and organisations that have problems and concerns to work with us towards a common understanding of the issues and to find workable solutions," Skidmore said.

"In other words, there needs to be a culture of mutual respect between the aviation community and CASA. Too often in the past some CASA people and some members of the aviation community have taken a defensive or ideological approach to matters on which reasonable people can and will differ.

"Trading hostile and provocative barbs across a barren space benefits no one, and certainly does little to advance our shared interests in aviation safety. Let’s all agree to take a mature and professional approach in what can and should be a concerted effort to achieve better relations and better outcomes."

Skidmore also acknowledged that respect had to be earned, linking it to CASA's obligations to implement the reforms demanded under the Aviation Safety Regulation Review.

"I have already seen feedback from people who are experiencing a real and positive change in the way CASA is working and in how our people are interacting with the aviation community. I will work tirelessly to ensure this kind of improvement continues and is maintained."

The full text of the CASA Briefing Newsletter is on the CASA website

This is absolutely necessary for general aviation in Australia to go forward. I have said it before, but will repeat it now: only good, considered argument is of any value. No-one is listening to wailing and teeth-gnashing from either side. All it does is further entrench positions on both sides, which means stagnated reform, which in itself just generates more vitriol. So, to go forward, those voices need to be ignored, which makes them pretty pointless in the long run. I apply that equally to members of the aviation community and to CASA staff.

Cirrus has delayed the certification date for their SF50 Vision until July-ish. News outlets in the USA are saying that the company is blaming the hoops the FAA is putting them through for the target date being pushed out. All aircraft manufacturers who release new types are subjected to this. After years and millions of dollars in development, the National Aviation Authorities scrutinise the aircraft almost to death. So, can we really blame manufacturers who keep presenting us with old platforms rather than modern designs? It's cheaper and less onerous. The NAAs really have to look at this, because certification and the associated cost is holding back progress in the aviation industry. Let's hope Cirrus doesn't have to delay their jet again; it's been on the cards for long enough already.

AMROBA's Ken Cannane is keeping the pressure on the CASA Board to legislate on Aviation Safety Regulation Review (ASRR) reforms to make them permanent. Cannane says this is unlikely to happen before the next Federal Election, due in the second half of this year. The prime question should not be "when", but "if". The CASA board can't present legislation to the house; a member of parliament, most likely the responsible minister, needs to do that. Right now, Warren Truss is on the cusp of retirement, and is likely to abdicate the task to his successor. All it needs is for that successor to take a negative stance on aviation and we're back in the mire. I would love to see a statement from CASA Chair Jeff Boyd on what they intend to do, and when they intend to do it.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

MTF...P2

Ps Almost forgot there was comment from the Yaffa's resident Plane-spotter :

..Observation Deck

21 Jan 2016

There are a few issues resurfacing now that we are well into the New Year.

There’s talk that we might have a new federal minister at some point in 2016 and if that happens then there will clearly be ramifications for the industry. We currently have a minister who has had considerable experience in the aviation portfolio and who generally has an ‘open door’. If some things have been a little slow to progress that’s got a lot to do with the size of the Minister’s portfolio, plus the fact that he is also Deputy Prime Minister, rather than anything else.

Maybe we needn’t be apprehensive about the likelihood of a ministerial change, there are some pretty capable alternatives out there, but unless the current portfolio is split the workload problem will persist and Aviation will continue to suffer.

We’re also fortunate to have one of the very best heads of departments in Canberra, so unless we get considerably unlucky, there will be top quality continuity at least at that critical level.

Another issue is the fate of our next generation of air traffic management, the ambitious but laudable OneSKY project. This absolutely essential program is time critical, in that it will service both civil and military requirements (hence the project name). But the RAAF needs new ATM technology urgently, so we can not afford delays in what is already a tight schedule.

But the cloud that settled over OneSKY last year, in terms of questions of probity, is still there and nobody appears to be doing anything to clear the air.

We also need that report card on action taken as a result of the Forsyth report into CASA which was released 18 months ago, again to clear the air. The government accepted most of the report’s recommendations but industry’s perception is that very few of them have indeed been actioned...

 
plus from Avbiz Editor - Editor's Insights

[thorn bird]

Fascinating stuff!! Low Vis procedures have been around in the real world since the seventies, Europe in winter would come to a standstill without it.
Forty years later CAsA reinvents the wheel and institutes low Vis??? some half assed home made version to boot.
Good grief the incompetence is positively mind boggling.

