CASA needs a rocket.

[wingz5000]

Some twenty years ago I needed to renew my licence. So I had a medical one day and fronted up to the CAA (or whatever it was called then) and they looked at the medical cert and renewed my Licence.
Now in this lightning electronic age, the time estimate for renewal AFTER they have received all the paperwork? Up to 28 Days!!!!!!!
I am now applying for a certificate of validation to fly OS, and need proof of my qualifications. Well it took me all of 5 minutes to download,fill in the appropriate application form as well as the CC payment form $50 thank you, and flick it back.
Four days later after receiving no more than their automated response, I called and after a wait of 10 minutes or so finally got thru to a human. So I explained the situation, and well the human couldnt find my email, and could I send it again please? Certainly, clicked resend, and " please when may I expect to receive the now paid for form,?" Oh up to 14 days!!!!! So after paying my $50 it takes these clowns up to 14 days to bring up my file, attach it to my email and click "send" Abysmal is the only word that comes to mind.
Now Jump the ditch and in good ol Kiwiland, I can go for a medical, and assuming the bloods are done, I'll have my medical and walk out an hour later with my new med cert and therefore renewed licence for another year. Oh and a letter of verification?? No probs, just call your friendly and EFFICIENT CAA office, lodge your request and they will DO IT THERE AND THEN click send and all for free!!! Go Figure. Rocket? Wrecking Ball more likely.:ugh:

[Wally Mk2]

'Wingy' CASA & all it's hangeroners are simply an industry in which keeps people in jobs & makes money, they are not there to be helpful or efficient.

Govt bodies go out of their way to make sure inefficiencies are their main-staple reason as to why they are there other than jobs. Local councils are a prime Eg.

This is Australia one of the most inefficient and expensive countries in the western world rife with corruption!

Wmk2

[dubbleyew eight]

no wally.

on the index of corruption australia is pretty well the least corrupt country on the planet.

the index of bureaucratic stupidity though is something I havent seen.

[Wally Mk2]

'88' that may very well be the case buddy but we don't live in the rest of the world now do we?


Wmk2

[Jack Ranga]

Corruption in Australia:

Securency.

The Australian Wheat Board - Iraq.

Eddie Obeid.

The Victorian Building Commision.

The list goes on, and we're one of the least corrupt? F@rk there must be some serious **** going on overseas?

[Runaway Gun]

What is the cost of getting your medical (and CAA fees) in NZ, as compared to Australia?

[peterc005]

It's pretty rare to see corruption in Australia and I think there are very few of us here who have ever seen corruption of paid a bribe.

In the past I've worked in Asian countries where every aspect of government os corrupt and every interaction with government involves paying a bribe.

The fact that people like Eddy Obeid gets busted might mean that corruption here is not tolerated.

I don't understand why DAMEs can't input medical details over the internet into the CASA database for instant updates.

If someone wants to change the way CASA processes medicals, then start an online petition.

[T28D]

What sacrilege get efficient and do some of these lazy sods out of a job, get a grip, we will never change the Northborne Avenue sheltered workshop.

[Frank Arouet]

QUOTE It's pretty rare to see corruption in Australia QUOTE


Have you been hiding under a rock?

[Cactusjack]

CAsA need a rocket? Maybe. Do they need a giant enema with industrial strength hose? YES!

[Flying Binghi]

via peterc005:
It's pretty rare to see corruption in Australia and I think...

...rarely, do we see the corruption of somebody like Gillard, though we do oft get them with Labor.

...anyway, nuthin to do with the thread..;)

[CYHeli]

CASA, we're not happy until you're not happy!

There is little corruption at an official level in Australia, but ineptitude and inefficiency? Heaps.

[Volumex]

As well as a rocket, CASA need a leash.

IMHO, the biggest issue is that CASA are legislated to provide safety functions for civil aviation in Australia. Nowhere are they mandated to foster / support / promote aviation.

There are numerous other industries that have government support to promote the industry (tourism and the arts immediately come to mind, but there must be others) as the cost of the administrative function is outweighed by the benefit the industry provides in jobs, money and other intangibles.

As much as I hate administratium, there needs to be an Aviation department within the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. Its mandate must be to grow the industry to provide more job opportunities, particularly in remote areas, to provide business with more cost and time efficient means of moving people and goods around the country and to promote training and upskilling opportunites for workforce. It must report to the Minister, and CASA and ASA must report to it. ATSB must report direct to the minister. This would help the incestuous relationship between ATSB and CASA. Ideally the AAT would be removed from the picture and replaced by a board within my hypothetical new Aviation department. This board would provide a more balanced view of aviation, although strict liability would remain an obstacle to natural justice in many cases.

The terms of reference for the announced review of safety regulation are for safety related functions. I do hope that there is sufficient latitude within the review for a means to balance the terrible injustices occasionally perpetrated by CASA to better support the Aviation industry. There is tremendous opportunity for the industry if CASA could be curtailed.

[Tinstaafl]

I renewed my FAA Class 1 medical yesterday. Scheduled with the Dr using his online scheduling service, filled in the FAA form online (most info prefilled from the previous year) & was issued with a reference number.

Get to his office, give him the number, piss in a cup, get the once over + ECG, pay & walk out with the Class 1 medical *in my hand*. All up, about 20 mins.

[Sir HC]

Brilliant post Volumex. You're right on the money.

My only fear would be that your new aviation department would be filled with ex-CASA employees and like any industry body, would have a difficult job representing all sections of the industry. The combined forces of the AOPA, AHIA, AAAA and the ALEA would be very productive if given the right opportunity IMHO.

