[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 24 November 2023

24 November 2023



– Steve Hitchen

LMH is back after another forced sabbatical. During the last few weeks there have been many people in the aviation community checking up on me and sending their best wishes. It's been very humbling and I appreciate the encouragement I've been given and the assistance to get back to the keyboard. It is these people and their spirit that remind me why I am part of the general aviation community. To everyone that hung out for the return of LMH: here it is at last. 

Ausfly has made the strategic decision to throw-up their traditional home at Narromine and relocate to Wentworth for 2024. They've also moved out of Spring and into Autumn, joining a string of other aviation events that seek more reliable weather. According to the organisers, Wentworth is a better location because Sydney basin pilots who have been thwarted in attempts to get to Narromine by low cloud on the Great Dividing Range can now head south coastal to get around the mountains. All of that makes sense, but Ausfly is hanging its hat on weather being the only reason for poor turn-outs in previous years. Some exhibitors have described the 2023 event as "a ghost town" and that it lacked energy. The move to Wentworth should actually re-energise the event because it's a different place for people to explore that has very interesting history (get this: it was once touted as a possible capital city of Australia). For Melbourne and Adelaide pilots, Wentworth is a lot closer; not so for Sydney and Brisbane pilots. The move to Narromine has one other redeeming feature: it distances Ausfly from Flyin' for Fun, which is scheduled for Parkes only a couple of weeks later. Pilots will go to two events that close together in time, but not if they are basically in the same location. All this should give Ausfly a kick in the pants provided, as always, the organisers provide compelling reasons to go.

"..the justification for the exclusions is a bit on the nose.."

The GA community can almost smell Class 5 self-declared medicals. After so many years of lobbying and broken promises, it seems were are on the cusp of finally achieving a very desired goal. However, it seems what we are being offered is not exactly what we were looking for. Class 5–consultation for which has closed–lists a serious of flight activities that pilots on self-declared medicals will be barred from: aerobatics, IFR and formations are just three. But like too many things coming out of CASA, the justification for the exclusions is a bit on the nose. In some cases, CASA has proposed exclusions in dissent with its own Technical Working Group, and others have been applied even though RAAus pilots have been safely performing some of these activities for decades without the medical examination that CASA says is so important to safety. Where RAAus pilots have demonstrated safety, CASA should enable that with Class 5 based on the weight of evidence provided by RAAus. Arguments about other activities such as IFR and aerobatics are more complex, but keep in mind there are more jurisdictions around the world that permit some of these flight activities on self-declared medicals, putting them at odds with CASA. 

The Class 5 proposal is entangled with the project to give RAAus pilots access to CTA; so much so that I believe behind the walls of Aviation House that they have been considered together. With RAAus pushing for CTA, CASA was compelled to revisit their previous policy of demanding medicals in CTA. That seems to have been rescinded in the Class 5 proposal, permitting PPLs on Class 5 to access CTA. So if the CTA proposal demands medical certificates of RAAus pilots, CASA has once again created it's own regulatory contradiction. I think that's a bit much even for the rusted-on middle managers who have put up so much resistance to change in the past. In sum, if Class 5 gets up as written then CTA access for RAAus must logically follow. However, there haven't been many instances in the past when CASA has been accused of using logic. If they had, they wouldn't have applied so many exclusions to the Class 5 medical standard.

It was disappointing to hear of the departure from CASA of Rob Walker. Of all the managers at CASA, Rob was perhaps the one we needed to retain the most. That there's a controversial statement; Rob was often the face of bad news as Stakeholder Engagement Manager, but it was something he never shirked away from, and was quite capable of stating his case firmly. Behind the scenes, Rob was (still is, I presume) a GA fanatic who part-owned a Grumman Tiger. He understood that reform was needed for GA, but struggled with breaking the inertia to get things going. The last thing we need is for Rob to be replaced with someone who doesn't have a similar level of understanding of, and passion for, general aviation. As a journalist who had plenty to do with Rob, I could always trust what he said was the truth, even if it was an unpalatable one.

