Haa Torque

I was joined at Parliament House by the Federal member for McPherson, Margaret May, the HAA office’s local member and it was great to have her support. I gave Mr Vaile some figures as to the health of our industry, telling him that we currently have 6766 pilots licensed and 1408 helicopters on the register, and that we fly approximately 400,000 hours a year. The fact that we are the third largest helicopter operating country in the world per capita reinforces the fact that we have a robust industry.

We also discussed the issues of landing areas, the introduction of NVGs, the Non-Pilot Multi Crew environment, training needs, fire fighters and other matters.

Mr Vaile has undertaken to reply to my discussion paper in writing.

Skilled Migration

In the meantime, the HAA welcomes Minister Vaile’s support of the addition of avionics and mechanical Aircraft Maintenance Engineers to the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).

In an August 9 release, Mr Vaile said “Research by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that Australia is experiencing shortages in the skilled aircraft maintenance engineers needed to service Australia’s growing aviation fleet. ” “I recently wrote to my ministerial colleagues and the CEO of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to ensure that relevant government agencies do all that they can to ensure that the continued growth of the Australian aviation industry is not jeopardised by shortages of key personnel,” he added. “This announcement is a significant step in the right direction and means that aircraft engineers will be better targeted through Australia’s migration program.

I have asked relevant government agencies to report back to me by the end of August on further options to strengthen Australia’s supply of pilots and aircraft engineers. ”

Airspace Consultative Forum

While I was in Canberra I also attended the Airspace Consultative Forum.

The Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) is responsible for regulating airspace and managing airspace change proposals to ensure the safe, orderly and efficient flow of air traffic, cognisant of national security, the protection of the environment and the equitable use of Australian airspace. The forums have been established primarily to help make policy changes within Australia’s airspace, and are held every six months.

Attendees at the forum included representatives from CASA, Qantas, AOPA, the RAAA, the Australian Defence Force, various sporting aircraft bodies, ASTRA, DoTARS, and of course, the HAA.

One of the issues I raised was regarding Queensland Parks placing vertical and horizontal limitations on airspace (with penalties attached) over the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMPA). While we all want to look after our environment, we also need to be forewarned of the imposition of restrictions before the flying industry starts having to unknowingly incur penalties, and I used my own example where I was subjected to a penalty a few years ago in north Queensland. Without knowing it I had flown into a marine restricted area, and I was subsequently issued with a fine after being observed by a park ranger.

The OAR has undertaken to address the issue with GBRMPA and Queensland Parks so that the information flow to the aviation industry can be improved. o Australian Aviation is proud to be an official supporting journal of the Helicopter Association of Australasia. The views in this column are those of the HAA, and not necessarily Australian Aviation’s.