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One area which is still of concern to many of our members is the removal by the CAA of the ability for a LAME to undertake a Specific Type Rated examination by private sitting if the aircraft type is in airline service. The ALAEA is not opposed to a reasonable fee for the service. This action is disadvantaging the LAME who is prepared to put in the extra effort and time privately and is an unfair restriction on the individual’s ability to improve their knowledge, experience, qualifications and future employment prospects.

The CAA has a problem; a problem in retaining and attracting experienced staff and a problem in being forced to be ‘self funding’. The answer is not to be found by reducing its functions. There are certain areas within the CAA which cannot and must not be eliminated or devolved. The core reason for having a government authority is to ensure standards and safety are maintained in the public interest and this cannot be done in an impartial manner by devolving its responsibilities to the industry it is meant to police!

Areas such as Continuing Airworthiness and Licensing and Examination should not be subject to full cost recovery, but aligned like BASI apart from the day to day operations of the CAA. Maintaining standards and safety, like our police forces, is in the public interest and should rightly be funded from that source, rather than putting an unfair burden on the CAA and ultimately the industry operators and their employees.

The Domestic Airline Industry, because of the action of the pilots, Government, operators and the ACTU will never be the same again. Some say this is a good thing, we are not so sure. Our apprehension presently centres around the continued use of overseas charter aircraft for operation of domestic airline services. The fact that these aircraft are not subject to the surveillance of the CAA is a concern we share with others. We have for many years in this country enjoyed an airline industry whose reputation is the envy of the world. This is not something that has happened by chance. The only way to ensure this continues is for the airline aircraft we operate to be on the Australian register, operated and maintained under a CAA approved system by appropriately licensed personnel.

The fact that Qantas is unable to provide the heavy maintenance for its own aircraft is nothing short of a national disgrace and the fact that the CAA is not required to carry out a surveillance and give ‘approval to overseas repair stations performing the work for Qantas is a deficiency in the Regulations which must be addressed immediately.

The ALAEA is affiliated with the International Transport workers Federation (ITF) and Aircraft Engineers’ International (AEI). Our involvement with AEI commenced in 1972 when the organisation was first devised. The AEI Executive Board presently comprises eight positions, three of which are held by people in our region. They are Mr Arthur Jeeves (NASA) as Aus-tralasia/Pacific Asst Sec, Mr Allen Henderson (ALAEA) as Policy Committee Chairman and Mr Trevor Lee (Air NZ) as Election Committee Chairman.

AEI’s activities are currently dominated by the Joint Airworthiness Authority Requirements (JAARS) work being done in preparation for the European ‘liberalisation’ of commercial air services after 1992. This is the first time that a complete system of airworthiness regulation has been undertaken (rather than just evolving) and it could well become the International Standard in years to come. For this reason alone our involvement is

essential. Allen Henderson, ALAEA Federal Executive