The CASA Briefing
Your monthly CASA update

 Civil Aviation Safety Authority

March 2007

From CEO Bruce Byron

CEO Bruce Byron

Many people will have heard me talk about the need for the aviation industry to understand and accept responsibility for managing risks and delivering safety. Safety is not just complying with the regulations and staying on-side with CASA. However, this reality does not diminish the fact that CASA must also play a key role in enforcement when people or organisations fail to meet the required standards. In other words, CASA stands ready to put on the ‘policeman's hat’ if it is required.

CASA has put a lot of work into making substantial improvements in many areas of our operations over recent years and we have now turned our attention to continuing to improve enforcement procedures. I told the Aviation Law Association last week in a speech at the Avalon air show: “A number of other innovations have been or are in the process of being introduced, which are designed to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, consistency and fairness of our enforcement-related activities.”

These include:

  • Creating a brief ‘executive summary’ for each Show Cause Notice CASA prepares. This will explain in plain language the basis for the administrative action CASA is considering taking. It will give a recipient of a notice a further means of understanding the issues CASA is raising and make better decisions on how to respond.
  • Giving recipients of Show Cause Notices a greater opportunity to raise new matters where CASA seeks to make a decision to vary, suspend or cancel an authorisation more than six months after a show cause process has been commenced. Before any decision is taken new and relevant matters that have arisen in the interim will be considered by CASA. Recipients can also raise matters they can show were not fully or fairly considered in the first instance.
  • Giving people the chance to put forward alternative proposals to resolve matters even after they have been taken to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Where CASA has taken a 'reviewable decision' and that decision has been appealed to the AAT, CASA will be willing to immediately consider any legitimate submissions on a possible alternative decision, rather than wait out the AAT process. If such a proposal is acceptable to CASA and the AAT it may not be necessary to hold or continue potentially lengthy and expensive proceedings.

Read Bruce Byron's full speech to the Aviation Law Association.

Multi-crew pilot licence

A joint industry-CASA team has been formed to work on the proposed regulations to cover multi-crew pilot licences. The International Civil Aviation Organization published standards last year for the new type of licence. This will see people train specifically to become airline co-pilots, with a greater use of simulators, competency-based-training and a focus on human factors and threat and error management.

The industry-CASA team has reviewed the draft regulations and proposed several changes, such as including an instrument rating and aircraft type endorsement when the new licence is issued. The team is also monitoring the experiences of other nations who are introducing multi-crew licences. In Brisbane, six students are studying for the new licence as part of a trial and the results of this trial will be closely studied.

Find out more about multi-crew licences.

Changes to warbirds start soon

Changes to the way warbirds and historic aircraft are administered are set to take effect from the end of next month. The instrument that has granted approval for limited category aircraft to operate for a number of years will be revoked. Instead, CASA will follow the original intent of the regulations, which is for limited category aircraft to operate in accordance with a manual produced by a CASA approved organisation. These same regulations set out a range of restrictions on the operations of these higher-risk aircraft.

The Australian Warbirds Association will become a CASA approved organisation for warbirds, historic and replica aircraft. People who own and operate these aircraft will have to operate in accordance with the Warbirds Association manual or seek a specific approval from CASA. If people choose to apply for approval from CASA, full cost recovery charges will apply. CASA has also warned the approvals will be given a low priority in terms of job allocation. The reason for the changes is to better utilise industry expertise and to allow CASA to allocate its resources to higher priority, passenger carrying operations.

Warning! Be careful when washing your aircraft

Aircraft owners and operators are being warned of dangers that can flow from washing aircraft to remove dirt and salt. An Airworthiness Bulletin issued this year says that while washing your aircraft is good practice there are real risks. A failure to re-lubricate bearings, hinges and bushes after washing can lead to excessive wear and corrosion. The Bulletin says:

“Several defect reports have been submitted concerning roller bearings and ball bearings on undercarriages, control surfaces etc. Some of the defects reported indicated that after undercarriages were washed the bearings were re-lubricated and a combination of corrosion and excessive wear led to failures and 'stiffening' of the scissor arms and oleo struts. In other instances, rod end bearings were found to have failed due to a lack of lubrication before they normally would, due to a lack of lubrication after continual washing of the aircraft. In addition there have been reports of corrosion and failures of hinges in various external positions on aircraft as a result of washed out lubricants and the use of unapproved cleaning agents.”

