CASA Briefing Newsletter - May 2019

CEO and Director of Aviation Safety

I am reasonably confident that if you ask anyone in CASA to describe my leadership style the answer will be something like “he likes to set goals and make sure they are met”. Under my leadership if CASA says a project will be completed within a certain time frame to agreed outcomes, the odds are very good that it will be completed. Of course, circumstances can change and plans sometimes need to be altered for sound reasons, but I have to be convinced by facts and evidence before I will approve slippages. Sometimes though events and factors outside the control of CASA can influence outcomes. I am committed to demonstrating that CASA can and will meet deadlines and deliver quality outcomes. In 2018 we had a deadline to complete the six new operational regulatory parts and a deadline for Part 142/142 transition and we delivered on both. Given CASA’s record in regulatory development in the past, these were major achievements. My next regulatory development goal is to complete the remaining parts before the end of this year and work is well underway.

In the area of service delivery, I get regular and detailed reports on how CASA is performing. These reports show how our client services centre is running – the number of applications lodged, the number closed and other details on licences, medicals and permissions. While the number of open jobs at any one time is still higher than we would like, the trend line of applications that have been processed on time is heading in the right direction. I am also focussed on other key areas such as consistency and making compliance with requirements easier and clearer. A major project is underway which is looking at regulatory services and surveillance, with the goal of improving consistency and standardisation across CASA, across offices and across teams through the development of a new operating model. Already there have been improvements made to our key manuals and further improvements will be rolled out progressively over this year and next.

The aviation community can be confident that I will continue to strive for the best possible regulatory and service outcomes for the aviation community. Under my leadership we will not stand still, and we will meet our commitments.

Best wishes

Shane Carmody

Other CASA announcements

Non-controlled airspace course online

Pilots wanting to learn about radio procedures in non-controlled airspace can now use a CASA online course. The eLearning course covers the background of radio procedures in non-controlled airspace, an overview of key changes, appropriate communications and use of radio, differences in visual flight rules and instrument flight rules language and where to go for more information. There is detailed information on radio frequencies used at non-controlled aerodromes. In the vicinity of unchartered aerodromes pilots have the discretion to use the most appropriate frequency for safe operations. It is recommended pilots use the area VHF, but they may use the MULTICOM 126.7 MHz. The eLearning looks at the importance of ‘alerted’ see and avoid, gives examples of correct and incorrect radio broadcasts and sets out when radio broadcasts must be made. The training takes only 15 minutes to complete and is available by logging into CASA’s AviationWorx and selecting the class G airspace radio procedures course.

Find the radio procedures eLearning in AviationWorx.

Go to other non-controlled airspace education resources.

Behind airspace infringements

The top five factors that contribute to airspace infringements have been identified and prioritised from information collected by surveying pilots who have been involved in airspace infringements. They are pilot distraction, misreading charts, high workload in the cockpit, unexpected air traffic control instructions and incorrect use of equipment. All pilots that enter either civil or military airspace without a clearance are asked to complete an online survey form. Pilot distraction or inattention is the number one factor contributing to airspace infringements. Survey results indicate this is not due to inexperience as the average flying experience for a pilot involved in an airspace infringement is 3052 hours. Most were private flights and 52 per cent of pilots surveyed belonged to an aero club or flying school. Most respondents said they flew only occasionally in the area in where they had the infringement, and the majority were trying to remain outside of controlled airspace. This is consistent with misreading charts being one of the key factors behind airspace infringements.

Read more about the airspace infringements survey results.

Get airspace infringements resources.

Passenger comfort device advice

CASA has recently published detailed guidance on cabin safety issues relating to passenger comfort devices. Passenger comfort devices include baby hammocks, knee defenders and leg hammocks. While these devices may not contravene safety regulations, they can pose cabin safety hazards. CASA recommends air operators identify devices that passengers may seek to use and conduct a risk assessment. Cabin safety procedures and training should be developed that set out crew responsibilities in relation to passenger comfort devices. Issues to be covered include when devices can and cannot be used, ensuring emergency equipment is not restricted, verification that excessive loads will not be placed on seats or floor structures, safety risks for other passengers, interference with seat belts and appropriate stowage during take-off, landings or turbulence. The way information about comfort devices will be communicated to passengers also needs to be determined.

Find out about the management of passenger comfort devices.

Strong response to drone proposals

There was a strong response to the consultation undertaken on proposed drone accreditation and registration. More than 2850 people and organisations submitted comments on the proposed requirements, which are scheduled to be phased in during late 2019 and 2020. All recreational drones weighing more than 250 grams would be covered by the registration and accreditation requirements, unless they were model aircraft operated at CASA-approved model airfields. To gain accreditation people will need to do an online education course – watching a video and answering a quiz on the relevant drone rules. People who already hold a drone licence will not have to do the accreditation course. There will be a modest fee for registration of $20 or less for recreational drone flyers, with a higher fee applying to commercial drone operators. The exact fee levels have not yet been finalised.

