Article supplied by CASA Work is underway to settle and formalise colour vision testing options for pilots who are not able to pass clinical colour vision tests.
Our aim is to have new testing options available for pilots by the end of April that are formally prescribed through a legislative instrument. The tests will recognise that many pilots with a colour vision deficiency can demonstrate they are able to operate safely and competently without any medical or operational restrictions.
Consultation is currently underway through our Aviation Safety Advisory Panel, and public consultation on the proposed testing options is expected before the end of March.
The options will include an operational test designed to demonstrate a pilot’s ability to fly an aircraft safely through a robust and standardised operational test.
Interim measures
Pilots who are unable to pass the prescribed Ishihara or Farnsworth colour vision clinical tests and are seeking to renew their medical certificate are encouraged to call our Aviation Medicine team on 131 757 to discuss their individual circumstances.
We will work hard to ensure this interim period is as least disruptive as possible, whilst satisfying current safety and regulatory requirements.
A new Class 5 medical self-declaration scheme is now available to recreational and private pilots.
The new scheme will allow pilots to fly in aircraft up to 2000kg with one passenger if they self-assess and self-declare their health status, meet fitness and eligibility requirements and pass an online test.
Late last year we consulted on the draft policy proposal with feedback indicating that some of the operational limitations and excluded medical conditions were too restrictive.
As this is the first of its kind in Australia, we are taking an iterative and initially conservative approach.
The scheme is based on comprehensive risk analysis and a careful examination of what other safety authorities do overseas. It includes operational limitations on what you can do when flying with a Class 5.
We will also conduct a post implementation review and consider some of the current exclusions and effectiveness of the self-declaration scheme as well as progress a Class 4 certificate that will create more operational flexibility with the involvement of a GP.
To support applicants and healthcare practitioners, we have developed an online training module and comprehensive guidance material.
CASA is urging travellers to follow the rules and show consideration to airline and airport staff as well as each other during the upcoming school holidays.
To ensure safety and respect when travelling by air during this term break and beyond, we’re supporting the ‘No More Carry On’ campaign.
It’s a call for patience and preparedness as travellers, airline crew and airport teams once again face a peak in airline travel.
‘We’re really pleased to be involved again in this important safety initiative,’ says CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence.
‘We understand and appreciate people are excited to be travelling again ¬– especially during these school holidays – and that’s evident by just how full flights currently are.
‘But passengers need to be mindful they may sometimes face long waiting queues, flight delays, and missing baggage. And while that can be frustrating, it’s no excuse for bad behaviour towards airport and airline staff or other passengers.
‘It’s also against the law to behave in an offensive or disorderly manner on board an aircraft, or to disregard the safety instructions of airline crew.
‘Harmful and unruly behaviour puts everyone’s safety at risk and can disrupt the important safety duties of airline crew, cause distractions during critical phases of flight and jeopardise the safety of other passengers.
‘As the aviation safety regulator, our role is to help ensure that when passengers and crew board a plane they get to their destination safely. We want everyone flying these school holidays travelling or working in a safe environment.
‘Under our aviation safety rules substantial penalties can be imposed for offensive or disorderly behaviour on board an aircraft and for failing to comply with any safety-related instructions. This can include fines of up to $15,650 (per offence) and in some cases up to 2 years’ imprisonment.
‘So please don’t take your frustrations out on staff or other passengers.
‘While on board we also encourage you to listen to the safety briefings and follow all airline crew directions and requests.
‘Once again, we strongly support this campaign and we really want you to enjoy these school holidays and travel safely, wherever your exiting destination may be.
Three aspiring licensed aircraft maintenance engineers are the latest to receive a scholarship from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
Ella Watson from Western Australia and Queensland’s Spencer Holmes and Joshua Kilgour will all receive up to $5,000 each to help them achieve their Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) Part 66 engineer licence.
CASA Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence says that high quality aircraft maintenance engineers are critical for the future of a safe and vibrant aviation industry.
‘All 3 recipients have demonstrated an obvious commitment to aviation safety and it’s evident that they’re in this career for the long haul,’ Ms Spence says.
‘I’d like to congratulate Ella, Spencer and Joshua for all the work they have done within the industry so far and wish them all the best for their future careers in aircraft maintenance engineering.
‘We received almost 90 applications in this scholarship round and the standard once again exceeded the evaluation panel’s expectations.
‘It was also encouraging to see such a wide range of candidates, from those working for major commercial operations through to others employed in smaller organisations across regional Australia.
‘We know there’s a shortage of licensed aircraft engineers not just here, but across the globe, and this scholarship program is one way we can show support for the aviation industry now and into the future.
‘This is the third year we’ve run the program and we’ll be offering it again in 2024, so I hope all aspiring aircraft maintenance engineers consider submitting an application when that round opens.’
