The Australian Aviation
Associations Forum
(TAAAF) has called on the
Federal Government for more
action to reform aviation.
In a statement released
in November, TAAAF said
the government had under-performed when it came to
keeping election promises.
“In considering the
Government’s performance
against their 12 key aviation
election commitments,
TAAAF scored the
government as havingdelivered around 40% of
their commitments,” the
statement said.
“A key issue noted
was the lack of drive and
commitment to act urgently
on aviation – even judged
by the Government’s own
promises. In particular, the
Forum expressed concern
at the lack of a Government
response to the Aviation
Safety Regulation Review
[Forsyth Report]. The
Review was seen as a
blueprint for the reform
of CASA to make it an
effective, efficient, fair and
trusted regulator.”
TAAAF called on
Minister Warren Truss
to respond to the Forsyth
Report urgently, and toofficially announce the three
new CASA board members.
“The appointment of Jeff
Boyd to the CASA Board
was warmly welcomed but it
is of ongoing concern that the
CASA Board still has three
vacancies, which is seen as
holding back the reform of
CASA,” TAAAF said. “It also
welcomed the appointment of a
new CEO but clearly indicated
that significant challenges lay
ahead in the reform of CASA
and in bringing about badly
needed improvements as
highlighted in the independent
Forsyth Report.”
Among other issues in the
statement, the TAAAF also:- Supported a return to
three-tier regulation - Rejected CASA’s move
toward the use of non-
regulatory measures such
as advisory material,
policies and manuals- Called for a moratorium
on all CASA regulation
work until the new
Director Mark Skidmore
is in effective control - Called for CASR Part
61 to be suspended and a
joint industry/CASA task
force created to establish
sound regulations - Supported a ban on un-
manned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) being used over
fire ground by members of
the public.
TAAAF is a forum made
up of peak aviation bodies
that represent most aspects
of aviation in Australia.
(^18) News
Cessna’s JT-A turbo-diesel
is now expected to debut in
the second quarter of 2015
after development problems
delayed the entry into service.
The Safran-powered C
replacement was intially due
for certification in 2014, but
issues including an engine
failure in August 2013 have
put back the project.
Cessna’s Wichita
production line is believed
to have changed tooling
over from the standard
model C182 Skylane, which
has put the company in a
position where they can’t
deliver either product.
According to the figures
released by the General
Aviation Manufacturers
Association for Q3 2014,
Cessna delivered no C182s of
any variety for the quarter.
The new 227-hp SR305-
230E-C1 engine is a
drop-in replacement for a
turbocharged avgas-fueled
engine, which is expected to
offer a significant fuel-burn
reduction, as low as 41 lph
with a range of 1160 nm and
cruise speed of 155 knots.
Making its first public
appearance as the 182
NXT at Oshkosh in 2012,
the aircraft was quickly
re-badged as the JT-A
after potential customers
couldn’t relate to the
NXT name. The first
flight was on 22 May 2013
from the Cessna plant at
Independence, Kansas.
According to Cessna
Business Leader Jeff
Umscheid, the Jet A engine
“offers customers increased
range and greater payload
capacity and does not
sacrifice performance. This
plane offers significantly
lower direct operating
costs due to the fact that
Jet A fuel is typically more
affordable and much more
widely available.
“Operators can now
take advantage of the wider
availability of Jet A with the
potential to fly farther on
one gallon of gas than you
can with traditional avgas
aircraft. This is a game-
changer that opens up new
markets and new regions
of the world due to its
versatility and performance.”
Cessna is also working
on a diesel-powered
Skyhawk, with will have
a Continental engine
rather than the Safram.
Certification for this
aircraft is also scheduled
for 2015.
Development Woes
delay Cessna JT-A
Cessna’s Skylane replacement is
experiencing issues that has the company
unable to deliver the aircraft on schedule.
australianflying.com.au
AUSTRALIAN FLYING January - February 2015
Aviation Forum calls for Government Action
In the days leading up to the government’s response to the Forsyth Report, an aviation
forum spoke out about inaction on aviation reform.
When it comes, the Cessna JT-A
will offer signifcant fuel-burn
savings over the old C182.
TEXTRON AVIATION
TAAAF says the government has not fulfilled election
promises to reform aviation.