Australian VTOL news

[rickshaw]

Drone news from the Rotorcraft Asia-Pacific Business Association.

The RAPBA has completed a report for their members, current to 31 Oct 2022, on rotorcraft registered with the regulator. Despite fears to the contrary, there was more good news than bad, forecasting better times for the GA industry in 2023.

RAPBA is keen to share their findings with those reviewing their business plans for the second half of the Fiscal Year ending 30 Jun 2023.

Drone news.

The UAV industry in Australia is booming. After only a decade, the drone industry now has 28,032 registered UAV which outnumber the 2,537 helicopter numbers 12:1. The 2,341 drone commercial operators also outnumber the 270 helicopter AOC holders by almost 9:1.

CASA’s CEO recently stated the number of recreational drones is estimated at 1.8 million. Or one drone for every 14 Australians.

Can Santa cope with all the drone deliveries over XMAS?

[rickshaw]

Australian Aviation Hall of Fame inducts John Weymouth for his excellent achievements.

His citation reads: John Weymouth is a national pioneer in using helicopters for commercial and emergency purposes. These include firefighting, search and rescue, mustering, training, infrastructure inspection to name just a few. Due in part to John’s extensive vision for the helicopter, Australia now operates the world’s third largest fleet of civil helicopters.

The announcement was made on Sat 22 Oct 2022 at the Shellharbour Airport, NSW, when the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame (AAHOF) inducted four prominent aviation identities, including helicopter industry pioneer John Weymouth. John was instrumental in introducing to the industry professional aerial mustering, fire-fighting, and new safety systems for helicopter charter and training.

John was welcomed into the Hall of Fame by sizeable group of industry leaders, some of whom were initially trained by John.

End.

One of the pioneers of the now huge helicopter mustering (herding in USA) industry. Government agencies recently advised industry the mustering fleet flies more hours than the rest combined, despite having a slowdown during summer's wet season. Well done guys and gals......

PS: Just watch out for those sneaky drones now being used a little more each year.

Rob

[Gonsky]

https://verticalmag.com/features/a-look ... 6-50822406

Regards,

[Wannabe60Driver]

As someone with a better than vague understanding of commercial real estate development and unmanned aviation, I can assure you there are good reasons there’s not a single serious developer in Australia currently working towards an approval for this pie-in-the-sky BS on the roof of their project.

The battery tech and regulatory hurdles are 10 years away at minimum.

[Gonsky]

https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-proposes- ... 6-50822406

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/fa ... 6-50822406

https://www.100knots.com/unveiling-of-a ... vertiport/

Regards,

[Wannabe60Driver]

https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-proposes-regulations-to-ease-evtol-certification/?utm_source=Electric+VTOL+News&utm_campaign=7421aede86-eVTOL+eNews%2C+Sept+29%2C+2017_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5d82db6e49-7421aede86-50822406

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/fa ... 6-50822406

Regards,

Thanks, but I live in the real world, not the one where the media copy/pastes BS press releases designed to pump up the pie-in-the-sky valuation of the next ‘air mobility’ start-up.

[Gonsky]

https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/ve ... old-coast/

Regards,

[Wannabe60Driver]

https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/vertiports/australia-skyportz-sea-world-helicopters-announce-collaboration-to-bring-evtols-to-gold-coast/

Regards,

“We expect that by 2032 we should have a well-established electric air taxi service on the Gold Coast and around Brisbane if we gain the support from all levels of Government.”

When the BS media release is still peppered with “we expect” and “if”…. “we should”…. “by 2032”.

Cool story, needs more dragons

[Twistgrip]

As someone with a better than vague understanding of commercial real estate development and unmanned aviation, I can assure you there are good reasons there’s not a single serious developer in Australia currently working towards an approval for this pie-in-the-sky BS on the roof of their project.

The battery tech and regulatory hurdles are 10 years away at minimum.

Well said. I was involved in developing a heliport FBO in a large regional city back in the early 2000's and from concept to operational status took 4 years via the usual hoop jumping, DA, consultation and construction period. I've no doubt the technology will come at some point as mentioned above however Im happy to say I'll be long retired before I see a "Vertiport". Id say it's something our young children may witness though.

Then there is the certification and approvals of these drones / VTOLs and more importantly consumer confidence to ride in them "safely" day in day out.

[Gunga Din]

Same as Twisty, I was involved in setting up Sydney's first (and now last) commercial heliport, and the resistance from State Government (Labor) and council (Labor) was immense. It took 5 years from applications to moving in, and this was a ground-level heliport.

A couple of years before that, we were negotiating with Qantas and Ansett to get a helipad on the roof of their planned new terminals, but the resistance there was the cost of the roof construction to meet the standards. Plus the fear of something new.

So, despite Gonsky's stream of press releases, it will be decades away.

[rickshaw]

Reminder Australian aerial mustering consultation ends 16 Dec 22.

The deadline has just passed, and comments are needed on CASA’s proposal to address barriers to the efficient flight training and entry control testing for aerial mustering endorsements. They were seeking feedback on a proposed aerial mustering endorsement instrument by 16 December.

The proposed instrument seeks to overcome these barriers by addressing:

• entry criteria and prerequisites for new pilots seeking an aerial mustering endorsement
• training and assessment requirements for the grant of aerial mustering endorsements
• supervision requirements following completion of training, assessment and grant of endorsement
• maintenance of competency following grant of endorsement
• entry criteria and prerequisites for people conducting training for aerial mustering endorsements for Part 138 operators
• maintenance of competency for people conducting training for aerial mustering endorsements
• requirements for Part 138 operators who elect to conduct the training and facilitate the assessment and grant of aerial mustering endorsements.

