– Steve Hitchen
My logbook tells me I first flew an SR series Cirrus in 2004. The Avidyne glass cockpit was both exhilarating and intimidating, and with the type only five years young at the time, completely revolutionary. I'd seen these full-colour TV screens in corporate jets before, but here was similar technology delivered into the hands of a PPL! But no sooner had I completed my logbook entry than instructors were sounding warnings about the tendency for glass cockpits to drag VFR pilots' eyes onto the instrument panel and not out the window where they should be. Another caution was the over-reliance on the technology and eschewing the airmanship that had been instilled in us since our first flying hours. And that was before tablets, ADS-B, iPhones, smart watches, lift reserve indicators and A5-sized navigators. And soon, AI: artificial intelligence. Theoretically, AI is smarter than us (or else what would be the point of it), so therefore as pilots we should sit back, let AI fly and wallow in our own redundancy. AI is technology that stands to cause headaches for regulators because it will challenge the primary responsibility for the safety of the flight. Right now, that lies with the pilot-in-command. Will it stay there once cockpits are fitted with something more intelligent than a human? The upside, I suppose, is that our eyes will be back outside the cockpit again because there will be no reason to have them inside anymore.
Running on condition is one of the more contentious aspect of GA aircraft maintenance. This is when a component that has reached the end of its life can remain in service provided it can still do the job. It means reduced cost and reduced waste because engineers don't throw out stuff that is, theoretically, still perfectly good. But obviously something has been going astray, prompting CASA this week to issue a reminder to engineers that on-condition components still need to be monitored with a very critical eye. That takes some doing when you think about it, and it really should be no surprise that some engineers don't like signing-off components to operate on condition. For the average PPL/owner who can fly OK, but thinks a screwdriver is a mixture of vodka and orange juice, it produces a conundrum. Do they accept a LAME's recommendation not to run on condition, or do they shop around to find an engineer who will sign off? That decision is now far more complex with a lack of engineer availability to do the work and almost infinite delays in getting components, particularly engines, out of the USA or Europe. This storm is not quite perfect, but it will produce a scenario that induces owners to run on condition more than ever before. Paradoxically, more components on condition means LAMEs need to do more monitoring, putting further strain on engineer availability.
We've already got nominations for the 2024 CASA Wings Awards, which are starting to solidify into one of the largest fields of candidates we've ever had. That's been bolstered, no doubt, by the raft of prizes we have on offer for both the successful candidate and their nominator, thanks to the support of Garmin, David Clark, Bose and World Fuel. And it's about this time each year that I sound my usual warning about the criteria. Each award has set criteria by which the candidate and the nomination will be judged. Yes, you heard that correctly, we judge the nomination as well. When you make a submission, you need to make sure you have matched your candidate to the criteria as best you can. There is nothing more frustrating for us than to have to draw a line through a worthy candidate because the nomination hasn't been properly completed. So before you press the "go" button, check back through to see if you've done justice to who you are nominating.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch