CASA CLARC Incompetency
And you think casa is what's wrong with our industry, sigh..
I "know" that:
- the regulatory Frankenstein that CASA has created and continues to grow, and
- CASA AVMED's unnecessary and unjustified intrusions, restrictions and career-destroying activities,
contribute substantially to the ongoing destruction of aviation businesses in Australia.
The sell-off of airports and handing over of the ANSP to spivs has not helped either, but I don't blame CASA for that.
BTW: What form did you fill out in 1987, at the start of your illustrious 30 year career as a Class 1 CASA medical certificate holder?
Licence verification
As another example of pathetic service from CLARC....a few years back I had to supply my new overseas employer with an emailed verification letter (basically a licence record printout ), filled in form, paid my $50 or so, waiting waiting ...over a month. Rang CLARC from O/S to explain I was sitting in a overseas hotel unpaid waiting for the email.....told "we have 35 days to supply it". Not even a expedited service I would have even been willing to pay for. Other guys on my course, UK CAA, and FAA had theirs provided, next or same day for no charge! GCAA 2 days, free.
CLARC cost me in excess of $12,000 USD in lost wages compared to my associates from other countries.
Pathetic!
CLARC cost me in excess of $12,000 USD in lost wages compared to my associates from other countries.
Pathetic!
As another example of pathetic service from CLARC....a few years back I had to supply my new overseas employer with an emailed verification letter (basically a licence record printout ), filled in form, paid my $50 or so, waiting waiting ...over a month. Rang CLARC from O/S to explain I was sitting in a overseas hotel unpaid waiting for the email.....told "we have 35 days to supply it". Not even a expedited service I would have even been willing to pay for. Other guys on my course, UK CAA, and FAA had theirs provided, next or same day for no charge! GCAA 2 days, free.
CLARC cost me in excess of $12,000 USD in lost wages compared to my associates from other countries.
Pathetic!
CLARC cost me in excess of $12,000 USD in lost wages compared to my associates from other countries.
Pathetic!
So yo be proactive I sent in both the FAA forms and the CASA form and paid their fee at the same time.
Got an email from CLARC saying that I have 14 days for the FAA to send through the request otherwise the fee would have to be paid AGAIN!
Fortunately the FAA is efficient and sent through the request the same day.
Just seems a little outrageous that they put a 14 day drop dead date on a fee, when you have no control over the FAA or any other county for that matter sending through their request.
Did my BFR and converted to Part 61 no problems and fast (Five days). Nice lady on the phone at CLARC fixed up my online access for me and changed some addresses.
What I don't think some people understand is that Bureaucracy is a desirable system where there are procedures that must be followed and strict accountabilities apply to the public servant doing the processing. Bureaucrats are not allowed to use "common sense" and their own judgement because that leads to the slippery slope of corruption.
They need the required documents, numbered and indexed, in the file. The documents have to be filled out correctly. There is very little wiggle room for the public servant doing the job. Then there is the spectre of the Auditor General or worse, a coroner, tearing there paperwork apart and destroying the hapless bureaucrats career in the process...
To put that another way, what happens when another Frank Abegnale convinces CLARC that he has a B737 endorsement?
What I don't think some people understand is that Bureaucracy is a desirable system where there are procedures that must be followed and strict accountabilities apply to the public servant doing the processing. Bureaucrats are not allowed to use "common sense" and their own judgement because that leads to the slippery slope of corruption.
They need the required documents, numbered and indexed, in the file. The documents have to be filled out correctly. There is very little wiggle room for the public servant doing the job. Then there is the spectre of the Auditor General or worse, a coroner, tearing there paperwork apart and destroying the hapless bureaucrats career in the process...
To put that another way, what happens when another Frank Abegnale convinces CLARC that he has a B737 endorsement?
Sunfish, I also had a good experience with CLARC with regard to my part 61 license and examiner approvals by way of a 61.040
The flight testing office has been great to deal with.
Simply pointing out that in some instances the procedures they follow are circular and sometimes end up in th chicken/egg scenario.
The flight testing office has been great to deal with.
Simply pointing out that in some instances the procedures they follow are circular and sometimes end up in th chicken/egg scenario.
