Truss: Aviation Safety Regulation Review

[Sarcs]

Weekly wrap.

Newsflash...the miniscule is crook..

Maybe he is suffering from a bad in-flight meal laced with ecoli or maybe he simply has bad indigestion from absorbing all the matters aviation currently coming at him. The trouble is while the cats away...: Warren Truss illness sparks speculation about Barnaby Joyce as Deputy PM

Ok back to the weekly wrap and hot off the keyboard from Hitch..

The Last Minute Hitch: 21 November 2014
21 Nov 2014


Quite naturally, the talk of the general aviation world this week is CASA's proposal to restrict Jabiru engine operations. Although this affects RA-Aus moreso than GA, there are many VH-registered aircraft that use Jabiru engines, and if these restrictions are applied, those owners and operators will be up the creek just as much as their RA-Aus counterparts. The feedback that has come my way is quite polarising. One Victorian engineer called for CASA to prove the Jab engine is unreliable with statistics, and one Queensland aircraft builder said he considers the Jab engine a "hand grenade". Either way, this issue is extremely damaging for Australia. All parties involved need to sort it out. They need to sort it out quickly, correctly and fairly.

From the TAAAF statement released this week, it is clear the aviation industry is getting impatient for the reform process to begin. The Forsyth Report charged the industry with an optimism that had been waning over several years, but after more than five months, minister Warren Truss has yet to reply to the report. The result has been a draining of the optimism that has left the industry wondering why. Here's a tip: if you leave the aviation industry to ponder for long enough they will come up with the worst-case scenario. The worst case is that Truss (and no doubt Abbott) intend to ignore the report and instead do a "White Paper" job to make us feel good but effect no real change. We have been told to expect a response by the end of the year. Great, but why have we had to wait this long?

Under the column marked "Good News", CASA has confirmed that RA-Aus hours will still count as aeronautical experience for a GA PPL. Some flying schools were concerned that CASR Part 61 excluded those hours, and when you consider the language of Part 61 is in some case ambiguous, you can't blame them for doing that. The problem lies in Australia's tenacious determination to write legislation that will require you to hire a lawyer to understand it. The recommendations of the Forsyth Report address the problem, but we won't know if the government is prepared to use plain English until they release their response to the report.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

And from the regurgitator SC a catch up to everyone else's coverage of the AAAF strongly worded media release (ps SC does however get a response from the ailing miniscule's office..): Forum calls on Warren Truss to act urgently on Forsyth report

THE Abbott government has fulfilled fewer than half its aviation election commitments more than a year after taking office, according to the Australian Aviation ­Associations Forum.

A scorecard compiled by the aviation organisations umbrella group found the government had delivered about 40 per cent of its 12 key commitments and criticised its lack of urgency when it came to aviation issues.

An overriding theme to emerge from a meeting of the eight aviation organisations in AAAF last week was the need for Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss to give higher priority to aviation issues and act with more speed. It is understood a final communique issued by the forum was a milder version of a first draft.

Mr Truss has moved recently to set up an industry advisory council and its first meeting is expected next week.

It singled out the government’s failure to respond to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review chaired by David Forsyth and handed down in March as a major concern and was also critical of the government’s failure to appoint the remaining members of the Civil Aviation safety Authority’s board.

The AAAF called on Mr Truss to urgently respond to the Forsyth review and finalise the board to ensure new CASA head Mark Skidmore is “supported by a strong board reflective of he interest of the industry”.

It also wants to see Mr Truss issue CASA with a new letter of strategic direction and called for a full moratorium on all CASA regulatory work until Mr Skidmore finds his feet, a full board is appointed and the letter is issued.

This applied particularly to controversial Civil Aviation Safety Regulation Part 61, which “should be immediately suspended to ­prevent further damage to the ­industry”.

“CASR Part 61 is seen as a serious problem and not acceptable to the industry in its current form,’’ it said. “It was identified as a threat to the viability of some sectors and significant numbers of operators.
“Additionally, there is clear confusion within the regulator about the implementation of the rule-set and a lack of consistent interpretation and education.’’

While the appointment of Brindabella Airlines founder Jeff Boyd to the board was “warmly welcomed’’, the three outstanding vacancies on the board were seen as holding back reform at the authority.

The forum welcomed Mr Skidmore’s appointment but noted the challenges in reforming CASA and “bringing about badly needed improvements as highlighted by the independent Forysth report”, including the introduction of key quality support mechanisms and the return of a three-tier regulatory system to facilitate the drafting of simple operational rules.

“The forum rejected the current CASA move towards the use of non-regulatory measures such as advisory material, policy manuals and forms of compliance requirements for operators and pilots,” it said.

The communique also called for laws preventing unmanned aerial vehicles being deployed by a member of the public not under the control of relevant fire agency. It suggested fines of about $50,000 for breaches.

But a spokesman for Mr Truss said the government had taken action on a number of major aviation initiatives that included the Forsyth review and the appointments of Mr Skidmore and Mr Boyd.

“As the Deputy Prime Minister has consistently indicated, the government is looking to finalise a comprehensive response to the review report before the end of the year,’’ he said, noting this would largely inform the government’s expectations of CASA.

Finally from Dougy yesterday...

Editor's Insights 20 November 2014
20 Nov 2014
Doug Nancarrow


Next week I’m at the Australian Airports Association conference on the Gold Coast. This is always a well-supported event with an interesting program.

It comes right on the heels of the coming-of-age of Australia’s newest airport, Wellcamp Brisbane West, near Toowoomba on Queensland’s Darling Downs. QantasLink provided the inaugural flight with a Q400 appropriately renamed the Darling Downs.

To celebrate, the owners (and builders) the Wagner Family held a late lunch at the prestigious Otto restaurant at Sydney Harbourside suburb Wooloomooloo. QantasLink boss John Gissing was on that first flight and up for lunch.

Family leader John Wagner flew his own King Air down for the occasion with a plane load of family in tow.

It’s a remarkable achievement, well worthy of the celebration. Now for the rewards.

The TAAAF briefing that I couldn’t make late last week has resulted in a press release that thinly disguises the assorted associations’ extreme frustration with the lack of action in Canberra on aviation issues. And it’s impossible to disagree with anything they have said in the release. Yes, we now have a new head for CASA, though he doesn’t put his feet under the desk until 1 December; but where are the other three CASA board members? Held up no doubt in that same micro-management process that I spoke of last week.

Speaking of last week, I copped a blast from Dick Smith over my plea that his voice be accorded the same weight in Canberra circles as everybody else’s. Dick seemed to think I was putting him down, but that was not my intent and I stand by my view that he is just one voice in any debate and that his high profile and ability to cut through should not overwhelm other informed perspective on aviation issues. We finished the conversation on a warmer note.

At least DAS PA Sandra Mavin is staying on to support AVM Skidmore in the new job. That’s not only valuable continuity, it’s also a recognition that Sandra is one very capable person. Good to see.

More next week from the Gold Coast, where I don’t think I’ve been since a Virgin Blue intro flight back in 2002.

MTF...