CASA Director of Aviation Safety and CEO Pip Spence has encouraged Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations (ASAO) to complete the transition to CASR Part 149 approval by the beginning of December.
Speaking in the Mar 2022 CASA Briefing newsletter published today, Spence said that she had attended a conference of the Air Sport Australia Confederation (ASAC) last week and urged ASAOs to get the transition done before a fee waiver cuts out.
Industry concerns surround the implementation of CASRs Part 103 – Sport and Recreational Aircraft, Part 105 – Parachuting from Aircraft and Part 131 – Balloons and Hot Air Airships.
"We listened to the concerns that were raised and made sure that these sectors would continue operating as normal while we worked with the technical working groups to address any issues," she said. "There are several reasons why I am strongly urging ASAOs to complete the transition to part 149 by the extended fee-waiver deadline of December this year.
"We are committed to making the transition to Part 149 comprehensible and workable, and I encourage ASAOs to engage with our sports aviation team.
Spence said that CASA acknowledged the valuable role of ASAOs in Australian aviation, and that Part 149 would change the relationship between CASA and ASAOs.
"Until now, the regulatory relationship has generally been between CASA, a pilot, and an aircraft. "The role of most ASAOs has been to administer an operations manual that is approved by CASA, but they have not held a certificate that authorises and recognises the good work that they do.
"Part 149 can be compared in some ways to seeking ISO 9001 certification for quality management assurance or a kind of governance certification that helps directors and boards with their accountabilities.
"It is a move to better manage governance and risk as well as to provide assurance that essential processes and procedures are standardised and consistent across ASAOs."
Spence said that Part 149 would also increase flexibility to permit ASAOs to make minor changes to manuals and expositions, and add the certainty and protection that comes with holding a CASA authorisation.
She also noted that the freedom that comes with Part 149 approval carried with it some new responsibilities for ASAOs.
The Part 149 transition fee waiver ends on 2 December 2022.