Registration Delays

[DonRamsay]

. . . It shows that the decline in the number of RAAus aircraft registered has stopped and is now on the increase again. It also shows that the number of "Aircraft Deregistered" has doubled and is still on the increase.Still a way to go it seems but hopefully on the right track - however it would be nice to see the process speeded up somewhat.

I wonder if the upturn in the graph will be reversed by the Tech Manager being on leave for a couple of weeks immediately before his termination and then the lull while we await the recruitment of a replacement. The current acting Tech Mgr was assisting Wayne but is now temporarily, at least, replacing him. Doesn't seem like more hands to the pumps but perhaps fewer?

 

 

[DonRamsay]

Some of the blame will rest with the aircraft owners. We currently have two aircraft out of registration awaiting information from us. There is nothing more the office can do. . . .

Sue,

 

If the only problem or the major part of the reason for the delays was recalcitrant owners, we would not be having this conversation. My point was that however the problem arose, it has been know for at least 8 months and yet there is no indication that RA-Aus is winning the battle and that an end to the backlog is in sight. RA-Aus has simply not taken the issue seriously enough to commit the resources to get it fixed in quick time.

 

There are issues like the Ibis and the 450kg Euro aircraft that were never going to be solved quickly and had to involve a solution acceptable to CASA. But the great bulk of the current cause of the backlog is a failure to go hard. That is not a comment about the efforts of the Staff who have toiled very admirably in very low morale times. It is a simple statement of fact that insufficient resources have been applied to resolve the bulk of the backlog issues in a reasonable amount of time.

 

Don

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

I agree with you Don. Resources should have been committed earlier, to fix the lax attitude of the past. I remember the denials, then people volunteering to help out and being told they were not needed. Internal auditing of the files would have pulled up the likes of ours (which must be a slim volume) with no plans or data set for over 20 years. Yet for 20 years it was renewed without any comment. Our two aircraft are at a point where concerted action is required from us. The only help the office can give us is to ring and ask if we need advice or if we would like to give up and cancel the registration.

 

 

 

I didn't want the Tech staff blamed for a backlog that consisted of issues that were out of their hands. I can only imagine what's in the pile: -

 

• CofA issues going to CASA for a solution
   
   
  
• Files not looked at yet
   
   
  
• Waiting for owner response
   
   
  
• Waiting for tech staff to check owner's response
   
   
  
• Waiting for CASA's consultant to process
   
   
  

 

 

The registered fleet is down by 15% and I hope the backlog was not used as a criteria for terminating the Tech Manager.

 

 

 

The nub of the issue has been the relationship between the Board and the Tech Managers over many years. I wouldn't take the job.

 

 

 

Sue

 

 

[503]

Well last week I received both my cert and rego renewal one day apart and faxed them both back the next day ,today I've received my pilot cert ,I guess tomorrow ill get the rego renewal best part is the rego won't run out for 3 weeks I'm taking the arvo off to wait for the postman

Update ,Don't use the fax as one pic with serial number not clear so it's back to the bottom of the pile and now out of rego ,westfly next weekend not looking good, bet the weather will be perfect

 

 

[Neil_S]

Well I am in the fortunate position of being able to report GOOD news on the registration front.

 

Our rego is due to expire on Oct 27th, and I received the renewal notice on Sept 26th. I sent off the renewal info with a new set of rego and warning sign photos signed & dated by Sept 27th.

 

Yesterday (Oct 15th) I received 2 emails confirming a) the money had been taken from our account b) our rego had been renewed with no problems.

 

So that was 2 weeks! So from our perspective well done to the RA-Aus admin staff for getting the rego renewal done promptly!

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[planet47]

Beat the drum, I have a few months before my initial registration, there are a fair few rivets under those big wing numbers and every one is a bitch to put the vinyl over and get it looking half decent. I can't see any good reason to have them, you can't read them at 500' and we wouldn't be lower than that unless we are landing!

 

Maybe its to help the starving councils recoup landing fees from the audacious pilot who had the temerity to use their facility to land their plane! Who knows!!

 

 

[turboplanner]

It would have been very handy to catch the clowns who were beating up caravan parks from below tree height, and similar reckless stunts, which eventually affect us all.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Why do RAAus still require the Rego Number under the wing???? CASA have dropped that requirement and I thought the rules were aligned?Removing this requirement could save quite a few dollars to some one registering for the first time and / or after a recover / repaint.

Really? The last time I looked at CASR Part 45 it said:

 

45.045 Number and location of sets of markings — fixed-wing aircraft

 

(1) On a fixed-wing aircraft, 3 sets of the aircraft’s markings must be

 

displayed, as follows:

 

(a) 1 set either on the under surface of the port wing or across the

 

under surface of both wings, in each case as set out in

 

subregulation (2);

 

(b) the 2 other sets on:

 

(i) the fuselage, as set out in subregulation (3); or

 

(ii) engine nacelles or similar fixed obstructions on the

 

fuselage, as set out in subregulation (5); or

 

(iii) the vertical tail, as set out in subregulation (6).

