Interesting that in previous threads, Hardy did not feature as Mr Good Guy. Now that he has copped a bashing from CASA suddenly he is flavour of the month. Of course it is very Australian to back the underdog and I am all for it. Just an observation, is all.
Re senior pilots failing CASA check rides. Endemic in GA is a lack of recurrent training. The Check and Training manual will no doubt have lots of nice words about how much and when recurrent training is required and, as wrong as CASA is about many things, if that is in the manual they have every right and indeed responsibility to enforce it.
But CASA should be aware (and would be if they got out in the field a bit more)
that GA pilots typically go a year with maybe a 45 minute base check at the six month point, then struggle through an instrument rating renewal at the 12 month point.
Try telling the boss that you are taking his Metro or King Air out with a couple of pilots for an afternoon's recurrent training! Or that you are going to flog his turbo charged engines with asymmetric work. "Toy" simulators can only do so much to keep a pilot proficient and unless pilots are rostered for simulator, very few will attend in their own time.
Not saying that this is the case at Hardy, but it if was it would be fairly typical of the industry.
Once CASA get an operator in their gunsights, the easist way for them to make life difficult is to home in on the check and training system.
This is not intended to be a judgement on Hardy here; the reasons and facts for CASA 's action have not really been put out there, just some mealy-mouthed 'concerns' It will be interesting to see if a law suit for loss of revenue follows........
Last edited by Mach E Avelli; 9th Dec 2012 at 00:26.