– Steve Hitchen
CASA was busy this week, releasing for public consumption three documents that provide some transparency of what their workload is for the coming year. One of those was the 2025 GA Workplan (more below), another was the Forward Regulatory Program (FRP) and the third was the certification roadmap for RPAS/AAM. The way I read it, these three documents all work together, with the FRP being the pivot and the other two hanging off that. And it all goes back to the GAAN strategy, minister's Statement of Expectations and the Aviation White Paper. That's a lot of written words all condensed into the FRP, which in the long run is the plan that matters. This is some serious transparency, and we need to acknowledge the merit in that. But, what we aren't seeing is any plans to reform oversight and enforcement, perhaps what is needed the most. The way CASA does audits, takes regulatory action and deals with infringements desperately needs to be overhauled. Whilst I recognise that there is a serious shortage of qualified people willing to put on a CASA vest, the feedback I get is that the audit program seems to be without form, misdirected and almost without fail conducted under an overcast of angst. Without taking anything away from the merit of any project in the FRP, I can't help but feel it contains a certain incompleteness without this being addressed.
There are no earth-shattering surprises from Canberra in the 2025 GA Workplan, which probably shows us that the new system of consultation combining public feedback with ASAP and the TWGs is functioning as advertised. We are not surprised because the initiatives CASA is embarking on are the very things we gave them. The one generating the most buzz at the moment is MOSAIC. Despite the absence of any flat promise to implement the FAA version verbatim, I suspect this one is going to consume a lot of attention and resources in the coming months. According to the workplan, they don't expect to have the project finished inside of three years. That's a disappointingly long time, especially when the standard has been written already. Yes, there's a lot to go over especially when relating the brave new LSAs to the recreational sector. Developed to their fullest potential, MOSAIC LSAs will burst the limitations set on RAAus administration, even the new Group G aircraft, which means CASA needs to expand RAAus' approvals or deny them LSAs at the top end of the performance tree. Personally, I would counsel CASA to release the new LSA standards for VH registration rather than let recreational considerations hold it up. Complicating matters is the scheduled program to have another crack at a Manual of Standards for CASR Part 103. The last effort produced a resounding rejection from the industry, which means any new MOS will need to be close to clean-sheet. But I note that the Part 103 MOS is due to be completed one year before the MOSAIC adoption. CASA can't complete the MOS without having made their decision on a further MTOW increase for RAAus, so the completion dates for these two should be aligned. Preferably to the end of 2027; we need these new aeroplanes ASAP.
It's that time of the year when the nominations open for the CASA Wings Awards. Last year was one of our most successful in terms of the number and quality of nominations, which set the judging panel quite a task to choose the best. It's a problem we would welcome again this year. But that depends more on you than it does on us; we can judge only the submissions you give us. Nominations close in November, so you have an enormous amount of time to go on the 2025 CASA Wings Awards webpage, read the criteria, plan and lodge your submission. Every year we see nominations that have clearly been hurried, and it generally reflects in the quality. Regardless of the nominee, a good quality submission trumps a poor quality one every time.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch