CASA Director of Aviation Safety Mark Skidmore and his executive managers will face the aviation community in a forum to discuss what challenges aviation safety faces over the next 15 years.
The first one is scheduled for Mildura, Victoria, on Thursday 30 July. Depending on how it goes, other regional centres and capital cities may be added for later dates.
Skidmore says the forum is necessary because of the ever-changing landscape of aviation safety.
"All of us involved in Australian aviation face the challenges of change. Aviation is continually evolving in areas such as advances in technology, new approaches to safety or better ways of doing business," he said.
"None of us can afford to sit back and accept that the way we do things today will necessarily be the way of the future.
"That means we do need to look and think ahead about what is likely to change, what change will mean and how change can work for us."
The forum will run for three hours from 0900 - 1200, with the first hour dedicated to questions from the floor about aviation safety as it now stands, and the remainder spent on dicussing the needs of aviation safety as far as 2030. Topics expected to be covered could include:
- maintaining the most effective safety culture
- getting CASA’s safety balance right—an effective regulator that is not too "light" but avoids unnecessary burdens
- the best ways to develop and implement regulations that achieve the right safety outcomes
- minimising complexity while working in a legal and regulatory framework
- the best ways to support the aviation community to meet safety goals and requirements
- improving communication, consultation and co-operation
- the safety impact of new technologies, for example low earth orbit transport
- safety challenges in regional aviation
- the growth in the remotely piloted aircraft sector
- managing ageing aircraft.
"CASA is not the source of all ideas and knowledge in Australian aviation safety," Skidmore admits, "so we need the support and participation of everyone in the Australian aviation community to manage the issues of today and to plan effectively for the future."
For more information on the Mildura forum and to register your interest, go to the CASA website.