MEDIA RELEASE
PART 61 AHIA/CASA MEETING - SYDNEY 6 MAY 2015
CASA agreed to a meeting request from AHIA to discuss industry concerns since the implementation of Part 61. This is a critical piece of legislation being the foundation of all the other licensing regulations. We acknowledge the framework of the legislation is sound but some areas require change or modification to better suit the Australian operating environment.
Representatives from CASA at the meeting were: Mark Skidmore, Director Aviation Safety; Peter Boyd, Executive Manager Standards Division; Roger Crosthwaite, Manager Flight Crew Licensing Standards; Dale South, Section Head Rotorcraft Standards and John Grima, Manager Flight Standards Branch.
The AHIA representatives were: Peter Crook, AHIA President; Ray Cronin, AHIA Senior Member Part 61 Review Committee and Richard Davis, AHIA Member, Partner and Aviation Law Specialist HWL Ebsworth.
The meeting concentrated on the post implementation industry concerns which all culminate to two basic issues:
Perceived
COST, and
INTERPRETATION (Complexity).
There was agreement on both sides these issues require addressing. CASA advised that a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the regulation is underway and that the important issues raised by AHIA will form part of the review. There were a number of issues identified in the feedback we requested from industry. There was not time to discuss all specific issues but a number of critical issues were identified requiring immediate attention to alleviate the anxiety currently existing.
The AHIA had prepared a list of issues with suggested actions and left this with CASA.
CASA has agreed to work on the critical issues first and should have suggested actions and/or changes to industry as soon as possible. The AHIA offered assistance to CASA by way of industry sector specific processionals to jointly look at areas requiring change and how those changes can be implemented in a manner that is both safe and financially acceptable to industry. In order to move forward in a positive manner we identified the following specific technical points as the matters of utmost priority, to create pathways for voids created by the implementation of Part 61:
* Expand the 61.040 testing approvals to include grade two instructors and those approved persons who held the relevant qualifications prior to the implementation date.
* Fast track the pending exemptions in relation to low level operations and flight testing for winch, sling and rappel operations and others in the system.
* Create a pathway to allow pilots
to obtain ATPL in Australia, potentially by way of an
exemption for the MCC course for the transition period.
The AHIA will increase representation at the CASA Flight Crew Licensing Sub-Committee meetings, the next of which is to occur on the
19 May 2015, we will also be in regular contact with our assigned CASA liaison officer.
This we believe was a "milestone event" being a most encouraging and productive meeting.
We will be communicating with CASA on a regular basis and advising the industry of outcomes as they occur.
Peter Crook
President
Australian Helicopter Industry Association
[email protected]