Did you become a safer pilot as a consequence of conversion of your licence to Part 61 licence, Sunfish? What is the safety benefit of Part 61?
Nobody's advocating that CASA shouldn't have procedures to confirm, and record confirmation of, satisfaction of the requirements for the issue of a permission (provided there's some safety justification for the permission, which is a related but separate question). But those procedures should include recording, on the file, all relevant correspondence, including notes of all telephone calls, from the applicant.
This isn't the product of reasonable and competently-applied bureacratic procedures:
Nobody's advocating that CASA shouldn't have procedures to confirm, and record confirmation of, satisfaction of the requirements for the issue of a permission (provided there's some safety justification for the permission, which is a related but separate question). But those procedures should include recording, on the file, all relevant correspondence, including notes of all telephone calls, from the applicant.
This isn't the product of reasonable and competently-applied bureacratic procedures:
Frustrating thing was each time I called them to confirm receipt of the application, first two they said 'it is received, allow two weeks for processing'. Both times I left it for 3 weeks and then called to be told 'no record of that in the system.'
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Licence verification
As another example of pathetic service from CLARC....a few years back I had to supply my new overseas employer with an emailed verification letter (basically a licence record printout ), filled in form, paid my $50 or so, waiting waiting ...over a month. Rang CLARC from O/S to explain I was sitting in a overseas hotel unpaid waiting for the email.....told "we have 35 days to supply it". Not even a expedited service I would have even been willing to pay for. Other guys on my course, UK CAA, and FAA had theirs provided, next or same day for no charge! GCAA 2 days, free.
As another example of pathetic service from CLARC....a few years back I had to supply my new overseas employer with an emailed verification letter (basically a licence record printout ), filled in form, paid my $50 or so, waiting waiting ...over a month. Rang CLARC from O/S to explain I was sitting in a overseas hotel unpaid waiting for the email.....told "we have 35 days to supply it". Not even a expedited service I would have even been willing to pay for. Other guys on my course, UK CAA, and FAA had theirs provided, next or same day for no charge! GCAA 2 days, free.
Such a backward country it is. But what choice did I have? I need a job in Australia. Gotta go through draconian government body.
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I've been fortunate with my few experiences in dealing with CLARC which have been rather straight forward, but I cringe when I hear the poor fellas who have had the run-around.
After 20 years in private industry I've recently become a public servant (not CASA), it's no job for life for me as I have to re-apply for my job every year unlike some people in the place who don't know how good they have have it. I was originally employed as a contractor to wear the risk of doing some critical upgrades to a number of important and publicly visible systems, which were done without drama, when that project finished a position was offered.
There are some really great people in the organisation who get things done sensibly and efficiently. There are also a number of boat anchors of which I've observed Australian Public Service HR policies seemingly designed to protect their boat anchor ways of... dragging the boat for no good reason.
God help you if a boat anchor is tasked to assist you, which is why I cringe. My advice when dealing with these organisations is to always get a name or reference number up front - either of which is the poison chalice for the boat anchor employee in the public service.
This should allow their teams to focus on their most productive employees and sideline the problem boat anchor to mundane duties like loading the photocopier with paper whilst on an executive salary.
After 20 years in private industry I've recently become a public servant (not CASA), it's no job for life for me as I have to re-apply for my job every year unlike some people in the place who don't know how good they have have it. I was originally employed as a contractor to wear the risk of doing some critical upgrades to a number of important and publicly visible systems, which were done without drama, when that project finished a position was offered.
There are some really great people in the organisation who get things done sensibly and efficiently. There are also a number of boat anchors of which I've observed Australian Public Service HR policies seemingly designed to protect their boat anchor ways of... dragging the boat for no good reason.
God help you if a boat anchor is tasked to assist you, which is why I cringe. My advice when dealing with these organisations is to always get a name or reference number up front - either of which is the poison chalice for the boat anchor employee in the public service.
This should allow their teams to focus on their most productive employees and sideline the problem boat anchor to mundane duties like loading the photocopier with paper whilst on an executive salary.
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Not quite a 737 endo, but everyone who had DA42 on their Part 5 licence ended up with a bonus Gas Turbine endorsement on their Part 61 conversion. Something to do with the diesel version running on Jet-A.