Find out how to avoid washing problems.

Important workshop for aviation manufacturing

People involved in aviation manufacturing have the chance to update their knowledge of CASA's oversight and regulatory requirements at a special workshop later this year. CASA is holding a free two-day workshop in Melbourne in May, focussing on manufacturing and certification issues. The initiative follows the creation within CASA of two new areas covering these areas: the Manufacturing section and the Certification Policy and Planning section.

The workshop will look at manufacturing issues such as production approval types, quality system requirements, design data assessment, approved persons and CASA surveillance of production approval holders. In the certification part of the workshop key issues being discussed will include development of policy and standards for certification of aircraft and aeronautical products, management of type certification projects, management of delegates and authorised persons for design approval and design approval procedures and documentation.

Find out more and book for the free workshop.

GA engine conference gets thumbs up

Three special conferences on new technologies and topics related to general aviation propulsion systems, held earlier this month, were given an overwhelming vote of approval by the aviation people who took part. More than 170 people attended the conferences in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. The conferences looked at a range of propulsion issues such as continuing airworthiness, new oils and fuels and new engine designs. Presentations were made by major players, including Shell, AINDT, Embraer, SMA Diesel, Petersen, Teledyne Continental and Lycoming.

Comments from industry people after the events included:

“We were shown the latest developments in Lycoming and Continental engines, advances in Shell lubrication in aviation, diesel and alcohol driven engines, along with endless talk about roller tappets. Thank you to Obaid Soomro, the airworthiness engineer from CASA, and the presenters for such an informative day.”

“Have them regularly, more frequently. Excellent presentations and very pertinent.”

“Thank you for this conference. This Avtech conference was very interesting and presenters were a mine of knowledge. I would prefer more diversity eg engine, airframe, electrical etc.”

New aerial ag rules

A new set of rules covering all fixed wing aerial agriculture operations has been finalised by CASA after extensive consultation with relevant sectors of the aviation industry. CASA has issued a Notice of Final Rule Making for Civil Aviation Safety Regulations Part 137. It is expected the new rules will commence operating from the middle of this year, with aerial agriculture operators given 12 months to reach full compliance with the new rules. The new rules better organise many of the existing requirements for aerial agriculture and put into regulations all current exemptions for these operations.

Read the new regulations.

Advice for aerodrome operators

CASA has issued advice to certified and registered aerodromes on the safe planning and conduct of major and time-limited aerodrome works. The Advisory Circular says the risk to aircraft operations is increased when aerodrome works disrupt the normal pattern of operations, with pilots having to operate in an unfamiliar environment. The Advisory looks at key areas of safety and offers suggestions on how to minimise hazards. A checklist is provided to help work planners and supervisors cover off major risks. The checklist covers the planning and conduct of works and requirements for work safety officers.

Read the aerodrome works Advisory Circular.

Alcohol and other drug testing

An easy-to-read flyer setting out the steps being followed to make the new regulations to implement alcohol and other drugs testing has been released. The flyer details seven steps. Right now the third step has been reached, which is the formation of the joint industry-CASA team to develop the new rules. The team currently has members from aviation industry representative bodies, pilot groups, major airlines, aircraft owners, medical practitioners and CASA . The Federal Government announced last year that civil aviation regulations will be introduced requiring a range of alcohol and other drug testing, which will be implemented by industry. Mandatory testing will be required for flight crew, cabin crew, air traffic controllers, ground refuellers, baggage handlers, security screeners and people with airside access at aerodromes.

Download the flyer.

Cessna warning

Owners and operators of certain Cessna 206, 207 and 210 aircraft have been warned to be on the watch for cracks in the left and right nose gear tunnel walls. CASA has received several service defect reports of cracks at the lower end of the forward engine shock mount assembly and in the stiffeners. Cracks in the left tunnel wall are relatively easy to see with a torch and mirror, while cracks in the right tunnel are more difficult to see because they are covered by the oil cooler. Inspections are recommended at 500 hours time in service and then at each periodic inspection.

Full details of advice and the aircraft affected.