CASA expects that most Recreational Aviation Administration Organisations (RAAO) will start the move to the new Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisation (ASAO) under CASR Part 149 sometime this year.
RAAOs are organisations such as Recreational Aviation Australia (RA-Aus), Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA), the Gliding Federation of Australia (GFA) and the Australian Parachute Federation (APF), to which CASA has delegated responsibility for administering particular sectors of recreational aviation.
CASR Part 149 creates the higher-level ASAO status, which provides for organisations other than recreational groups to self-administer their own activities.
According to CASA, Part 149 ASAOs will have increased responsibilities.
"Part 149 will require a baseline governance capability that is in line with modern expectations but not beyond the safety and governance level of the organisations," a CASA spokesperson said.
"CASA would expect that some organisations seeking to be granted a Part 149 certificate would improve their safety and administrative governance arrangements.
"Part 149 self-administration functions will not be placed in regulation but rather in a MOS [Manual of Standards] allowing for easier 'growth' of available aviation functions/organisations that are self-administered and also allowing Parliamentary review of who/what is allowed self-administration through the MOS amendment process."
RA-Aus, the largest RAAO in Australia, is taking a "bring it on" attitude to the transition.
"Recreational Aviation Australia is well aware of the progress of CASR 149," CEO Michael Linke told Australian Flying. "We have attended CASA briefing sessions on its development and also engaged with the Associate Director Dr Aleck. Recreational Aviation Australia does not hold any concerns about the development of a manual of standards and exposition.
"As a professional aviation body with almost 10,000 members, we welcome the opportunity for full self-administration."
Although the existing RAAOs would have the option of not taking on ASAO status, most are expected to make the change to prevent a third-party organisation taking over the sector by applying for approval as an ASAO.