AVMAD
Many thanks Clinton McKenzie for raising and acting upon an important issue. I completely agree with the points made, myself having had to repeatedly undertake medical tests by AVMED against specialist advice and which tests my DAME believes are unnecessary. The latter gentleman having been in practice for at least some 40 years, and pilot to boot.
But time money and real life outcomes mean absolutely nothing to AVMED, as instanced by CASA’s answer to the highly successful BasicMed reform in the USA.
Our version, the Basic Class 2 (BC2), is a perversion.
It could have been very useful had CASA followed the USA model. But of course no, our model is ‘better’ because it’s far more stringent and doesn’t allow IFR. Well naturally you wouldn’t want to encourage people to fly around when they can’t see out the windows would you? Surely that’s not safe.
But wait, there’s more, and wait, and wait, presently CASA is looking again at a new self declared type medical certification. Interminable discussions are proceeding at a sluggish snails pace to further this possible reform when with stroke of pen the current BC2 could have the car driver standard instead of ‘unconditional commercial heavy vehicle’ and even allowed IFR. ‘Conditional’ fuel tanker drivers are on our roads everywhere but flying your Cessna around at that standard is way to risky for CASA. Meanwhile there are droves of pilots giving up on AVMED and either leaving the field entirely or taking up flying with RAAUS. Several thousand of that cohort not doing aviation medicals at all, no problem the last 40 years.
Truth is CASA has no incentives to simplify or create clear and concise rules or practices because that would result in less ‘work.’ It’s disgraceful that we’ve not had a Board or CEO with the fortitude of character to correct the numerous failings of CASA or recognise that aviation has taken a battering for no good reason.
In the absence of political leadership, in particular stuck as we are with a wrong model of governance, should be a Department with responsible Minister (it’s called Westminster democracy), we must hold to account CASA itself to see the huge opportunities for services and job creation if only rational policies are enacted.