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

The reasons there was a registration debacle hitting the headlines back in November 2012 could indeed be found in poor management and governance in the past going back over perhaps a decade or more.RA-Aus had a wake-up call 5 or 6 years ago when a Sting crashed with, tragically, two fatalities. The aircraft registration was dubious and an action for negligence was taken out naming RA-Aus and CASA as co-defendants. That should have been enough to stir a Board and the Management into real action. Then, in 2012, four audits from CASA were not addressed with the urgency CASA would like to have seen and finally CASA withdrew the right to register our aircraft.

 

However regrettable, virtually none of the above is relevant to the question of why we are still having issues with registrations 10 months later. And one Board member is actually suggesting it could be another 12 months before we get back to "normal".

 

Surely the problem is just a matter of logistics? Once you have an understanding of the size of the problem you can calculate what resources are needed to eliminate the backlog within an acceptable time frame - and apply the resources. I can't accept that 10 months is an acceptable time frame and the prospect of the issue running for a year and 10 months is way beyond my capacity to understand. Yes, the appropriate resources will cost money but it is money we have in cash reserves and there would be no reason to extract additional funds from members to redress the issue.

 

RA-Aus has just two core functions:

 

• approve pilots to fly;
  and,
   
   
   
  
• approve aircraft to be flown.
   
   
  

 

 

All under the umbrella of Safety.

 

How can it be OK to fail in one of these two core functions for over a year, once it has been pointedly brought to your attention?

 

While I believe that the Management is doing the best it can with the resources granted to it by the Board, I wonder what will it take to get the message to the Board that not enough is being done - soon enough?

Thanks, Don; however I suggest that "dubious" is an understatement; much stronger terms might perhaps be more appropriate. Perhaps "fraudulent" and "criminally negligent" would not be inappropriate? The case was settled because of the legal precedent that flying in a recreational aircraft is an inherently dangerous activity. However it does seem to have jolted CASA out of its sleep, so the effort was, perhaps, not wasted; it may save somebody else's life. That RAA seems to be making such extraordinarily heavy weather of sorting the problem out, should suggest that its ramifications go far deeper than people may wish to imagine.

 

 

[frank marriott]

It would appear to me that the rego. problem is pretty well sorted for compling aircraft. Certainly from what I have seen locally and read here.

 

I accept there is a way to go with some imported aircraft and recognition of the manafacturers certification like the IFA prop for example. These more complicated issues will take more time.

 

For the fullying complying aircraft there was some issue of missing docs./photos etc. but after these have been supplied for this renewal then that problem should dissapear.

 

After 12 months the situation should be, and appears to be, over. I accept the complications of "non compliance" will take longer, and this does not help the owners of these aircraft but what is required by the current laws apply -- one may not agree with them & there may well be good reasoning to look at trying to have them changed, but that is a whole different subject.

 

Unless I am unaware of some hidden adgenda then the MAJORITY of the problem [missing photos/docs.] is sorted.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Frank

 

Where the initial problems were due to humans accepting something that should not have been accepted, or where there were insufficient artefacts provided then I accept your position as logical. Where such artefacts were provided and the correct decisions made to register but subsequently were lost or misplaced then I don't accept that the problem has been solved, rather we have provided a short term tactical fix by reproviding whatever went missing.

 

To me, we are yet to address this more problematic issue because it can only be fixed by ridding ourselves of paper and moving to electronic filing. which then addresses the "what happens if the records are damaged by fire flood inundation "etc. The likelihood might well be low, but its an open action item from the 4 audits and I cant see how we can close it out except by electronic file, or a 100% paper copy of everything we do being stored off site...

 

By not addressing the underlying issue I cant see anyone being able to hand on heart say that our records are complete and accurate at any point in time. There were many that reported here, including me, that artefacts from original paperwork had been lost, in my case the W&B done by the factory assist builders at Bundy. They were in the POH so were done and either not provided to AUF/RAAus or simply lost

 

Andy

 

 

[ahlocks]

It would appear to me that the rego. problem is pretty well sorted for complying aircraft.

Seven working days from renewal paperwork and photos arriving at mission control to a PDF of rego certificate being received.

 

 

[frank marriott]

Andy

 

No arguement from me. I just indicated the overall delays etc. to members seems to have been overcome.

 

I am happy to believe that the office set up and record keeping will be addressed by the new manager & board given time to do so. I know there is some strong opinions about how that should be done but I have no desire to get into that aspect of the matter. My approach is to let those who have sorted the matter to this stage continue with their work unhindered.

 

 

[rankamateur]

Maybe its to help the starving councils recoup landing fees from the audacious pilot who had the temerity to use their facility to land their plane! Who knows!!