Forget "Black Friday", the best bargain you'll get this season in on the Great Magazines website, where you can land a subscription to Australian Flying for just $34.00. That's 40% off the normal price! It means you have six editions of Australia's greatest aviation magazine slotted into your letterbox and you don't have to worry about getting to the newsagent again. It's easier, it's more convenient, and it's much cheaper. Get onto the Great Magazines website today and get yourself signed up.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 8 December 2023

8 December 2023

– Steve Hitchen

And then there were none. CASR Part 149 approvals are now closed with five sport aviation bodies (SAB) that applied being awarded their certificate. Originally, it was thought that nine SABs were on the slate for approval. Those that haven't made the cut for whatever reason will now fall under CASA administration or continue to operate under exemptions. CASA seems pretty pleased with the SABs that made the jump to Part 149 because it means a comprehensive leap in the professionalism of the organisations. RAAus won Part 149 approval, whereas I am sure the AUF wouldn't have cut the mustard. But not everyone is smiling; there are still advocates out there that believe Part 149 is just CASA abdicating their responsibilities and foisting cost back onto the industry. If you pick apart that opinion, you can see what makes it tick, but it really is a paradigm entrenched in the history of general aviation and not the future. CASA is facing a barrage of challenges in the next 10 years including urban mobility, RPAS, alternate fuel, electric power, skill shortages, environmental concerns, cultural concerns, space and cyberspace to highlight a few. That's an oncoming storm that GA needs to be insulated from as far as possible, and that's where Part 149 comes into it. Although CASA is still the regulator, their confidence in a Part 149 administrator will act as a buffer for sport aviation sectors and give SAB members a voice that is listened to as aviation in Australia goes through an necessary upheaval.

"..there is a very weak culture in fleet replacement to new in regional GA.."

Part of that upheaval is the move to sustainable power sources. This week the RAAA expressed doubts that general aviation will be able to make the leap to electric power, which will be disappointing for the Labor government to hear as they are pinning their net-zero dreams for GA to electricity. The issue is this: where SAF is likely to be a drop-in replacement for turbine fuel, electric systems need nearly a whole new aeroplane to support them. Whilst Pipistrel has made some advances with slotting electrical systems in to the Sinus/Virus airframe, the end result is heavily degraded capability. GA, especially in the regions, can't cope with that; they need power trains that will deliver similar capability to what they have now. Failure to deliver them economically will have operators turning back to legacy airframes with maintenance and upgrades to keep aircraft viable for the next 2000 hours. The astute among you will realise that I'm not talking about a new problem; fleet replacement in GA has been an issue for years. A new Cessna 206 capital cost is well over $A1 million, whereas a second-hand model with reasonable hours remaining can be snatched up for less that one-fifth of that (if you're quick!). And just don't ask about the cost of a new Baron; people are doing $1 million upgrades to old airframes because it's still cheaper than new. So there is a very weak culture in fleet replacement to new in regional GA, one that will need to be strengthened if viable electric aircraft are going to penetrate the market.

Aeria Management Group (AMG) has made a submission to the white paper process suggesting the government invest in new technologies and anchor those investments at  Bankstown and Camden Airports (of which AMG runs both). That will work for smaller technologies such as RPAS and electric power, but the Federal Government is focusing more on sustainable aviation fuel than any other, and for that you need copious amounts of sunshine and lots of space; both of which are to be found in abundance in Australia's regions moreso than the metro areas. That's where the money will go initially. Consider also that the minister for infrastructure and transport is also the minister for regional development; one hand giveth and so does the other one. So if your company is into new aviation technologies and you're looking for a grant that contributes to net-zero targets, a regional base is going to be an advantage in the near future. That, I suspect, will apply to all technologies, not just SAF.