[Kharon]

Steam - On.

We are going to have to adopt Hitch before we run out of CF; another good piece of balanced, pragmatic reporting providing another piece to the jigsaw puzzle.  

Oliver's banging his gums - again, pleading for respect he hasn’t earned and support for his gang of incompetents who can’t even spell out the difference between a PNR and ETP without making a dogs breakfast of it.  Low vis landings, Wow, cutting edge stuff, after 40 years of research, CASA will allow it; stellar.  

This puling, child like begging for respect and understanding is becoming nauseating.   When you add the threat of being ignored it begins to smell and feel like he’s reading from one of those thoroughly modern PC, soft left, overbearing, overweening kindergarten phycology manuals, written by some harridan with hairy legs and a ‘goddess’ complex; or, a Nonce (not the numerical version).   Well, industry has been ignored for well over 30 years now; peaceful cooperation and boot licking changed SFA and Oliver ain’t guaranteeing anything better either.  He just wants a quiet life until his lucrative contract expires and we are supposed to provide it.  

Bollocks, he can’t even control his own people who show him less respect than even we here do; we at least do it openly and honestly, not furtively in the nations cafes and tea rooms.   Want respect, join forces with Boyd, get off your plush arse and get on with the job. Start by sacking whoever dreamt up the half arsed ‘fuel’ policy (do try to read the PNR/ETP section), or those who drafted part 61 (do try to read the ‘stalling/spin activity’  section).  What about the 'parts' scandal, how about discussing that openly and honestly; you know the one; that which claimed a Tiger and two lives.   Alternatively, continue wringing your hands and plaintively begging for more; there ain’t no more you snivelling, whining, piss poor excuse for a ‘man’. Now that was vitriolic, était-ce pas?

Q –“We also need that report card on action taken as a result of the Forsyth report into CASA which was released 18 months ago, again to clear the air. The government accepted most of the report’s recommendations but industry’s perception is that very few of them have indeed been actioned.”

There’s a place to start, crush the opposition to Forsyth within CASA; just get rid of those who oppose and start with the easy ones, gain some respect and work through the rest.  But for pities sake stop whining in the press about well deserved brickbats; you earned and own everyone of ‘em.  (Plonker reality fix).

Well, it makes me cranky, so much could be done and left to do; and we get what? Another load of hot arse air and ticked off for daring to call it for what it is. Bucket please.

I know, I know, deep breaths and back to my knitting. But it's nowhere near good enough; is it.

FCOFL.  Nah, keep it coming GD, we'll need it again, soon.

[Gobbledock]

Skidmores pleading for respect is not only nauseating but it makes me wonder if he would be better off as CEO of Woman's Weekly or The National Cardigan Knitters Association?

Absolute folly old mate. You may have only been at CAsA for one year, but some of us have been on CAsA's receiving end for decades. Not only that Dear Mark but some of us have not spent our careers in a sheltered workshop, licking boots, asking permission to have a cigarette, and other such mind numbing pony pooh.

No sir, some of us know what it's like to have a pub biff, get our hands dirty at work, wash and iron our own work uniforms, even tell the plonker bullying us at work to 'go f#ck themselves', not be a corporate kiss-arse like yourself and your political puppet masters who aren't worth pissing on. 

You want respect mate? Then you earn it old boy. Pure and simple. But as long as you and your minions keep spinning away, obfuscating, stalling, lying and bullying you not only won't get my respect but I wouldn't give you the sweat off my ballsac.

As my pappy taught me - 'If you're a good bloke I will tell you you're a good bloke. And if you're a dick I will tell you that you're a dick'. And Skates old mate, you're a dick.

Warm regards
Gobbles

[Peetwo]

This week off the Yaffa -

More general than just Fort Fumble news, where it seems OST, & his McComic era hangers on after the Estimates pizzling from Sterle, O'Sullivan, Williams & Xenophon, have skulked off into the basement to sulk while contemplating the fluff in their navels - UFB! 

