Getting in on the Act

Senior management need to step in and regain control. Although some CASA officers may be pursuing an inherited culture, the Civil Aviation Act itself has also caused some legacy issues that, to a large degree, control the regulations scope and subsequent development.

So rather than continue to try and work in the system (the current and emerging regulations) and expecting different results, we need to actually first work on the system (the Civil Aviation Act). Only then will we get some clear air and be able to perform an effective and fully informed Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the regulations.

However, we need to firstly determine what it is we are collectively trying to achieve as an industry, paint a word picture and then articulate and prosecute that outcome. In a nutshell we need to reclassify the Civil Aviation Activities based on risk and informed participants, rather than commercial imperatives.

‘We need to reclassify the Civil Aviation Activities based on risk and informed participants.’

Secondly, we can then undertake a fully informed and comprehensive review of the Act.

Finally a fresh look at the regulations during a Post Implementation Review will then eventually deliver what the industry, particularly at the lower end, has desperately needed for decades.

It may be news to some but CASA began this work about 14 years ago, however a change of leadership stopped this important initiative. I refer you to CASA CEO Regulatory Policy Notice titled ‘CASA’s Industry Sector Priorities and Classification of Civil Aviation Activities’ (CEO-PN001-2004). The recent Genera Aviation Summit 2018, held in Wagga Wagga has given a much needed focus on this important policy document and we need to engage productively with those officers in the Department of Infrastructure who will be charged with the oversight of the review of the Act.

On a more cheerful note, the RAAA national Convention early bird period has been extended to the end of July. Now is the time to visit our dedicated website at www.raaa2018.com.au and register your attendance.

Note the significant discount available to staff of RAAA members. It’s never too late to join. This year we have opened up scholarships to the entire Australian aviation industry. Scholarships range from $5,000 to $7,500 and applications are now open for both student Pilots and Engineering apprentices. Further details are available on our website raaa.com.au under the scholarship tab.