Industry Columns

In such a sparse country, general aviation holds a unique place in our community and is a highly valued part of the industry, particularly in our regions.

The summit was a great opportunity to bring together all participants in this important part of the aviation industry. Unfortunately, the AGAA instead chose to pursue the politics of division, targeting airport operators as among those they claim exacerbate the cost and complexity burdens placed on general aviation.

That characterisation is wrong and deeply unfair.

Our regional airports in particular – most of which are operated by the local councils – have supported our general aviation industry for decades, ensuring aircraft owners have a safe and secure place to land.

They’ve done this despite battling tough economic conditions themselves, with many regional airports struggling to make ends meet and few external funding sources available to them.

In many cases, the ratepayer has been forced to subsidise their airport’s operations, drawing limited funds away from other community projects.

The AGAA could have supported meaningful dialogue and insight on how regional airports and aircraft owners can work together to ensure the sustainable future of our airports, while keeping charges low for the general aviation sector.

Instead, it has taken a simplistic view that ignores the economic reality of the industry.

Regional airports are complex pieces of infrastructure, where the maintenance of runways, terminals and associated facilities require ongoing investment.

They are the lifeblood of their communities and must be kept to a standard that allows them to comply with safety and security requirements while also facilitating RPT and general aviation services to meet the needs of local residents and businesses.

Aircraft owners should expect to pay to land and park at a local airport, just as regional airports know and understand that those charges must be reasonable.

This is a long-established practice – and one that’s worked well for our regions for many years. In overlooking this, the AGAA has laid some of the blame for the costs of general aviation at the feet of organisations that are striving to support them.

It’s time we work together as an industry to protect the future of our regional airports. It is only when we do this that we can achieve better outcomes for everyone.

A fresh perspective

Changing the classification of civil aviation activities

In late August the Department of Infrastructure is hosting a meeting of senior departmental managers including the ATSB, Airservices, CASA and key industry representatives and associations to consider proposed changes to the classification of civil aviation activities.

Governments have been struggling with this concept since 1986 and the time has come to grasp the nettle and resolve the legacy issues embedded in the traditional approach to the regulation of general aviation. Rather than being bound by the ‘commercial’ or ‘hire or reward’ imperatives, a fresh look at a genuine risk-based approach is required.

A fresh perspective will give traction to the various CASA publications which espouse a risk-based and outcomesfocused philosophy. This will free up both industry and CASA resources from the burden of less than effective administration and cost.

A presentation from the meeting will be repeated to the RAAA Technical Working Group in Canberra on September 6. This meeting is open to all, so contact our office at [email protected].

Meanwhile, the volume of work underway within CASA, industry technical working groups and the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel on the six main CASR Parts has been very time consuming, with release for final public input due very soon. CASA is planning on having these draft regulations ready by year’s end, an ambitious target indeed.

The most contentious body of work has been the fatigue rules. The making of a prescriptive rule set would be so easy, particularly if it were to continue to be based on industrial and rostering practices used in the first half of last century.

The RAAA welcomes the very recent pilot union decision to engage in the use of science in monitoring and managing pilot fatigue in real time. We hope that CASA will also embrace this technology. The regionals have already done extensive work in this area and recognise that even an apparently uncontentious prescriptive rule set can actually hide underlying medical conditions that produce fatigue.

Elsewhere there is great news with the recent announcement that approved testing officers will now be automatically be transferred to hold a flight examiner rating, with no action required by the holder. Better news still is that professional indemnity insurance cover will remain in place. These outcomes are due to the great work by the Departments of Infrastructure and Finance, which have understood the vital work these examiners do on behalf of CASA.

‘Governments have been struggling with this concept since 1986.’

Finally, we have opened up the generous RAAA members scholarships to the entire Australian aviation industry. Scholarships range from $5,000 to $7,500 but hurry, applications close on August 31.

Simplify, simplify, simplify

Aviation policy would benefit from going back to basics

Accomplished instructors help their students by simplifying tasks. When things are not going well, they tell them to go back to basics.

This excellent advice is an important touchstone for addressing devilishly complicated problems – including intractable political and policy challenges that resemble a Gordian knot.

‘CASA could easily remove red tape.’

Aviation policy could certainly benefit from getting back to basics. A clearer understanding of sectoral risk, matching that to a regulatory stance that doesn’t smother industry, and then monitoring for safety would be a start.

AAAA is working with CASA on reviewing the aerial application sector risk profile which informs CASA’s approach to risk management.

As the first sector to help CASA develop a sector risk profile, it was clear that while we could get agreement on the obvious risks and treatments, getting a genuine commitment to implementation would take longer. It is very pleasing that it appears this is now happening through recognition of the AAAA AIMS program and the imminent approval of the AAAA chief pilots course, although it is yet to permeate reg reform.

The opportunities that fall out of a sector risk profile include a meaningful classification of operations that verbalises CASA’s different appetite for risk across sectors. Without this, there is little chance of securing improved regulations – or of getting back to basics.

CASA could easily remove meaningless red tape – for example, the requirement to have all aircraft listed on an AOC. CASA and AAAA did it in 2007 to simplify Part 137 AOCs and it has worked perfectly ever since.

A rolling revision of Part 61 would also simplify things. The Part already looks like a patched and bandaged tyre to simply make it work – and getting back to basics would improve this basket case of ‘reform’. For example, putting rotary on the same regs as fixed-wing for proficiency checks would be a start. Pushing operational training back to operators would also make a significant difference.

The recent report from the expert panel on aviation skills and training (see: taaaf.org) into the shambles of aviation training and inconsistent funding is another plea for simplification and fairness. Simplifying training and providing funding for specialised, low through-put ratings such as aerial application would be a leap forward.

If you are chasing a stable approach and a soft landing, you could do a lot worse than getting back to basics.

Much-needed

Getting commercial aviation experience on board

CASA is taking very seriously issues with Robinson helicopter engines, particularly those machines operating in the hot environments of northern Australia.

Cylinder cracking and unusual valve guide wear is appearing in some engines after a few hundred hours. The reasons are still unclear but have been the subject of intense scrutiny across the industry. Operators have been asking for more focus from CASA. Considerable data gathering and research work is underway in concert with the fuel companies and the engine manufacturer.

There are no definitive conclusions yet but CASA’s involvement will bring much-needed resources to be bear on a critical issue. Experienced operators from northern Australia and a number of helicopter engineers are applauded for their tenacity and commitment in trying to discover the root causes of these serious engine problems.

While CASA appears to be beefing up its commercial aviation experience (a new CASA board chairman was due to be appointed as this magazine went to print), the same cannot be said for Airservices.

At the time of writing there is now no-one with significant commercial aviation experience on the Airservices. Given that Airservices is rolling out the $1.7 billion OneSky project, and that its operations are fully funded by industry, the skill mix on its board is now far less than optimal.

Government has responsibility for these appointments and the shift to commercial aviation experience on the CASA board should be replicated with urgency on the Airservices board. There are some very talented and experienced people within our industry. Why not use them?

‘CASA’s involvement will bring much-needed resources.’

Finally, building on the considerable success of Rotortech 2018, a significant national event aimed at the helicopter industry in 2019 is under initial development. More updates will provided in this column as soon as possible. Watch this space!