[Peetwo]

Hitch on ADS-B or not 2B etc.. -

Via Oz Flying:

A schematic showing how ADS-B technology will revolutionise navigation. (Honeywell)

ADS-B IFR Deadline extension on the Cards
17 November 2016

It is believed that Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority will announce as early as next week that the deadline for ADS-B fitment in private IFR aircraft will be pushed out to match the US date of 2020.

The deadline was set to be 2 February 2017, which has been the subject of intense lobbying in Canberra, particularly by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and high-profile activist Dick Smith because it was thought Australian owners would be paying too much for the equipment.

It was also considered that Australia's avionics engineers would be unable to equip the entire IFR fleet in time to meet the February deadline.

The new deadline will likely come with some restrictions. Sources indicate that it will apply only to aircraft not in commercial operations, but it is unclear if that will include aircraft with flying schools. Most probably, aircraft operating on the extended deadline will not be able to fly in Class C airspace, but may be able to use Class D to make regional towers and capital city secondary airports available to them.

Should the new deadline be brought in, CASA is likely to issue exemptions to current regulations rather than try to amend the existing legislation.

Industry experts are divided on what the impact of the impending announcement.

Whereas AOPA is hailing the news as a major victory, avionics manufacturers have indicated that they don't expect to be dropping prices as the USA mandate gets closer, as has been thought by many in the Australian general aviation community.

As late as this week, manufacturers have also expressed to Australian Flying that they believed Australian owners would be better off fitting ADS-B sooner rather than later to avoid an expected rush of demand in 2020.

Until this week, CASA has strenously resisted any form of deadline rollback, most recently in Senate estimates when Senator Nick Xenophon challenged Acting Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody on the matter. Carmody replied that there was no indication ADS-B units would be cheaper as the US mandate approached

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/lates...W0ZoQ5M.99

& on LMH:

The Last Minute Hitch: 18 November 2016
18 November 2016

If the jungle drums in Canberra are on song, we're about to get an extension to the deadline to fit ADS-B Out to private IFR aircraft. CASA has been clinging strenuously to the 2 February 2017 mandate deadline like the world would come crashing down if they didn't, and it's been the subject of vigorous lobbying by general aviation, in particular AOPA and Dick Smith. No matter how you dissect this, it's a big feather in the cap of AOPA and General Manager Ben Morgan. With some help from Nick Xenophon, they've managed to make a change to the GA landscape. Not too many have done that in the past 20-odd years.

The largest question mark lies over aircraft on flying school lines

But let's not start the ticker-tape parade just yet; we don't know the details of the extension deal, but you can guarantee there will be restrictions on how it works. My guess is that it will be for private aircraft only and will not allow you into C Class airspace. The largest question mark lies over aircraft on flying school lines. They're not considered private aircraft, and we'll have to wait to see if they are included in the forthcoming exemptions.

So, what have we actually won? If the lobbyists have got this right, Australians will now get cheaper ADS-B units because our deadline matches that of the USA, meaning we can take advantage of lower prices driven by higher production rates. It always happens, doesn't it? Nick Xenophon used the example of flat-screen TVs when he tackled CASA boss Shane Carmody in Senate Estimates. Last Monday I crashed the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) conference in Melbourne just in time for afternoon drinks, and whilst I was there, canvassed the thoughts of the major ADS-B manufacturers. Not one of them agreed that unit prices would come down. Yes, they have a vested interest in us buying their product right now, especially if prices will indeed come down, influenced also by an increase in competition when the 2020 deadline nears.
Some manufacturers stated that Australia did the right thing by going early on ADS-B, because it gave them the chance to make to our orders before the crushing last-minute demand from the 200,000 US aircraft to be fitted falls on them. If Australian owners wait until the 2020 deadline to fit, they may find themselves in trouble; sort of like being at the back of the queue at a Boxing Day sale. Has anyone noted the Kiwis have their deadline at 2021, one year after the US and at a time when the US demand will have abated?

Enough said about that ... for today.

Sonya the Magnificent and I were lucky enough to attend the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremonies in Temora last Saturday night. It was a gala evening and a fitting one to honour the five inductees and Bush Pilots Airways. AAHOF is gathering momentum and becoming more and more important to aviation in Australia with every induction they have. Although the stories of each inductee are separate and of their own, AAHOF brings them to one place to tell the story of this country's contribution to aviation at a global level. Lawrence Hargrave, Smithy, Bert Hinkler, Harry Hawker, Edgar Percival, Wackett, Warren, Ansett, Bonney ... their stories make up the narrative of a nation that embraced the capability and potential of aviation. AAHOF is not only their story, it's ours also.

And so the Australian Defence Force has said they will do flight screening via flight simulators nowadays rather than using real aeroplanes. Prior to the introduction of the PC-21 and re-location of basic flight training to East Sale, the ADF used CT4s out of Tamworth to put civilian candiates through the wringer to see if they're capable of taking instruction under pressure. Now it's all going to be sims. For sure it will be cheaper, but will it do the job? The image quality and fidelity of simulators has reached such a point that they can replicate just about anything, so on face value you'd have to say "yes". With rumble seats and g suits to simulate the effects normally experienced in flight screening, they've got all the bases covered. It will be interesting to see if it actually works for them!

 May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/the-l...MxtuZYR.99

MTF...P2