Industry has been invited to comment, via the CASA Consultation Hub and review an advance copy of the instrument and provide feedback before we issue the instrument in late December.

CASA intends to consult on these endorsements early in 2023.

[rickshaw]

Update

One observation about CASA’s request shows that of the 2,537 helicopters on the Australian Register on 4 Nov 2022, 1,327 were Robinsons. (52%). R22’s numbered 671, R44’s 624 and R66’s 42. This means 1,285 piston powered Robinsons are available for mustering. The federal government’s Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) once reported the mustering helicopters probably then made up less than a quarter of the total SE fleet and had flown more than half of the Australian hours flown in that year. Not a bad effort when the mustering season is cut short by the wet season in the north and high temperatures during summer.

Rotorcraft Asia-Pacific Business Association Business Association (RAPBA) studies are still indicating the mustering loss rate is double that of other commercial work. (Only beaten by private operations).

So, there is an opportunity to reduce this accident rate. The unfortunate fatal R44 Outback Wrangler accident in the NT has triggered off global media attention – now focussing on alleged hour meter tampering. However, these and other matters are yet to be heard again in a Darwin court late Jan 2023. Just media reports at present.

Please send in your thoughts - reducing the loss rate means lower insurance rates.

[Wannabe60Driver]

Hmmm. Maybe if someone were eventually found guilty of hour meter tampering and/or an OHS-related fatality and served some time in the big house there’d be a little less of it going on in future?

[Gunga Din]

Back in the 90s a Big School was caught pulling C/Bs for the Hobbs, not performing servicing and cheating the owner of the cross-hired machine. But all that happened was that the CP resigned. The others involved went on operating.

[rickshaw]

Australian University Flight School Tender

On 20 Dec 22 CQUniversity issued an EOI for a flight training. It closes on 31 Jan 22.

Rickshaw: Not sure of RW element - but just in case if any of our 41 RW schools are doing FW. Only two of these have Part 142 - according to a leading consultant. Suggest readers log in to Qld Tenders and get on their advisory list.

CQUniversity Australia is seeking Expressions of Interest for the provision of flight training to Aviation students. They are undertaking a two-stage tender process for the appointment of a panel of Flight Providers to assist CQUniversity in the training of university aviation students. For stage one of this process, CQUniversity is seeking Expressions of Interest to be shortlisted for the second stage of the tender. The Panel of providers will be required to teach all CQU aviation students within Australia under the higher standard of the CASA 142 Integrated Program. This will require the flight providers to ensure that all relevant CASA ground theory (established by CASA Part 61 Schedule 3) is delivered concurrently with flight training during the course to achieve the Commercial Pilot License with a Command Instrument rating for single/multi-engine aircraft. CQU aviation will teach the Commercial Pilots License (CPL) theory as a third-party provider under the 142 integrated program.

CQ contact: Suhaila Hodgkinson, (07) 49232579. E: s.hodgkinson@cqu.edu.au

[rickshaw]

Robinson Factory Pilot Safety Course – Sydney – 14 to 15 Feb 2023

Further to CASA’s concerns about the need to start a consultation process to overcome the higher than desired helicopter accident rate within the Australian aerial mustering industry; Sydney based Heliflite has announced industry icon, Tim Tucker, will be coming to Australia to run a Robinson Factory Pilot Safety Course at Castle Hill, Sydney from Tue 14 to Wed 15 Feb 2023.

The safety covers the R22, R44 and R66 helicopters.

Numbers are limited. For more info: Call Janet or Matthew 02 9766 0200 or info@heliflite.com.au.

Rob Rich, CEO of the Rotorcraft Asia-Pacific Business Association (RAPBA) said, “several decades ago I helped run an Australianised version of Tim’s course. Over a decade 105 courses were conducted across Australia and New Zealand. Around 3,500 pilots attended the program during that time. On several occasions Tim visited the Australian run courses to offer guidance and updates on the factory safety program. Without his wonderful support the Australian program would not have been so successful. BITRE and ATSB reported the Australian program resulted in a reduction of mustering accidents by around 68%. Thus, lowering the insurance rates which were then crippling the industry due to the higher losses.”

“Further, the Sydney course is highly recommended for helicopter instructors and other check and training supervisors. In fact, the original Robinson course was aimed at flying instructors who are able to pass on the teachings provided by Frank Robinson, Tim Tucker and other factory specialists.”

[rickshaw]

Australia’s LifeFlight Australia receives record funding from the Queensland Government.

It was announced on the 5 June 2023, the largest funding injection in LifeFlight Australia’s history will see the Queensland Government invest an additional AUD$586 million (US$400m) in the aeromedical service over the next decade.

“Our government is committed to providing free, world class health care no matter where you live in Queensland,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

The record funding arrangement gives certainty to Queenslanders that for the next ten years, the vital search, rescue and aeromedical services provided by LifeFlight will continue to operate, bringing equity of health care to people across the state.

More news about other government funding soon. (Those thinking about a career in the emergency services should get prepared - such as IREX and MCC(H), etc.)

[Gonsky]

Casa releases air taxi vertiport guidelines

https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/default/f ... design.pdf

Regards,

[Gonsky]

https://www.flyingmag.com/faas-mosaic-p ... 4-50822406

https://public-inspection.federalregist ... -14425.pdf

Regards,

[Gonsky]

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-author ... s-uavionix

Regards,