Of course you should have most of your Christmas presents sorted by now. Chances are, however, that there may be some strays that are not quite accounted for yet. If one of those is an aviator, your solution is clear: a 12-month print and digital subscription to Australian Flying for only $34.00! That's a Scrooge-level saving of 40% over the normal price. Get yourself over to the Great Magazines website and sign-up your significant aviator today. Failing that, just get one for yourself; you deserve it too.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 15 December 2023

15 December 2023

– Steve Hitchen

With Group G approval on our doorstep, we will soon know the answer to a long-asked question: will this cause an exodus of aircraft from the civil register to RAAus? That, I believe, will depend on each owner's personal situation. Some will find no benefit in doing so, sitting happy with CASA administration. Others who have struggled to keep their Class 2 medical will probably see RAAus as their only pathway back into the air. But where Group G has the potential to shine is with new home-built aircraft. Builders can start using more robust materials and build extra layers of safety into their designs, knowing the aircraft can be registered without sacrificing kilograms of useful load. Manufacturers are still hamstrung and can't take full advantage of Group G because there is no existing standard to build to 760-kg without going to full FAR 23 certification, which requires an investment of eye-crossing amounts of dollars. The light at the end of the tunnel is shining on the MOSAIC regulations set to be implemented in the US next year. This re-defines Light Sport Aircraft in terms of parameters and removes any arbitrary MTOW. If CASA comes to the party and permits RAAus to administer MOSAIC aircraft to the full extent of the definition, Australian LSA manufacturers will be set loose to build new aircraft that slot straight into Group G. It's an exciting new world we are seeing through our telescope, and it all starts with Group G approval.

"...It's on-the-run aviation with little or no warning of the launch time or the mission..."

Moorabbin Flying Services and Flight Standards have merged their training operations in an attempt to solve an industry problem that is generally not spoken about too loudly: academy-style training to airline requirements doesn't turn-out pilot suitable for employment in GA. CPLs emerge from the academies fit for the dual-pilot environment of an airline cockpit where all flying is IFR and unsealed runways are no-go zones. GA pilots can be tasked to go anywhere with the needs of the customer flexible in the extreme. It's on-the-run aviation with little or no warning of the launch time or the mission; single-pilot with a flight plan that includes multiple legs to runways that are gravel-based and perforated with potholes. The mentality needed to deal with all of that and still comply with CASA regulations and the customer demands is very different from that needed to right-seat a SAAB 340 or B737. The paradox is that many graduates from academies will not be offered positions with the airlines, which catapults them into an environment that they haven't been trained for. There are plenty of jobs for well-trained charter pilots up in the Northern Territory. Literally, there are aeroplanes that remain tied down for extended periods not for want of work, but for a lack of CPLs to fly them. The MFS/Flight Standards tie-up is one solution; designed as a pipeline from the cities to the country for CPLs that are properly trained and prepared for the GA charter industry. Flight Standards has run a GA Ready course in Darwin for several years, which was designed to fill the gap between an academy-trained CPL and the needs of charter companies. If successful, this program will make CPLs GA ready before they leave the metropolitan environment.

Australian Flying was recognised twice in the Australasian Aviation Press Club awards announced this week: once for Rolls Royce Technical Story and once as runner-up Singapore Airlines Best Photographer. We're pretty proud of that given the quality of work and people that were nominated this year. The AAPC awards recognise quality journalism across the aviation industry; something that is very much needed in the era where anyone with an iPhone considers themselves media. Aviation journalists protect the industry from misinformation and material that is generated more for the benefit of the generator than the audience. It has been one of the pillars that Australian Flying has built a 60-year reputation on, and will continue to do so for many years. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to the AAPC for keeping these awards alive.