[Old Akro]

I'm interested in the difference between AMSA & CASA. AMSA seems to do a pretty good job without generating any of the angst that CASA does. It has pretty much the same budget, but has some additional functions that CASA does not (eg AUSAR), so prima facie it is more efficient. It seems to be able to work through other bodies more effectively than CASA, eg small boats via car registration bodies, medicals through Medibank Health Solutions. Its fees seem to be generally less than CASA. It doesn't seem to perpetually re-write its own regulations.

Another difference between CASA & AMSA seems to be the board. CASA has 4 non executive directors, 1 of which has an aviation background. AMSA has 8 non executive directors 6 of which have some sort of maritime background. There is also a good variety of background (ie not just the equivalent of airlines). It must be a lot harder for the AMSA CEO to pull the wool over his board than the CASA CEO.

However, if you read its vision & mission its very similar to CASA. So it must be that AMSA has a better culture with better management. Its generally regarded that you need to change 1/3 of management to make a lasting culture change. Changing the top guy doesn't do it. CASA is broken. It needs to be dismantled and rebuilt with new parts.

[hiwaytohell]

You are pretty right Akro... the Board is the difference.

If the CASA Board had been doing its job we would not be in anywhere near the mess we are today.

CASA has 4 non executive directors, 1 of which has an aviation background

I can't see any with an aviation background!!!

And herein lies the problem.

[Cactusjack]

Highwaytohell, correct. The CAsA board is made up of 'spinners, bureaucrats, and mates who have received rewards'. Not an aviator or a safety expert among them. Truss's idea is to add two more trough dwellers to the list. No doubt they will also be mates of mates of mates, rewarded for their links to individuals in government.
AMSA at least has some individuals with a safety background, including the very well respected K. Bills, so there is quite a difference in structure.

[thorn bird]

Australia has taken the best of "British" bureaucracy and refined it into an "Art Form". We are only outdone by India, which could explain the medical issues.

[Old Akro]

I was being generous and counting David Gray's time as MD of Boeing as aviation experience.

[tecman]

Nothing to choose between the ALP and conservatives in the crime and corruption stakes, as far as I can see:

List of Australian politicians convicted of crimes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_politicians_convicted_of_crimes)

[thunderbird five]

Well, well, this just in from the U.K.






Red Tape Challenge and Political Developments


Excellent news from the outcomes from Grant Chapps’ Red Tape 2013 challenge and the 500 responses to that. A meeting with Ministers on November 6th had concluded:












1. Ministers want to make the UK the best country in the world for GA.


2. The CAA are to establish a focused GA unit to help promote that outcome.


3. The Red Tape Challenge outcomes are to be used to focus action plans.


4. There will be a short-duration independent Ministerial Challenge panel to oversee implementation.


5. There is a commitment to improve consultation and engagement.


The CAA agreed to deregulate where possible, to maximise delegation and to form the GA unit as above.






"Rockets Away!"

[601]

Latest cost impost to GA with no perceived benefit is the "policy" requirement of completely re-writing your OM iaw the new CAAP 215 format if you need to do an amendment, no matter how small the amendment is. I also hear that this "policy" is not consistent across Regional Offices.

Sure, by June 2017 (that is if CAsA can get their act together) all OMs will need to be re-written to incorporate all the new CAsRs. So why this peace-meat approach with several re-writes to incorporate as each Part of the CAsRs come out.

What we need with this RRP is a complete re-think on its implementation. Get ALL the CAsRs published with a effective date at least 2 years after the last CAsR is published. Give operators, pilots and CASA staff time to digest all the changes. This would also allow operators to formulate procedures iaw the CAsRs, write OMs and refine them over that period to reflect their operation.

A casual read of CAAP 215 shows how out of touch CAsA is with the GA sector of the industry. It covers area that have no relevance to GA operations. It is also a shambolic mixture of CARs, CASRs, CAOs and MOS, some of which have yet to see the light of day. In summary, it should have also been published with a action date to coincide with the CAsR effective date.

Why does a Baron or a Bell 407 operator need re-write an OM so they can put "Reserved" against "RVSM Airspace" or "Autoland Procedures"?

During the 2 year period, CASA staff could come to grips CAsRs and work with operators to get the best outcomes, not this "policy" of change your OM now, especially after the debacle of Part 61, etc.

[Horatio Leafblower]

601,

The CAAP is an advisory document.

The text in CAAP 215-1(1) dated Aug 2012 clearly states that the format and arrangement of Operations manuals will vary between operators and the format is a "proposed" arrangement.

I note that the document control forms are almost EXACTLY the same as old Ansett ops manuals I have worked with before.

If your FOI is being a cock, go to his boss. If his boss is a cock, keep going up the tree until you are complaining to your local member and the Minister if required.

As an aside, I once rang John Andersen's office as a constituent to discuss an Aviation matter. Despite being a consitituent in his electorate, his electorate office refused to speak to me about it because it was an Aviation issue and therefore I had to speak to his ministerial office. :ugh:

[CougarNZ]

Just did my Medical here in NZ.

$313 dollars to CAA NZ prior to seeing the doctor.

$460 for Doctor , had ECG and bloods this yr so a bit more than usual.

and on CAA NZ fees , massive increase in their hourly fee for Audits etc.
bloody costly to run an small certified aviation business in NZ. costs double if say Part 141 and 135 or 115 certified , different team to come check each manual on the book shelf.

[Paragraph377]

CougarNZ, one of the things you do normally get in NZ is a half decent audit overall. A proper audit will be of benefit to the company as it will identify areas for improvement, and yes the CAA charge the operator for the audit. Then you have CASA, who usually conduct a half arse audit, they don't charge you for it, yet, but again the operator often doesn't get any value from the audit because it is conducted as a 'search and destroy' mission usually.
Plenty of arguments I guess on both sides of the ditch.