Corporate Contrails

New Members for Abaa

Three new companies have joined our organisation and we take this opportunity of welcoming them: ANZ Bank based in Melbourne with a BAe 125; Bougainville Copper based in Brisbane with a Westwind; Global Aviation Support based at Essendon who are suppliers of spares and high technology equipment to business aircraft users.

1988 Abaa Conference and Exhibition

We are delighted to announce that we have decided to hold, in conjunction with the worldwide Flight Safety Foundation, a Corporate Flight Safety Seminar during our Conference to be held in December 1988. The President of Flight Safety Foundation, Jack Enders has agreed to moderate the seminar and Ron Cooper, Director of the Bureau of Air Safety, has agreed to participate. This will provide delegates with the opportunity of discussion on safety issues affecting corporate aviation. One of the topics likely to be discussed is the psychological effects on pilots who operate into congested terminal airspace and particularly the effects of not understanding the basis or foundation of Air Traffic Control instructions.

CAIR

As has been widely publicised, BASI intend to introduce, on July 1st 1988, a confidential incident reporting system similar to that which has been in operation in Britain and the United States for some years. We are all aware that the CA225 system which has been in existence for many years does not provide the ideal conduit for the reporting of incidents. Indeed, we observe that an increasing number of pilots are reluctant to submit CA225 because of a fear of sanction during subsequent investigations.

The recent experience of a senior ABAA member company captain is, we hope, not typical of the way in which the DTAC deals with these type of matters. An ‘incident’ occurred which was extremely complex in its nature and involved a possible breakdown in separation. A senior officer from the Department of Aviation in New South Wales ordered the pilot to attend an interrogation where it was clear that all the mitigating circumstances had not been considered. Indeed, the officer concerned displayed a distinct lack of knowledge of a number of significant matters particularly with regard to air traffic control procedures, communications and long range oceanic flight planning. The outcome of the interrogation took no account of all other circumstances of the incident and it was clear that DTAC had decided to take up a defensive position on the matter to cover its inadequacies. It should be emphasised that this all took place before BASI had even concluded its detailed investigations.

The ABAA welcomes the opportunity to encourage its member pilots to use the GAIR system which will afford anonymity to the reporter. We support the views of Ron Cooper at BASI who sees this system as providing the conduit to both pilots and controllers who, on becoming aware of a matter which will affect safety, may report the incident without becoming embroiled in the subsequent investigation and protective attitude of the DTAC. GAIR should be particularly useful to pilots who have had the safety of their flight jeopardise during flights into Sydney which have been delayed due to the existing priority system.

Responsiveness of Government

The ABAA are extremely concerned to find that a substantial amount. of correspondence to the Minister for Transport and Communications has never been answered. Despite a number of telephone calls to the Minister’s office seeking a response they have, to date, not been forthcoming. Although some of the matters concern the present priority system a number of the letters seek policy guidance on issues ranging from airspace management to international facilitation. We are aware from our investigations that we are not alone in this regard and it disturbs us to find that even the common courtesy of acknowledgement is not being followed.

We were led to believe that Senator Gareth Evans was willing to address these matters but it appears that this is not the case. We have recently expressed our concern about lack of recognition of specific consultations which took place prior to the formation of the CAA. It would appear that the Ministers responsible for this portfolio say that they wish to consult and have a meaningful two way dialogue.

But it takes two people to have a conversation and to date, it would appear that both ABAA and other like organisations are being totally disregarded by the relevant ministers.

Is it not time for the Ministers to recognise the strength of feeling that exists on matters important to the future of our industry and arrange for meaningful dialogue to take place.

Access to Major Airports

The ABAA were concerned to read recent reports that a senior executive from IATA had recently declared that IATA would be exerting pressure on European airport authorities to deny access to their crowded airports to all but airline traffic.

This development clearly fills the ABAA with a great deal of fear for the future. It has long been recognised that the airline community both in Australia and overseas wields a considerable amount of power with both Government and airport authorities. In fact there are those within the Australian aviation scene who believe that the airlines here already dominate policy development and evolution.

It should also be remembered by IATA that many business aircraft operators were in existence on airports prior to air!irie development such as we have seen since 1945. Surely there is room for both. It merely takes some ingenuity to design airports and manage airspace in such a way which does not disadvantage either sector of the industry.

Reliever runways at airports for business aircraft is but one solution and relatively inexpensive. The refusal of airport administration to provide adequate facilities for all of its customers displays a narrow viewpoint.

Equally, those airport authorities who may seek to preclude business aircraft should consider the commercial implications of a particular company moving its corporate headquarters to a city where no such airport restrictions exist.