This is the last e-Newsletter and LMH for 2023. It's been an interesting journey this year with the output somewhat disrupted by my absence in three blocks. I want to thank all those that contacted me to say they missed LMH every Friday and were eagerly awaiting its return to the e-Newsletter. We are now shutting down for the customary summer break and will return mid-January. All of you out there stay safe over the Christmas-New Year period and we'll see you again in a few weeks time.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 2 February 2024

2 February 2024



– Steve Hitchen

Rob Walker's appointment as RAAA CEO is a blinder of a move that keeps a good operator in the aviation community. As Stakeholder Engagement Manager at both Airservices and CASA, he has a very firm grasp on what general and regional aviation needs to go forward. And now he has the ability to get things done without the constraints that come with being part of a relentless bureaucracy. Not that the job will be easy; all the advocacy in the world comes undone in the face of political imperative. However, Walker is a man that people listen to, which will stand the RAAA in good stead on advisory bodies such as the General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN) and, ironically, CASA's Aviation Safety Advisory Panel, which Walker himself set up. Although his brief will focus on the priorities of regional airlines and airports, I expect Walker will also take to the negotiating table the interests of general aviation where there is no clash with RAAA policy. I might be putting policy in the mouth of the RAAA here, but as they have branded themselves as "the preeminent aviation association" in Australia, it's fair to believe that GA has a place within the RAAA.

"..very few will swap letters for numbers just for the hell of it.."


Group G is nearly here! CASA has issued a new approval for RAAus to administer aircraft with MTOWs in the 601-760-kg range, and RAAus is saying they will be ready to start taking registrations by 25 March. It all sounds brilliant, but will it deliver the benefits to RAAus and GA that are being touted? There are several reasons why someone would want to register their aircraft in the RAAus Group G category: loss of medical, higher BEW for home-builts, cheesed-off with CASA. These are the big three. But in the absence of those, there is little reason to expect an exodus of RV, C150 and Victa Airtourer owners from GA into Group G; very few will swap letters for numbers just for the hell of it. If you build it, they won't necessarily come. And right now, the manufacturers' don't have a standard to build new aircraft for Group G other than full type certification, which costs a motza. Remember also that Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) can't be registered in Group G because the definition of LSA doesn't permit MTOWs over 600 kg. And there is another thorn in the side of this project: the SAAA. Whilst RAAus is trying to lure RV owners to their books, the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia will be pulling in the other direction. The SAAA is on record as saying they don't believe RAAus should even exist let alone be permitted to register amateur-built aircraft with MTOWs in the Group G range. So there are obstacles at the moment, but the idea is sound and eventually will find its place in the GA community. Time and patience will be necessary ingredients to Group G's success.

Congratulations to the aviation people who were honoured with gongs in the Australia Day Honours list. It's always good to see people recognised, but each year there seems to be so few in light of the good work being done by so many. The reason behind this, I feel, is that people aren't being nominated, or the nominations are half-hearted. As a community, general aviation needs to get its act together and put together some irresistible nominations for next year to make sure deserving people aren't being overlooked. After all, it is the quiet hard-workers that make GA what it is.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 9 February 2024

9 February 2024

– Steve Hitchen

From today onward, private and recreational pilots can fly without a valid medical certificate. The long-awaited self-declared medical system is now active and ready for people to apply. It sounds easy, but it is clear that CASA still recognises some risk, particularly when it comes to whether or not a pilot is able to accurately self-assess. Part of the risk management is an educational module that must be completed and passed as part of the application process. The module itself is nothing that most licensed pilots haven't encountered before, and being open-book you can refer to the medical assessment guidelines. But the eligibility to self-assess is more than just answering 80% of 15 questions; there are other requirements also. CASA has listed a lot of conditions and medications that they believe impairs a person's ability to self-assess. This stands to eliminate a lot of people who previously were celebrating not having to see a DAME again. So the Class 5 medical is not a free-for-all, but many pilots will qualify, and for them this is a huge step forward. 

"..The ALP government is on a crusade to convert aviation to alternative energy sources.."