There are some really great people in [this government] organisation who get things done sensibly and efficiently. There are also a number of boat anchors of which I've observed Australian Public Service HR policies seemingly designed to protect their boat anchor ways of... dragging the boat for no good reason.
However, the substantial differences include that in the private sector the 'boat anchors' cause one or both of two things to happen:
1. The boat anchors get sacked.
2. The boat anchors cause the employer to go broke and shut down, as a consequence of stuffing too many customers around and losing business to competitors.
Alas, CASA has no competitors, other than "I've had enough of this and I'm out". And some of the things that are being done by the "really great people who get things done sensibly and efficiently" in CASA, don't actually contribute thing one to the safety of air navigation. Think Part 61 and Class 2 medical certification. CASA drives the processes that produce the rules that necessitate the bureaucratic processes that require the bureaucrats, some of whom are "really great people" and some of whom are "boat anchors". It's a self-licking ice cream.
The 'boat anchors' consequently have a far greater and chronic negative impact than they would have in the private sector.
Get rid of the pointless rules and regulatory micro-management and you get rid of the pointless processes, as well as save the costs of the people and reduce the amount of mess and stress caused by the 'boat anchors'.
Ceritifcates of Validation went from taking 24 hours at the regional offices to up to 9 months when it all moved to Can't Berra. It is still an absolute joke. Killed off my flying tourism business dead.
Part 61 was originally supposed to put the whole C of V process in the hands of the flying schools but no, they had to keep CLARC in the loop so no change there.
Part 61 was originally supposed to put the whole C of V process in the hands of the flying schools but no, they had to keep CLARC in the loop so no change there.
But you should take comfort from the fact that we're so much "safer", Clare.
Think on how many terrorists pretending to be "flying tourists" could bring down Western democracy using a Cessna 172 that you've hired to them.
Think on how many terrorists pretending to be "flying tourists" could bring down Western democracy using a Cessna 172 that you've hired to them.
Come on now all...remember the young things are just doing their jobs....Box, tick, box, tick, box, ? resubmit....
"Empty skies are safe skies" here in this dysfunctional Australapagos Island of Aviation
"Empty skies are safe skies" here in this dysfunctional Australapagos Island of Aviation
Last edited by ramble on; 31st Oct 2016 at 09:39.
I had the CASA lost paperwork treatment. I submitted an application to reserve a registration mark. Got the automatic paperwork received, wait 2 weeks email. Waited 3 and sent an an email to see what was going on. No record of it in the system, can you please resend. So I send it off again but by that point supposedly the rego mark had been taken by someone else. To cover their tracks in their response letter the reference the data I had to resend it them and not the original date.
I now CC the DAS in all CASA correspondence no matter how mundane. I don't know if it helps but at least when they claim to have lost the paper work I can get them to check the boss's inbox.
I now CC the DAS in all CASA correspondence no matter how mundane. I don't know if it helps but at least when they claim to have lost the paper work I can get them to check the boss's inbox.
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I received my part 61 licence after doing an instrument renewal. And I felt so much safer after they sent me my part 61 licence sans CIR 
Yeah that worked well.
I then had to explain all this to the poor person on the end of the phone that I actually did have a CIR and it was their error it was missing. Funny enough it did not take long to fix but I wonder what would happen if I had just stuffed it in my licence folder and did not decipher all the new codes for everything to discover the error, and then got ramped after popping out the soup at the minima.
Would have been fun and games then.
But I am so much safer as a result.
Yeah that worked well.
I then had to explain all this to the poor person on the end of the phone that I actually did have a CIR and it was their error it was missing. Funny enough it did not take long to fix but I wonder what would happen if I had just stuffed it in my licence folder and did not decipher all the new codes for everything to discover the error, and then got ramped after popping out the soup at the minima.
Would have been fun and games then.
But I am so much safer as a result.
I allowed 4 weeks to cover processing as my file is a tad complicated
Received cert inside a week dated accordingly and lost a month so next years renewal is a month earlier - good effort just the same
Received cert inside a week dated accordingly and lost a month so next years renewal is a month earlier - good effort just the same
