14 June

Aviation it’s in our DNA – the double helix safety and growth
 
Dunedin conference week starts on Monday.  Registrations are still coming in click here and we’d like a bumper crowd.  We can promise you there will be major announcements and some key decisions made on the way forward.
 
We’ve have been very stoic about our AIRCARE™ programme of recent times even in the face of an ongoing campaign of disinformation. As with all such campaigns the reality sets in.  The risks are the risks they don’t change unless we actively manage them.
 
AIRCARE™ pro-actively manages a series of risks whether they be discharges into water or over sensitive land, perceived or actual deteriorations to amenity values, non compliance with statutes such as the health and safety legislation, the threat of funding reductions or non compliance with best practice etc.  
 
As many of you who attended the CAA’s SMS forums this week know New Zealand’s aviation community is moving into the world of proactively managing risk.  AIRCARE™ delivers for GA the tools, assistance and assurance necessary to treat a range of risks which have been identified by stakeholders as a threat to their businesses or to their enjoyment of amenities including the risk of having a complaint filed against you.
 
We provide an expert investigator and resolution process that is backed by over 500 years of aviation experience at senior company and regulatory levels.  AIA’s lawyers have been fully consulted and provided their expert assistance in the on-going development of the programme.
 
AIRCARE™ has been developed by aviation experts who are prepared to share and mentor best practice to lift the professional practice of the sector  We are confident that our programme’s credentials are leading edge. 
 
 
SAFETY BRIEFING
 
SMS – the way ahead, introducing risk based rule making. “The boots” has had a very clear commitment to risk based rulemaking since the words were first incorporated in the Civil Aviation Act in 1990.  Swedavia McGregor represented the first real foray aviation had had into the world or “risk” apart from some very insightful insurance assessors who spoke of risk assessments and the likes as an integral way of doing business.
 
Swedavia’s focus was on distinguishing between the fare paying passenger and other aviation activities.  The lines became blurred when agricultural operators decided they wanted certification but essentially this was a blurring and not redefinition of the line. SMS empowers us to take the next step in the evolutionary path – the term that is being used widely is that our system is QMS+, that is for most certificated operators a normal step along the continuum of improving and enhancing safety.
 
HSE – has required a system of managing safety since the inception of the Act in 1992 so CAA’s introduction of SMS is a way of contexturalising management systems in the aviation environment.  The complexity arises as effectively, we have two very different cultural approaches to managing the safety.  The HSE Act although attempting to take a very proactive approach to safety, is essentially repressive if there is a serious accident.  Repressive in the sense that an investigation is about finding fault and not cause.  In our aviation environment the investigation is largely about finding cause although in certain limited cases it’s also about finding fault.  In future if our environment becomes so confused, and there is potential for this to occur as the HSE Act is rewritten, then we can predict a “Denmark” scenario.
 
Denmark introduced very repressive and punitive legislation for all accidents in the mid 80’s.  By the end of the 80’s, reporting of accidents and incidents in aviation had dried up. In the early 90’s recognizing the experiment had failed they reverted to a regime of much greater protection for aviation – aligned to the just culture philosophies.  So will New Zealand learn from this unfortunate experiment? Before anyone gets concerned, NO we are not advocating a world in which there are no prosecutions – of course where there is gross negligence and or gross willful behaviour then this must be dealt with by our civil and criminal prosecution systems.
 
Pilot medicals charging update – as advised last week we continue to be in very active discussion with CAA on this matter.  They understand very clearly that the community views the charge as unacceptably high.  Our vision is a charge no more than $100-$150. If we achieve this then the cost to the community will reduce by around $1.2m.  However we know this vision will require some radical rethink.
 
Here’s CAA’s response
 
As discussed earlier this week.
 
The CAA acknowledges and appreciates the Associations understanding of the constraints it faces surrounding the provision of medical certificates.
 
While the introduction of a medical application fee is the legitimate result of applying public sector cost recovery principles it is accepted that this doesn’t make the amount of the fee any more palatable to those that pay. The CAA acknowledges it has an obligation to do all it reasonably can to reduce the costs upon which the fee is based, while maintaining the integrity of New Zealand’s aviation medical certification regime. As identified in your email below this includes re-examination of the allocation of costs between the public and private good components of the present charge. Any changes resulting from that process would be subject to government decision making and reflected in the outcomes of the proposed CAA funding review in mid to late 2015.
 
Notwithstanding this longer term intent, the CAA recognises the need to take action with the aim of introducing efficiencies into the medical certification system and reducing costs as soon as practicable. To this end work is currently underway on mapping existing processes and using the results of this work to assist the CAA in moving to a more efficient online medical certification system intended to improve efficiencies in an effort to minimise costs. Acknowledging that the fee is set in regulations, which the CAA itself cannot change, it is willing to go to government and seek a reduction in current fees ahead of mid-2015 to pass on any costs savings that these initiatives may result in.
 
Work is currently underway on process mapping and a project plan is under development on the move to an online system. This plan is due for delivery by the end of June 2013 with the system itself programmed for delivery by the end of June 2014. Any such online system will be developed in a manner that allows it to support either the current service delivery method or any delegated method in the future.  The development of the online system will be conducted in consultation with the aviation community including with the Association and this will provide the opportunity for a common understanding between the CAA and the community of the medical certification service delivery model to be arrived at.
 
 
Chris Ford
General Manager Aviation Infrastructure and Personnel
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
 
   
LIB 4 – no progress on this issue which seems to be stalled at CAA lawyer to CAA external lawyer level.  We’ve been requesting a meeting for around two months now to clarify some key points in the most recent legal opinion. With conference over we will be taking up the issue again.      
           

New Zealand Helicopter Industry shows leadership. It has been interesting to learn in recent weeks that in North America, they are busy developing a ‘Helicopter Pilots Model Code of Conduct’ and have been keen to engage with our NZHA. It turns out that our industry is recognised as a global leader in setting standards for helicopter pilot behaviour. This is yet another example of the innovation in our industry, something to capitalise on in our international work.

Indonesia Mission Follow Up well under way. It has been great to see the amount of follow up being undertaken by the mission participants. Some formal proposals have now been submitted to some of the companies met, three companies will be back in Indonesia by 3 July and the first Indonesian company is expected here by the end of the month. It is one thing to make new contacts on a mission, it is another to follow up on the more promising enquiries. In this case, we are off to a good start.

A big thanks to Airways New Zealand. There is much talk about New Zealand companies representing broader New Zealand aviation capabilities when they travel internationally. It is an area that we could exploit much more. Over the last couple of days, we’ve been working closely with Airways NZ for a meeting they are having in China this weekend at which they will be talking in detail about some of those broader New Zealand aviation capabilities. We’ll also be equipping the New Zealand team that is going to the Asia Pacific regulators meeting to talk about the broader New Zealand industry. Some of the promotional material available to do this with will be shown at conference next week.

 

Aviation is in our DNA   Red boots

 

Information Pack + Bookings

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Careers Expo - Dunedin Town Hall  co sponsored with Service IQ  

Friday  21 June 0900-1300
Booking trades display  - space restricted to Wednesday 19 June PM to Friday 21 June 1300, ie after vacated by NZAAA displayers click here cost $300 for stand and furnishments. Persons manning booth to register in normal way click here
Seminar Booking, Promoting your business click here $200, for 15 minute speaking slot - first in first served.
Media and Promotion - Schools SERVICE IQ; Otago University Careers; RNZAF present; local media will be contacted with promotional opportunities.
Entry on controlled basis registration at AIA desk.

Trade Stands read more

Delegates read more
 

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