It is an Australian cultural thing, not confined exclusively to CASA. The Poms taught us bureaucracy and we perfected it. Example, the ATO offered me the possibility of registering for a magic key so that I can do all my tax business electronically. But I can't get the key because it requires a password, which of course I don't have until I complete the key application. After three shots at it, it cancels and you have to start the process again. The chick on the phone had no idea how to sort it, either. So...back to paper for all my tax matters. They write to me to tell me my tax is overdue and threaten recovery action, I drag it out to the penultimate day and then mail them a cheque. This ties the buggers up chasing a few dollars which wouldn't cover the hours that they put into the recovery action.
Back to CASA bashing: adding a simple 'Class Endorsement' with IPC to a new Part 61 licence (already issued) required me to make the licence entries on the candidate's licence plus completion of FOUR forms, seven pages in all, and I am still half expecting some CASA wonk in a back office to find something missing. Surely some master mind could reduce it to one form, or even - shock horror - organise an electronic form that would not submit until the right boxes were checked, thereby totally removing the need for any paperwork.
As for my own Part 61 licence - six months now and no sign of it. When I converted to a Kiwi licence, it took five days from when I arrived in NZ to having the single plastic card with all my ratings on it, in my hand.
Last edited by Mach E Avelli; 27th Nov 2015 at 22:07.
Reason: Counting the IPC test form it was 4 not 3.