On the right path

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have belatedly recognised that the current engineering training and licensing system is producing less than optimum outcomes and to their credit are now fully committed to working together with industry and relevant government departments to address our concerns. All indications to this point strongly suggest that CASA is taking this situation seriously and has already begun forging a strong partnership with key stakeholders to produce a world leading engineering training and licensing system.

There is no more pressing need than to reform the training and licensing system for our aircraft engineers. Fortunately there is already a robust system in place to assist in achieving the required changes. The Australian Industry Skills Committee (AISC) was established in 2013 by government to give industry a formal and expanded role in policy direction and decision-making for the vocational education and training sector. 2017 should see a renewed focus on addressing the priority needs of business and industry. The Industry Reference Committee (IRC) is a small group of relevant subject matter experts who drive the process of training package development for their particular industry. Their key role is to ensure the training packages address the needs and concerns of employees, employers and training providers. The RAAA is a keen member of the Aviation IRC and will advocate for RAAA member issues surrounding aircraft engineering training and licencing outcomes.

CASA have recently published Advisory Circular AC 101-01 v2.0 on remotely piloted aircraft systems – licensing and operations. This is a commendable document and quite instructive and all Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) pilots should be familiar with the content.

The only point of contention is the inconsistent protection offered to Regular Public Transport (RPT) passengers. CASA has a mandate to focus on the safety of all fare paying passengers, yet in this context it seems their focus applies only to those RPT services operating from those aerodromes with a control tower and only then during the control towers hours of operation. This appears to be counterintuitive to say the least!

The AC prohibits RPAS from operating within 3 nautical miles from a controlled aerodrome. This provides an excellent ‘ring of confidence’ that provides a means of acceptable separation between fare paying passengers aboard RPT aircraft and RPAS. However, whilst many regional RPT service providers operate through controlled aerodromes, the vast majority of regional RPT operations are conducted at non-controlled aerodromes where, according to the AC, RPAS may operate closer than 500 metres to RPT aircraft landing or taking off.

CASA has a current database of every aerodrome that receives RPT so it should be a relatively straightforward exercise to publish the list and apply the controlled airport ‘ring of confidence’ and thereby extend the same safety margin to all RPT passengers, regardless of their departure point, en-route stops or destination. To CASA’s credit (again) they have acknowledged this anomaly and are reviewing their position.

A recent meeting was held between CASA and RAAA representatives on the implementation of the government’s response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review (ASRR). A comparison was tabled between the official report released by the Department of Infrastructure on ASRR implementation and the perception of industry. There was a significant difference with the Department’s assessment being questioned as unduly optimistic. The Department is now reviewing this issue.

On the whole, this year is off to a great start with such a refreshing new culture at CASA. The Stakeholder Engagement team is doing an outstanding job and making every effort to forge a new level of trust and partnership with industry. The CASA Director of Aviation Safety is clearly having a significant and positive impact on the culture of old.

The CASA Director of Aviation Safety is clearly having a significant and positive impact.

The RAAA has a booth at the Avalon Airshow again in our usual location and we welcome and encourage anyone to drop in for a chat.