L1 / L2 Maintenance of RAA Aircraft

[Guest DWB]

Looking good Wayne - Geoff P emailed me the details & we're now getting our heads together & he'll be back in touch soon. Have those AC20 & AC43.13 documents downloaded OK.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I do believe that the RAAus must get out of Canberra and into an area that members can access more readily. Almost impossible to fly to and a pain to drive to. If the RAAus move onto an airport then they can look at setting up suitable training facilities that are fully equipped and can have full time tutors teaching in full time courses. It seems the complexity of RAAus aircraft these days will require more than a 2 day course.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

I do believe that the RAAus must get out of Canberra and into an area that members can access more readily. Almost impossible to fly to and a pain to drive to. If the RAAus move onto an airport then they can look at setting up suitable training facilities that are fully equipped and can have full time tutors teaching in full time courses. It seems the complexity of RAAus aircraft these days will require more than a 2 day course.Ozzie

Sounds like a plan we may wish to address Ozzie... Would you care to expand on the details for us, please???

 

Looking good Wayne - Geoff P emailed me the details & we're now getting our heads together & he'll be back in touch soon. Have those AC20 & AC43.13 documents downloaded OK.

Bewdy Dexter,

 

Steve asked me to concentrate on the 20 tasks that are listed in the tech manual section 4.1.1 annex B. Which, if the mature age participents I'm expecting have any sort of previous maintenance experience (and Steve said that having rebuilt motorbike engines as an example, will count towards the total required), then we'll have a better than fair chance of reaching a competencey level that'll allow him to issue our participents with a line maintenance restricted L2 authorization in two days. The aim here is not to turn out full blown L2s (that'd take a 3 year "apprenticeship"). The aim is to get interested members onto the first rung of the ladder that'll lead to a full blown L2 authorization in due course, if that's what the member wants. Steve also suggested that at this level, the tooling requirements for line maintenance L2 authorization could be met by the club having a communal "shadow board" that the members can share.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Wayne i believe that the RAAus is now big enough to really look toward the future and start to become just a bit more than the administrators that they are now. What is offered to train the future maintainence and flying instructors now is pretty limited in it's ability to throughly train them. If they moved the whole show onto a suitable country airport they could have the room to set up dedicated training facilities suitably equipped to cover all the different types of airframes and powerplants. Proper planning for the future would see the facilities expand as needs arise. Canberra is not the place that will allow the RAA to continue to grow successfully.

 

It does not take much forethought to see the benifits of proper dedicated facilities that can be expanded and built on over what is offered now. The current standard is pretty loose, seems to be out of date and way behind the products being offered by manufacturers.

 

RAAus aircraft are right up there with the GA aircraft in complexity these days and the advancement of them is happening faster than GA.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Guest BlackRod]

Ozzie,

 

I've said before that I'd like to see RA-Aus located at an airport that we can fly into. I've also said that I understand the need for our Managers with kids to be in or close to a population centre that would allow them access to good schools, a University and jobs.

 

I like your idea of having dedicated training facilities at such a location and even some basic accommodation. However, the enormous geographical spread, of our membership means that regardless of where such a facility were located, it would still be impractical for a very significant part of the Membership to use those facilities. We need to take the training to the students rather than bring the students to the training.

 

A move to Temora would be well supported by the local Council and there are many advantages of locating there that readily come to mind. There are some legal issues surrounding incorporation in the ACT but they are only minor details easily resolved.

 

A move to Pelican (YPEC near Newcastle, NSW) would probably suit you and me fine and would be reasonably central for the bulk of the Membership. There would be some obvious lifestyle attractions for staff but perhaps not enough to get them to move from Canberra. I'm sure the Central Coast Aero Club could appreciate the synergies possible with such a move and the Lake Macquarie City Council would also be supportive.

 

The CEO has expressed a perceived need for RA-Aus to be close to the CASA chiefs in Canberra. Now that the Sport Aviation Branch is firmly established in a warmer clime, perhaps that is becoming less valid. I honestly don't know.

 

If we were to move RA-Aus out of Canberra, most of the staff would probably not be able to move creating a major staffing problem.

 

While the climate in Canberra is not ideal for recreational aviation with big fogs in winter and severe turbulence in summer, it does tick a lot of the other boxes. So, perhaps if/when the CRAA proposal for a 2nd Airport in the ACT gets up RA-Aus could re-locate there with the minimum of disruption? Another good reason for us all to get behind the people at the CRAA and support their plans.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Be room for good debate on this subject. But i do believe that it is long overdue fro the move from Canberra. Staff loyalty both ways can be a problem but those that cannot make the move would open up opportunities from members living near the new facility. Can always be more than one training establishment to cover the country and an easy way around it would be via the larger TAFE colleges. ACT 2nd airport. Good intentions but until the ribbon is cut.......

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Guest BlackRod]

. . . Staff loyalty both ways can be a problem but those that cannot make the move would . . .

Perhaps have a claim for redundancy?

 

. . . Can always be more than one training establishment to cover the country and an easy way around it would be via the larger TAFE colleges.

True or some of the better equipped (Aero) Clubs.

 

ACT 2nd airport. Good intentions but until the ribbon is cut.......

If RA-Aus were to add their weight to the project by talk of building facilities at the 2nd airport it might just help push the project over the line.

 

 

[Scotty 1]

Wayne

 

Sounds like a handy course to do even if you don't want to become a L2. There is always something new we can learn. Might need to talk to you about when you will be running these.

 

Cheers Scotty

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I was talking to Brian and Carol Carpenter from the USA at Airventure and they would like to come over again and run some Rotax engine courses like those that Airborne held at Maitland a couple years back. These courses were booked out even before the word got out. Good opportunity for someone who can put the bucks up front.

 

The more that got onto the Canberra 2nd airport bandwagon the merrier. But really how long before it would be up and running? Temora would be the go.