CASA has given the strongest hint yet that it will re-introduce rules that permit flight training by individual flying instructors.
CASA Director of Aviation Safety and CEO Pip Spence said in her April CASA Briefing newsletter published today that restoring individual instructors was part of their program to reduce regulatory burden.
"One way we are doing this – in response to industry feedback – is by making it easier for individuals to conduct non-complex flight training as a single person operation," Spence said.
"We are simplifying the application, assessment and approval process for simple Part 141 applications to enable an individual to offer simpler flight training for the issue of some flight crew licences, ratings and associated endorsements.
"The feedback we received was that obtaining a Part 141 authorisation was complex, time consuming and expensive."
Whilst individual instruction was already possible in theory, the instructor still needed to operate with a CASR Part 141 approval and be overseen by a Chief Flying Instructor or Head of Operations.
Allowing qualified flying instructors to teach outside the Part 141 regime has been seen as key to restoring GA flight training to regional areas, especially at aero clubs that don't have the resources to retain a CFI or work with a Part 141 organisation.