Former Air Vice Marshal Mark Skidmore named director of air safety
FORMER Air Vice Marshal Mark Skidmore says he has taken on one of aviation’s most controversial jobs because he is keen to get involved in supporting Australia’s aviation industry and sees the regulator’s role as critical.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority chairman Allan Hawke yesterday confirmed Mr Skidmore’s appointment as director of aviation safety, the regulatory hot seat recently vacated by John McCormick.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for the air safety regulator, which has been under fire from industry players for its handling of regulatory reform and approach to policing.
The industry is still waiting for a response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review, which called for sweeping reforms at the regulator, saying its “hard-line approach” to enforcement was inappropriate and had led to
a lack of trust between it and operators.
As an aviation military and industry veteran who has connections with general aviation though his monoplane 1946 Globe Swift, Mr Skidmore is aware of the discontent simmering in sections of the industry.
“I think initially for me it’s going to be waiting for the government’s response to the ASRR and seeing how that’s going to shape CASA into the future,’’ he said. “So I’m keen to see that, I look forward to getting that response.
“Really in the regards to the rest, yes, I’ve heard murmurings and mumblings out there. Obviously, being a pilot myself you run into those type of things.
“I’ve got to get my feet under the desk and get an opportunity to find out what’s going on and talk to people.’’
Mr Skidmore has experience in the private sector, working with Aerospace Technical Services, which was acquired by Raytheon Australia.
He said this gave an opportunity to get a feel for the industry as business development manager working on projects, bids and tenders as well as a test pilot.
He left in 2012 to set up his own consultancy, which worked with his old employer and other companies. “I’ve had an opportunity to talk and understand and find out what’s happening out there in the industry,’’ he said.
The new DAS also believes his RAAF background will help him in the new job. He started in the RAAF as an officer cadet in the late 1970s and became a pilot in the 1980s on F-111s.
He led RAAF research and development squadrons and was promoted to Air Commander Australia, holding oversight for Australia’s air operations, and reached the rank of Air Vice Marshal before retiring in 2012.
He says as air force Commander he was in charge of a big organisation and lots of staff, but it was not just a case of ordering people around; much of it involved negotiations, discussion and working with people to set up and achieve an agenda for the future.
“I see this much the same way,’’ he said. “I’m going to take that forward, I want to work with people, I want to listen, I want to set up teams and be able to achieve our strategic objectives.’’
Asked about the biggest challenge he saw so far, he said this would be getting the opportunity to grow CASA’s reputation and rebuild trust with the industry.
He believed CASA was a good organisation that had done a lot of good work but acknowledged there was a perception it did not listen and this needed to be addressed.
However, CASA was also a regulator and there were rules and regulations it had to apply.
“Sometimes there’s going to have be tough decisions and we’re going to have to do that,’’ he added.
Mr Skidmore’s appointment produced a positive response from industry figures ready to beat a path to his door with demands for their sectors.
Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia chief executive Phil Hurst said the association looked forward to an end to “ the rudderless ship that is CASA, the implementation of the industry supported recommendations of the ASRR, and the addressing of the CASA-created Part 61 crisis’’.
Mr Hurst said Mr Skidmore had “a massive task” turning around the culture of CASA, adding it must work with industry to identify real safety risks and “improve the safety, economic and growth outcomes for all stakeholders”.
Regional Aviation Association of Australia chief executive Paul Tyrrell described Mr Skidmore as “a very sound aviation professional’’ with whom the RAAA looked forward to working with as it attempted to reinvigorate Australian aviation and aerospace “at all levels’’.
“There are particular and pressing challenges in regional aviation that we will be discussing with the new DAS as soon as possible,’’ he said.
Australian Airports Association chief executive Caroline Wilkie said Mr Skidmore’s managerial experience would be invaluable in his CASA role. “We look forward to working with the new director with particular focus on the urgent need for airport regulatory reform, which is long overdue,’’ she said.