The scholarship program focuses on applicants who have already started their structured training towards a licence outcome, or aircraft maintenance engineers who have not gone through a structured training program but are currently working in the industry gaining experience.
It also assists those who have demonstrated an interest in aviation maintenance, made progress through their own initiative, demonstrated aptitude for the role, and made a positive contribution to the safety culture of their profession or organisation.
We’re doing something a little different with our Safety Promotion sponsorship program.
From today, we’ve refreshed the program so sponsorship opportunities are now available throughout the year, rather than the previous twice yearly offering.
Applicants can now plan further in advance, and they’re not bound to a deadline.
Applications are then reviewed in November, February and May.
The program provides a great opportunity for us to support organisations, flying clubs or individuals who are raising awareness of aviation safety in line with our safety promotion activities and priorities.
We sponsor activities with a specific focus on improving safety outcomes such as conferences, workshops, seminars, and other educational initiatives.
In most cases, sponsorship takes the form of financial support but could also include goods or services, such as information materials, communication collateral, or we could provide CASA staff to speak at a conference or event.
Getting young people interested in aviation and developing the expertise of those already in the industry is crucial to the wellbeing of our sector.
Every incentive helps so I was pleased to be able to announce at the recent Safeskies conference in Canberra that we are offering a new scholarship program for safety managers.
These are people who play a crucial role in maintaining our safety record and we will be offering 3 scholarships worth up to $5000 each to help them increase their knowledge and skills through professional development.
We are encouraging safety managers who are committed to the development of a healthy aviation safety culture to apply.
More specifically, we are looking for people with a minimum of 2 years’ industry experience who use their initiative and display a high standard of aptitude and leadership.
They must also be working in a key aviation position, or have worked in one previously, and if you’re in this category I would encourage you to apply.
We believe this this a great opportunity to help successful individuals build their aviation expertise in the same way our engineering scholarships have benefitted promising Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs).
We announced 5 recipients of the engineering scholarship at the Rotortech Conference in May this year. We received more than 100 high-quality applications and the winners from Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia demonstrated a commitment to achieving the highest professional standards in their chosen fields.
First alphanumeric aircraft registration marks out nowThere’s more than a Spring change in the air with the arrival of Australia’s new alphanumeric aircraft registration marks.
The first release of 1500 new marks went live on 23 September 2022 and was necessary because the existing registration system had reached its limit. Read more
Aviation medical consultation attracts big responseThe summary of consultation on our proposal to simplify and modernise our approach to medical certification has been published.
We received more than 600 responses to the consultation. The feedback received has been grouped into 5 themes. Read more
Read our latest RPAS advisory circularAn updated version of the Advisory Circular 101-01: Remotely piloted aircraft systems, licensing and operations is now available.
Changes to the document reflect updates that have been made to drone regulations and the supporting manual of standards over the past 12 to 24 months. Read more
Update on Mallacoota AirportReintroduced instrument flight procedures at Mallacoota Airport are expected to come into effect on 3 November.
We’ve been working closely with Airservices Australia and the East Gippsland Shire Council to re-introduce instrument flight procedures as soon as possible. Read more
Readers recommend Flight Safety Australia!Almost 95 per cent of Flight Safety Australia (FSA) readers would recommend the magazine to others.
We survey the readers of our flagship aviation safety magazine every 2 years to gain insights that allow us to measure its impact on safety and behaviour. Read more
Have your say on control tower visual surveillance systemsWe’re proposing changes to air traffic services standards to enable electro-optical technology such as video cameras to be used for aerodrome control services.
This will involve amending the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations Part 172 Manual of Standards to allow visual surveillance systems (VSS) to be used at air traffic control towers, including remotely controlled facilities. Read more
FAA expands rotor blade checks on Robinson helicoptersAn Airworthiness Directive (AD) covering tail rotor blade cracks on certain Robinson helicopters has been superseded by a new version that covers R66 models and a wider range of blades.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released FAA AD 2021-19-08 last year requiring operators to check blades for cracking on some R44 and R44 II models. Read more
Discover how we ensure safety with a new airlineEver wondered what’s involved in approving an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) for a new domestic airline?
Deadline approaches for medical records move to myCASADon’t forget to sign up to myCASA or review your login details before we move our online Medical Records System (MRS) later this month.
We are moving MRS to sit within the myCASA portal to make more of our online services accessible from the one place. Read more
CASA Wings Awards on againWe’re continuing our support of Australian Flying’s CASA Wings Awards through our sponsorship program.
The program aims to improve and raise awareness of the importance of aviation safety for the benefit of the wider aviation community. Read more
New AvSafety seminar: Mitigating risks at non-controlled aerodromes CASA’s aviation safety advisors will soon be flying into your community to deliver our latest safety seminar for pilots: Non-Controlled Aerodromes: Manage Your Risks.
