[Peetwo]

Off the Yaffa: Truss Hitched at AusFly...

It would seem that Hitchen is already firmly entrenched for the Weekend at AusFly - half his luck. Anyway apparently one DPM Truss is also there and Hitch was able to corral him for a word or two - who'd of thought??

Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss (centre) at Ausfly 2015. (Steve Hitchen)


Truss to stand Firm on Forsyth Reforms
04 Sep 2015

Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Developement Warren Truss has said he will not accept any attempts to de-rail the recommendations of the Forsyth Report.

Speaking with Australian Flying at Ausfly today, Truss said that he had expectations that both CASA and Airservices would comply with his direction.

"Many of the recommendations have their own timeframe in them," he said, "and we expect those timeframes to be honoured. So in each of the plans I have given in my ministerial instructions to Airservices and also to CASA, I have highlighted the need to address all of the recommendations in the Forsyth Review.

"I am expecting from them regular reports on progress. Some of them have been implemented in full; others still have some distance to go. I won’t accept any pushbacks; we’ve got to get on with it, and I know the industry has expectations that these things will be delivered and I share those expectations."

With the government's response to the Forsyth Report delivered in December 2014, many areas of general aviation are starting to get impatient to see signs of real reform, with communication from CASA often considered window dressing. According to Truss, the reforms are very real.

"I’ve made that very clear to the new boards at CASA and Airservices that I expect they will deliver on the specific recommendations."

  
Hitch then followed this up with his weekly wrap, which I again consider worthy of regurgitating in full...

 


The Last Minute Hitch: 4 September 2015
04 Sep 2015

This week's Last Minute Hitch comes to you from my little enclave in the bustling expo centre at Ausfly. It's a magnificent morning here, which has organisers with huge grins on their faces after the damp, grey day we got yesterday. The tarmac is buzzing as things get going here, and there's an energy about the place that can only be good for aviation. It's time to forget the woes for the weekend and just wallow in the joys of general aviation for a while. - Here..here to that!

On my arrival here I was greeted with some sad news: a well-known aviation identity is selling up his aeroplane and getting out of aviation all together because he's had enough of CASA. This is only one example of many people who the regulator has chased out of aviation in the past few years. Yes, we have been promised reform, and the recent corporate plan does show intent to implement the Forsyth Report recommendations, but I have to wonder if Canberra really does understand the damage poor culture at the regulator has done to general aviation. My fear now is that no amount of reform can help us. Is it possible that general aviation is jaded beyond any recovery? I'd like to think we are not; that our spirit for flying is stronger than the apathy-driven badgering that has come out of Canberra over the past 20 years. I agree that change takes time, but that's something that GA is running low on.

Minister Warren Truss has said he will accept no "pushback" from either CASA or Airservices when it comes to the Forsyth reforms. Most interesting is that the question I put to him didn't say anything about "pushback" or any resistance. Obviously it has been on his mind, which supports the word around the industry of a middle-management "revolt" at CASA over the impending reforms. Truss did not comment on any revolt, nor did I ask him, but the maths add up, doesn't it?

Recently, Dick Smith put the cost of ADS-B to general aviation in the spotlight with some startling figures that has the industry wailing, and prompted AOPA to withdraw their support for the program. It appears there could be some financial respite, with Enigma Avionics developing a low-cost ADS-B system right here in Australia. If it takes off, Enigma's system could be a great alternative to the cost-heavy systems being touted as the only option.

Personally, I don't think the ATSB's report into the loss of control of a drone over the MCG is particularly well done. Allowing the operator to conduct their own investigation into why contact with the drone was lost, the ATSB has accepted a "probably maybe" conclusion. OK, it may be impossible to tell, but that means it is also impossible to analyse what can be done about stopping it from happening again. The amount of radio frequency traffic around major sporting events is immense, and if the operator is right, there is a real risk of it happening again at another football game. The problem is that we don't know, and it appears we don't care. CASA has at least moved to make it mandatory to report runaways to ATC or to broadcast in Class G.

According to their corporate plan, CASA is planning to ramp-up their oversight of the Recreational Aviation Administration Organisations (RAAO). It's unclear what the catalyst is for this, but you can almost bet it has to do with pressure on CASA over accidents. The mainstream media loves to tell people how a plane that crashed was a "home-built" or an ultralight, fueling the impression that small aeroplanes, especially those built in someone's garage, are dirty dangerous things that will crash on the general public. It would be irresponsible for me to comment on the reasons for CASA's actions without knowing the background for sure. I will say only that this worries me, because it stands to ramp-up pressure on the volunteers that are the hearts and souls of the RAAOs. Have we forgotten that it was the workload on the SAAA that forced Ausfly 2014 to be canceled? However, it seems RA-Aus is taking a "bring it on" attitude, but some of the smaller RAAOs may not have the luxury of doing that.

If the figures on the economic benefit of Avalon 2015 are accurate, the Australian International Airshow has become a very important part of the Victorian economy. With injections of cash like this, you can bet that Spring Street will be rubbing their hands together in absolute glee. What I would like to have seen is how much of that largesse has made its way back into aviation.

Don't forget, Matt Hall is "going for gold" again this weekend in the Red Bull Air Race. Round 6 is over the Red Bull-owned Spielberg Formula One circuit in Austria. Matt didn't go so well there last year, but that will only make him even more determined to make up for it. His MXS-R is on song more than it was last year, so he's in with a real chance to make up some ground in the championship.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

 
As for Dougy...   Sorry mate no banana this week.. - Editor's Insights 3 September 2015
MTF..P2