CASA has failed in it's education on this issue with Australian pilots and Airlines, Full Stop. The fact that there are this many questions being raised illustrates this perfectly, I for one still am in the dark, and I even attended the Drug and Alcohol conference road show in early '07!
I haven't received a single information pack at home. Just seen a few throw away posters at work.
The CASA rep, and you, Flying Spike et al, refer to this young fella, non ATPL flying a lighty that crashed off the Queensland coast as a great reference for implementing this testing. As was pointed out in this conference by a Senior Chief Pilot, he wasn't conducting Commercial Ops! In fact, as I recall, he also stated that crashes attributed conclusively to Drug and/or Alcohol in Commercial Operations has not happened in a very long time, SO WHY START NOW!? It's a sham.
Questions:
1) I get a bad back every now and then, it's just one of those things that anyone can get, in fact it is stated that at least 2/3 of the population suffer from a bad back at some stage of their life. I take a Codeine based pain killer no later than 12 hours before flight (my personal limit) I feel fine after this and it gets rid of the pain, I get tested, I'M STUFFED! How is this fair?
2) The testing: Where is this done (assume Airline Ops) Public? At the Security Screening? Private? In the flight deck? In the Crew Room? Is the company required to give permission to enter their premises?
3)
WHEN I get a false positive for Opiates having taken my pain killer what then? Do I get a second chance after 20mins? Not that it matters because I will still return the same result! Is the machine used in the initial testing the same fancy one that will return my eventual negative, or will it be after a few days from the lab?
4) In the mean time, my company does what for the flight? Delay it? Get another pilot in because one of their pilots has been caught as a Druggie?! That will me be great for anyone’s reputation. The flight is delayed and costs thousands of dollars and loss of face to the airline. If this got out the media will be hot onto this for sure! The airline is then faced with a shedload of negative media attention whilst waiting the result, doesn't matter though, the media and public have already judged. The airline gets the negative result back, then what? A whole heap of proverbial hits the fan in the office and all I wanted to do was my job safely, the same way I have for many years.
Too many questions... Not enough forethought by CASA.