Don’t Kowtow to CASA ADSB Mandate if Safety is Improved by Spending Money Elsewhere
The extraordinary CASA ADSB mandate for all aircraft that fly IMC from February 2017 still appears to be going ahead.
If you remember, the CASA Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) stated, that the cost would be over $30 million for general aviation. Of course, as we all know, there is no measurable safety issue being addressed. AOPA and other groups have asked for the mandate to be delayed, so it matches the New Zealand ADSB mandate – 1 year after the US mandate comes in at 2020. This will result in very low cost equipment being available.
In the USA there is no ADSB mandate ,even in 2020 for IFR aircraft that fly below 10,000ft in E and G airspace, unless the aircraft is within 30 nautical miles of a class B airport.
It’s clear now that CASA is a dysfunctional organisation and its Board has absolutely no control over what is going on within.
Respected industry figures I speak to, all believe that one day – even though it may be the day before the mandate comes in – sanity will be restored and the mandate will be moved to a more suitable date.
My suggestion to those who are looking around at mortgaging their houses so they can buy the ADSB equipment, is to wait if they believe they could spend that money on improving safety in a far better way.
Shouldn’t be hard. Possibly updating the fleet and using more modern aircraft.
A number of pilots I’ve spoken to are simply going to take their aircraft out of the IFR category and fly VFR from February 2017 onwards. This will clearly reduce safety.
I’ve tried to find out why CASA is insisting on this mandate, which no other country in the world follows. I can only find out it is accepting the Airservices push to bring this in earlier than other countries, so Airservices management can receive some type of international award for being first.
If so, this is outrageous. If someone else knows a different and more respectable reason for this early mandate, please publish it here.
Last edited by Dick Smith; 18th Apr 2016 at 21:45.