Do you have a B or C type ARN?

[tealady]

CFI and Gaunty, I would appreciate your comments on this fiasco!)
I recently had to supervise a PPL exam for a student who had been issued with a student pilot licence in May, 2003. When I applied for the exam, back came the reply that the student had an invalid ARN. Discussions with cyberexams said that there are now 2 types of arn's and that if you only had a b type, you could not sit a CASA exam until you applied for a c type arn. We now understand the c type is what you get when yo complete a form 1162 - the newtudent pilot licence application form. Bit unfair when CASA leaves it till a student is about to sit a PPL exam before we find out he cannot sit until he has filled a form which was not in existence when he applied for his SPL. I suppose this means that CPL students should fill out the 1162 form well before they intend to sit their exams? Anyone else struck this? By the way, the intending student is a 17 year old country kid from Bairnsdale - anyone from overseas who can brandish a passport is not treated likewise. And CASA, when were you going to let the flying schools in on the fact that you are now requiring this form to be filled out retrospectively?

[MAXX]

Mate let me state for the record first I do not work for CASA now or any other time ,however I have had first hand dealings with them over the years in my former capacity as a chief pilot with check and training.
Generally speaking in my experience you cannot apply common sense and CASA in the same sentence.
Whatever the problem or senario to be addressed is it will always be the fault of the flying school,charter company or pilot.(CASA point of view)

My advice to you is the same advice given to me by a CASA ops inspector (this is not a windup).
He said to me "SIR HAVENT YOU REALISED BY NOW THAT CASA HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THINGS AT A MOMENTS NOTICE WITHOUT NOTIFICATION,AND I SHOULD ADVISE YOU TO GET A CRYSTAL BALL IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE GAME"

Having said that there are a few guys and one particularly helpful lady who work for CASA that it has been a pleasure to deal with,however in my experience they are the exception to the rule.