Ascend Charlie
7th Nov 2005, 23:13
CASA seems to be trying to strangle the helicopter IFR industry in Oz by drying up the pool of ATOs.
A look at the list of ATOs on CASA's website shows that it is at least 3 years out of date - the first 2 on the list retired more than 3 years ago and another left just recently.
Current ATOs have been told that they will no longer be indemnified by CASA when conducting tests - they say that these well-paid dudes can afford private insurance, and should jack up the cost of their tests to cover it. Trouble is, this insurance costs over $50,000 pa, and doing one test a week would raise the price of each test by $1000. Who will pay for that??
Potential new ATOs who have applied to CASA have been ignored for 18 months, despite having ideal qualifications.
It gets harder for a private person to renew a rating, particularly if the aircraft to be used is rare as rocking horse droppings, and only 2 ATOs in Oz are endorsed on it, and they live in Qld and SA, and are busy until next February!!!
And when you try to ring CASA in BK, you find that the only helo-qualified FOI has been seconded to fixed-wing to help stem the bleeding. There is NO helicopter expertise left in the Sydney office. Queensland has a couple of excellent FOIs, and I wish that I was under their banner and not Sydney's.
AAAAARRRGGGHH!:{ :* :suspect:
A look at the list of ATOs on CASA's website shows that it is at least 3 years out of date - the first 2 on the list retired more than 3 years ago and another left just recently.
Current ATOs have been told that they will no longer be indemnified by CASA when conducting tests - they say that these well-paid dudes can afford private insurance, and should jack up the cost of their tests to cover it. Trouble is, this insurance costs over $50,000 pa, and doing one test a week would raise the price of each test by $1000. Who will pay for that??
Potential new ATOs who have applied to CASA have been ignored for 18 months, despite having ideal qualifications.
It gets harder for a private person to renew a rating, particularly if the aircraft to be used is rare as rocking horse droppings, and only 2 ATOs in Oz are endorsed on it, and they live in Qld and SA, and are busy until next February!!!
And when you try to ring CASA in BK, you find that the only helo-qualified FOI has been seconded to fixed-wing to help stem the bleeding. There is NO helicopter expertise left in the Sydney office. Queensland has a couple of excellent FOIs, and I wish that I was under their banner and not Sydney's.
AAAAARRRGGGHH!:{ :* :suspect: