CASA will expand access to controlled airspace for sport and recreation pilots from 2025.

[skippydiesel]

 

Read what I actually wrote.

 

38 minutes ago, BurnieM said:

Skip perhaps you do not realise it but you keep changing the question.

 

Yes, you can do a flight review in a Casa registered aircraft and then advise RAAus and they will reset your RPC BFR expiry to the same as the Casa flight review.

 

If you do a RAAus flight review your RPC BFR expiry date resets.

If you advise Casa of this RAAus FR they will take no action and advise that you still need a FR in a Casa registered plane.

 

You can fly either a Casa registered or RAAus registered plane into CTA with the required radio and transponder.

The pilot must have a current PPL or current RPL with controlled airspace endorsement. 

If the pilot does not have a current Casa flight review then the pilots RPL/PPL is not current.

 

4 hours ago, BirdDog said:

Yep!  As Bernie mentioned above.

 

Current arrangements are, if you convert your RPC to RPL (Not that hard to do actually) you will need to get CTA/CTR endorsements, and you will need to complete a BFR (in a GA machine) every 2 years to keep it.

Following the above statement (look back & check) - I have consistently been asking why can't a Controlled Airspace endorsement be conducted in a suitably equipped RAA aircraft ?- So far you & others have woffled on about RAA not having the authority to conduct CTA endorsements, gone off on tangents about Certification - not  my question.

😈

[BurnieM]

3 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Following the above statement (look back & check) - I have consistently been asking why can't a Controlled Airspace endorsement be conducted in a suitably equipped RAA aircraft ?- So far you & others have woffled on about RAA not having the authority to conduct CTA endorsements, gone off on tangents about Certification - not  my question.

😈

Nope not me.

You know there are several different questions here right ?

 

Casa licenses are the only ones that currently have this endorsement.

Does not surprise me that a Casa instructor will not do any training/endorsement work in a non Casa registered plane.

 

Why does RAAus not yet have a controlled airspace endorsement ? Good question.

RAAus seem to be saying its Casa problem for the delay but I do not see RAAus driving it as I would have expected.

Maybe in a month (or 6).

 

I am not either a Casa employee or an executive member of RAAus just trying to lay out the regs as simply as possible.

 

[skippydiesel]

BernieM, et al,

 

"Does not surprise me that a Casa instructor will not do any training/endorsement work in a non Casa registered plane."

 

While the outcome may be the same,

".....a Casa instructor will not do any training/endorsement work in a non Casa registered plane." 

is not the same  as -

" A CASA flight review must be done in a CASA registered plane." ".......complete a BFR (in a GA machine)..."

 

The formers is a decision by an instructor. Another instructor may have a diffrent view.

The latter is a ruling by CASA. All CASA instructors would be bound by it. 

 

You & others are giving conflicting opinions/advice.

 

Now do you see where I am comming from???

 

😈

[BirdDog]

OK... Let's clear this up, and it is really easy....

To fly in controlled airspace, you must hold a current Part61 CASA licence, with CTA endorsements.  The only way to keep that current is to do an AFR in a VH registered aircraft.  (Now called an Airplane Flight Review - every 2 years)

That's it.  No more no less.

 

The good thing is, RAA will recognise that AFR, in place of an RAA BFR, and your RAA certificate will reset for another 2 years.

 

CASA will not recognise an AFR in an RAA registered aircraft. Why not?  Ask CASA - but they don't.

 

That should clear it up.

[skippydiesel]

Thanks BirdGog - A nice clear statement.

 

I will look into the reasons (if any), for CASA ruling that the  training/review for a CTR endorsement MUST be conducted in a GA/CASA registered aircraft.

 

😈

 

 

[facthunter]

It's always been a ONE WAY thing. I suggest different standards are the Main reason and RAAus  operates on Exemptions. Even With A CPL   people can't fly any RAAus Planes without being a current financial Member and  holding a Pilot certificate with appropriate endorsements for the Aircraft type. Tail wheel etc.. Nev

[onetrack]

"Airplane" Flight Review? When did the FAA and Americans take over our Australian aviation language? It has always been "Aircraft" or "Aeroplane" in our aviation technology terms.

What next? All aviation words using "s" in the middle, replaced by "z"?

[clouddancer]

19 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

 

Read what I actually wrote.

 

 

Following the above statement (look back & check) - I have consistently been asking why can't a Controlled Airspace endorsement be conducted in a suitably equipped RAA aircraft ?- So far you & others have woffled on about RAA not having the authority to conduct CTA endorsements, gone off on tangents about Certification - not  my question.

😈

I think the answer you are looking for is based on the definition of an aeroplane in the Act and relevant regulations which apparently says CASA AFRs must be completed in an aeroplane registered by CASA, and as BrenDan said, RAAus aircraft operate under exemptions to many of these regulations and are therefore not aeroplanes.

[BirdDog]

10 hours ago, onetrack said:

"Airplane" Flight Review? When did the FAA and Americans take over our Australian aviation language? It has always been "Aircraft" or "Aeroplane" in our aviation technology terms.

What next? All aviation words using "s" in the middle, replaced by "z"?

 

Yeah - That is likely me.  Aeroplane - it should be I think.   Likely to separate fixed and rotary flight reviews.

[skippydiesel]

6 hours ago, clouddancer said:

I think the answer you are looking for is based on the definition of an aeroplane in the Act and relevant regulations which apparently says CASA AFRs must be completed in an aeroplane registered by CASA, and as BrenDan said, RAAus aircraft operate under exemptions to many of these regulations and are therefore not aeroplanes.

We are lead to believe (I live in hope) that RAA will be empowered, through its instructors, to train pilots for an  Entry To Controlled Airspace Endorsements.

