Kharon:
It's been a busy week for the IOS, what with one thing and the other. Spoiled for choice – Joyce. Now I know the minuscule is only vaguely aware that we do have aircraft now in Australia also that they are a long way down his list of priorities and apart from winning the Qld elections, time for trivial matters is hard to find. Perhaps some one could check to make sure he still has a pulse then gently waft some paperwork in his direction and get it signed before the medication wears off. He is going to need to stay awake at least long enough to be briefed on the little bombshell ticking away in the Senate.
Also spoilt for choice on your post "K"...
Hmm..but let us start with the miniscule's recent OBs.
Warning: The following pic may cause unpredictable, adverse, physical and/or psychological side effects.
Sometimes (much like the photo of Beaker and his boys
) a picture is worth a thousand words...
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss this week.
Source: Getty Images
Despite the fact that the miniscule has been sighted this week upright (& presumably with a pulse) doesn't he have an uncanny resemblance to Blinky Bill...
This photo accompanied an article from SC at the Oz, which more than proves that not only does the DPM have a pulse but he is also very much aware of the growing number of Boardroom & aviation elephants in the room..
:
New faces at CASA, Airservices
A SEARCH for a suitable replacement for outgoing Civil Aviation Safety Authority head John McCormick still has “some time to run,’’ according to Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss.
A recruitment company is putting together a short list of candidates for interview by a panel of CASA board members and the head of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development Mike Mrdak.
Some aviation organisations have been pushing for a total renewal of the CASA board and the recent Aviation Safety Regulatory Review recommended sweeping reforms at the regulator after accusing it of adopting “an across-the-board hardline philosophy’’.
CASA caused a stir recently when it revealed without a formal announcement the that former Brindabella Airlines owner Jeff Boyd had been appointed the authority’s deputy chairman.
Mr Truss said there had been a good response to Mr Boyd’s appointment. “I think the remaining appointments, I’m hoping, will be equally favourably received,’’ he said. “What the previous board perhaps lacked was the practical aviation experience and we’ll be dealing with that in the appointments yet to come.
“But you still need to have *people with the skills to run a large organisation and with the kind of background that’s necessary to ensure that it works properly as a business as well as a regulator.’’
Mr Truss on Friday announced that former Brisbane Airport Corp CFO Tim Rothwell and ex-Australian Rail Track Corp chief ex*ec*utive David Marchant would join the board of Airservices Australia. He also appointed existing board member Tony Matthews, currently chairman of Airservices’ safety committee, as deputy chairman.
A director of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia, Mr Matthews has more than 40 years’ experience in the industry and has worked as a manager and pilot with organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Qantas regional airlines. He has been a member of the board since June 2012.
“Mr Mathews’s significant aviation experience makes him well suited to serve as deputy chair building on his important role as the chair of the board’s safety committee,” Mr Truss said.
Mr Rothwell was CFO at Brisbane Airport for almost 20 years before his departure last year and has been on various boards.
Mr Marchant chaired the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board and was a managing director for Lend Lease Infrastructure Services and director of the *Hunter Valley Coal Chain Co-*ordination Co.
Mr Truss said both Mr Marchant and Mr Rothwell brought extensive expertise in transport, infrastructure investment, fin*ance, governance and risk management to the board.
So miniscule has a pulse & is aware of the growing number of IOS/aviation elephants in the room - CHECK.
Paragraph 2 of the "K" post on the 'MoP Stakes' perhaps deserves a 'Selleys moment' post on the Senate thread, so I'll flick past para 2. Likewise para 3-5 but para 6 and the despicable FF take/attack on CVD pilots still very much troubles me...
Throughout the history of the Oz aviation regulator, exposure to possible 'liability' has nearly always been the underlying primary concern, under the 'iron ring' this concern has manifested itself to an extreme level of 'liability paranoia' and consequently negatively effects all the decision making processes by FF in their administration & regulation of aviation safety in this country.
However with the Avmed 180 on CVD pilots I think there is an additional element, that was previously merely paid lip service to by the iron ring, that is ICAO compliance.
Incidentally the CVD pilot matter is not the only regulatory issue that CAsA suddenly appears to have had an attack of the ICAO guilt's..
Recent examples can be seen in..the draft of CAAP 235A (Multi-Engine Aeroplane Minimum Runway Width); CAAP 235-2(2) (Child carriage/restraint in aircraft); draft of Manual of Standards Part 61 – Flight Crew Licensing; and perhaps certain sections of the NPRM 1202OS – Fatigue Management for Flight Crew.
Much like the CVD matter the CAsA/media announcements on these policy/regulatory changes almost always starts with the words..
"in line with...or alignment of..ICAO"
Example from a couple of days ago:
...Australia Brings Helicopter Landing Site Guidance in Line with ICAO
Jul 21, 2014 - 15:39 GMT
Australia has released new guidance material on helicopter landing sites as part of its efforts to bring standards in line with those of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The new guidance material is also designed to help helicopter operators transition to new Australian regulations that are under development as part of the country’s lengthy regulatory reform…
...New guidance material from CASA on helicopter landing sites has been released as part of a transition to new regulations and alignment of Australian standards with those of ICAO. The new material encourages the adoption of the new standards in new landing site construction but does not require upgrade of existing helicopter facilities...
All passing strange indeed..
..from a regulator who normally couldn't give a rat's arse about being compliant with ICAO (refer the huge list of notified differences
H18/14)...
MTF..
ps Surmising..could it be that RED has got wind of a pending friendly visit from ICAO to perhaps review the progress of his much laboured over & beloved SSP (Annex 19)..
Word of advice RED until your FF/ATsB minions understand the concept of 'Just Culture' & are willing to embrace this philosophy, you can write all the flowery words you like in your SSP manual but it will continue to amount to 'Just Words' instead of 'Just Culture'....