First from Hitch:

The Last Minute Hitch: 19 February 2016
19 Feb 2016

Australian Flying March-April 2016 explores some of general aviation's most diverse topics, from the new Cirrus Australis and state-of-the-art Redbird sim to taking a couple of old stagers and pitting them in a competition to see who's the charter king. We also open a can of worms with the debate over noise-canceling headsets, look at flight separation rules and show you how to minimise weather damage if your aircraft lives outside. All of this is behind a magnificent Rob Fox image of the Australis high over Cape Schank, Victoria. It's on the streets now, so go and get it!

The wheel turns for general aviation once again with a new minister taking over from Warren Truss. Right now, we don't know which direction the wheel is going to turn, and we'll probably have to wait until after the Federal Election to tell. Minister Truss did a lot of work setting reforms in motion for aviation; those calling for a faster pace of change should reflect on how we'd be going if Truss hadn't commissioned the Forsyth Report at all. Now we have a Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, with the "Regional Development" bit palmed off to another portfolio. Darren Chester MP is now in the chair, and he comes with a bit of GA in his blood already. It is hoped he also comes with a decent suit of armour. Even now, only one day after being sworn in, there will be people in the GA community sharpening their knives and developing pithy, cynical nick-names for Chester without even waiting to see if the bloke is any good in the job. His first actions are unlikely to be anything other than keeping the Truss line until after the election. That's a political thing, and we have to accept that. Still, I suspect the first barrage he gets will be all about not doing enough quickly enough. I'm prepared to say this bloke will be alright until he gives me reason to believe that he's not.

Another young adventurer has emerged ready to take on the world, literally. Queensland teenager Lachie Smart is preparing to circumnavigate the world in order to bring the title of youngest person to fly solo around the world back to Australia. It's a mammoth task for anyone, but even bigger for a young bloke who hasn't even turned 18 yet. Part of the struggle to get something like this going is, of course, money. Aircraft hire, fuel, safety equipment ... the bills keep piling up and they all need to be funded before so much as a prop blade turns. Have a look at the Wings Around the World website and see what you can do to help this lad on his way.

In amongst the deluge of press releases coming from this week's Singapore Air Show was an announcement from Pacific Aerospace Limited (PAL) that they had completed the 100th airframe of the P-750 series. They reached the milestone 10 years after the type was released. Quick maths will show that means 10 aircraft per year, or slightly under one per month. That is a respectable pace for an aircraft made outside of the United States or Europe. But the last three years have yielded an average of only five aircraft, pointing towards a slow-down in demand. It's probably natural then that PAL is looking to China to boost sales. With the world starting to understand the benefits of single-engine turbo-props (SETP) and China's new GA industry flourishing (at the moment) we can hope to see some more good news coming from this NZ company soon.

Who got an e-mail from CASA's new on-line medical system telling them their medical was about to expire when it wasn't? (Sandy did see HERE) I did, and it both freaked me and made me see 37 shades of scarlett. It was helped a bit later when a retraction e-mail arrived apologising "for any undue concern". I calmed down and stopped my plans to deliver the mother of all tirades in this Last Minute Hitch. -  The new medical system kicks in on 21 March, and CASA is exhorting its virtues and how much time it is going to save. To me, it looks like it will actually take longer. There's quite a bit to go through, most of us (and I do mean "most") are getting on in years and were not schooled in the intricacies of digital communication from the day we were born, and as you get older, health and medical condition get a great deal more attention. So it seems the burden of time has not been eliminated, just passed from the regulator to the customer.
(Also reference P9 post HERE today)
May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

 
Also a little bit of goss from the Yaffa's resident Plane-spotter Dougy...

Observation Deck

18 Feb 2016

So we have a new Federal Minister for Transport in National’s Darren Chester. From what I hear it’s a promising appointment, though some are reserving judgement.
The trouble is that, no matter how good the new man is, the portfolio is simply too large; even without the additional responsibility of Deputy Prime Minister that Chester’s predecessor Warren Truss had to bear.

It’s hard to understand how something as big and important as transport gets lumped in with infrastructure. Surely it warrants a minister and department of its own. Once we had a Minister for Civil Aviation; and while we can't really expect that sort of cabinet attention these days, at the very least you’d think we could have a singular focus on transport.
The new minister inherits one of the best departmental secretaries in the nation’s capital, so at least there’s potent continuity.

