– Steve Hitchen
The new LSA regulations were always going to take some sculpting to fit into the Australian mold, if for no other reason than the cross-over of LSAs between RAAus and CASA. However, it seems there are parts of the regulations over here that also need some reworking to make sure everything fits. And it seems CASA is hitting the decks running, but can't move faster on this than standard bureaucratic speed. It would do no good to fast-track MOSAIC in Australia anyway; it will be Oshkosh next year before the first aircraft to the new standard can be registered. The GA community–particularly the manufacturers–are dead keen to see this implemented, and a new era in GA ushered in, so their impatience to get going with it is understandable. What we need CASA to do is make sure our regulatory regime is ready to go when the FAA pushes the button in July next year. That's where the phased implementation should work for us, but it may mean that RAAus has to be left behind temporarily to enable at least GA to go forward with the new aircraft. When or if RAAus catches up is still the subject of a lot of work behind the scenes on behalf of both CASA and RAAus; too much, in fact, to be allowed to hold back the rest of the aviation community.
After the Federal Government slung $220 million in the direction of REX and its pending suitor, I think other regional airlines are justified in asking "what about us?" RAAA CEO Rob Walker has been vocal in pointing out that REX is not the only regional airline in Australia, none of which are rolling in cash, yet still provide a vital service to remote and regional communities that would otherwise remain isolated. The $5 million allotted to airports to which REX owes money has only exacerbated the feeling of being left behind. Are these services not as valuable as those provided by REX, or do you have to hit the bottom of the well before someone throws you a rope? The latter is maybe fanciful thinking; Australian aviation history is coloured by regional airlines that bottomed out whilst the government did nothing more than send a condolence card. Sometimes not even that. But this ALP government is going all out. When Air T grabs the keys to the REX doors, they will be in possession of an airline and a name, and control of an ageing SAAB 340 fleet that the Australian government has caveats on. That's a brilliant deal for Air T, and one that is unlikely to have been struck were it not for the desperation of Team Albanese to keep REX plying their trade. However, I feel that this is not a brave new world into which REX 2.0 will go, but rather a fraught one that has broken more hearts than Farmer Wants a Wife. In the back of my mind I feel this is not an arrangement that is eternal given the parlous nature of regional aviation and the rachitic nature of the deal at hand. There are a number of failure points in regional aviation that are not negated purely by a change of ownership, and Air T will have to work some serious magic in order to justify the government's willingness to invest eye-crossing dollars; dollars that would have been very welcome at other regional airlines.
On Monday week nominations for the 2025 CASA Wings Awards will close. At that time the judging panel will convene to begin their deliberations. And, as is expected, sifting through submissions to find the most worthy winners will be a time-consuming and quite stressful one. But that doesn't mean the judges won't enjoy it. I have been on the judging panel since the very beginning, and one of the thinks I like about reading the nominations is the passion that comes through in the best ones. We get to learn so much about the amazing people that make up GA in Australia, and in the very end of it all we zero-in on the best of the best and anoint them as the winners for 2025. In truth, it's a satisfying job, and one that all of us are proud to perform. So if you haven't finished your nomination yet, impress us; we are waiting eagerly to read what you have to say.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch