CASA Briefing Newsletter - October 2019

CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody comments:

As most people will know a substantial package of new regulations comes into force from early 2021. The flight operations suite of regulations covers the general operating and flight rules, air transport certification and governance, air transport operations for aeroplanes and rotorcraft and aerial work. The new regulations retain many of the existing requirements, but for some people and organisations changes will need to be made. That means CASA will have a firm focus over the next 12 months on making sure the aviation community is given appropriate support to transition to the new regulations. We are committed to making the rule transition as easy as we can.

CASA will provide extensive guidance material on the new regulations well ahead of their commencement. This will include a mapping tool showing where a rule is in the current regulations compared to where you can find it in the new rules. In the first half of 2020 we will release the new manuals of standards for the flight operations regulatory parts, which will set out in detail what is required for compliance. We will also release sample manuals for aviation organisations to make completing the necessary paperwork an easier job. CASA will hold face-to-face information sessions in metropolitan and regional areas, and we will target information to different aviation sectors.

We will also be making sure there is additional time to comply with the more complex requirements in the new regulations. There will be more time allowed for introducing safety management systems and training and checking systems, as well as fitting terrain awareness and warning equipment to aircraft. CASA will consult with the aviation community on these arrangements through our normal processes.

I am currently writing to aviation organisations to set out in detail information about the transition to the new regulations and the support CASA will be offering. If anyone feels CASA should do more in a particular area please let us know and we will be more than happy to look at potential additional measures. The aim is to make the regulatory transition as light a burden as is possible for everyone.

Best wishes

Shane Carmody

Updates

More online services

CASA’s online services continue to grow, with businesses and other organisations the latest to benefit. From 28 October 2019, Australian businesses and organisations will be able to apply for a CASA aviation reference number online through the myCASA portal. Using the myCASA portal - which is accessed from the CASA website - will make the process of getting an aviation reference number quicker and easier for companies, statutory authorities, government entities, sole traders, co-operatives and incorporated companies or associations. Individuals have been able to get their aviation reference number online for some time. To apply online businesses must have an ABN and the individual applying on behalf of the business or organisation must have a myCASA account and an individual aviation reference number. Foreign organisations such as businesses or government bodies will still need to complete the manual aviation reference number application form. Aviation reference numbers are used by CASA to identify clients and are needed before any licence, permission or authorisation can be issued.

Find out more about aviation reference numbers for business and organisations.

New Brisbane office

CASA’s Brisbane office is on the move. Staff in Brisbane are relocating to a CBD location - 180 Ann Street. The move to the new offices takes place on Friday 8 November 2019. On that day normal services from the Brisbane office will be disrupted. Brisbane-based staff and services will not be available by telephone or email from 1.30pm on Friday 8 November. Brisbane-based services include the issue of aviation industry authorisations, drone general enquiries, commercial remotely piloted aircraft services and drone complaint services. People needing these services from the Brisbane office during the move will be asked to wait until Monday 11 November 2019, when the new office in Ann Street will be open for business. CASA apologises for any inconvenience. All other CASA offices will be open for normal business.

Class C tower recommended at Hobart

A review of Hobart airspace has recommended the introduction of a Class C tower service supported by Class C terminal airspace. The review, conducted by CASA’s Office of Airspace Regulation, said Airservices Australia should submit an airspace change proposal within 12 months. The 2019 airspace review of Hobart said there is an opportunity for Airservices to enhance the level of service provided and the efficiency of controlled airspace. Between February 2017 and February 2019, air transport movements and passenger movements for Hobart and Cambridge aerodromes recorded an average growth of 5.4 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively. For the 12-month period to February 2019, Hobart passenger movements exceeded 2.7 million. Current passenger movement numbers at Hobart are comparable to locations where Class C air traffic control services are provided in Australia. However, there are higher air transport movements recorded at these other Class C locations compared to Hobart. The review said based on combined aircraft and passenger movements at Hobart and Cambridge compared to other Class D and Class C towered locations in Australia, the number reported incidents is considered low.

Read the Hobart airspace review.

Funding for regional airports

Regional airports can start the process of seeking new funds for safety upgrades. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said guidelines are now available to give airport owners and operators more information on their eligibility for the $100 million program. “For many regional communities, the local airport provides an essential link to the rest of Australia,” Mr McCormack said. “That’s why we’ve committed $100 million over four years from 2019–20 to 2022–23 to help owners of regional airports right across Australia deliver safer runways, taxiways and other safety upgrades such as new fencing or safety equipment. The Regional Airports Program will make sure regional airports meet the needs of communities and local industry now and into the future.” Round one of the program opens for applications on 24 October 2019 and closes on 12 December 2019.

Find out more about the airport funding.

Magazine boosts safety

Make sure you don’t miss out on the new quarterly print edition of CASA’s Flight Safety Australia magazine. More than 85 per cent of people who read Flight Safety Australia consider it has made them safer in their aviation role. More than 95 per cent say it increases their knowledge and awareness of aviation safety issues. An annual subscription costs only $39.95. The summer edition will feature a ‘cloud spotters’ guide to safety by Kreisha Ballantyne, delving into the various families of clouds, the detailed naming scheme and, most importantly, which ones to avoid during flight. American-based contributor Thomas P. Turner poses a key question for aviators: we’re taught we should use checklists, but do we know why and how to use them?

