AOPA Australia vs CASA
 

If you have a spare 20 minutes, pop onto the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association Australia page on Facebook, and watch as Benjamin Morgan tears strips off Pip Spence and CASA, and the waste of taxpayer money.

The live video is headlined:

SELF-DECLARED PILOT MEDICAL CERTIFICATION FOR CASA RPL & PPL HOLDERS: IT'S BEEN SIX YEARS, WHERE IS IT?
It's now four (4) months since the Civil Aviation Safety Authority closed out the Aviation Medical Policy Review DP2206FS and the industry is rightfully asking 'why hasn't self-declared medical certification for RPL & PPL holders been delivered?'.
Meanwhile, the US and UK are enjoying 6 years of safe and successful use of self-declared medicals in their respective countries. But... here in Australia our regulator remains unable to deliver the reform.

//

I hope the same blowtorch of criticism is extended to the entire regulatory reform - including the utter bUllsh!t which is a Check & Training system for small operators.

We MUST remember to recite the CASA mantra for all things regulatory "We have to harmonise for Australian conditions and this requires much time and many focus groups and team leaders to achieve this harmonious outcome"

CASA v AOPA
 

I have to laugh.
CASA has been of late beating the drum talking of pilots to carry their ELT units. Not put it in the glove box or behind the seat. Really!
Must be new staff at CASA that do not read their own history.
Others will recall the days when CASA said ELTs for all aircraft
AOPA rightly said what about aircraft that crash and burn or overturn and the external antenna cannot work or the aircraft that ditches and bingo no ELT transmission.
AOPA fought CASA on that and said that the owner should have the option of installation or to carry the ELT, a pocket portable if you will.
History has shown that there are any number of accidents and the ELT does not work as advertised.
I understand that the FAA is now working with ELT makers to try and improved the operations of ELTs.
In the end AOPA got CASA to change its mind and allow ELTs to be installed or carried.
A win for AOPA. Good one Ben!
But good for the pilot to carry the unit and not be forgotten in the glovebox when said aircraft crashes and burns!

Our safety lecturers always emphasised if you're not wearing it you're unlikely to get out of the wreckage with it, in military we also wore a hefty hunting type knife, with saw blade type notching on the side opposite to sharpened blade, in order to smash the canopy or make other airframe modifications that may be necessary to enable exit.

Thanks for the facebook tip, It'S A RIPPER!

Regarding ELTs - Part 91 MOS 26.48(5)
if the ELT carried is an automatic ELT that has a switch marked with the word “armed” (or with a similar word) — then the pilot in command must ensure that the switch is set to the armed position at the time the flight begins.
My question - Is this even physically possible in most aircraft? Isn't the ELT usually somewhere down the back, inaccessible?
And, "at the time the flight begins"? - during pre-flight or daily inspection does not meet this requirement.

The ELT arm switch is installed remote from the actual ELT, on the instrument panel.

Not that that is any guarantee that the fitted ELT actually works.. I mean, does anyone bother to actually test them these days?

Whilst I understand the premise of Part 91 MOS 26.48(5), it's far easier for an owner who can't be bothered spending precious maintenance $$$ replacing the batteries every whenever to simply mark the ELT as permanently U/S on the MR and leave it up to the pilot to carry their own.

Yes: People do bother testing remote-mounted ELTs. It continues to be a periodic maintenance requirement for aircraft to which they are fitted.

That aside, every private pilot should have a PLB on their belt or in their pocket and that PLB should be registered, with all the important related information, with AMSA. Pocket sized PLBs are now cheap and registration with AMSA is free.

CASA "Where NOT happy until you're NOT happy"

It’s “We’re”.

At least you got “you’re” right.

Still, I think pilots should be ringing AvMed(but not repeatedly) making genuine enquiries about the coming implementation of the self-declared pilot medical certificate and force CASA into a position where they must properly brief their staff on what is really happening.

Mandarin Pip Spence wouldn’t know a medical certificate from a tub of strawberry yogurt. She is another clueless DAS who follows whatever line her legal department (ironically also filled with non-aviation people) tow’s. Pip only knows how to polish her Ministers shoes and bank her $650k salary. She will never offer up her opinion because she can’t, she doesn’t understand aviation. She does however understand the process of sliding upon the greasy pole while tickling the ears of other executive bureaucrats. The CASA AVMED process has been seriously flawed for longer than anyone can remember. It’s been a long standing joke. CASA, please just pull the trigger on the required changes and let Australia’s pilots get on with the business of keeping this country running.

Have a look at the CASA org chart on their web page.
Avmed does not get a mention. It is one section that should have a direct report to the DAS. I wonder how much gets thru to that level??

I presume it is under "National Operations and Standards (reports to CEO) – Chris Monahan – Executive Manager" and sub heading "Flight Standards – Roger Crosthwaite" but nowhere is Aviation Medicine or Certification specifically mentioned.

Hi Possum1, I think Armed comes under “Stakeholder Engagement” but that is only a guess based on other items that are about. If you watch carefully, it is likely that there are many items never get to the CEO - not only Avmed. The structure clearly does not reflect responsibilities.

Oops. That’s worthy of at least one NCN.

Two of the doctors on the Part 67 Technical Working Group appear to also be speakers at the upcoming ASAM Conference starting this Thursday at the Crowne Plaza in the Hunter Valley. Other members of the TWG will also most probably be attending. There will be many DAMEs from all over the country attending including the one I go to. Hopefully the matter of self-declared pilot certification will come up, especially in the session with CASA on Sunday morning.

There is also a session on Saturday where a "Dr Cronin will compare and contrast the United States' Aviation Medical Examination (FAA) system against the Australian Aviation Medical Examination (CASA) system, and provide comment on the differences, as well as any areas that each system can improve off each other." It might be nice for some recommendations from the American medical standards for PPL medical certification to be adopted here in Australia.