The Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) has urged its members to withdraw applications for CASR Parts 142 and 145 approvals until CASA provides guidelines.
In a strongly-worded statement to members, AHIA president Peter Crook said the helicopter industry was suffering from CASA's inability to deal with applications for training approvals.
"The aviation industry has been overburdened with regulatory change and is crippled by the inability of the regulator to process applications in a timely and proper manner," Crook said. "Some companies have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with still no end in sight.
"It’s time for us all to protest by withdrawing from the application process for Parts 142 and 145 particularly, and Part 141 if this is also a problem.
"If the industry removes their applications as a protest, it will do two things; firstly, show CASA we are united as an industry and object to the treatment we are receiving and do not intend participating in the conversion process; and secondly, save you considerable time, effort and money that is going nowhere!
"We suggest you ... withdraw your applications and conserve your resources for the day CASA eventually gets its house in order. We cannot continue, it’s time to act!"
According to AHIA, the issue rises from CASA's inability to provide a point of difference between Part 141 and 142 certification. Part 141 applies to non-integrated flight training and Part 142 to integrated flight training.
AHIA has approached CASA with the idea of Part 141 being expanded to cover type ratings, MCC training and enabling credits for training done under Part 142 organisations. At it is, the association says it is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars preparing applications only to have to battle CASA regional offices, who don't have the ability to approve applications anyway.
“It is like trying to find a road across a desert in a dust storm; like the shifting sands, the constantly shifting guidelines make the way forward impossible," said AHIA vice president Ray Cronin.
"As a result the AHIA is recommending its members and others in the helicopter community bunker down and withdraw their Parts 141, 142 and 145 applications until such time as CASA is able to provide completed templates for the industry to use in the application process."
Cronin also urged AHIA members to focus on operations to ensure continued safe, efficient and financially viable futures instead of being dragged into "impossible bureaucratic battles brought on by so much unwanted Government legislation."
On the matter of consultation, AHIA recognised CASA DAS Mark Skidmore's commitment to consultation, but expressed a wish for some of the issues affecting the helicopter industry to be brought to a head.
"We would be encouraged by a change in direction to see the DAS and CASA’s managers focusing on solutions and deal with what has already been raised rather than trying to flush out another range of issues,” Cronin said.