The Australian Airports Association (AAA) submission to the federal budget has raised some thorny questions. In the submission, AAA calls for infrastructure support for mid-sized regional and metro airports. Whereas the Coalition government created funding programs for both remote and regional airports, nothing was forthcoming for the metro GA airports like Archerfield and Bankstown. Thorny question #1: as the six metro GA airports have been privatised and the operators have developed substantial tracts of land for commercial non-aviation use, should they be entitled to government funding? The general answer from the GA community would probably be a resounding "no". Destroying aviation infrastructure (RWY 18/36 at Bankstown and the west end of the northern apron at Moorabbin) usually earns you no friends in the aviation community. That being said, private enterprise is usually not excluded from government grant programs, so why should airport operators not be the beneficiaries of government hand-outs? Thorny question #2: what type of projects need to be supported? The ALP government is on a crusade to convert aviation to alternative energy sources, as exemplified by the green paper released earlier this year. That's going to be an expensive exercise, which may monopolise the aviation budget leaving no cash for non-sustainable projects like widening runways and putting in lighting systems. Admittedly, the AAA refers to infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and electric charging stations, but for general aviation, demand to justify this is still many years away. In the meantime, runways still need to be strengthened and lighting systems installed. Whether the ALP can stomach spending on non-sustainable projects may be the largest hurdle the AAA needs to clear.

If there was any indicator that eVTOLs are now part of the future of aviation and not just a space-aged fantasy, it is Aviation Logistics placing a huge order with AMSL Aero. With the Vertiia still in development, Aviation Logistics has shown confidence in Australian manufacturing and the future of the eVTOL industry; an industry that is still embryonic. eVTOLs are not just an evolution, they are a revolution in general aviation that Australia is still trying to accept. Airservices and CASA have done a lot of ground work in these areas, and some visionary companies bought into the eVTOL industry at the conception stage, but many traditionalists in GA are taking an I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it stance. Even though no eVTOL in Australia has reached the commercial stage, indicators such as Aviation Logistics' investment should convince the sceptics that it's time to open their eyes and see. Perhaps many of them have memories of the Very Light Jet (VLJ) craze of the mid 2000s that dissolved into nothing, expecting that eVTOLs will suffer a similar fate. However, whereas VLJs were being forced to fit into an impossible specification, eVTOLs like Vertiia have no such constraints, leaving designers free to build the best machines for the future of aviation.

Congratulations are due to four Victorian women who placed second in the International Dawn-to-Dusk competition last year. Jess Phillips, Theresa MacDonald and Amanda Deed, who–along with observer Gail Collins–used a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza to touch every state and mainland territory in Australia between dawn and dusk on 13 December 2022. They began on Flinders Island (TAS) and finished in Forrest (WA), having landed in Victoria, the ACT, NSW, QLD, SA and the NT along the way. The crew traveled to the Royal Air Force club in the UK to collect their prize. A great effort all around that took a lot of planning to pull off.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Sandy in reply:

S. Hitchen quote;- 

 “So the Class 5 medical is not a free-for-all, but many pilots will qualify, and for them this is a huge step forward. “

But not a step forward for GA, by disincentivising Instrument Flight Rules the Class 5 will reduce pilots training for IFR and flying IFR which is the safest and most efficient form of cross country operations. Are we heading for more Visual Flight Rules to Instrument Meteorological Conditions accidents? And, not surprisingly, many applicants for C5 will be knocked out due to existing medical conditions, apparently by virtue of their medications. 

The new C5 also allows most four and six seat aircraft but you are only allowed to have two persons onboard, yes only two so your aircraft cannot be properly utilised and thus the C5 devalues its usefulness. This so called “world first” medical standard with its two person limit is justified by $688,000 pa CASA CEO Ms. Spence due to the successful history of the low weight category (Recreational Aviation Australia, RAAUS, 10,000 members) that has no aviation medicals. Most would say their 40 year history came well before Ms. Spence’s declaration of “world first.” The Gliding Federation (GFA) gets no mention, its zero aviation medical exam regime, more than 70 years, is not mentioned. 

