CAA Changes to Emergency Service Heli Operating criteria?

[zaplead]

I have heard rumourings that the CAA or JAA plan to review the operating criteria for Emergency Service Helicopters, with a view to placing Police, Fire & SAR resources into one category & HEMS into another.
Can anyone cast any light on this?:cool:

[Helinut]

At present, PAOC arrangements are set up according to a CAA CAP publication. A Police Air Ops Manual is generated on the basis of that document, rather than JAR-OPS 3.

The CAA have decided that they want all emergency services helicopters to work on the basis of quasi-JAR-OPS 3 standards. HEMS is already included (as commercial air transport), but police is specifically excluded. However, the CAA have decided effectively to ignore this and make all emergency services prepare ops manuals along the lines of JAR-OPS 3. Someone is drafting up some extra bits to add to JAR-OPS 3. I believe police units will be asked to "upgrade" some time next year.

What is not quite clear yet is whether some of the useful exemptions available to emergency services helicopters will be retained.

[zaplead]

Useful info.
Sounds like some significant changes may be afoot.
If I understand you correctly, is it the case that Police operations do not have to conform to Public Transport Req's?
May not be popular with Police units if it impacts upon their operational effectiveness, however, I guess it would be sensible to broadly standardise the aspects of flight operations common to all Emergency Service Helicopters.
Wonder what potential effect this will have on flights conducted solely for the purpose of training, e.g. SAR exercises....Cheers
:ok:

[john du'pruyting]

Zaplead, we do have to operate to public transport standards...however, we do have a number of exemptions to enable us to complete our tasks. I think we would all expect to keep these (or corresponding exemptions) when the new bible is written.

[Hilico]

Would this mean throwing CAP612 out of the window?

[zaplead]

John,
Thanks for clarifying that you operate to PTR.
Rather than further watering-down the dispensations used by Emergency Service Helicopters, or simply re-wording the existing ones it would be an excellent time to cautiously build in more flexibility to the reg's, without diminishing an otherwise excellent safety record for Em Heli's....:rolleyes:

[old heliman]

CAA are looking at producing a public services AOC to cover Police, Fire and SAR type Ops. These are all activities not covered by JAR Ops as they are not considered Commercial Air Transport, although they are Public Transport under UK legislation.

Police already operate to PT standards with easements and as far as I know there is no move affot by CAA to change the way they operate.

JAR Ops 3 defines HEMS as public transport and so won't come under the PSAOC.


Hope this helps

[Thomas coupling]

Old heliman, that's more like it, I did wonder whether Helinut had a direct line to the Glass House for insider dealing:oh:
Because if what he was saying, sees the light of day, we've got our work cut out amending our operating procedures:ooh:

I see the 4th amendment to POM 1 is imminent, any news anyone on the PSAOC?

[Decks]

Brilliant,

Just what we need.. more regs that will add red tape and hassle and affect nothing that goes on in the aircraft. Are things all that bad and unsafe in the public service arena that suggest we need more regs????

[Thomas coupling]

It's like a grouse shoot - pick on an industry that is accountable to the public, is well behaved and wouldn't dream of stepping out of line -and then audit them to death, followed up by lashings of bureaucratic bollo**s and legislation designed to throttle the last breath from them and let them loose back into their well disciplined line of work.

Meanwhile the rest of the onshore industry continues to manipulate the regs to their advantage, often straying into dodgy territory all in the face of our illustrious 'monitors' who continue to look the other way stalking the sitting ducks :yuk: :yuk:

Or am I paranoid?

[zaplead]

I agree, wonder what would happen if the railways came under the same degree of scrutiny??
:)

[Helinut]

TC,

It isn't helped when our Lords and Masters in public service aviation just roll over and agree with every new change, without question. The Home Office are just as bad as the CAA, the only thing is that they are supposed to be representing/defending our ability to do the work

[Thomas coupling]

Anything for an easy life...thats the HO!

I often wonder if ACPO neither cares about nor understands the nuances of the CAA's influences........

Mind you, it is used as a double edged sword at times, by the service providers...if (we) like the sound of a new piece of legislature, then we are often renowned for hyping it up in front of Command. If the new regs are cumbersome, then it's the CAA are to blame :E

Education, education, education.......is the way to go.

[Decks]

Here here or is it hear hear?!!! Couldnt agree more. So sick of all this BS with the authorities and their ardent love of regs and control when the truth is that if you want to be a cowboy they dont want to know as long as the paperwoek is done. Numerous N registered aircraft flying now in Ireland and basically doing as they please. A disgrace and the IAA dont want to know.

Clearly the better you try to do your job the more they try to Fu** you...!!