AIP/ERSA amendments– how many per year would you like?
Airservices have listed a questionnaire on their website that is asking aircrew how often they’d like to receive amendments to AIP & ERSA. The argument they give is that by issuing less amendments, you’ll spend less time keeping the pubs current and that it’ll be cheaper. Unfortunately, that then means your pre-flight NOTAM briefing will have to take up the slack and list all the subsequent amendments as well as the temporary NOTAMS.
How many times have AsA changed large sections of AIP? I seem to remember large slabs of GPS NPA and RVSM amendments a while back. With only one amendment a year, your NOTAM briefing will no longer be a couple of pages but will become a book. How much will that cost to print out every time you fly? How long will it take you to go through and find the relevant NOTAMS? How long will it take to make the appropriate pen amendments? And then pen amend the pen amendments?
Why is it that AirServices Australia seems hell bent on delivering the cheapest option – not necessarily the safest option - to apparently satisfy Joe Lighty’s request for cheaper publications? I am NOT suggesting that Joe Lighty isn’t welcome or is unsafe – they are welcome and the vast majority is safe. What I am suggesting is that the professional aviators amongst us need to stand up and be counted. If we do nothing, then the only responses will be from those in the industry looking for the cheapest option. We need to let AsA know that it is unacceptable to compromise safety for cost. IMHO it is unacceptable to have AIP & ERSA published once or twice a year with the resultant stack of NOTAM issued amendments.
The current system ain’t broke so why do they want to change it (surely it’s not about money
)?
Feel like expressing your opinion? Visit the Airservices website, look for the link on the Publications Centre page called “Amendment cycle questionnaire” buried at the bottom.