Talk about illogical, you need only to declare fit to drive a motor vehicle, irrespective of medications, for flying RAAUS or GFA but you can’t qualify for this ridiculous and irresponsible new self declared medical if you have certain existing conditions, conditions that do not preclude driving a private car. 

Personally I’d rather have more people flying than having more on the roads because road danger to me is far more risky than the others that fly in my vicinity. 

MTF...P2 

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 16 February 2024

16 February 2024

– Steve Hitchen

OzRunways is the quintessential Australian small business that made good. From an idea spawned from the invention of the iPad, to a navigation and information app and approval as a full EFB, OzRunways has become a trusted application for both civil and military pilots. Along with AvPlan, the two EFBs revolutionised aviation cockpits in this country. So, it makes sense that a giant aviation corporation would come calling with cheque book at the ready. Boeing, who this week announced they'd bought OzRunways, already had ForeFlight and most of the USA's EFB market, but struggled to gain substantial market share in Australia. It seemed that Australian pilots loved their home-grown EFBs and weren't in a hurry to surrender to the call of the US product. Boeing's move to buy OzRunways is a classic corporate exercise in buying market share and available cash. We don't know the details of the transaction, but I hope the OzRunways team held out for a lot of greenbacks; their company and its products are worth it. What does this mean for Australian customers? Not a lot at the moment; OzRunways service and development will still come out of Adelaide. However, Boeing now has two apps battling for market share against each other, which is a risky strategy. Long term, I expect ForeFlight to be withdrawn from the Australian market, or OzRunways to be re-branded and essentially relocated to the USA. It is hard to see them both flourishing side-by-side in a relatively small market such as Australia.

"..That's a big difference that hints at convenience more than simple variation.."

Aeria Management Group (AMG) has called on the Federal Government to financially compensate Bankstown operators for the extra cost imposed on them by the proposed airspace redesign at Sydney. This represents a rare occasion on which a metro airport operator is standing up for their aviation customers; normally they are too absorbed in non-aviation development to worry about problems plaguing the operators at their airport. So, we have to deliver kudos and a bunch of flowers to AMG for using their influence on the Federal Government for the better of aviation. That's not to say I believe the government will take a whole lot of notice; they're too busy manufacturing a white paper that the industry and aviation community doesn't want. And the nature of the compensation is problematic. Is a one-off payment true compensation for extra costs that will be incurred forever? If an operator chooses to relocate to another airport, will the government cover their costs? Perhaps the first move should be to quantify the exact cost penalty to operators, given that the industry almost exclusively believes those used in the Western Sydney Airport Environmental Impact Statement represent a position well below reality. Five times below reality if the Urbis figures quoted by AMG are accurate. That's a big difference that hints at convenience more than simple variation. It's going to take a lot of irresistible force for the government to give in to demands for compensation, and it's only the general aviation industry and community that can provide that momentum.

The Australian Aviation Hall of Fame has lost a lot of dedication a determination with the retirement of Steve Padgett OAM from the board. That's OK, good people have come in to fill the hole Padgett leaves, and Steve deserves to step back after all the effort he has expended on AAHOF over the years. In truth, AAHOF owes its existence to Padgett and other people like Geoff Breust and Paul Tyrrell, who together propelled a great idea forward to the institution AAHOF is growing into today. For them, it must have been like watching a child grow-up and mature into a superstar. Padgett can rest assured that the AAHOF is in good hands with Greg Hood, a bloke who has breathed aviation almost from berth, and has held senior management positions with several aviation institution, including ATSB, Airservices, CASA and the RAAF. With Chris Manning as deputy and new colleagues in Sam Fairbairn and Jenny Houghton coming on board, the future of AAHOF is looking bright and exciting. All it needs now is for people to come. If you're on for Airshows Downunder Shellharbour, take the time to get the lift from the HARS cafe up one flight to AAHOF and immerse yourself in some aviation history.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 23 February 2024

