Proposed safety standard - Community service flights (CD 1814OS) - Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Response 1011052473

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Lyon

Introduction of proposed safety standard - community service flights

The proposal introduces minimum CSF pilot experience, licensing and medical requirements, requirement of flights at night to be conducted using instrument procedures instead of visual procedures and requires slightly enhanced aircraft maintenance requirements, in line with other operations within Australia involving similar participants.

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I owned an aircraft and flew a lot as a private pilot in the 1970s and using hired aircraft in the 1980s. After a few frustrating experiences early on, I did some minor upgrades to the aircraft to make it [limited] IFR and obtained the rating on ADF, VOR and ILS. - no DME, no autopilot of any sort and GPS unheard of [and of course no cheap air fares].. We had many great day trips, weekends away and holidays and some interstate business trips occasionally taking off before dawn and often competing the return trip after dark. I was a regular reader of the aviation magazines including the the then DCA publication. Due to changed circumstances, I have not flown for several decades but my interest in aviation continues; I am an avid reader of aircraft accident reports and in the last few years I have attended a few CASA aviation safety seminars . I am astonished to find that nothing much has changed in terms of the kind of accidents [involving private flights being conducted VFR or night VFR] for the purposes of transporting the pilot and / or passengers I have learned of at least 2 community service medical patient flights that ended with fatalities in these [above] circumstances. The pilots apparently owned the aircraft and so presumably doing a fair bit of flying and enjoying it but undertaking flights for the purpose of transporting patients VFR and / or night VFR. I heard and read of a Cherokee 235 [ 6+ hours endurance with good engine management] flying low before crashing into the sea off Ocean Grove [not due to engine problems] ] in poor visibility. Why was it not wings level at a sensible altitude I ask why were these flights undertaken VFR; I wonder if the aircraft were equipped for IFR or why did the pilots not have ratings if they flew so much? My recommendation for community service flights is that all operations be undertaken as IFR flights except to the extent operational or safety considerations justify otherwise for a portion of the flight.