[Peetwo]

TICK TOCK goes the DFO clock -  

"...seeing as how their ‘expert’ has been shuffled off to Montreal, tucked away in the ICAO safe house..."

Ah yes the obsequious Mr (Fixit) Tiede Bin Liability tasked yet again with obfuscating ICAO on the parlous state of aviation safety in Australia:

Australian Government involvement in ICAO groups

Australia has maintained a Permanent Mission to ICAO in Montreal since 1947, and is represented on the Council of ICAO, and in the Air Navigation Commission.

Australia's current Permanent Representative to ICAO, and Representative on the Council, is Mr Samuel Lucas, appointed in 2016.

Australia's current Nominee to the Air Navigation Commission is Mr Andrew Tiede, appointed in 2018.

Officials from a number of Australian Government agencies participate actively in a wide range of ICAO groups, including Panels, Working Groups, Study Groups, and Regional Planning Groups. The Australian Government's involvement spans all of ICAO's five global strategic objectives, including experts from:

- the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities, on facilitation, environmental, and economic development issues;
- the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, on aviation safety issues;
Airservices Australia, on air traffic management and aviation fire fighting and rescue issues;
- the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, on accident investigation issues;
- the Bureau of Meteorology, on meteorological issues;
- the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, on search and rescue issues;
- the Department of Home Affairs, on aviation security issues;
- the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on passport-related issues; and
- the Attorney-General's Department, on international legal issues.

For further information on the Australian Government's involvement in ICAO groups, please contact the relevant agency.


Last Updated: 20 December, 2017

P2: Note the date that the above Dept webpage was updated? Not sure how it is possible for TBL to be (re-)appointed as our Air Navigation Commissioner 2 weeks before the end of 2017 and at least a month before the ICAO meeting which officially rubberstamps decides to endorse these nominations? - Just saying..   

In addition to the Youtube segments from last year's Additional Estimates above I'd like to add the following Hansard and Youtube extract:

Senator XENOPHON: So do you think that building, the DFO at Essendon, with its proximity to the end of the runway, would meet your criteria for fulfilling CASA's views as to the safety criteria for a building of that size, of that height, in that proximity to the runway?

Mr Carmody : Currently, my understanding is that it would. There was a building there prior to the DFO building. Prior to the DFO building process in, I think, 2004 or thereabouts there were buildings that preceded that on the same location.

Senator XENOPHON: You are quite comfortable, if there were going to be another airport plan, that you would not have an issue with a building with that proximity to the runway?

Mr Carmody : On that runway, in that location, I understand it fits within the template. Mr Tiede would be able to correct me if I am incorrect.

Senator XENOPHON: And you set the template? Is that your template?

Mr Tiede : CASA's interest is in the safety-of-air-navigation piece of this. There are obstacle limitation surfaces, in very broad description, around an airport, starting from the runway out to 15 kilometres, like an upside-down wedding cake. The take-off climb surface extends off the runway in a straight ahead thing for 15 kilometres, climbing at a slope that is dependent on the specification of the runway. So this, in significant part, overlies the public safety zone, third-party protection apparatus that is talked about. The DFO complex fits under the obstacle limitation surfaces, and so it meets the regulatory—

Senator XENOPHON: Do those obstacle limitation surfaces need to be reviewed in light of the DFO accident?

Mr Tiede : The obstacle limitation surfaces are drawn from some quite detailed ICAO specifications—International Civil Aviation Organization specifications—that are very detailed and very longstanding. We model our regulations on that information. ICAO is in a process of reviewing the OLS. The issue with that, of course, is that any outcomes are some time downstream. CASA participates in that work of ICAO as a member of the working group that is looking at this.

Senator XENOPHON: But you are not bound by ICAO? Or are you saying you are bound by ICAO in terms of recommendations for buildings in proximity to airports?

Note how CC comes in over the top of TBL -

Mr Tiede : These are standards of ICAO that, yes, we have incorporated into our laws. We follow the ICAO specifications in their Annex 14, their aerodromes annex. We transfer....

Mr Carmody : We routinely follow their standards and recommended practices, unless we notify a difference. In this particular case, too, with Essendon, I might add that part of this discussion would depend upon the results of the investigation, at the end of the day.

Senator XENOPHON: So if the ATSB says, 'We need to review public safety zones—

Mr Carmody : I would be very interested if they came out with something like that. At the moment, the investigation is afoot, I understand. I do not know what the cause of the accident was. I know what the consequences were. But I think that that is part of the picture.

Senator XENOPHON: There is always the cause, but would the outcome have been different if that building were not in the way?

Mr Carmody : And that is correct.

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Coming back to TBL's hushed and rushed re-appointment to the ICAO ANC...

From ICAO it is stated the primary purpose of the Air Navigation Commission is...

"...The Air Navigation Commission (ANC) considers and recommends Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PANS) for adoption or approval by the ICAO Council..."   

This would support TBL's statement that...

"...These are standards of ICAO that, yes, we have incorporated into our laws. We follow the ICAO specifications in their Annex 14, their aerodromes annex..."

However Mr Carmody was quick to add...

"..We routinely follow their standards and recommended practices, unless we notify a difference..."

So was that the issue here? Did we notify differences to the relevant sections of Annex 14 Volume 1? For reference Annex 14 Vol 1 link - HERE. And the latest Australian notified differences link go - HERE - and then click on Annex 14 Vol 1 in appendix. 

Then refer to CHAPTER 4. OBSTACLE RESTRICTION AND REMOVAL and table 4-1 from the Annex :

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Now compare that to pages 12 and 13 of the 41 pages of notified differences to ICAO Annex 14 Vol 1:

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Hmm...I notice this is a common response for many of our ND's??

"..Australia has not legal authority outside the
aeordrome boundary..."

For example ND explanation for SARP 4.2.10:

"..New objects or extensions of existing objects shall not be permitted above an approach surface within 3 000 m of the inner edge or above a transitional surface except when, in the opinion of the appropriate authority, the new object or extension would be shielded by an existing immovable object...

...Note.— Circumstances in which the shielding principle may reasonably be applied are described in the Airport Services
Manual (Doc 9137), Part 6..."

Maybe that is what CC was trying to allude to when he said...

"...There was a building there prior to the DFO building. Prior to the DFO building process in, I think, 2004 or thereabouts there were buildings that preceded that on the same location..."  - 

Anyway over to you Mr PB ??

MTF? - Definitely...P2

Ps Tomorrow spare a thought for the victims NOK on the anniversary of the tragic B200 DFO accident -

 

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