I don' t think the sneeky spy cameras, usually on the taxiway, get a real good look at the underwing numbers, hence my initial comment, that they are a waste of time.

 

 

[planet47]

Was just a thought!

 

27 days from sending in photos, new weight and balance, details of landings, etc I now have PDF certificate. My only apparent hiccup was the request for a "passenger placard". So now I have another 12 months and the building of the new one will have progressed so much further by then.

 

 

[turboplanner]

These individual success stories are great. What is the total number of backlogged aircraft at the present time?

 

 

[frank marriott]

These individual success stories are great. What is the total number of backlogged aircraft at the present time?

Waste of time quoting just numbers without the reason for each, which I suspect would provide the answer. A staff member could be diverted to produce these useless stats. or could be more gainfully employed addressing the actual problems individually.

 

 

[ave8rr]

Really? The last time I looked at CASR Part 45 it said:45.045 Number and location of sets of markings — fixed-wing aircraft

(1) On a fixed-wing aircraft, 3 sets of the aircraft’s markings must be

 

displayed, as follows:

 

(a) 1 set either on the under surface of the port wing or across the

 

under surface of both wings, in each case as set out in

 

subregulation (2);

 

(b) the 2 other sets on:

 

(i) the fuselage, as set out in subregulation (3); or

 

(ii) engine nacelles or similar fixed obstructions on the

 

fuselage, as set out in subregulation (5); or

 

(iii) the vertical tail, as set out in subregulation (6).

Dafydd, found this from the CASA site as a NPRM.

 

http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/newrules/maint/download/nprm0712ms_annexb.pdf

 

My experimental aircraft has the Rego on the side of the fuselage and it was issued with an experimental CofA by CASA inspector.

 

From what I can find there has been no underwing Rego letters since around 2010.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...(1) On a fixed-wing aircraft, 3 sets of the aircraft’s markings must be

displayed, as follows:...

 

(i) the fuselage, as set out in subregulation (3)...

Even the fuselage marking can be next to useless. When ground marshalling with powerful binoculars, it's often impossible to read the rego.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Waste of time quoting just numbers without the reason for each, which I suspect would provide the answer. A staff member could be diverted to produce these useless stats. or could be more gainfully employed addressing the actual problems individually.

How long does it take to count the pile?

 

If the numbers are progressing from 300 to 500 to 800, then members are alerted to an increasing crisis, and have a chance to step in.

 

If the numbers are reducing from 500 to 400 etc, things are improving, no need for concern.

 

Your information only relates to your location, so is useless for the big picture. For example in my area there is no backlog of registrations at all.

 

 

[rankamateur]

http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/newrules/maint/download/nprm0712ms_annexb.pdf

"Gliders, Motor-Gliders, Light Sports Aircraft,

 

Amateur-Built aircraft and aircraft issued with a

 

Certificate of Airworthiness in the Primary category

 

are allowed a minimum height of the underwing

 

markings of 75 mm rather than the ICAO

 

requirement of 500 mm." from 4.2.1 in this link suggests 75mm letters for LSA and amateur built, does that take in 19 rego RAA or only GA experimental?

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Waste of time quoting just numbers without the reason for each, which I suspect would provide the answer. A staff member could be diverted to produce these useless stats. or could be more gainfully employed addressing the actual problems individually.

Frank do you know how computers work?

 

 

[503]

Seems to me when something wrong is found STOP this must be fixed .so when to owner finds out by post (yes post) or other means he usually will fix this straight away then it's to the bottom of the pile waiting for the casa guy,when he gets a chance to drop in .then he finds something else STOP etc etc.yep , best to phone up now and again or your rego may get left in the to hard basket longer.im now back in the casa guy pile hoping he can't find anything else when he next visits ,although nobody can say when this may happen. Sounds like the easy ones are getting done on time which is a great start, I just hope that flying is like riding a bike and I don't forget how when eventually back in the sky

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Dafydd, found this from the CASA site as a NPRM.http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/newrules/maint/download/nprm0712ms_annexb.pdf

My experimental aircraft has the Rego on the side of the fuselage and it was issued with an experimental CofA by CASA inspector.

 

From what I can find there has been no underwing Rego letters since around 2010.

 

Cheers

Yes, well that's an Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Once those changes have been incorporated into CASR Part 45, the underwing letters may be reduced to 75 MM high - but not until.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Seems to me when something wrong is found STOP this must be fixed .so when to owner finds out by post (yes post) or other means he usually will fix this straight away then it's to the bottom of the pile waiting for the casa guy,when he gets a chance to drop in .then he finds something else STOP etc etc.yep , best to phone up now and again or your rego may get left in the to hard basket longer.im now back in the casa guy pile hoping he can't find anything else when he next visits ,although nobody can say when this may happen. Sounds like the easy ones are getting done on time which is a great start, I just hope that flying is like riding a bike and I don't forget how when eventually back in the sky

Sounds like the modern form of tax evasion.