The CASA Briefing
Your monthly CASA update

 Civil Aviation Safety Authority

September 2007

From CEO Bruce Byron

CEO Bruce Byron

Risk management is at the centre of aviation safety. It is what we all do - as regulators, air operators, maintenance organisations, aerodrome operators and even private pilots. The sophistication of our risk management systems depend upon the complexity of our operations and the levels of risks we generate. Obviously, a major airline has a large number of potential risks to manage and the outcome of any adverse event is severe. As the risk management task gets more complex we must collect, manage and analyse increasing amounts of data.

CASA already collects, or has access to, a variety of data on aviation safety performance. However, as we work to become an even more effective regulator we must widen the data sources we use to make safety judgements and to plan for the future. Early next year CASA will launch a survey of air operators to improve the quality of operational information we collect, which will allow us to better identify risks and set priorities in the passenger-carrying sectors of operations. This year we are launching a separate exercise which will seek information from everyone in Australian aviation on emerging risks and appropriate responses. In effect, we are asking the aviation industry to work with CASA on building a picture of longer-term risk management.

CASA will invite everyone to provide their views on likely changes in the industry over the next three to five years, how those changes could impact on safety and suggested actions to mitigate emerging risks. This exercise will be conducted through CASA's website, with a simple-to-use form for people to fill in. In addition CASA will directly approach aviation representative organisations and groups, aviation leaders and safety experts and ask them to participate. What we want are your views on strategic and emerging risks which may arise through changes to the nature of aviation operations or through the deterioration in existing safety management and support systems. We will be looking for those factors which impact on the industry as a whole, or a significant sector of the industry, rather than at an organisation level. This will allow CASA and the aviation industry to strategically plan for safety and to allocate resources to neutralise or mitigate safety risks. I look forward to contributions from everyone.

Find out more about the emerging risk survey and have your say now.

CASA leadership strengthened

CASA's leadership team has been strengthened with the appointment of a new deputy chief executive officer. Mick Quinn has been appointed deputy CEO Operations, to be based in CASA's operational headquarters in Brisbane. Mr Quinn has more than 25 years experience in the aviation industry and safety management, having worked for two major airline groups in senior positions. Over the last two years he has held the position of executive director, Rail Safety Regulation, in the NSW Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulation body. Mr Quinn began his aviation career as a commercial pilot at Sydney's Bankstown airport in the early 1980s. He joined Qantas in 1988 and became manager of Air Safety Investigation, a role that involved investigating incidents, developing safety management systems and providing safety education and awareness training for flight crews. In 1998 Mr Quinn joined the Emirates Group, becoming senior vice president Safety.

CASA's chief executive officer Bruce Byron says Mick Quinn brings an ideal mix of aviation skills and experience to the senior ranks of Australia's air safety regulator. "Mick is passionate about aviation and an expert in safety management," Mr Byron says. "He will lead and continue to develop and improve our vital operational team that oversights the safety of all Australian air operators, building on the significant improvements of the last two years. "I expect Mick to use his skills in risk analysis and safety management to drive further changes to the way CASA delivers safety oversight." Mr Byron thanked deputy CEO Strategy and Support, Shane Carmody, for acting as deputy CEO Operations since Bruce Gemmell retired from CASA earlier this year.

Minister supports CASA's goals

The Federal Transport Minster last month gave formal support to CASA's regulatory priorities, as well as organisational and regulatory reforms. Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile wrote to CEO Bruce Byron to back a performance statement delivered by CASA earlier this year. The so-called 'Statement of Intent' set out how CASA will meet the Government's expectations for aviation safety, including a set of high-level performance measures.

Mr Vaile's letter of August 14 says: "I consider that the Statement of Intent is a good first step in setting out how CASA will meet its priorities in relation to regulatory and corporate functions, and a good summary of the necessary organisational and regulatory reforms you are undertaking. I note and support your commitments in relation to financial management, service delivery and reporting, and ask that you seek to achieve all your Corporate Plan targets in this area. You should carefully monitor the performance benchmarks set out in the Statement and your Corporate Plan and take actions that improve the organisation's capability to fully meet those targets."

CASA's Statement of Intent covered performance in seven key areas. These are governance and relationships, finance and reporting, the Office of Airspace Regulation, operational priorities, regulatory reform, international relationships and industry and community engagement.

Read the Statement in full.

Night vision goggles take off

Emergency Management Queensland Helicopter Rescue will be the first air operator in Australia to carry out approved flights using night vision goggles. This follows the recent making of a Civil Aviation Order which allows holders of air operator's certificates to apply for approval to use night vision goggles for helicopter operations in categories such as search and rescue, law enforcement, fire fighting and emergency medical services. The Order - CAO 82.6 and associated CAAP 174-1- requires air operators to meet a range of conditions such as incorporating night vision goggles into their operations manuals, providing training to pilots and meeting a range of equipment and maintenance standards.

Greg Vaughan, CASA's group general manager, General Aviation Operations, says the first approval for civil night vision goggle flight is a very significant event. "This marks the introduction of a technology that can provide real safety benefits," says Greg. "The outcome demonstrates CASA's potential for safety innovation by positive engagement with the aviation industry. I'm especially proud of the fact that the introduction of night vision goggle legislation and the issuance and approval of the first operator occurred in only a matter of months. The helicopter operators who participated on the project working group must be thanked for the generous contribution of their time and technical expertise." It is expected that up to ten air operators will apply to use night vision goggles in coming months, with more likely to follow.

Read the night vision goggle CAO.

