One month later ...CASA prides itself on leading the world over several issues, even though the rest of the world might not agree. One area that it can't claim leadership (though it may try) is medical reform. At a time when the UK and USA are embracing and encouraging change, CASA seems to be stubbornly folding its arms and turning its back on general aviation. In late December, they released a discussion paper on medical reform, which contained six ideas it wants to canvass. Alarmingly, general aviation seems to be on the outer, as the topics specifically mention the recreational and sport aviation sectors (both self-administering), but not the balance of GA, made up of PPLs flying certified four-seat planes with an MTOW over 600 kg.Then, bang on an inconvenient cue, the FAA tells the world of BasicMed, which relieves US pilots of the medical burden over a range of operations.
CASA's DP suddenly looks not only wishy-washy, but also more like the desperate measure of an Avmed department that wants to be seen to be doing something whilst simultaneously protecting its own role and position. If you read deeply into the DP, you will find some skerricks of hope that as US-style system could be adopted, but not without a wave of industry support that swamps the objections of the reform detractors entrenched within Avmed. And even that might not be enough ... it hasn't been in the past.
In late November last year, Greens MP for Melbourne Adam Bandt introduced a private members bill to parliament that effectively banned flights over Melbourne CBD and gave residents all over Australia the ability to force mandatory reviews of flight paths. It is legislation that should never have existed, and with some commonsense applied, will hopefully cease to exist soon. Bandt's proposal was a classic example of something we'll have to battle more the near future: populist laws presented by politicians who haven't prepared themselves well enough to understand the realities behind issues. In this case the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Regional Aviation Association of Australia have taken on the task of getting this straightened out. Hopefully one or both of these groups can address the issue properly without the need for an act of parliament, especially one that would significantly damage general aviation in the Melbourne basin and have negative knock-on effects right around the country. There are at least positive views that Bandt has come to understand how much he doesn't understand, and that something we have to take into account with so many politicians.
Cirrus Aircraft has been trumpeting the new G6 range of SR20 and 22, but with most of the fanfare directed at the SR22 and 22T. What's got me most excited is the new IO-390 fitted to the SR20 that will turn out 215 ponies instead of the traditional 200. That's given the SR20 a MTOW increase of 68 kg; a big leap by anyone's measure. That means with three hours of fuel and 45 mins reserve, you can still carry four 77-kg people and have 44 kg left over for bags. It's an all new aeroplane, effectively. The useful load of 467 kg is still short of the Cessna 182T's 518 kg, but the gap between the two is now significantly reduced.
The death last year of aviation legend John Glenn has been quickly followed by the loss of the last person to walk on the moon: Gene Cernan. Cernan, the subject of the documentary The Last Man on the Moon, died this week at age 82. Cernan was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 10 and commander of Apollo 17. As the last person to speak on another celestial body, he used the occasion to express hope that mankind would soon be back. It has been 45 years, and Cernan will now never see his wish fulfilled. With his death, there are now only six left of the original 12 astronauts to have walked on the moon.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch