I'll admit it: I'm as happy as a fat bat that CASA has created a taskforce to deal with the tsunami-like aftermath of Parts 61, 141 and 142. Even better is that they've invited some associations to sit on an advisory panel. These CASRs, unfortunately, betrayed that CASA really wasn't in tune with the way the industry works, caused, I believe, by a lack of expertise within the ranks. Yes, that's a sad indictment of a safety authority, but if you read the new regs word-for-word I am satisfied you'd draw the same conclusion. Recruiting the associations will add genuine subject-matter experts to the TF, and hopefully they'll get the message through. Now, CASA is not obliged to take notice of any advice, and there is an inherent risk of CASA staff suffering from "not invented here" syndrome, which will negate the advice and we'll end up still wallowing in wreckage. But, that would happen without the experts on board anyway, so at least with the advisory panel there is a ray of hope that would not exist otherwise.
The TF was announced only half-a-breath after the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) urged its members to withdraw their applications for Part 141 and 142 approvals because the regulator seemed to be unable to process them. AHIA has been one of the most vocal opponents of the new licensing regs, and their press release had all the watermarks of an association that has had enough. As AHIA is one of the groups invited onto the advisory panel, they should now be able to make some headway in getting meaningful change.
The latest delivery figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reveal more than just a soft market. They show, by my analysis, that Cessna has something Piper does not: a cash cow. Cessna shipped 29 C172SPs in Q3 2015, whilst down at Vero Beach, Piper rolled out no Archers at all. That the market has embraced the SP rather than the lower-powered R-model 172 shows there is strong demand for a 180-hp single, which, ironically, Piper has had on the market since the mid-1960s, but now is being out-sold almost 10:1 (YTD to Q3 shows 107 C172SPs against 12 Archers). Now they face new competition in the Tecnam P Twenty-Ten and are in danger of being run out of the four-place market completely. So what can Piper do? Well, they need to shake things up a bit and get themselves an out-right winner. Perhaps they need to take a closer look at what happened recently at Cessna. When the JT-A project stumbled and fell, they reverted straight to the theoretically-redundant C182T and shipped eight of them for Q3. That, plus the interest in the JT-A shows there is a market for a mid-powered single. Is this where Piper can make up some ground? There have been many calls over the past few years to resurrect the Cherokee 236, and maybe it's time for Piper to listen.
It's great to see more wireless headsets entering the market place. If there is any environment in the world that would benefit from not have a headset tethered to the mic jacks, it's an aircraft cockpit! Lightspeed's new Tango was released in the USA overnight, joining the EQ-1 in the wireless market. The Tango also brings rechargeable batteries to the market, which is ideal given that the ANR headsets chew through AA batteries like a Golden Retriever through a sock. Will we see the other premium headset makers follow suit? It probably depends on how good the Tango is.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch