A complete amendment to CASR Part 61 - Licencing is currently being re-written as is expected to be issued before the end of 2016.
The amendments will incorporate a large raft of exemptions CASA has developed to get around unworkable parts of the original CASR.
Since being signed into law in late 2014 by former Acting Director of Aviation Safety Terry Farquharson, Part 61 has earned the ire of the training industry because it contained new requirements that were either overly-stringent or simply impossible to comply with.
CASA has dealt with the ongoing problem of Part 61 by issuing exemptions. So far, 18 exemptions are in force, with another six to be released in the coming weeks. Those still in the works are:
- Exemption against requirement to have a valid flight review for each aircraft rating
- Exemption against requirement to have a valid Instrument Proficiency Check for aircraft type ratings
- Night vision imaging system – exemption against requirement to have 20 hours of flight time at night as pilot in command of a helicopter
- Aeronautical knowledge examination for CPL and ATPL – exemption against requirement to pass all subjects within two years
- Exemption against requirement for multi-crew training where a helicopter is certified single-pilot but is operated with two pilots for the purposes of CAO 20.18 and CAO 95.7.3
- Instructor rating training endorsements – exemption against certain requirements for the grant of endorsements
As well as exemptions, CASA has also issued approvals to correct problem with aerial firefighting training, instructor rating training endorsments and aerial application proficiency checks for helicopter pilots.
CASA Chairman Jeff Boyd recently declared CASR Part 61 "a mess" and promised more exemptions to schools and operators that require them.
A complete list of existing exemptions to Part 61 is available on the CASA website.