23 February 2024

– Steve Hitchen

There is nothing new about the problem of aviation engineers; as long as I have been with Australian Flying the issue has been constantly highlighted. The problem seems to be that no-one has taken positive action to do anything about it. That was until the Cameron family stepped in with $500,000 in 2022 to energise the helicopter industry's intake of potential new engineers. This was the seeding capital needed, and by all accounts is starting to pay off. A new foundation, the Australian Helicopter Industry Future Foundation (AHIFF) was born to manage the money and make sure it was placed where it would do the most good. That's has proven the case, with the scholarships and workshops held around the country starting to raise interest in young people and encouraging them to think about aviation engineering as a career. This is the helicopter industry in action: doing something for itself rather than waiting for someone in government to solve the problem. It demonstrates that stuff does get done when an industry moves to secure its own future.

  "..a re-examination of the facts has seen CASA completely reverse their position.."

My interview with CASA Principal Medical Officer Kate Manderson was very enlightening, even though I don't necessarily buy into some of the philosophy surrounding the new Class 5 self-declared medical. What came through most prominently is that CASA has a risk framework into which just about everything they do has to be squeezed. This is the largest difference between CASA and RAAus, and explains why CASA seems to ignore the RAAus experience on a number of levels: RAAus doesn't have such a stringent risk framework and their Part 149 certificate affords them the ability to establish their own risk standards. Hence an RPC can fly formations on a self-declared medical but a PPL with Class 5 cannot. But CASA has displayed some flexibility here by permitting self-declared medical holders to fly in CTA. That has been a rock-hard "No way" for several years, but a re-examination of the facts has seen CASA completely reverse their position. With a post-implementation review due in February next year, it is not outside the borders of possibility that some of the other restrictions could also be relaxed. It all comes down to the risk framework and whether or not it has enough give to accommodate logic and reason.

Airshows Downunder Shellharbour is only a week away now. Formerly Wings over Illawarra, the re-branded event is now in the hands of AMDA Foundation, which also run the Australian International Airshow at Avalon. The last-minute announcement of Paul Bennet's Sea Fury has been a pleasant surprise; it has been years since we've seen a Sea Fury in action in Australia and it will, I'm sure, become a very welcome participant at many air shows around the country in future. The other sneaky superstar announced late is the Yak 110. To sum, this is two Yak 55s bolted together and augmented with a jet engine between the two airframes. It's sort of like a Frankenstein's monster of the air show industry, but it's performance in the air is something to behold. These two alone should be enough to get you out of your seat and down to Albion Park next weekend.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

[Peetwo]

The Last Minute Hitch: 8 March 2024


8 March 2024

Momentum is starting to build to correct a training anomaly: that new CPLs emerging from academies are ready for the airlines, but not for the hard-scrabble life of a GA charter pilot. People trained on G1000 cockpits are not ready to face an array of steam gauges with little installed navigation equipment, and don't understand that a charter pilot's duties go beyond flying the aeroplane. Non-academy schools have been turning out GA-ready pilots for many years, simply by their fleets being legacy airframes with little modern upgrades; exactly what CPLs are likely to face in their first GA job. A well-worn C210, C206, Baron or Lance/Saratoga are the machines of the Australian charter world, especially in the NT and WA, but academy-trained pilots generally haven't been exposed to these aircraft. The emerging answer is GA Ready courses that adapt academy-trained pilots to the ad-hoc and impromptu life of GA charter. And it's the academies that are launching these programs, revealing that they are finally recognising the shortcomings of airline-focused training. Regional operators have known of the problem for years; CPLs fresh from the urban academies needed a lot of re-training to make them fit for purpose. With the urban academies acting to correct the problem, hopefully charter operators will start to see more CVs that give them confidence in the pilot's training.

"..You don't set caps if your system is not capable of dealing with them.."