You’ll hear about all the hazards of a non-controlled aerodrome – and listen to a vivid real-world case study of how things went wrong. Read more
Experts discuss accident investigationJoin our expert panellists as they analyse a collision on runway at Caloundra Airport in Queensland, involving a light aircraft and a helicopter.
See a visual recreation of the accident and the radio calls that led up to the non-fatal accident. Our expert panel will discuss what was going on and their own flying experiences. Read more
Upcoming webinars: Loss of situational awareness in the circuitExpand your piloting skills with our next online webinar series: Loss of situational awareness in the circuit.
Using real life examples, our industry experts and experienced pilots will help you build your situational awareness and learn how to consider decisions and workload while flying.
Register today for seminars on Tuesday 4 and 11 October.
If you’ve missed any of our previous webinars, you can catch up via our YouTube channel.
Helicopter pilots can now make use of a class-like system for flight crew licences relating to some multi-engine helicopters.
This follows feedback from industry that the current approach of requiring a type rating for each multi-engine helicopter was restrictive.
Changes will be made to the Part 61 licencing rules over time, but in order to make this policy available immediately, an exemption has been put in place through a legislative instrument.
What this means
Pilots that hold a type rating for a specific multi-engine helicopter can become authorised to fly other specified multi-engine helicopters in the same class without obtaining a type rating.
Flight instructors and examiners also won’t need to hold a training or examiner endorsement for each type of helicopter in the class.
Pilots will still be required to undertake type specific training and an assessment (equivalent to a flight review) in a similar way to prescribed fixed-wing aircraft.
Thank you to the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel and in particular the flight crew licensing Technical Working Group that assisted us deliver this general aviation workplan initiative.
Director of Aviation Safety, Pip Spence Are you up to date with the latest aviation safety developments? Do you want to refresh your knowledge or enhance your piloting skills?
We’re giving pilots a terrific way to invest in their ongoing development through a new national campaign backed by government agencies and aviation industry groups.
The campaign drives home the important message ‘your safety is in your hands’ and draws together a wealth of important pilot safety information on a new online hub.
Resources such as webinars, podcasts, videos and other safety-enhancing products are available in one easily accessible forum we believe will be an invaluable source for the piloting community.
In developing the campaign, we drew on research into pilot attitudes to safety information from CASA and other sources, as well as Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) occurrence data.
Our research showed that most pilots found that educational resources produced by CASA were helpful, but they were not always aware they existed or knew where to find them.
Safety topics are based on ATSB accident and incident data and we will focus on a new theme each quarter, starting last month with non-controlled aerodromes.
This is a significant and always relevant subject that emphasises the importance of radio calls, planning and situational awareness.
You can find useful tips from experts in informative videos demonstrating best practices in these and other key areas.
The campaign will run through to July next year and topics in future quarters will focus on forecasting and navigating weather, flight planning and using controlled aerodromes.
Our thanks go to Airservices Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology for contributing information and resources on operating at controlled aerodromes and forecasting and navigating weather.
Additional help came from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and industry bodies such as Recreational Aviation Australia and the Australian Helicopter Industry Association.
The associations will be helping to get the message out to members and we are particularly keen to see rotary wing pilots use these resources after a number of accidents this year.
We are providing resources to help the associations and local flying schools encourage involvement, particularly from recreational and private pilot licence holders.
This pilot group believes it is extremely important to keep up to date with developments in aviation safety and has positive views about aviation standards.
We want to reinforce the concept that safety is in their hands, as well as the importance of thinking ahead and maintaining their skills.
However, the importance of the campaign’s message cannot be underestimated for those who are more qualified.
While CASA provides the framework for maintaining Australia’s safety, it is also a matter of individual responsibility.
We can all get blasé about any function we perform over a lengthy period but in aviation nonchalance can be fatal.
Flight Safety Australia has published many sad stories where the worst has happened as well as numerous articles where veteran pilots urge colleagues to refresh and update their knowledge throughout their careers.
Pilots owe it to themselves to check out these resources and I hope as many as possible do so.
All the best,
Pip
Multi-engine helicopter rating now available
Helicopter pilots now have access to a class-like system for most single-pilot multi-engine helicopters.
This follows feedback from industry that the current approach of requiring a type rating for each multi-engine helicopter could be simplified.
Operators can seek flight examiner course approval
Operators will now be able to seek approval from CASA to conduct their own Flight Examiner Rating Course (FERC).
From September 2022, CASA-approved operators will be able to conduct training for flight instructors who want to gain a flight examiner rating and examiners seeking an additional endorsement.
We are moving our Medical Records System (MRS) to sit within the myCASA portal next month to make more of our online services accessible from the one place.
This means from the end of October, you won’t need a separate username and password to log in to MRS from casa.gov.au to apply for or renew your medical certificates – you will be able to do this by logging into myCASA.
