– Steve Hitchen
Nick Xenophon has announced he's quitting the senate and heading back to South Australian state politics. Xenophon has been a key weapon and spokesperson for general aviation, especially through his directed attacks in the Senate Estimates hearings that put more than one CASA or Airservices CEO on the spot. Although it seems like GA is losing a powerful ally in Canberra, Xenophon is likely to be replaced in the red chamber by another Nick Xenophon Team member, so there may still be that extra avenue to put awkward questions to the regulators. AOPA in particular had a good relationship will Xenophon, and CEO Ben Morgan will be hoping he can keep that going with whoever takes Xenophon's seat.
Further on politics, Minister Darren Chester announced at the Safeskies conference in Canberra this week that we could be waiting up until the end of the year for the BITRE GA Study to be released. That's a disappointing result, but most likely caused by BITRE having issues working out what the numbers mean, and the government trying to craft a response that will draw the fewest arrows from the aviation community. For us, this is our future on the line; our last chance to revitalise our flagging industry. This report and the response to it will be the government's justification for nearly everything they do (or don't do) in the GA sector as long as they are in power. Truly, our fate is with them now, so it's understandable that the GA community is starting to lose a bit of patience.
People, it's time to suit-up! CASA has called for experts to join Technical Working Groups (TWG) to support the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP). This means CASA is after subject-matter experts to have a significant say on regulatory change and how it will work in reality. Some time ago, then CEO Mark Skidmore admitted that CASA was not the holder of all technical knowledge when it came to aviation safety, and it seems this attitude has been recognised with this call for experts. The question is: will the aviation community step up? When I chat with people in GA, I find there are two prevailing attitudes. The first is that "CASA needs help because its clear they don't know what they're doing, and we have to be that help"; and the second is that "CASA needs help, but why should I help the bastards!" The answer, to me, fits squarely in the "no-brainer" hole: GA can't continue to be regulated by a CASA that remains all at sea, and maybe it's time for Monday's Experts to come off the bench and help make the changes they themselves are crying the loudest for. But I can see how this Expert Register could become a punching bag. There are self-declared experts in GA that may sign-up to the register, then turn on it once they fail to be chosen for a TWG. But that's the downside. The upside is that CASA is effectively asking GA to participate in making the rules that govern it, and that is what I call genuine consultation.
Recreational Aviation Australia has expressed disappointment that CASA is not going to make the call on RAAus' attempts to get access to controlled airspace and a weight increase until next year. CASA has said that it doesn't make sense to put new measures in place before CASR Parts 149 (self-administering aviation organisations) and 103 (sport and recreational ops) are implemented. According to CASA, Part 149 should be done before the end of March next year, and Part 103 "soon after". You would expect then, that if RAAus was going to get access to CTA, and an MTOW increase to either 750 kg or 1500 kg, then CASA has made a decision already so it can be integrated into the new regulations. RAAus, and the general aviation community, would love to know what that is in advance so they can plan accordingly.
Is it possible that CASR Part 66 (maintenance licencing) is actually a bigger mess than Part 61? There's a subject for the next aero club happy hour! CASA has published some of the feedback from the Part 66 consultation, and there is clear indication that this is one of the more important suites to be implemented. Right now, the MRO industry can't get engineers and can't train engineers, all because of either regulation or serious issues with the training organisations. However, if you peruse the passionate responses from those that have assented to publication, you'll find that not everyone is on the same page. Do we harmonise with EASA or not? CASA has a lot to sort out here, and right now I think they are very pleased they've set up their Experts Register, because they are going to need it! Have a look at some of the submissions on the CASA website.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch