Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Fire Safety and Composite Aircraft

There has been a lot of press coverage lately about fire and composite aircraft. This has been about the new generation of passenger aircraft, but there are now a lot of composite recreational aircraft on our register, so this should be of interest to us.

The following is a link to an article by the ATSB on this matter, written in April 2006. (mouse click on ATSB)

John McK

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Presidents Memo to RA-Aus members

ADS-B: A Panacea and Gravy Train for Air Services Australia.

A Poison Pill for RA-Aus and all private aircraft owners.

Last week I attended the Safe Skies conference in Canberra. During one of the presentations by the CEO of Air Services Australia (ASA), I was absolutely shocked to see the following slide as part of his presentation which depicted RA-Aus aircraft as a current safety threat.

ADS-B: A Panacea and Gravy Train for Air Services Australia.

A Poison Pill for RA-Aus and all private aircraft owners.

Last week I attended the Safe Skies conference in Canberra. During one of the presentations by the CEO of Air Services Australia (ASA), I was absolutely shocked to see the following slide as part of his presentation which depicted RA-Aus aircraft as a current safety threat.

( Mouse click on the above image to enlarge the photo)


ASA’s insinuations that Drifters (and by implication, RA-Aus aircraft) are unsafe is inflammatory and patently untrue. There have been no studies, no evidence produced to support the CEO’s suggestion. Air Services Australia is the same organisation that steadfastly refuses to implement the Transport Minister's “Ministerial Directive” that requires provision of radar in areas which Air Services claims to require Class C airspace, but have no radar - such as Coffs Harbour. ASA are content to ignore real SAFETY threats and endanger the lives of “fare paying passengers” by operating Control Zones without radar, and in the process disobeying a Ministerial directive; while fabricating non existent SAFETY problems of Drifters operating OUTSIDE control airspace in “G” or general use airspace, where they have been operating SAFELY for over 25 years.

I believe that the Minister should be taking ASA to task and insisting that ASA implement his directive. Where is accountability when a Ministerial directive can be ignored for over 3 years, endangering the lives of fare paying passengers? ASA is the same organisation that is now trying to ram ADS-B down the throats of private aircraft owners to cure a problem that doesn’t exist. What Air Services Australia is trying to do is shift the cost of new and replacement radars away from Air Services and on to all owners of aircraft under the guise of SAFETY in an effort to lessen their own financial responsibilities.

In the United States ADS-B is still in its infancy and the FAA has announced that due to technical and other reasons ADS-B will not be a requirement until 2020; and then for commercial aircraft only. For Australia to mandate a technical solution years before the US is inviting obsolescence and interoperability problems as well as additional future costs. Aircraft in the US will still be required to carry a transponder as the primary means of collision avoidance. Aircraft using only G or E airspace in the US will not be required to carry ADS-B. The US has significantly higher air traffic density and the fact that they are not contemplating ADS-B for class G or E airspace makes a mockery of ASA purported safety claim for the much lower density of traffic in Australian G and E airspace.

The fact is that forcing every aircraft in Australia to carry ADS-B would be a quick and easy solution for ASA requirements to replace their current ground-based radars. RA-Aus has no problem with ASA implementing ADS-B in higher level airspaces where it will be of most benefit to the airlines. Mandating ADS-B for use in both upper and lower airspace cannot be supported on either a safety or a cost benefit basis.

Air Services Australia is a government corporation providing ATC and Air Navigation services. It is expected to make a profit and pay a dividend to the Government. RA-Aus find it somewhat inappropriate that ASA is a member of the Aviation Policy Group (APG) a peak body formulating strategic aviation policy. Policy and profit motive do not make good bedfellows nor are they conducive in formulating impartial strategic policy that affects all Australian airspace users. Having ASA represented on the APG is a bit like having the fox in the henhouse. I believe that the Minister should review the makeup of the APG with a view to excluding ASA or alternatively having airspace users represented on the APG if ASA’s commercial interests are represented.

In last months magazine Lee gave an overview of what ADS-B was all about and the fact that there was a Joint Consultation Paper (JCP) put out by the APG on ADS-B. RA-Aus have submitted a response rejecting the paper and its proposals. A copy of our response is on our website.

It appears that ASA is ready to manufacture a bogus safety case on why G airspace should be reduced or why all RA-Aus aircraft should be fitted with an ADS-B. I ask that all members remain vigilant and be ready to lobby their local members of Parliament and write to the Minister asking that he curtail ASA’s arrogance and conceit. I’m sure our 8,200 flying members and some 4,000 aircraft owners would make an impact if they all wrote letters to the media and decision makers. In the meantime please do your own research into the issue so that you can respond to any nonsense claims of SAFETY issues surrounding ADS-B, airspace and CTAF( R) being made by ASA when trying to justify their own flawed agenda.

I would much rather be talking about fun things like the Evans Head Great Eastern Fly- In over the Christmas / New Year period. It promises to be a great time with many events planned over the four days. More details elsewhere in this magazine.

Christmas and the season of goodwill is almost with us. The office will be closed over the Christmas-New Year period so if you have any business that will need to be conducted over that period, plan on getting it done earlier.

On behalf of all the members I would like to pass on a vote of thanks to all our office staff who have all worked hard and efficiently in providing us with the services we need to keep us flying with a minimum of fuss. We wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of rewarding challenges.