Share your love of aviation with us. Send us your best aviation-themed picture and it could be included in Flight Safety Australia’s wall calendar for next year. Over $3500 in prizes!
CASA welcomes new safety panel membersWe’re pleased to welcome 2 new members to our Aviation Safety Advisory Panel.
Dr Tarryn Kille joined the Panel for its June meeting this year, and Shannon O’Hara is set to attend her first meeting in October. Read more
ADS-B windfallHalf off the price of anything is always welcome news but when it also enhances safety, it should be a lay down misere.
Eligible operators can now get an Australian government grant that covers up to 50 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing safety-enhancing Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment. The grant is capped at $5000. Read more
Review of flight trainingWe’re reviewing your responses to a General Aviation Workplan initiative that will see us expand the privileges of some flight instructors.
An advanced copy of the instrument allowing flight instructors with a grade 1 training endorsement to train, assess and grant a range of endorsements for certain activities was released for comment in August. Read more
SMS milestones: one down, more to goPart 119 air transport and Part 138 operators conducting more complex aerial work operations should now be working toward the next safety management system (SMS) milestone in early December.
Operators in these categories will need to provide an SMS implementation plan by 2 December with the idea of providing full documentation by the June 2024 and being ready to start by December that year. Read more
Progress on Mallacoota AerodromeStaff from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and East Gippsland Shire Council have been working hard to re-introduce instrument flight procedures at Mallacoota Airport.
Meetings over the past two weeks have established a clear plan to transition the airport to certification and to reintroduce the Terminal Instrument Flight Procedures. Read more
Have Your Say on Avalon airspaceGet your submission in by 23 September to have you say on changes to airspace near Victoria’s Avalon Airport.
We’re proposing to remove Class E airspace at Avalon and replace it with Class D airspace. Read more
Register for our free September aviation safety seminars.We want you to come and join us as our AvSafety Advisors fly into your community to deliver our latest safety seminars.
These friendly and supportive in-person seminars will enhance the safety skills of any aviation professional, no matter what level of technical knowledge, experience or flying time. Read more
Share your close call Have you had a close call?
A close call is an experience you’ll never forget and often you’ve learnt a valuable lesson. Why not share your close call so others can learn from it too? Read more
A new national safety education campaign backed by major aviation groups and aimed at encouraging pilots to increase their skills and knowledge launches today.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is working closely with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Airservices Australia, Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), and industry bodies to enhance aviation safety through the ‘Your safety is in your hands’ campaign.
The new campaign encourages pilots to keep up to date with aviation safety developments, refresh their knowledge, invest in their ongoing development and, most importantly, stay safe.
CASA Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety, Pip Spence, says the campaign was developed with input from pilots and using ATSB occurrence data.
“With the help from the ATSB, we’ve been able to build our campaign and safety topics based on accident and incident data. Each quarter we will focus on a new safety topic with information and online resources available through the new CASA pilot safety hub,” Ms Spence said.
The CASA pilot safety hub provides a range of safety resources and useful information including webinars, podcasts, videos and products to enhance pilot safety.
“Airservices Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) have also contributed to our campaign by providing information and resources on operating at controlled aerodromes and navigating weather and forecasting,” Ms Spence said.
“Aimed at the Australian pilot community, we’ve been working on a range of resources for local flying schools and industry associations to encourage their students and members to get involved.”
As part of the national safety education campaign, CASA is also working alongside industry associations including Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus) and the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) to help spread these important safety messages.
RAAus Chief Executive Officer, Matt Bouttell, says providing the piloting community a resource hub for topics that affect all pilots when flying is invaluable.
“Having safety information and useful resources on-hand in the one place is an asset to our members and the wider piloting community,” he said.
AHIA Chief Executive, Paul Tyrell, said that they supported the campaign and would be looking at how to encourage their members to engage and think about aviation safety.
“Helicopter pilots face similar risks to traditional fixed wing pilots, and we welcome any activity or initiative to encourage pilots no matter what their aircraft type to think about safety.”
For more information about the ‘Your safety is in your hands’ campaign visit the CASA pilot safety hub – casa.gov.au/pilots.
The main role of a training and checking system is to keep skills up to date for:
crew members (flight crew, cabin crew, air crew, medical transport specialists, task specialists)
other staff safety-critical to operations.
What to consider
If you are developing a training and checking system for the first time, you should consider the following:
The earlier you start thinking about how to fit the system into your organisation, the easier it will be to implement.
Most of your employees are already required to undergo training and checking. Having a system brings these processes together to achieve a specific purpose.
The frequency of training and checking may be changing but in some instances you can use existing checks.
For example, the frequency of checks for some operators offering flights using visual flight rules (VFR) have changed. Under the old rules, a VFR charter operator only needed to ensure that pilots did a CASR Part 61 flight review every 2 years. Under the new Part 135 of CASR, VFR pilots will need to be checked every 12 months.
