coljones

Aviation watchdog CASA shares safety role THE AUSTRALIAN JUNE 05, 2015 12:00AM The aviation watchdog has buckled to more than a decade of pressure from aviators including businessman Dick Smith, agreeing to allow airport ground staff including firemen to provide air-traffic information to pilots as they do in the US. The move follows revelations in The Weekend Australian last Saturday that outdated regulations had stopped regional airports that did not have air traffic control towers and controllers from making use of other staff to improve air safety by relaying basic observations of aircraft movements. The change is likely to be taken up first by larger airports that have fire services including Ballina in NSW, Gladstone in Queensland and Newman in Western Australia. It could also apply to smaller airports — such as Hervey Bay in southeast Queensland, within the seat of Wide Bay held by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss — where other ground staff could provide the radio service. Mr Smith willsoon hold public meetings in Wide Bay to apply pressure on Mr Truss, whose ministerial portfolio includes aviation, to adopt the US air traffic controlsystem. He described the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s decision as a “cave-in”. “It’s a great change, because for 15 years they have done everything to prevent what they have now allowed,” he said. CASA’s change of heart was welcomed by Ballina Byron Gateway Airport manager Neil Weatherson, who is keen to establish a radio operator at the burgeoning facility, which now handles 430,000 passengers a year, making it the biggest regional airport in NSW after Newcastle. Mr Weatherson said he would prefer to do so without having to pay for a dedicated radio crew, given the recently built $13.5 million fire station had a roster of 17 full-time staff and a viewing tower. “It’s an option,” he said of the possibility of having the fire crew man the Unicom radio service. “If they do it in the US, it’s possible here.” Ballina Byron Gatew ay Airport manager Neil Weatherson w elcomes the change in CASA rules: ‘If they do it in the US, it’s possible here’. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen Source: New s Corp Australia 6/5/2015 Aviation watchdog CASA shares safetyrole | The Australian http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/aviation-watchdog-casa-shares-safety-role/story-e6frg95x-1227383785233 3/4 Mr Weatherson pointed out, however, that it would not be his exclusive call, because while the airport was owned by the council, the fire and rescue operation is run by Airservices Australia, which is financed by the airlines. Ballina Byron fire station manager Wayne Morrison said he had “not formed a view”. Last week, before CASA’s change of policy, an Airservices spokesman said the possibility of fire station staff providing radio services was “not currently being considered”. Yesterday, an Airservices spokeswoman said it was “a matter for the airport”. As late as last week, CASA said US fire crews did not provide air traffic information services to pilots, but was this week forced to admit they did after The Australian cited an airport manager in Colorado and three pilots who had flown in the US attesting to it. For a decade, CASA regulations have sharply restricted ground staff who are not licensed air traffic controllers, or held a controllers’ licence within the past 10 years, from providing any but the most basic weather information to pilots, and banned them from communicating air traffic movements beyond “unscheduled landings by aircraft”. According to Mr Smith, this reflected CASA’s yielding to unions over demarcation issues and a desire in the aviation establishment to restrict who could perform such services to “retired air traffic controller mates”. Under the new policy announced yesterday, CASA will, on a case-by-case basis, allow airport operators to have designated ground staff trained in handling the Unicom radio service and providing pilots with information such as what aircraft are in the circuit around the airport, and on the runways and taxiways. It will grant official exemptions from regulations to allow such radio operators to do so lawfully. “Allsafety issues would be addressed in the assessment of the application,” CASA said. “In the case of a Unicom this regulatory support would include an appropriate legal instrument needed to enable basic information on air traffic to be provided by the Unicom operator to pilots.” In the US, a wide range of ground staff operate the Unicom, including fire and rescue officers, aircraft refuellers, maintenance staff, baggage handlers and check-in employees. Mr Smith will continue his campaign for his other major proposed change to the way Australian airspace is managed: having air traffic controllers direct aircraft wherever radar is available.

Don't you mean "many of the HUD options including current / next area frequencies, closest local QNH, etc aren't on RWY on the Android".

The words are "self ceasing" eg. it ceases to have effect.

The first actually is the refuge of the scoundrel when caught with their hand in the till - "you can't stand success" they and their acolytes and running dogs cry. "The tall poppy syndrome" is all about pegging back the egomaniacs in our lives, not pegging back those who make a genuine success with their lives and contribution to society.

"Made 22 Dec 2014 Registered 23 Dec 2014 Date of Ceasing To be ceased 30 Jun 2015 Reason for Ceasing Self Ceasing" The instrument self ceases at the end of June. CASA may choose to raise a new Instrument which would require DAS approval. Does anyone know if CASA intends to raise a new, similar or different instrument or live with the restrictions being lifted. Or is this query goading the bull?

Godspeed Andy and thanks for being an extremely open and dedicated member of the RAA Board. Your presence will be missed but I hope you stay on the forum and continue to contribute your sage advice. Cheers Col

The control Instrument CASA 292/14 ceases on 30th June, 2015. Does anyone have any insight about what CASA proposes to do from the 1st of July? CASA 292/14 Directions/Civil Aviation as made This instrument prescribes operating limitations on aircraft fitted with engines manufactured by, or under licence from or under a contract with, Jabiru Aircraft Pty Ltd to manage risks arising from a high incidence of engine loss-of-power events and other reliability issues. Administered by: Infrastructure and Regional Development Made 22 Dec 2014 Registered 23 Dec 2014 Date of Ceasing To be ceased 30 Jun 2015 Reason for Ceasing Self Ceasing http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_102353

Did you do a flight review?

