CASA's moves to relax joyflight regulations should be held up as an example of what can be achieved when the industry and the regulator work together. It makes good commonsense that operators leaping around coastal areas and other scenic notables shouldn't need to comply with the same management standards as an airline operating A330s from Sydney to Hong Kong, or any other RPT route for that matter. It seems to me that CASA has read this one right, and matched the level of regulation to the level of risk. May this be a harbinger of more sensible regulation to come.
There is less than a month now until Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (WOAW) kicks off and Australia is right in the thick of it. This week we ran an item about a small CTAF near Melbourne, Coldstream, which is getting into the spirit of WOAW and offering free flights to women who have never flown before. Congrats to Faye Warren and her organising team. It shows what can be done if people are enthusiastic and dedicated enough to get out there and do it.
Red Bull has added some serious spice to the 2015 Air Race series by increasing the number of knock-out rounds. What this means is that pilots will now race head-to-head in the first two rounds instead of going for a time fast enough to qualify. It creates the situation where a pilot could be knocked out of the event having flown a faster time than some of the others who qualify. The overall time won't matter anymore; you just have to go faster than the other bloke. Good, cut-throat stuff. Let's hope Matt Hall's new not-so-secret weapon, winglets, gives him the edge he needs.
Next Thursday morning, I will be a special guest on Mountain District Radio 3MDR talking about Avalon 2015. I'll present a full run-down of what is expected to be there over the full six days of the air show. Those of you in the Dandenong Ranges can tune in at 9.30 am on 97.1 FM. Those who are out of range can follow the conversation on-line at www.3mdr.com.
And we have to end this week with a correction to an article in the Australian Flying Jan-Feb 2015 print issue. In the feature The Sharp Edge, we said that Regional Express doesn't guarantee employment to their graduating cadets. Apparently the term "The decision to employ the Cadet ... is at the complete discretion of the Company" means they reserve the right to decide where in the group the cadet is placed, not whether or not they are employed. Rex does guarantee employment to graduating cadets. Thanks to Hank Zheng at Australian Airline Pilot Academy for pointing that out.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch