The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission is inviting public submissions as it examines civil flying training safety in the country.
Any individual or organisation may make a submission, but submissions close at midday on Monday 21 February 2011.
This inquiry will support the Commission’s current investigations into a fatal mid-air collision near Feilding in July 2010 and a mid-air near-collision near New Plymouth in May 2010.
It also follows a significant increase in the number of midair collisions and near-collisions over the past 10 years of which nearly half have involved pilots undergoing training, including some with instructors on board.
The Commission has become concerned that systemic or widespread matters may be affecting training safety.
The Commission is inviting public submissions, including from flying training industry participants, on matters related to civil flying training safety in New Zealand which may help it to understand the industry safety-related characteristics and issues, to substantiate any safety matters of concern, and to make findings and recommendations as may be appropriate. Submissions should address the following terms of reference.
* standard of flying instruction
* standard of training of flying instructors
* experience levels of instructors (both training industry experience and flying hours)
* formal and informal management of flying training in controlled and uncontrolled airspace
* radio communications related requirements, training and practice
* submitters knowledge of, or any evidence-based comment on, midair collisions, near-misses and other flying training accidents, incidents or occurrences since 2000 related to flying training safety regardless of whether these were reported or subject to investigation, by the Commission, Civil Aviation Authority, or a sport flying body.
* other matters which submitters consider directly relevant to the inquiry into civil flying training safety, including: business (including not-for-profit) or industry dimensions; tertiary education environment; regulatory environment; other matters.
The inquiry is concerned with flying training towards the issue of any Civil Aviation Authority pilot licence.