 

If this should come to pass, it will mean that "RAAus aircraft operate under exemptions to many of these regulations and are therefore not aeroplanes" will have to change.

 

RAA pilots will no longer be assumed to be levitating by an act of will,  but by piloting an "...aeroplanes..." .

 

😈

[clouddancer]

No, sadly, they will continue to operate under exemptions under Part 103 arrives, so access to controlled airspace will be under those same exemptions. 
RAAus aircraft will never be considered aeroplanes by CASA I suspect.

[facthunter]

They are Aeroplanes but Not ICAO compliant. Neither is An RAAus  Pilot Certificate. Exemptions Means reduced rights  and no value outside of Australia. Nev

[pmccarthy]

My aeroplane is RAA reg but in all respects can be CASA reg if I choose. All certified instruments etc. So, it is an aeroplane!

[facthunter]

You'd have a bit of trouble getting it Back on VH. That was generally considered a one way trip.  Nev

[Blueadventures]

22 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

My aeroplane is RAA reg but in all respects can be CASA reg if I choose. All certified instruments etc. So, it is an aeroplane!

And it's in the warbird heritage 💣💣💣 along with the Skyrangers. 🙃

[walrus]

Reading threads like this reminds me why I sold my aircraft and walked away from the suppurating mess that is Australian General and Recreational Aviation.

[rodgerc]

I inspected a new JMB VL3 Evolution with a Rotax 916iS engine at Redcliffe about 2-1/2 weeks ago….200kt TAS and on the RA-AUS register. 

Didn’t have the heart to tell the proud owner that it wasn’t an aeroplane. 

 

Hang onto your hats fellas….MOSAIC is coming, ready or not. 

[440032]

A few posts back - Peter's aeroplane (WARBIRD?? Oh, yes, I suppose so..... but the only real "action" his has seen was a bit of nasty crosswind one day) has never been on the VH reg, it's an LSA, and could go to the VH reg as the same LSA next week if he wanted to, maintained by the same LAME, and we could then go anywhere in Aust in it. (P has a CASA licence too.)

RAAus is not always a one way trip. Several amateur-builts have either come back to VH or just went over to VH (never were there before).

[440032]

US MOSAIC - for Australia? Yes I've seen the recent CASA press reports about it, and more.

Given that CASA has been pissing around with Part 43 maintenance regs since well before July 1997 that I have found - that's 29 years ago - and it's not here yet, all gone deathly quiet, anyone who thinks CASA will bring in MOSAIC rules to free-up LSA here any time soon is dreaming.

[BurnieM]

I do not think MOSAIC will make much difference in Australia in the next 10 years (except perhaps give us access to larger, cheaper planes).

 

We already have RPL and class 5 medical which puts us a long way ahead of the US.

Have a look at RPL it really is straight forward and relatively cheap.

 

[Reynard]

But the RPL has a critical distance limitation. It limits you to buzzing around your home airfield.  
It is a useful stepping stone however, as it always was, all the way back to the GFPT or restricted PPL.

[BurnieM]

8 minutes ago, Reynard said:

But the RPL has a critical distance limitation. It limits you to buzzing around your home airfield.  
It is a useful stepping stone however, as it always was, all the way back to the GFPT or restricted PPL.

 

Same as RPC.

So you add a cross country endorsement and you can fly anywhere in Australia (outside controlled airspace).

 

Then you convert to RPL and the cross country converts to a Casa navigation endorsement. Same, same.

If you want to fly in controlled airspace you can add controlled airspace and controlled aerodrome endorsements to your RPL.

 

[BirdDog]

40 minutes ago, BurnieM said:

 

Same as RPC.

So you add a cross country endorsement and you can fly anywhere in Australia (outside controlled airspace).

 

Then you convert to RPL and the cross country converts to a Casa navigation endorsement. Same, same.

If you want to fly in controlled airspace you can add controlled airspace and controlled aerodrome endorsements to your RPL.

 

 

Yep!  That is exactly what I did.

I had RAA Pilot Cert with Nav and Prop Endorsements.  Went to RPL, and they gave me Nav, Radio and MPPC. I then went and did CTA/CTR endos, and I can now go anywhere in my RV7.  🙂

 

 

[skippydiesel]

35 minutes ago, BirdDog said:

 

Yep!  That is exactly what I did.

I had RAA Pilot Cert with Nav and Prop Endorsements.  Went to RPL, and they gave me Nav, Radio and MPPC. I then went and did CTA/CTR endos, and I can now go anywhere in my RV7.  🙂

 

 

Perchance you did your RPL training in your RV7???

 

😈

[Roundsounds]

On 25/5/2026 at 5:37 PM, skippydiesel said:

BernieM, et al,

 

"Does not surprise me that a Casa instructor will not do any training/endorsement work in a non Casa registered plane."

 

While the outcome may be the same,

".....a Casa instructor will not do any training/endorsement work in a non Casa registered plane." 

is not the same  as -

" A CASA flight review must be done in a CASA registered plane." ".......complete a BFR (in a GA machine)..."

 

The formers is a decision by an instructor. Another instructor may have a diffrent view.

The latter is a ruling by CASA. All CASA instructors would be bound by it. 

 

You & others are giving conflicting opinions/advice.

 

Now do you see where I am comming from???

 

😈

An instructor performing training duties relating to a CASR Part 61 must do so in a VH registered aeroplane and hold the appropriate GA quals. The same instructor cannot perform that training in an RAAus registered aeroplane as his GA quals do not allow them to do so. If the same instructor also held RAAus quals they could only deliver the training specified in the RAAus operations manual in an RAAus registered aeroplane. 
I happen to hold both GA and RAAus instructor ratings and assure you this is the case. 

Edited 15 hours ago by Roundsounds