The Last Minute Hitch: 5 August 2016
I hear a lot of stories from pilots who are frustrated with the condition of aviation regulation in Australia; some of them just make you want to smash apples, and others you can do nothing with but laugh. Yesterday I was told one that I can't put into either category, and so elected to laugh. CASA refused a Class 2 medical to a pilot who wanted to fly his C162 Skycatcher 30 nm. His problem was that the aircraft was VH-registered, not RA-Aus. AVMED apparently wanted more information on the spare tyre around his waist. So, no flying the little Cessna. Had the C162 been RA-Aus registered he could have flown it. Why is he suddenly unsafe because the aircraft is registered with CASA? Ask yourself whether or not this episode constitutes discrimination. Instead, the poor bloke had no recourse but to leave the Skycatcher where it is and go back to his day job of flying an A330 Airbus to Hong Kong, which he could do on his Class 1 and ATPL issued overseas. Not safe to fly an LSA alone, but safe to fly 300 pax on an international route.
Despite vigorous lobbying in Canberra, CASA has never wavered from the 2 February 2017 ADS-B mandate for IFR aircraft. Chairman Jeff Boyd did indicate that the board would revisit the issue, but there were no promises. Since then, the regulator has reiterated the original stance: the mandate stands. Now, we have 181 days to fit-out 1000 aircraft, a rate of 5.5 per day when what we've achieved in the last six months is a rate of only 1.65 per day. This does not bode well. It may be that many owners thought lobbying from AOPA and Dick Smith would result in extra time, so put off getting their aircraft compliant. About now they will be reaching for the panic button. Come 2 February 2017, there is no doubt there will still be a significant amount of IFR aircraft that will be restricted suddenly to VFR ops only.
I am an unabashed fan of the Diamond DA62, which I am pleased to say is touring the country in the next few weeks. This is a brilliantly-designed twin that gives you an armchair ride and scoots along at a very decent clip. The DA62 is an example of what can be done when technology is allow to run unfettered. If you get a chance, find out where this plane is going to be and when, and get yourself a good close look.
The September-October issue of Australian Flying is at the printers and will be at your place before you know it. We've got some great stuff in there for you, so if you're not a subscriber to either the print or digital versions, make sure you get down to the newsagent and don't miss your copy!
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch