Independant Instructing, CASA and the USA
In the USA there are two ways that a Pilot can receive training, commonly called Part 61 and part 141. Under part 141 a school needs to have a "pilot school certificate" and have a structured curriculum. Compared to the other method, part 141 allows a student to have less flight experience to gain a licence.
Under part 61 any instructor can give them training for a person to get a PPL. They don't need to operate as part of a school. They can operate in the students aircraft, their own or a third parties. There is no AOC, no Chief Pilot and no formal curriculum however the instructor must be satisfied that the student has received instruction in all the parts listed in the regulations. When the student has the skills and the hours they are recommended for the flight test with an independent examiner, who may be employed by the FAA or work on their own. There are a limited number of examiners and they are busy. This is one way that the FAA is able to maintain consistency as they only have to keep a relatively small number of examiners aligned. Many small flight schools in the USA operate this way as there is minimal setup costs.
Why can't we have the independant instructing of the FAA Part 61 here in Australia? It would simplify the record keeping, auditing and management of flight training allowing resources that are, at the moment wasted, to be focused more towards actual training. This would lead to reduced cost and potentially more students and a larger more vibrant industry.
It would improve safety in a number of ways. For an aircraft owner at times in Australia it is hard to get an instructor that will fly in their type. By not having to operate within the framework of a school environment with the associated overhead, many US instructors are happy to teach specific advanced skills. It would simplify doing a BFR for many of the homebuilt types. In the USA many EAA chapters have members who are instructors who are willing to do BFRs for other members for a nominal fee. It would also allow for a higher level of standardisation as the number of examiners could be reduced and levels of assessment made consistent across regions and flight schools.
What roadblocks are standing in the way of implementing this here in Australia?