DAMPS – Drug and Alcohol Management System.

[Guest Decca]

Extract (quote) from Ballarat Aero Club Newsletter. Posted for your consideration/comment.

 

“Recently introduced by CASA, the purpose being to maintain the wellbeing and safety of people involved in all aspects of aviation. – referred to as Safety Sensitive Aviation Activities.

 

For our purposes it covers pilots, instructors, student pilots, any person connected with maintenance, fuel testing and aircraft fuelling.

 

The legislation gives CASA the right to do random drug and alcohol testing in any “Aerodrome Testing Area”. Part of the definition of Testing Area includes any part of the aerodrome a plane can travel over, and “any building located on a registered aerodrome used by an AOC holder for flying training”.

 

Technically speaking this includes the bar in the Clubhouse. However, as most Aero Clubs have a bar the interpretation of whether members “having a quiet ale in the Clubrooms” are subject to random testing has not been resolved or tested.

 

The Committee believes that the sensible approach is to hangar planes, and not have plane keys on their person before they enjoy a drink.

 

 

[Simonflyer]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

 

If you wanna get hammered, keep the hell away from a plane.and for some time..I dont care whether your changing the oil or flying an A380.

 

Mates of mine did a few fly aways, and they would do a day on day off policy sharing the flying.The pilot the next day would take the night off from the evening activities the night before and so on so there was a good 24 hours between the juice and being PIC.

 

 

[GraemeK]

Open to heaps of interpretation methinks ......

 

So if I call in at the local flying school on my way home from the Yarra Glen pub (under 0.05, so OK to drive ) with my RA licence on me, and CASA fronts up and tests me - then I'm gone over 0.02. Even though it's very dark outside and I'm VFR only and I have no intention of flying.

 

Lots of grey areas, not thought through at all well despite the best of intentions. I heard one flying school in Sydney was asking all visitors to sign the book saying they had not been drinking.

 

That's the end of the end of day hangar pi$$ups ...:black_eye:

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

This whole new drug and Alohol testing program is another classic example of CASA simply shooting up the wrong Canyon, yet again. It was all kicked off as a result of the tragic Cherokee 6 take-off accident at Hamilton Island.

 

What basically caused that accident was a new line pilot on his first, and as it turned out, very busy day, who at the end of the day did not correctly select his fuel for take off. (common and well known mistake in Cherokee 6s, where the selector is not properly in the detent) You get some fuel but not sufficent.

 

On take off the engine lost some power, and instead of a controlled ditching into the drink off the end of the runway (he had just done the required ditch briefing, and fitted floatation gear to all, not 5 minutes before !) he instead tried to exucute 'the impossible turn'. This is a known killer in aviation, and because the aircraft was fully loaded, and because he encountered a small hill before getting back to the runway, it didn't end well for all on board. All who were there that day agreed, that he should have just ditched straight ahead, and probabily most, if not all, would have been ok, and rescued shortly after.

 

Ok so CASA in their true style decides the new pilots' been seen in the local bar the previous night hasn't he ?, and a search of his yet unpacked personal effects (new digs, not unpacked yet) turns up some 'not used for some time' minor drug paraphenalia. So as far as they figure, he had to totally hung over, and high as a kite !!..it was obvious !!... how else could a fully CASA approved commercial pilot possible crash like that ???...

 

During the subsiquent inquiry, and in the published report, the court concluded there was no basis or toxicological evidence, that either was the case, and could not be proven in any way scientifically.

 

Additionally there is no evidence in this country, or any other, that consumtion of acohol or drugs contributes significantly to the annual accident statistics. The major cause of accidents in this, and other countrys is, and continues to be, 'controlled flight into terrain' and this has seen a marked increase since the use of GPS for navigation.

 

So once again considerable time, money, and not a small amount of unneccessary inconvienance to us all, has gone into an area that was not the problem in the first place, and will of course have almost no direct effect on our accident statistics.

 

And further...what really confuses me is that since then, they have replaced the '8 hours bottle to throttle rule' (which we used to respect), with up to .02 is ok now, as per the Human factors exam. What the..!!!? Does that mean I can fly along, whilst not consuming more than one beer an hour in flight ???.....please explain !!!

