Flying goes paperless for Christmas

[triadic]

Quote from the CASA Briefing Nov 2021......

Flying goes paperless for Christmas

Pilots will be able to carry their flight crew licence digitally on their phone or mobile device from mid-December 2021.

CASA introduced a digital view of licences on Apple devices in 2020.

Now both Apple and Android users can carry their licences digitally within Australia.

New regulations allow any document to be carried electronically when flying in Australia from 2 December 2021.

When using a digital licence pilots will need to carry another form of approved photo identification, such as a driver’s licence or ASIC. Digital licences are only available to pilots with an ASIC.

There are many pilots that don't have an ASIC as they do not operate from or to security aerodromes, so why is this so? What happend to the credit card size licence that was floated a decade ago?

[Frontal Lobotomy]

I had a credit card size licence at one stage. It was issued in 1999. I can't remember when it was superseded by another paper version.

[neville_nobody]

An ASIC isn't a approved form of ID anyway.

[Dick Smith]

Frontal. That card licence was introduced to save costs when I was CASA chairman but dropped soon after I resigned!

[43Inches]

The card system would be ideal for a new licence type that combines restricted PPL with the upcoming medical requirements.

Call it the PPL(A)R for recreational or or restricted or whatever. Drivers licence requirement self regulated medical only. Same card as a drivers licence, simple endorsements added to the card such as Retractable, CSU, Multi engine, navigation and CTA approvals, photo for ID purposes.

Limited to Day VFR only, maximum 4 passengers (not seats), MTOW 3 tons limit, private operations only. Additional met requirements VMC(R), must plan to ensure at least 2000ft cloud ceiling for all operations and remain at least 1000ft separated from cloud at all times and 8km visibility (I added this for thoughts on preventing accidental IMC encounters). No aerobatics, IFR, formation.

The idea then being you scrap all the other stuff, that was GFPT/Restricted PPL/recreational, etc etc and just have the PPLR vs PPL full, which really the main difference is the medical.

[Stickshift3000]

Good to see that CASA have finally caught up with the law, regarding electronic copies of documents.

[Squawk7700]

2000ft ceiling from cloud because you only have a basic medical? I’d hardly be able to take off half the time! No way!

[43Inches]

You can say no way, but VFR into IMC is one of the main causes of GA accidents, so creating more buffer should alleviate this. The second reason is that someone on a basic drivers licence has not been scrutinized for how they will handle IMC flight operation so it is possible they could be more susceptible to disorientation in cloud due to various medical reasons, but would have no issues with strong visual cues in VMC. Hence why I think adding wider margins for VMC for the restricted medical has merits, yet restrictions on certified seats on a type has none. I can't think of many places in Australia where a 2000ft ceiling would be hard to achieve on most days. We are talking about a restricted PPL here so you could easily fix this by getting a full medical and IFR rating. It's comments that indicate you would use your increased freedoms to do more scud running in marginal conditions that worries regulators about these types of changes. This is about having hasell free recreational flying, not some circumvent to conduct everyday business or getting places on every occasion.

[Checkboard]

You can say no way, but VFR into IMC is one of the main causes of GA accidents, so creating more buffer should alleviate this.
How is that a medical issue?

[43Inches]

Because as i stated in the original post pilots that hold medicals have a higher assessment for physiology related to flight factors, such as being vetted for sight and balance issues that would affect one when visual reference is poor. Flying at minimum visibilities requires good eyesight and physical orientation, better than the average car driver who need only see 100mt or so down the road. And never has to contend with somatogravic and vestibular tricks. It would only make sense to increase the margins from such experience so that inadvertant imc is less likely and visibility always at a level where a normal human can cope without disorientation.

[Squawk7700]

2000ft would not get you off the ground on many days in southern Victoria!

If someone’s eyesight means that they need to keep further from cloud, they probably shouldn’t be flying.

I guess you’re really talking about reducing stress and workload on the private pilot, how they respond when they do end up in a tricky situation, stressed to the point where they have a medical episode in cloud - that makes sense, however I’ve never seen any data on that and we will likely never know it’s an issue. Perhaps a better solution is better training for what happens when you inadvertently enter cloud.

[43Inches]

My whole point is a simplified PPL for the weekender so more can enjoy flying on a weekend or for a holiday. So making the conditions more restrictive is favorable to forcing someone to train for a myriad of situations they can avoid with simple distancing. I don't have to train to handle skids and recover from aquaplaning on the road as long as I know to avoid the situation, so far in 30 years of driving I have not lost control on the road by driving within the rules and limits of the vehicle, slowing down of wet roads and being aware of where black ice can exist, flying is no different. And as per Southern Victoria having issues with cloud below 2000ft, I live here, have trained pilots for years out of Moorabbin and surrounds, hundreds of navigation exercises where maintaining 2000ft clearance was easy. Down to the Prom, Lakes Entrance or out west to Warrnambool Ballarat, Stawell or even Portland. Most days you could easily maintain 3000ft clearances and cruise around VFR at 3500-7500 without much issue. Want to fly to Tocumwal/Cobram for a round of golf, just make sure the gap is clear and go, 2000ft clearance is not that hard (by clearance I mean minimum of height of cloud above ground, not distance from the aircraft). If you want more all weather flying get a full medical and an IFR rating.