Pilots flocking to safety seminars

Almost 600 pilots have brushed up on their safety knowledge at special CASA run seminars over the last three months. A total of 12 safety seminars for pilots have been held, out of 60 planned for this financial year. The seminars will be held in most states, in capital cities and regional centres. Topics covered include fuel management, visual flight rules operations into instrument meteorological conditions, operations in controlled airspace, maintenance that can be done by pilots and situational awareness. The seminars are organised by CASA in conjunction with aero and flying clubs to ensure the content is relevant to local pilots. The events are held in the evening to give everyone the chance of attending and there is a free sausage sizzle after the sessions are completed. Feedback from pilots and the clubs is very positive, with many requests for repeat visits being lodged.

Read the full list of pilot seminars.

Short delay to AOC survey

A planned survey by CASA of all holders of air operator's certificates has been delayed until early next year. Work was underway to conduct the survey of more than 800 air operators before Christmas. However, the survey has been put back to allow more time to fine-tune the on-line survey form and to test industry responses to the survey. A lot of work has been done to make the on-line survey as easy as possible to use, with most air operators needing to spend no more than 20 minutes filling out the form. CASA will use the short delay to continue testing the survey with a cross section of air operators, making sure it is working correctly and that it accurately and easily captures the required data.

The purpose of the survey is to collect up-to-date and accurate information from air operators, replacing the organisation annual return process that was conducted by CASA field offices. The survey will provide a more precise picture of the aviation industry, help to identify potential safety risks and place an increased focus on passenger-carrying operations. By analysing and comparing subsequent survey data CASA will gather both short term and strategic trend information for planning and safety purposes. Questions in the survey will cover the size and make-up of an operator's fleet of aircraft, the hours flown by aircraft and the type of operations flown.

ATSB responses now on-line

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau - the official body investigating aviation accidents and incidents in Australia - often makes recommendations to CASA in its reports. CASA always responds to these recommendations, although they are not always accepted in full. In the past it has been difficult to track CASA's responses but that has all changed. CASA now publishes its responses to ATSB report recommendations on the CASA web site - currently recommendations from 2006 and 2007 are on-line. Since the start of 2006 the ATSB has made 16 recommendations to CASA and CASA has responded and regards them as closed. The ATSB is still monitoring a number of these recommendations, which means they will continue to examine the actions taken by CASA. The new ATSB recommendations web page will continue to be updated as CASA responds to accident or incident investigation reports.

Read CASA's responses here.

Drug and alcohol testing

A wealth of information about the new drug and alcohol testing regime is available to aviation people on CASA's web site. There are now nearly 90 common questions answered, covering everything from why testing is required, who will be tested, how testing will be done, who will do testing and training for employers. An amendment to the Civil Aviation Act to provide for drug and alcohol testing was passed by Federal Parliament last month and CASA has issued a notice of proposed rule making. The comment period for the NPRM closed in late August and CASA is studying the responses before collating and publishing them. It is proposed that drug and alcohol testing should begin next year, with plenty of time to be allocated for an education and awareness program to be run for the aviation industry. Aviation organisations will also be given a transition period to implement the required drug and alcohol plans.

Find out more about drug and alcohol testing.

Helicopter manual given thumbs up

CASA's new Helicopter Flight Instructor Manual has been welcomed by the rotary wing industry. It is the first time CASA has produced an instructor manual for helicopters. The manual is based on a similar product from the Department of Transport Canada. The catalyst for producing the manual was a specific request from the helicopter flying school chief flying instructor group several years ago and numerous approaches from industry for helicopter-related safety products. The Helicopter Association worked with CASA to identify the main issues affecting rotary wing operations and one initiative was the instructor manual. It is a basic guide to assist flying instructors conduct helicopter ab-initio flying training sequences in a more nationally consistent way. This is an interim version and CASA is hopeful that we will receive substantive suggestions for improvement from industry to allow us to publish a version with greater local content some time in 2008.

In addition to the manual CASA has produced a series of posters and flyers on wire strike, spatial disorientation and the effects of fatigue, alcohol and drugs when flying. A cattle mustering poster and flyer has also been developed with the assistance of the aviation industry and the Cattle Council of Australia. The manual has been sent out to all helicopter instructors, the posters and flyers were sent to helicopter operators and individual helicopter pilots and the mustering material sent to all mustering firms.

Read the helicopter instructor manual.

Go on-line to find out about NDT

A new website for the Aerospace Non Destructive Testing Board of Australia is now available thanks to a partnership between CASA and the aviation industry. Established in March 2006, the Board consists of a range of industry experts with CASA as sponsor. The Board advises CASA on non-destructive testing policy and standards. Non-destructive testing involves a range of processes for finding defects in aircraft that are not visible to the eye. This can be due to the defect being too small or within a part of the aircraft that cannot be seen without taking it apart, such as the engine. Ultrasonic, ultrasound and x-ray are used to locate these hard to find defects. Anyone can now access publications, reports, seminar information and the latest news from the new NDT web site.

Visit the non destructive testing web site.

Changing the rules - special flight permits

CASA is proposing to change the rules covering special flight permits. The aim is to address difficulties in approving the design of temporary fuel systems or navigational equipment for one-off ferry flights. CASA recognises that it is not always possible nor practicable for operators to demonstrate strict compliance with all applicable design requirements. The operator should be able to demonstrate that the aircraft embodying a temporary fuel system for one-off ferry flight is capable of performing a safe flight. CASA proposes to issue a general exemption allowing CAR 35 authorised persons to approve the design of temporary ferry fuel systems or navigational equipment for one-off ferry flights, without any prescribed design standards, subject to the condition the aircraft and the installed system is considered safe for the intended flight.

Read the full details.