One day after learning that Barnaby Joyce is to be the new Deputy Prime Minister, it's still too early to tell what the ramifications for aviation are. Joyce has replaced Warren Truss, who not only retired as Nationals leader, but also as Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Although the "regional development" bit of that department seems a natural fit for a Nationals minister, the expected cabinet reshuffle might see the portfolio pass to the Liberals. Whoever we get, let's hope they are as dedicated to aviation regulation reforms as Warren Truss was. In his time, Truss directed a review into aviation safety regulation (which became the Forsyth Report), "requested" the ATSB to re-open the Norfolk Island ditching investigation, dealt with the scathing report the Canadian TSB wrote about the ATSB, issued CASA with a directive to implement a "just" culture and finally got something happening about a second major airport for Sydney. Let's hope Warren Truss' successor keeps up the momentum for reform.
An error of interpretation in a news story I wrote last week got me in hot water with some ADS-B experts. I said that VFR aircraft flying in Class E airspace need to have ADS-B. I am here to say that statement was not right. The truth is that if you are VFR and have a working Mode A/C transponder, then you can fly happily through the Class E until such time as your transponder reaches the end of its service life. After that, if you want to fly through Class E, you need to replace the old A/C with a Mode S ADS-B capable transponder. Caution: not all Mode S transponders are ADS-B capable, and "ADS-B capable" does not mean "ADS-B Out". They are different things. My mistake showed me that I have yet to properly bridge the chasm in my understanding about this new technology. I am probably not the only one out there. With 12 months to go until the IFR mandate kicks in, I can only encourage aircraft owners to get themselves up to speed with ADS-B and all the profilic terms that go with it such as "extended squitter", "UAT", "1090" and the difference between Mode S and ADS-B capable Mode S. A good start would be to read the ADS-B article in the January-February 2016 issue of Australian Flying. Then get yourself an expert on tap; you'll probably need one.
Along those lines, Garmin has released a new range of ADS-B compliant transponders. Whenever new equipment comes out in the states, we in Australia have to be careful what we say about it, because there are differences between what the US is doing and what we're doing. In this case, the question comes as to whether or not Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is of any value to us in Australia. My expert says "no", but the Garmin systems with WAAS have other bits also that might be of value. This is definitely one of those times to get onto your avionics engineer!
Personally, I am pleased to see the GAMA aircraft delivery figures released on Wednesday showed great results for the PA28 and the C182T. The old Skylane was laid to rest a couple of years ago in preparation for the diesel Skylane JT-A, but when development of the new aircraft foundered on rocks, Cessna made a hard but excellent decision to bring back the old favourite. With 25 aircraft delivered in the last quarter of 2015, the Skylane has a solid base to build a secure future on. Over at Vero Beach, the Piper Warrior has scored runs again after a year of ducks. It's a heartening result for Piper after a soul-crunching time that forced redundancies in order for the company to sway with new market conditions. The 20 Warriors and 25 Archers delivered in 2015 doesn't yet have market leaders Cirrus shaking in their spats, but it does show the company is not yet ready to be relegated to history.
There are ripples through the industry that the limitations on Jabiru-engined aeroplanes may soon be lifted. Whether or not those ripples are more like a tsunami or a gravitational wave are yet to be apparent. Certainly there were some interesting points coming out of the Senate Estimates hearing this week when a frustrated Senator O'Sullivan asked some very pointed questions. It appears that a tear-down test of the modified Jabiru motor that CASA participated in showed the engine could last 4.5 times the standard. So why are the restrictions still in place? That's sort of what Senator O'Sullivan wanted to know as well. Stand by for further news coming, I suspect, within the next few weeks.
May you gauges always be in the green,
Hitch