It isn't the L2 or LAME or the self educated pilot who keeps across the maintenance needs of the plane they own. The people who worry me are those who don't know what they don't know but will still do their own maintenance. I suspect that this is the true reason that our costs are so high - insurance to cover the potential that an owner maintained aircraft is going to fall out of the sky together with the necessary bureaucracy to ensure that someone will offer insurance. The true cost of going over the road over 300 feet

Now, if he had just gone via Geralton he could have picked up CAGIT on the way. London would be an interesting place to bring it back from. You are doing well Michael. Enjoy, skål!!!

Successive government have worked on the basis that they are running an economy not a society and that the experts in the field are the manufacturers not the consumers. So the government (a commonwealth) now does not act for its members and even on its own behalf fails the test of informed client - how can they receive good advice on fx engineering and mining when they don't engage professional engineers and scientists to provide this advice rather than lawyers and accountants. DCA used to be an engineering organisation - I'm buggered if I know what it is now.

And equally, of course, a nose over may well, also, lead to an engine stoppage. As would turning off the magnetos. The stoppage in both cases would not have been the root cause but was a secondary effect.

Don, My CFI told me that I need 3 different hats - 1 for the Warrior, 1 for the Foxbat and 1 for the Jabiru and don't wear the wrong one on the wrong day in the wrong plane. You are correct about the blurring between heavy/powerful RA and less powerful lightweight GA. I don't have a LP RAA rating but I would imagine that the step from say a Warrior to a Drifter might take a little time to master. Perhaps RAA, in its continual review of services, might examine the range of services it provides to work out which ones are core (registration, licencing, advocacy) and those which could be regarded as non-core eg insurance and charge a fee for service for non-core. RAA has, for instance, already decided that the paper magazine is non core and thus separately chargeable. If your illustration of PPL(only) in an RAA plane holds true is the insurance compromised or is that attached to the hull and therefore not a logical charge against the pilots and FTFs but rather a charge against the hull owners?

???? I keep getting told that the new board is cleaning up its act. This is terrible news!!

As is commonsense and quiet contemplation of the whole task at hand.

You suggested "Do you wish to fund the ABC, if so state $ amount" this then leads to all sorts of optional payments "Do you wish to fund the defence forces?, if so state $ amount", "Do you wish to fund the pensions?, if so state $ amount", "Do you wish to fund education?, if so state $ amount", "Do you wish to fund sport?, if so state $ amount", "Do you wish to give tax breaks to farmers?, if so state $ amount". I thought we were trying to cut down on the paperwork in filling out a tax return. It may well be that the ABC is a left wing rat hole from your perspective because you are somewhere over there to the right with the feral commentators who are paid by Murdoch and Gengis Khan.

Thanks for the meat, now we can work on it. WRT millions - I'm not sure about the numbers but if 2/3 of the membership is plastic pilots then they are contributing over a million a year. I am hoping that part of the audit of Services V Revenue that RAA "should" be doing will reveal who are the "Lifters" and who are the "Leaners". Part of my complaint about ditching the magazine was that it may be the major return I was getting for the membership fee I pay.

Rather a broadbrush series of statements. Perhaps you should put some meat and muscle on the skeletons so we can see where you are missing out. A similar statement could be made that the cookiecut, manufactured aircraft have less problems per member (and plane) than the homemades. The millions of dollars the readymades pour into RAA goes to help all planes and pilots and the necessary activities to support them.

For RAA See https://www.raa.asn.au/contact/forms/ Section "Applying for an ASIC" but first read https://www.raa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Before-applying-for-your-ASIC1.pdf If your licence is CASA try http://www.casa.gov.au/scripts/nc.dll?WCMS:STANDARD::pc=PC_90103 Cheers (og skål)

Why should they go. Other than the demands of NIMBYs what good reason is there to screw over the armed forces by sending them out to Cobar. It is not a matter of looking down or up someones nose but maybe the people who demand that the services vacate should themselves move and those doing it tough for the rest of us can continue in congenial accommodation where the facilities and families currently exist. Putting the NSW Parliament at Cobar might be a great idea

The developer mentality - just kick the sailors, soldiers and airmen out of the way. Where to? Who cares, just not in my backyard!!!

But slotting into that tight spot requires human intervention and if you don't worry yourself about forced landings and do some serious training that tight spot my come, and go, before your very eyes when you most need it. The training should include bringing the bird all the way down with the throttle off to 500 feet and on final to prove to yourself that you can get into that tight spot.

Well, there are chief engineers and chief engineers and chief engineers. One once told me that if Gough got elected there would be no more elections. Some chief engineers are just a little too touchy. I don't regard myself as being proficient in engine failures recoveries although I am intrigued by all this talk about how quiet it gets when the fan stops. Maybe in my next 300 hours. Or, perhaps, take up gliding to experience quiet solitude. Have you worked out where the plane was going from and if there was fuel on board?

That is the problem with metrics it doubles the distance. Same thing happened with decimal currency, it doubled the price of everything. Daylight saving faded the curtains as well.