CASA has set up a special task force to review various aspects of the safety regulation of General Aviation in Australia.
CASA has established the task force to look at General Aviation pilot licensing, air operator’s certificates and relevant safety requirements, with the task force initially focussing on the aerial agriculture sector.
CASA’s Director of Aviation Safety, John McCormick, said the task force was a CASA initiative.
“CASA is committed to being a proactive safety regulator and we are always looking to make sure our regulatory regime is effective,” McCormick said. “It is vital that regulations deliver the intended safety outcomes to the highest possible level without imposing unnecessary burdens on the aviation industry.
“In General Aviation, CASA believes it is time to look at the requirements for pilot licensing and the need for air operator’s certificates for a range of operations.”
As has previously been announced, CASA will be setting up a General Aviation forum next year to give GA stakeholders an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding regulatory issues.
“The task force will feed issues and information into this forum for debate and discussion, with CASA to make the final decisions on any changes,” McCormick explains.
“In the first instance the task force will look at the safety regulation of aerial agriculture because this is a vibrant sector of General Aviation with a wide range of safety issues that need to be considered. The review of aerial agriculture will be done in full co-operation with the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia.”
The General Aviation task force will be headed by Peter John, CASA’s Eastern Region operations manager.
The task force is expected to operate for more than two years, initially drawing on the expertise of people across CASA and later on people from the General Aviation sector. It will begin work in mid-August 2011.