{P2 Obs: I can confirm that the above paragraphs were edited, originally Dougy was under the misconception that DC was the minister in charge of the whole department - Department for Infrastructure & Regional Development. Then someone must have made him aware that Senator Fiona Nash was actually the senior minister of the Department, with DC in charge of Infrastructure & Transport.

This restructure IMO is a positive move and sees the 'Transport' heading make its way back, to where it should always have been, into the minister's direct remit.

See [/url]HERE for Department Ministerial page}

[url=http://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/index.aspx]Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development

• 
  Senator the Hon
  Fiona Nash
  Minister for Regional Development
  Minister for Rural Health
  Minister for Regional Communications
  Deputy Leader of The Nationals
  Senator for New South Wales
  
  
• 
  The Hon
  Darren Chester MP
  Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
  Member for Gippsland
  
  
• 
  The Hon
  Paul Fletcher MP
  Minister for Major Projects, Territories and Local Government
  Member for Bradfield
  

We’ve also got a new chief commissioner coming up for the ATSB, with incumbent Martin Dolan stepping down soon. I believe ATSB Aviation Commissioner Chris Manning doesn’t want the top job, but I hear that another high-profile local aviation identity might well get it. If that turns out to be the case it will be very good for the industry to have two aviation people in the senior mix at the ATSB. - Further evidence that probably the most discredited public servant head - in the eyes of the Senate RRAT Committee, IOS & sectors of the MH370 commentariat - has accepted his Golden parachute. Hopefully the new Chief will bring back some much needed credibility & independence to the ATSB  

MTF...P2

[Gobbledock]

Peetwo;

"More general than just Fort Fumble news, where it seems OST, & his McComic era hangers on after the Estimates pizzling from Sterle, O'Sullivan, Williams & Xenophon, have skulked off into the basement to sulk while contemplating the fluff in their navels - UFB!"

Well I hope they feed the worms down there in the worm farm basement as they, the executives, don't do anything else productive. Perhaps while they are at it they can check the bicycle storage area for compliance and do a risk assessment on the ongoing snake issue? Fools.

As for 'Dougy the doorstop' I am sure that the corporate footstool has already bought Beaker his farewell present, perhaps a gold encrusted abacus? My concern is that if Manning isn't interested in the top job that would indicate that Murky will still be too great an interference in the bureau, and another suckhole like Beaker will be appointed. Either way I am certain that whoever becomes the new Commissioner they will have a permanently clean ass courtesy of Dougy.

[Peetwo]

CASA & the deck chair shuffle? - To little, to late

Yesterday off the Yaffa courtesy Oz Flying :

Aviation House: CASA's headquarters in the Canberra suburb of Woden. (Bidgee)



More Changes at Aviation House
07 Mar 2016

CASA has announced more management changes today with the impending departure of Acting Executive Manager Corporate Services, Brian Keech.

Keech will finish with CASA on 11 March.

The move follows the appointment of Tracey Frey as Sustainability Group Manager. According to a CASA memo, the changes are a part of the Renewing CASA program.

Of Keech's departure, Director of Aviation Safety Mark Skidmore said: "In Brian’s time as Head of People and Performance, and more recently when he has been elevated into the role as acting executive manager, he has managed a number of initiatives which have improved service delivery at CASA.

"I would like to thank Brian for his service to CASA."

Under the Renewing CASA program, the regulator will be restructured into three distinct groups, having the following functions.

Stakeholder Engagement: brings together all communication functions into one area to ensure CASA’s communication and information is consistent and delivered effectively to all stakeholders.

Aviation: manage and deliver all collaboration and interaction with the aviation community. This includes entry control, surveillance, regulatory services, standards setting, regulatory development and regulatory implementation.

Sustainability: includes all support functions, both internal and external.

The restucture is expected to be complete by the middle of this year.

 
MTF..P2

[crankybastards]

Stakeholder engagement = consulting with industry. Well, there's a change. When does it start?

Aviation = Airlines and military as that's all left. GA has gone to the dogs.

Sustainability = theirs not ours. Quiet obvious really.

[thorn bird]

Good grief! are CAsA really trying to take the piss??
Have a look at who's the new "Aviation Advisor" to the minister!!
Another Cathay refugee!!