Find the responses to the drone accreditation and registration proposals.

Development continues on Plain English guide to new regs

Work is continuing on the development of a plain English guide to the new Part 91 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations. Extracts from the guide to the new general operating and flight rules have been made available for comment over the last few months to gauge if the extracts are easy-to-read and understand, retain the true meaning of the regulations and strike the right balance between technical accuracy and simple writing. Feedback received so far has indicated overwhelming support for development of such plain English guides to enhance understanding of all regulations. Work is now underway on improving and enhancing the current document based on comments received. The intention is to provide an advance draft of the guide by mid-2019, followed by the completion of the document in early 2020. Further consideration will be given to developing similar guides for other regulations that require widespread understanding by large audiences and impact on multiple sectors of the aviation industry.

Go to the Part 91 extracts and provide feedback by Friday 31 May 2019.

Have your say on airspace consultations

A number of airspace consultations are currently open for comment. The consultations include a review of the airspace within 35 nautical miles of Hobart Airport, which is the first airspace review to be conducted using CASA’s Consultation Hub. The review is open until Friday 31 May 2019. Two airspace change proposals on Lowering Class E airspace for continental Australia and Class E airspace trial – Ayers Rock Aerodrome are also open for comment until 23 June 2019.

Have your say now on the proposed Preliminary Airspace Review Hobart 2019, the Airspace change proposals Lowering Class E airspace for continental Australia and Class E airspace trial – Ayers Rock Aerodrome.

In brief

• Candidates applying for a recreational pilot licence are being reminded they must pass either the recreational pilot licence (aeroplane) or recreational pilot licence (helicopter) exam. After 30 June 2019, CASA records must show a pass in these exams for a recreational pilot licence application to be processed. Passes for the old basic aeronautical knowledge exams will not satisfy the requirements for the issue of a recreational pilot licence.
   
  
• A special airworthiness information bulletin has been issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration about an airworthiness concern for all helicopters that have specific Goodrich Rescue Hoists installed. The bulletin contains inspection procedures to ensure the carrier retainer spring of the hoist is fully engaged.
   
  
• Comment on proposed amendments to standards for instrument flight procedure design. Amendments to the Part 173 manual of standards would permanently set in place a longstanding temporary exemption arrangement relating to instrument flight procedure publishing standards and clarify the requirements for calculating visibility minima. Comment by 2 June 2019.
   
  

Safety seminars for pilots

Pilots in five regional locations around Australia are invited to attend an AvSafety seminar in June 2019. The seminars will help pilots develop skills in three key areas – communication, situational awareness and threat and error management. A practical scenario will be used to explain the concepts of threat and error management. Pilots will work through relevant defensive flying behaviours aimed at addressing human factors challenges encountered in single pilot operations. Pilots will be given special cards with key information on communication, situational awareness and threat and error management. The cards can be kept in a new AvSafety resource folder to build a library of critical safety information. Cards and folders are only available to people who attend AvSafety seminars.

In June 2019 seminars are being held at:

• Bathurst
   
  
• Colac
   
  
• Hamilton
   
  
• Orange
   
  
• Tooradin.
   
  

Don’t miss out by booking a pilot seminar now.

Engineering seminar

CASA is holding an engineering safety seminar at Bankstown on 26 June 2019. The seminar will cover a range of topics including leadership and mentoring for aviation maintenance engineers, specialist maintenance certification, Flight Safety Australia maintenance articles and a regulation review update. Engineers, heads of airworthiness and maintenance, other people from airworthiness organisations and maintenance training personnel will all benefit from attending the seminar. This is a great professional development opportunity, allowing people to talk with CASA maintenance experts and ask questions.

Book a place now at an engineering seminar.

Flight instructor workshops

Flight instructor safety workshops are being held in Cairns and Townsville in June 2019. The workshops include case studies, discussion topics and group exercises. Some of the topics covered will be maintaining good situational awareness in the training environment, anticipating student actions, understanding Part 61 requirements, use of GPS in the instructional environment, online resources for instructors and students and maximising the benefit of flight reviews. CASA’s aviation safety advisers will run the free workshops, which will include time for questions and feedback. The Cairns workshop is being held on Tuesday 11 June 2019 and Townsville on Thursday 13 June 2019.

Book your place now for the flight instructor workshops.

Safeskies safety managers forum

A safety managers forum is being held in Canberra on 16 October 2019. The forum will feature CASA and industry specialist speakers and is being run in conjunction with the Safeskies conference. This interactive forum will allow safety managers to discuss the range of issues they face in day-to-day operations, consider solutions and develop a network of safety managers across Australia. Registrations for the safety managers forum will open soon.

Register now for the Safeskies conference.