Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR) work against Australia competing

$380 licence fee

Many will know that CASA is working hard to harmonise more with the European regulations (JARs) rather than the USA regulations (FARs).

One of the reasons for this is that Richard Yates (the former Assistant Director Aviation Safety Standards at CASA) was a senior manager with the JAA (Joint Aviation Authorities) in Europe before he took up his position with CASA. Prior to that Richard worked for the British CAA, an organisation which has almost single-handedly destroyed general aviation in that country. It is well known that much of the British training now takes place in the USA. Extraordinarily, the British CAA has authorised companies in the USA to train the British syllabus and test the British licence. This is a great way of supporting your own country!

Recently it has been reported in British aviation magazines that the British industry is finding substantial disadvantages with the JARs. For example, at the present time the British CAA pilot licence is for life, however under the JARs the licence would only last five years and have an initial issue fee of £140 ($AUD 380) with renewal fees of £56 ($152) each time.

Also the JAA has increased the number of items to be tested for a medical (even for private pilots) which will add to costs. AOPA in the UK have calculated that the cost burden for medical certificates for private pilots will rise by 330%.

It also appears that the JAA propose requirements to maintain a multi-engine endorsement which are so much of a burden and so expensive that it is believed most UK pilots with twin engine aircraft will transfer them to the USA register to avoid the absurd JARs.

There is a strong message in this for Australia. With Europe following the JARs (with ridiculous costs) we have the best chance in the history of Australian aviation to become competitive and take much of this business. We simply to use commonsense so that Australia can copy the best from everywhere in the world. We must have regulations that provide the required level of safety at the absolutely lowest price.

If we can ever do this there is enormous potential for Australian aviation to boom, provide many thousands of jobs and help to redress our terrible balance of payment figures.