Digital control towers–where ATC is not physically at the airport they are controlling–may be a revolution in Australia, but it's not an unexpected one. Airservices Australia started trials in 2020, and some airports overseas are already controlled remotely, most notably London City Airport. With the announcement that Western Sydney International (WSI) will be built with a digital tower the way is now open for Airservices to think about locations where the cost of maintaining a full control tower is prohibitive. Airports like Albury, Alice Springs, Avalon, Mackay, Hamilton Island and Tamworth may be candidates for digital towers; they all have the need for tower control, but not necessarily the justifying movements. It all sounds like a logic forward step, but that step may be hindered by the obstacle of conservatism. The underlying philosophy of digital towers is that no loss of safety is incurred and that traffic flows can still be maintained. However, there is also the belief that nothing can replace a pair of eyes looking through binoculars, fed by fears of computer glitches and a reduction in situational awareness. But look at it like this: London City had 46,000 movements in 2022 using a digital tower, and has a cap of 45 movements per hour. You don't set caps if your system is not capable of dealing with them, which means the London City experience is a good measure of how digital towers handle traffic load. Obviously Airservices has confidence in the technology and is prepared to use WSI as a sort of guinea pig, a controversial move at an airport that seems to gather controversy around it at almost every step.


Airshows Downunder at Shellharbour last weekend contained most of the possible scenarios air show organisers can be confronted with. There was rain and low cloud on the Saturday forcing some flying displays to be canceled, last-minute aircraft unserviceability, heat and bright sunshine beating down on the crowd and the flying program running late. It had it all, but still put on a respectable air show that was great fun all around. With AMDA Foundation now at the helm, there were concerns that the show would become a mini Avalon that would just not work. If you went looking you could find some signs of that, but as far as the attendees go, it was one of the best flying displays ever put on at that airport, which is saying a lot when you consider some of the schedules put on in the days of Wings over Illawarra. AMDA now has two years to analyse the failures and successes from Shellharbour and plan ahead for further development and growth of the event. I am looking forward to 2026 and what AMDA can make of the show in the future.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

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For some reason Hitch didn't mention this Oz Flying article but in order to acknowledge the great work of CEO Marge Pagani and  the not for profit charity flight operator Angel Flight I think it needs to be included...

Angel Flight launches Rural Medi-Flight Service
8 March 2024


Angel Flight has launched a new flight service to take important medical staff to rural and outback locations, saving hours of arduous travel.

The first flight of the new Rural Medi-Flight service took BUSHkids medical staff from Archerfield to Cunnamulla and back, a 2.5 hour one-way flight rather than several days of travel.

Angel Flight carried the medics on the newly-acquired Cessna 402 Kayla, named after a passenger who made 400 flights to critical care, but who ultimately lost her battle with illness aged only 23.

One of the medics on the first  Rural Medi-Flight was BUSHkids speech pathologist Rebecca Scanlan.

"It was a great flight and a really successful visit to Cunnamulla," she said. "Being partnered with Angel Flight means that as clinicians our travel time is reduced, and it allows us to spend more time in the community supporting more children.

"It is exciting to work with another organisation that shares the goal of ensuring that rural communities have the same access to support that families living in cities have.”

Angel Flight CEO Marjorie Pagani said the new operation aimed to even-out medical services available between city and rural locations.

“It is widely recognised that the arduous nature of the travel required to get out to the bush is one of the main reasons our doctors and nurses are reluctant to leave the city," Pagani said.

“As the needs of those living in the bush become more pressing, with research suggesting a widening gulf in the life expectancy of those who live in the city with access to the best medical care and those who live in the bush with limited or no access to health care, Angel Flight recognises the need to upscale its services to meet demand.”

From 2021-2022, demand for Angel Flight's core service of free passenger flight  increased  by 30%, but demand for health professional flights increased by 80% with numbers continuing to climb.

Angel Flight says it has responded to the national rural health crisis with the acquisition of the C402, which will be based in Archerfield Brisbane and service rural and remote Queensland.

Angel Flight chose the twin Cessna because Due to the size of the aircraft, it will operate at a fraction of the cost of the larger air ambulance aircraft and have very little limitations on airfields/ports in which it can land.