To all our faithful members, your Board extends the compliments of the season with the fervent desire that you all have a Merry Christmas and a SAFE New Year.

John Gardon

RA-Aus President

ADS-B - Technical Article

I have had a few people ask me more information on the technical side of ADS-B.

For those interested there is a very good Technical Article on ADS-B written some time ago by John Brandon. It is on the on the RA-Aus web site. Mouse click on "Technical Article" above to go straight to the site.

John McK

Sunday, November 11, 2007

ADS-B, Presidents Memo to the Minister

10 November 2007


Dear Minister,

I attended the Safeskies conference in Canberra last week. It was a very beneficial conference with the Safety Systems theme well received. The organisers and sponsors should be congratulated for an excellent event. We were all disappointed that you were unable to open the conference but understood the time pressures you are currently under.

During one of the presentations I was very disturbed at the direction that Air Services Australia were taking on the introduction of ADS-B, as well as the implied suggestion that private operations in class G airspace were a safety risk. With the establishment of the Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) within CASA, I would have thought that Air Services comment was inappropriate and pre-emptive.

Attached is an article that will shortly be published in the RA-Aus magazine with a print run of some 13,000 copies for both members and newsstand distribution. I would appreciate it if you could read it and respond to the following specific issues raised:

1. Is the Minister happy with the current situation of Air Services ignoring a Ministerial Directive for over three years?

2. Is it appropriate for Air Services to be represented on the Aviation Policy Group, when their profit driven motives may not coalesce with the broader strategic needs of all aviation sectors?

3. Can you assure us that issues such as the implementation of ADS-B, reduction and regulation of G Airspace and increase in numbers of CTAF ( R ) will be subject to an aviation industry wide true consultation process?

4. Can you assure us that your Airspace Policy statements, and in particular, that class “G” airspace is be considered the default airspace and that the eventual aim is to adopt the unaltered US and ICAO NAS airspace model, are still the guidance for the OAR?

5. Can the Minister assure us that, if after full industry wide consultation, it is determined that fitment of ADS-B is to be mandated for class “E” and “G” airspace that:

(i) both ADS-B (in) and ADS-B (out) equipment will be provided free of charge and maintained by ASA for all private aircraft operators.

(ii) No charges will be ever be levied by ASA for private operations in “E” and “G” airspace as is currently the case.

We plan on releasing the article to all other aviation journals and magazines as well as the Australian newspaper in the near future. We would obviously like to convey factual material in those articles.

RA-Aus has prided itself on working with the regulator in a co-operative and consultative manner in forums such as CASA’s SCC process. As a result you have heard very little from us other than occasional courtesy visits. In this instance we believe that ASA is bypassing and rushing the normal consultative process. That they are doing this in an effort to achieve an outcome that would solve ASA’s financial predicament, by shifting cost burdens onto private aircraft owners. Therefore we feel that we had no other option but to approach you for clarification given the circumstances.

Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to respond.

Regards,

John Gardon


Friday, November 9, 2007

Two Gyro Pilots Badly Burnt

Two Gyroplane pilots, an instructor and a student pilot were badly burnt in a landing accident at Echuca late yesterday afternoon. The Gyro burst into flames on landing heavily. One of the pilots died of his burns to-day.

Although this is not under RA-Aus jurisdiction, it reminds me of a badly burnt pilot I wrote about in an earlier post. See Accident Lessons, Sep. 18. (just click here)

When you go flying please consider wearing non flammable or low flammable clothing, and have a way of getting out of your seat belts quickly.


Tuesday, November 6, 2007

ADS-B. - Know Your Enemy


This is a slide put up by Greg Russell at the recent Safe Skies conference. November 1-2, 2007 in Canberra. (Mouse click on photo to enlarge image)

He cites this Drifter, most probably legally flying in class G airspace, as an example of the type of aircraft that poses a real danger to aviation, and the reason for ADS-B

Greg Russell is the CEO of Air Services Australia. He is pushing this ADS-B business real hard. Why I wonder? Particularly in light of the conclusions the FAA in the US have come to, which are opposite to ASA views.

Greg Russell and ASA are pushing very hard to sell ADS-B as the be all and end all panacea for aviation safety, completely disregarding the US experience and intent. When the arguments they put up for safety make no sense you have to ask WHY. The Latin term 'Que Bono" comes to my mind. Que Bono - Who benefits? Certainly not the vast majority of recreation aviators in Australia.


His safety arguments are nonsense. Read the RA-Aus submission below.

I personally have no issue with ADS-B in controlled airspace or above 10,000 feet where commercial and RPT operate.

I also believe there are some regulations you may not like, and some, perhaps, are not worth fighting. In these cases you grin and bear it.

However this is a very serious battle we MUST win. Not just for us now, but for all our future members.

Our Association is very fortunate at this time, as we have a President and CEO who are willing to go out and fight for what they believe is in the best interest of our members. They are against the ADS-B proposal in its current form and are prepared to do something about it, while some others in our association are content to sit on their hands, and even be appeasers.

Others in our association may have different views to me on this matter, and that is good. It is very healthy to have different views and opinions. It is not healthy to have fence sitters and appeasers. If you feel strongly about this matter, one way or the other, do something about it. Don't just sit on the fence. Ask your local board member what his or her views and actions are. If you don't like the answer, tell them so, and consider how you vote at the next RA-Aus Board election. (This goes for me too. If you think I am too unyielding on this matter, vote me off)

John McK