The CASA Briefing
Your monthly CASA update

 Civil Aviation Safety Authority

April 2008

From CEO Bruce Byron

CEO Bruce ByronDuring the next month CASA will be releasing more details on the new alcohol and other drugs testing regime which is about to be introduced across the aviation industry in Australia. I would like to urge everyone to look carefully at the information CASA provides and to think about how the alcohol and other drugs program will affect your area of aviation. It is very important that everyone understands the alcohol and other drugs program is not limited to just pilots and maintainers. While these two key operational groups of people will obviously be involved in testing and the other aspects of the program, so will a wide range of other aviation personnel. The aim is for anyone who is in a position in aviation that could affect safety to be covered by the alcohol and other drugs program. This means people such as cabin crew, baggage handlers, drivers of airside vehicles, refuelers, security staff and all others with airside access at an aerodrome will be subject to the program.

Naturally the alcohol and other drugs program is not limited to the commercial passenger carrying sectors of the industry. So if you are involved in aerial agriculture, private operations or recreational flying you must understand your new responsibilities under the program. All sectors of the industry will be targeted for alcohol and other drugs testing – either as part of the random program or as part of an organisation’s alcohol and other drugs management plan. Vitally, these plans will include far more than just testing, with education and training for people on a wide range of issues related to alcohol and other drugs use and the risks to aviation safety. CASA will be running a high-profile campaign to explain the new program to the aviation industry and I urge everyone to listen and learn.

Read more about the alcohol and other drugs program.

Our aviation future now firmly in focus

A National Aviation Policy Statement is being formulated by the Australian Government. People in the aviation industry are being urged to have their say on the future of Australian aviation as part of the process of developing this Policy Statement. An issues paper has been released by the Government to kick start the debate about aviation’s future, with five broad themes identified. These themes cover aviation industry operations, infrastructure, safety, customer and community protection and security. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, said it was time all aspects of aviation policy were linked together in a single statement. “The aim of the White Paper will be simple: to provide greater planning and investment certainty for the industry as well as address the wider community and environmental impacts associated with air transport and airport development. Without a coherent aviation policy framework to help us navigate rapidly changing domestic and global circumstances we will be flying blind.

“As a first step on the road to the White Paper, I am releasing an issues paper to stimulate public debate. The Government is asking all those with an interest in the future of the Australian aviation industry to consider the questions posed by the issues paper and then to come back to us with their input and ideas by the end of June. Based on the feedback generated by the issues paper, the Government will compile and release a Green Paper in September outlining possible policy directions, settings and reforms, providing yet another opportunity for public input. Following this second round of consultation, the Government will finalise the White Paper, addressing each of the key short, medium and long term challenges identified. This entire process will be completed by the middle of next year."

Find out more and lodge a submission.

Ag pilots embrace human factors

Pilots wanting to obtain an agricultural rating now need to demonstrate knowledge of a range of human factors issues. A section on human factors has been included in the recently amended syllabus of training for an agricultural rating. Twelve issues are covered under the human factors section of Civil Aviation Order 40.6. These include dehydration, fatigue, stress, drugs, spatial disorientation and illusions, conflict management, organisational culture and decision making. There is also a requirement to understand social influences on pilots such as authority, peers, competition, perfection and ‘groupthink’. Aeronautical risk management is covered with a requirement to explain decision making traps such as problems with check lists, 'get-home-itis', experience biases and confirmation bias.

The agricultural rating syllabus has also been amended to remove issues which are not directly related to flight safety, such as knowledge of chemicals. The Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia was concerned the syllabus had previously covered areas that were outside aviation safety. CASA worked with the Aerial Agriculture Association to draft the amendments to the Civil Aviation Order.

Read CAO 40.6 in full.

Need a manufacturer? Just click here!

Do you need to find Australian organisations with official approval to produce aircraft or aviation components? Then the CASA web site has your answers. A new function has just been added to the CASA web site that allows people to search for production approval holders. A total of 67 organisations are listed that hold a permission or approval from CASA to manufacture everything from a complete aircraft to the smallest of components. Approved manufacturers cover machined metal components, aircraft windows, placards and signage, wiring harnesses, webbing restraint, avionics and much more. You can search for an organisation by name or by state or territory. If you want to look at the complete listing of approved manufacturers, simply leave the search fields blank and click on the search button.

Go here to search for approved manufacturers.

Indonesian training program off to a flying start

The first group of Indonesian aviation safety inspectors have completed their special new training in Australia. The training is part of Australia's assistance to the Indonesian Government to improve transport safety in Indonesia. Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian Minister for Transportation, Jusman Syafi'i Djamal, for a $24 million bilateral package of assistance over three years. Mr Albanese said: "Our co-operative relationship with Indonesia is producing results. I am confident the inspectors from the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation will benefit enormously from the intensive mentoring they received while in Australia. Under this program, CASA will provide training to up to forty Indonesian aviation safety inspectors in Australia each year, comprising seven training rotations of six inspectors for about four weeks."