Subscribe to print version Flight Safety Australia magazine now. It can also be read online for free.

Learn from close calls

Sports aviation has its own unique challenges and risks. And a key to meeting those challenges and avoiding the risks is to learn from other people in sport aviation. To make this job easier CASA has released another sport aviation special publication – Close Calls 2019. This 45-page booklet is full of real-life stories about sport aviation flying, including errors, slips and omissions. This is the fourth close calls sport aviation special and important experiences have been openly shared regardless of possible embarrassment to promote safety. As in previous years there are stories and confessions from high-profile, even renowned, sport aviators. Stories cover gyrocopters, parachuting, gliding, home built aircraft, paragliding and ultralights. There is also a section on radio calls in non-controlled airspace. There is a $15 postage and handling charge for delivery of the booklet.

Order a copy of the Close Calls 2019 sport aviation special now.

Our forms are getting easier

CASA’s forms are getting easier to use. PDF-fillable forms are being redesigned to make them simpler and faster to complete. The aim is also to reduce the number of CASA forms and consolidate where possible. Guidelines for completing forms are being integrated into the forms themselves or provided as website content. Over the coming months, CASA will continue to redesign and publish the most commonly used forms. To make sure you are using the most recent version of a form visit the ‘forms and templates’ page on the CASA website. Forms associated with CASA checklists, manuals or regulatory content are currently not included in the forms upgrade project.

Go to the forms and templates page on the CASA website.

Briefs

• Round one of CASA’s 2019-20 sponsorship program is open for applications until Friday 22 November 2019. CASA sponsors activities that promote aviation safety for the benefit of the wider aviation community. This can include activities such as conferences, workshops and seminars, safety forums, educational programs, publications and recreational or industry events.
   
  
• Feedback is being sought on two new visual reporting points at Jandakot Airport in Western Australia. The two new reporting points, Oakford and Brick Works, were implemented in May 2019 after an aeronautical review of Perth airspace in 2017. CASA wants to hear from visual flight rules pilots and air traffic controllers to find out if the new reporting points are easy to see, easy to understand on the radio and if they are suitable for their operations. Comment by 1 December 2019.
   
  
• An update of the advisory circular listing approved Part 147 training organisations has been released. This document lists the maintenance training organisations approved to carry out theory and practical aircraft maintenance training.
   
  
• Following a comprehensive review CASA has released an updated version of the Flight Examiner Handbook. This handbook contains the standards, policies and procedures to be used by flight examiners and CASA officers when conducting flight tests.
   
  
• Updated advice on night vision imaging system defects has been released. This new version of an airworthiness bulletin gives more information on equipment failure.
   
  
• A review of the airspace around Brisbane West Wellcamp aerodrome has found it is fit for purpose. CASA’s Office of Airspace Regulation will monitor traffic growth at Wellcamp over the next two years, including the integration of flight training operations. Another airspace review may be conducted after flight training begins at Wellcamp.
   
  

Seminars make safer pilots

Avsafety seminars make pilots safer. That’s one of the findings from a new survey of pilots who have recently attended a seminar. More than 95 per cent of pilots who took part in an Avsafety seminar consider it made them a safer pilot or changed their safety behaviour. Ninety-eight per cent of participants say they would recommend a seminar to other pilots. The theme of the latest round of seminars is ‘expect the unexpected’. Topics being covered include pre-flight planning, aeronautical decision making and checklists. Several case studies are examined covering weather, fuel, weight and balance and airspace infringements. The importance of in-flight decision making is also covered, including some of the traps in decision making. Participants discuss a case study involving fuel management from the point of view of in-flight decision making. Checklists are covered, including their history, importance and how to use them. Several safety occurrences are reviewed where the correct use of a checklist may have stopped the incident or accident occurring.

In November 2019 AvSafety seminars will be held at:

• Mackay
   
  
• Parafield
   
  
• Warrnambool
   
  
• Emerald
   
  
• Echuca
   
  
• Nhill
   
  
• Longreach
   
  
• Naracoorte
   
  
• Mount Gambier
   
  
• Geraldton
   
  
• Jandakot
   
  
• Murray Bridge.
   
  

Book a place at a pilot safety seminar now.

Seminars for engineers

A new series of engineering AvSafety seminars is now underway. The theme of the seminars for engineers is ‘the human component’. Three key topics are being covered - engineering errors and the lessons learnt, the human component of engineering and proposed new general aviation maintenance and continued airworthiness regulations. CASA’s experts use a number of case studies to delve into engineering errors, lessons from mistakes and techniques for avoiding pitfalls. The focus is on exploring the human component of engineering and the cost factors involved in maintenance errors. Importantly there is also discussion about the proposed Part 43 general aviation maintenance regulations for private and air work operations. CASA’s aviation safety advisors welcome discussions and questions, both during and after the presentations. These seminars are a great opportunity to add to professional development, improve safety knowledge and build better teamwork.

In November 2019 engineering seminars are being held at:

• Geraldton
   
  
• Jandakot
   
  
• Hobart
   
  
• Launceston
   
  
• Perth.
   
  

Book a place now at an engineering seminar.