In praise of CASA

[papillons]

Plenty of Slappers have very legitimate gripes about CASA, and it's no business of mine to pass judgement. But I want to sing our regulator's praise for a bit. The last couple of years I've been engaged in an exhaustive process with Aviation Medicine, working towards a re-issue of a Class One. Mine was a slightly awkward case, didn't fit a template, so while I've never really doubted the outcome, it's required patience, Avmed flexibility, common sense and time. I have to say the organisation's been brilliant. Last week I got a brand spankers Class 1 without conditions in the mail. Danced around the bar of the pub where I live like a 12 year old. Madly celebrated. With the usual lemonade.

Don't ever take your medical status for granted. And try not to grizzle about how hard it is to make a quid flying helicopters. There'll come a time where your medical status won't let you anymore. With luck it'll not be until you're 99. Or dead. But we're not always lucky, eh...except for having the coolest, most sh*t-hot fun job ever invented. (Now, to hunt one down...)

Fellow Slappers, I totally get all the frustration with CASA, regularly vented here. But me, I have nothing but gratitude and praise. For now...!

[Pegs]

congrats Pappy, glad it turned out all OK for you, its nice to hear some success stories with medical stuff as its usually the other side you hear instead!

[harold]

Papillons, great to hear!
Some of us work particularly close with CASA and whilst it at times can be frustrating to say the least, for the majority of times the outcomes can be rewarding.
Sure, some gripes on here might be legitimate but experience tells that most are not! There are often issues we can't understand and think are purile and childish (such as the ASIC) but in all honesty, CASA's hands are tied by their political masters when it comes to such things. They too can see the frustrations and non-sensical outcomes and can only agree but to actually effect a change is often difficult and even impossible.
This is particularly the case with our particular part of the Industry (helicopters) as we speak as individuals and without a collective voice and often have to 'sell' our case to CASA with sound arguments and supporting facts and even then, what we see as a priority might mean nothing to them in the scale of things.
If some on here realised that we have a Regulator whether we like it or not and learned to work with them instead of despite them, then outcomes might be more akin to what Papillons has just experienced!

[masteroff]

Yeh, that'll work Harold.

[SuperF]

Ahhh, paps, you better look out, they will be coming after you for being mentally unstable.

You had to deal with them for how long? And you are still happy!!! lol

[papillons]

SuperF, I think you just identified Catch 23!

If you're not prepared to deal at length with CASA, then they can't sign you off as sane, and therefore fit to fly. Except that if you are prepared to deal at length with CASA...that's proof that you're not sane, and therefore...not fit to fly...

As they say, it's not mandatory to be slightly nuts to work in the aviation industry, but it occasionally comes in handy...

[Heli]

First (of course), well done to regain your Class 1

But Avmed can be likened tho the curate's egg: good in parts. I have recently received my medical certificate after a 4 month delay, during which time Avmed lost the documentation (e mailed to an internal defunct address), moved the goal posts on a test which brought me into the criteria for another test, failed to print when sent to the printer (no internal warning, so they wait for a phone call from you/me to be told!) and finally a valid licence. The culture there is slowly but surely changing to a bureaucracy with ponderous responses, guided from the very top.

But CASA overall? We are blessed with an FOI of unbelievable common sense and practicality, with an experience level gained from years of military and commercial ops. Nobody's fool, but treat him right and he will go the extra mile to help

[Twistgrip]

Avmed must be picking up their act, I just got my class 1 renewal back in the mail after only 2 weeks ( I had the works treatment also). so i was very surprised when it turned up as last year it took nearly 2 months.

[Little Bird]

You're lucky Twisty, I'm on the last day of my 2 month re-validation and NOTHING from Avmed. When I called them they said they have a backlog and you'll just have to wait. When I informed them that I wouldn't be able to work, I got an apology and not much more. After subsequent calls I was finally told I could email the good Doc and ask for an extension of the re-validation. Let's hope he's not too busy to read it and be a little generous of a few days of flying time...

[Twistgrip]

Hi LB,
Wow that's amazing, I understand your frustration as it happened to me last year and I complained also. I was truly surprised when mine arrived back within 2 weeks.

I'd keep pestering them if you don't get it within the next week or so. Hope it all works out.