The inspectors entering the program have their competencies assessed before and after their training in Australia. Each is assigned to a CASA mentor who monitors their progress on their return to Jakarta, including the transfer of skills to other staff. The first group of six inspectors arrived in Brisbane on 23 February, where they undertook two weeks of classroom training followed by two weeks of on-the-job experience. A second group of Indonesian inspectors have now entered the new program.

Pilot exam fees to rise

The fees charged for all flight crew examinations will increase on 1 May 2008. This is the first fee increase in almost five years for flight crew exams. The increase that has been approved by CASA is 4.8 per cent. Flight crew exams are delivered for CASA by Assessment Services Pty Ltd, which says there have been "significant increases in operating costs" over recent years. The fee for a one hour exam, including GST, will be $72 from 1 May. A two hour exam will cost $93, while a three hour exam will cost $110. CASA regrets the increase in charges but believes they are necessary. Assessment Services Pty Ltd delivers flight crew exams over the internet at approved locations using the secure CyberExams system.

Find out more about flight crew exam fee changes

Focus on manufacturing and certification

People involved in aviation engineering and manufacturing operations will be learning more about the regulation and safety oversight of these sectors in May 2008. CASA is holding a special workshop in Sydney looking at a range of issues related to manufacturing and certification. The one and a half day workshop will cover topics such as production approval types, continuing airworthiness, CASA audits, certification delegation, the design approval process and design and maintenance data approval regulations. Other topics being covered include human factors, safety management systems and agreements with the US and European aviation safety regulators.

The workshop is being run by CASA's Manufacturing and Certification sections and is part of an ongoing program to assist and educate people in these sectors of the aviation industry. Bookings for the Sydney workshop are now closed, but people interested should watch CASA's web site for future workshops.

Find out more about manufacturing and certification workshops.

Our safety advisors are here to help

Finding out more about CASA's aviation safety advisors is now only a click away. CASA has launched a special set of web pages to provide everything people in the aviation industry need to know about the safety advisors. There are now 11 CASA safety advisors who spend their time out amongst the aviation industry providing information, giving safety advice, conducting seminars and workshops and identifying the safety needs of the aviation community. The advisors also distribute CASA's valuable safety publications and DVDs, as well as sending feedback to CASA management on industry issues and concerns. Queensland and NSW are each serviced by three advisors, Victoria/Tasmania and Western Australia each have two advisors and South Australian and the Northern Territory each have one.

All of the advisors introduce themselves on the web site, explaining their background and expertise in aviation and their particular interests in aviation safety. The web site also has a link to an up-to-date list of Avsafety seminars for pilots, which are run by the advisors in conjunction with local aero and flying clubs across the nation.

Find out more about CASA's safety advisors.

On-line business tool is coming

The first stage in the roll out of CASA's new on-line business tool will go live within the near future. The on-line tool – known as the CASA Self Service Portal – will allow people in the aviation industry to do some of their business with the regulator over the internet. The Self Service Portal is being set up in stages, to give aviation people time to find out about the tool and to make sure it operates effectively. In the first stage, people will be able to view their personal, licence and aircraft registration details held by CASA. People can then up-date their information as required, after completing a simple registration process to set up their secure account. Users will have a password to access their account.

Later in 2008 CASA will expand the functions of the Portal to allow forms to be completed on-line and to cater for on-line payments. CASA will write to a range of people in the aviation industry in coming months to provide more information on how to use the Portal and how to register.

Read more about the Portal.

New code for explosives transport

Aviation organisations that transport explosives should be aware of a new draft code for the carriage of explosives. While the draft code focuses on the road and rail transport sectors, it also impacts on aviation. There are proposed changes to packing instructions, which would align Australian standards more closely with international standards. This will affect classification and labelling systems for road and rail explosive transport and will flow on to air transport. The Australian Explosives Code regulates the transport of explosives to protect the community from the risks associated with this activity. The revisions will more closely align the Australian Explosives Code with the United Nations classification and labelling system.

The Australian Forum of Explosives Regulators is calling for comment on the draft code. CASA is a member of the Forum.

Find out more about the draft explosives code and make comment.

Warning on helicopter generators

Operators and maintainers of all Sikorsky S76 series helicopters have been warned about the possibility of the failure of the aircraft's generator. This can occur due to corrosion build up and a lack of torque on the generator/starter earth points. A generator failure on an aircraft was traced back to the earth points becoming loose as a result of corrosion, causing an open circuit which stopped the generator from operating. CASA has issued an airworthiness bulletin recommending an inspection of all generator/starter earth points for corrosion and the correct torque. Any earth points that are damaged should be replaced and that those that are loose should be tightened. CASA has asked for all problems to be reported through the Service Difficulty Reports system.

Read the airworthiness bulletin.