 

Well done once again, CASA......................................................................

 

 

[MrH]

:cool_shades:Could be a question placed in the other thread ?

 

"Dinner with CASA's CEO John McCormick "

 

H

 

 

[Relfy]

The purpose of the legislation is to provide the boundaries for enforcement which understandably would be any area within the aerodrome where a pilot, student pilot etc may be reasonably expected to partake in direct/indirect aviation related activities.

 

Legislation, at least in QLD, exists providing for an offence of being in charge of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of liquor or over the legislated breath alcohol concentration. To prove the offence, case law exists where the effected person must be directly in a position to influence the controlling mechanisms of the vehicle. The legislation described here sounds like it is along the same lines. Unless there is a specific statute relating to being over the prescribed limit within the grounds, you really don't have to worry about anything if you're not acting as pilot, student etc.

 

Don't make too much out of this because put it this way, if someone from CASA came in and breath tested you in the club house at a function and decided to send you to court, the matter would be tossed straight out. If however you're sitting in your mates plane doing some engine run-ups at 10pm with a stubby in your hand in the pilots seat, you should be a little worried.

 

 

[Guest Decca]

Each comment/opinion so far has jogged my memory; remember the tragic end of 2 micro light crew not too long ago on a pre-dawn attempt at flight? I wish I had seen a crash report now - I’ve had to heavily edit what I wanted to post because I don’t want to hurt anyone if I get it wrong.

 

So let’s try this;

 

Guilty by implication, regardless of intention. It sounds like the people policing these new rules have been given enormous power, to the point that common sense is overlooked and the police become judge & jury.

 

But along comes Relfy and applies some common sense. (Sorry - don’t anyone take that the wrong way).

 

So where does common sense give way to interpretation of intent. Did the two victims above intend to take off when they first got into the microlight?

 

Regards, Decca.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Guilty by intent was introduced by the CAA some time ago. you don't have to actually commit the offence just all the components have to be around to allow it to happen.

 

An easy way of understanding this is to be drunk and in your car asleep not nessesarily behind the wheel and have in your possesion the ign keys.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

The word I got at Townsville airport for instance was you could be tested anytime you were 'Airside'....otherwise they can't test you. Obviosly if your at a small airport with no 'airside' and you are commiting aviation, or fixing an aeroplane..your fair game......also if you are an ASIC holder you can be tested anywhere ? ...............

 

 

[Guest Decca]

As coincidence would have it, 2 agents (contractors?) arrived at Ballarat Aero Club this morning, asked who was flying, and requesting all so named to attend for D&A testing. At the time it was students & CFI.

 

I wasn’t there ‘til 1pm, so this is second hand, but from those who were present.

 

Apparently they observed incoming pilots, who were not tested, so I have to assume that some degree of common sense is being used. I.e. they flew in, so they should be able to fly out.

 

The test comprised of a saliva swab (I guess for the drugs) & a breath test for alcohol.

 

Everyone passed. But it will happen at an airfield near us soon, and it will be an un-announced spot check, so they ARE serious.

 

Take care, Decca.

 

 

[Simonflyer]

As coincidence would have it, 2 agents (contractors?) arrived at Ballarat Aero Club this morning, asked who was flying, and requesting all so named to attend for D&A testing. At the time it was students & CFI.

Good.If your not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about.

 

 

[winsor68]

Good.If your not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about.

Not necessarily...When passed on to contractors the testing is usually done by urine and breath testing. I had a conversation with someone who used to work with my company, left and has recently been employed by another aviation ground handling company. He told me he was urine tested for drugs on this particular morning and passed and "I had bongs last night???" He seemed surprised and learnt that he could smoke before work and there is a good chance the urine test will show negative...now using urine testing would only show marijuana in the system within about 8-12 hours of use I believe...the urine testing can show a positive result for use up to 6 weeks previously but is a very inaccurate way of testing, BUT...the swab test shows if someone is affected 99% accurately...which was the whole idea behind introducing testing in the first place...urine testing is not even close to this figure. If any one has any doubts about this you just have to take a look at the mining industry and the continued high level of drug use.

 

Casa itself uses swab testing but has allowed operators to choose their own system of testing...