Tenterfield Airport NSW: Council Seeks Sell-Off

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Article supplied by AOPA

The future of Tenterfield Airport in New South Wales is at risk with news that the Tenterfield Shire Council is seeking a sell off of the community airport asset, with non-aviation property developers said to be circling.

Council CEO Daryl Buckingham, who has been in the job for less than 12 months, is said to have given clear instructions to the Council’s Development Manager Bruce Mills to scope out all saleable assets with the community airport at the top of the list.

Located 6km north west of the township of Tenterfield, the community airport was purchased by Council in 1967 and has been an invaluable base of operations for local aerial agriculture, aerial firefighting and emergency services.  The airfield is also used for local business and recreational private aviation.  The grass runway is approx 1300m in length.“Tenterfield is just another example in a growing list of airport sites that are facing the the real threat of sell-off, in response to spiraling local council debts nationwide – this is a crisis in the making, ” Benjamin Morgan, AOPA Australia CEO. “Such outcomes nationwide are serving to further displace aviation through the introduction of uncontrolled commercial fees and charges, undermining the viability of aviation services throughout regional Australia, “When privatised owners realise there is little money to be made from charging user fees, the very next thing they do is start redeveloping the sites for non-aviation use, “AOPA Australia is reaching out to the Councillors and Management of the Tenterfield Shire Council seeking an opportunity to discuss this important situation, “Our association is encouraging the Council to reject any proposal to sell-off this invaluable community asset, highlighting the important and ongoing contribution the airfield makes to the safety, security and amenity of the local ratepayers and region,” he said.

Flying Doctor Community Transport Expands to Numurka

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RFD expands to numurka

Article supplied by RFDS

Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Victoria and NCN Health are pleased to announce a new partnership to bring the Flying Doctor Community Transport service to the community of Numurkah and surrounds.

Led by a local Program Coordinator and a team of highly trained volunteer drivers, Flying Doctor Community Transport is a free service offering eligible community members transportation to health appointments. The Flying Doctor has been successfully operating this service in Heathcote since 2018, and in Rochester since 2021.

This free service is scheduled to commence soon in the community and is supported by Western Victoria Primary Health Network, Murray Primary Health Network and Gippsland Primary Health Network under the Australian Government’s Primary Health Networks Program.

RFDS Victoria is working to break down barriers to accessing health care, wellbeing support and social connection across the state and is dedicated to assisting all Victorians to receive the care they need.

To find out more about Flying Doctor Community Transport and this new partnership with NCN Health, please call 1300 887 678 or email communitytransport@rfdsvic.com.au. More information will be shared as the service commences over the next few months.

Training and checking systems for flight operators

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CASA training and checking systems for flight operators

Article supplied by CASA

The main role of a training and checking system is to keep skills up to date for:

crew members (flight crew, cabin crew, air crew, medical transport specialists, task specialists)

other staff safety-critical to operations.

What to consider

If you are developing a training and checking system for the first time, you should consider the following:

  • The earlier you start thinking about how to fit the system into your organisation, the easier it will be to implement.
  • Most of your employees are already required to undergo training and checking. Having a system brings these processes together to achieve a specific purpose.
  • The frequency of training and checking may be changing but in some instances you can use existing checks.
    • For example, the frequency of checks for some operators offering flights using visual flight rules (VFR) have changed. Under the old rules, a VFR charter operator only needed to ensure that pilots did a CASR Part 61 flight review every 2 years. Under the new Part 135 of CASR, VFR pilots will need to be checked every 12 months.

To learn more about what you need to do and by when visit Training and checking systems for flight operators.

AOPA Australia Submission: Removal of anti-competitive regulatory restrictions on flight training

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Article: AOPA Australia The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia this past week met with CASA CEO Ms Pip Spence, calling for the removal of anti-competitive regulatory restrictions, that are driving decline in general aviation flight training.

Article: AOPA Australia The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia this past week met with CASA CEO Ms Pip Spence, calling for the removal of anti-competitive regulatory restrictions, that are driving decline in general aviation flight training.

The AOPA Australia Submission is based on the COAG’s Competition Principles Agreement that have not been applied to aviation regulatory development since 2003.  AOPA Australia asserts that anti-competitive aviation regulations have been created since 2003 that have restricted safe competitive growth of small businesses by removing safe competitive regulations consistent to the Chicago Convention Annexes as implemented by the USA’s Federal Aviation Regulations. NZ has adopted the FARs and NZ small aviation and manufacturing are much healthier than Australia’s small civil aviation sectors.

Click to download a PDF Copy of the AOPA Australia Submission

Article written by Benjamin Morgan – AOPA Australia

Outback vaccinations underway

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RFDS vaccinations underway

Article supplied by RFDS.

Government and outback communities placing trust in RFDS to quell pandemic

On 28 May 2021, the Federal government announced a partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service for the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out to remote communities across Australia.  

South Eastern Section CEO Greg Sam and the RFDS of Australia Executive Director Frank Quinlan joined Michael McCormack (then Deputy Prime Minister) and Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton at our Dubbo Base to tell the press. 

It’s estimated that 30,000 people will be vaccinated under the program. “Rural communities are seeking to be vaccinated as a priority,” said Mr. Sam. “They are doing their bit for national herd immunity.”

Minister Coulton said the partnership with the RFDS means remote communities can be confident they’ll get vaccinated against Covid-19. “From the outset of this pandemic, the RFDS has provided retrievals, evacuations, swab transfers, and fly-in GP respiratory clinics, protecting the lives of people living and working in the most remote corners of the country,” he said. 

“Nobody knows remote communities like the RFDS, and it makes sense for the Government to utilise their capacity and knowledge to ensure all Australians are protected against this global pandemic.” 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, around Australia the RFDS has conducted 189 Respiratory Clinics in remote areas and seen 391 patients.

Residents in and around Broken Hill have also been able to get the jab at the Clive Bishop Medical Centre at our Broken Hill Base since Easter. 

The South Eastern Section is now planning ahead to start vaccinations at several remote locations in remote NSW and beyond, in coordination with the State and Federal governments, Primary Health Networks, Local Health Districts and local GPs.

COVID launch

Left to right: RFDS Executive Director Frank Quinlan, RFDSSE Chief Executive Officer Greg Sam, Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton, and former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack at the Dubbo base

Message from the President, Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section)

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message from President of RFDS

Article supplied by RFDS. I hope this finds you well in these strange and testing times. Restrictions on international travel have seen increased domestic travel throughout our region since COVID-19 emerged, but then restrictions to travel relating to hotspots in Melbourne, and more recently, Sydney, have then limited travel around Australia.

Alex Scamps
Alex Scamps: President, Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section)

I know that this has been a very challenging time for families with school holiday plans, and for people in our regional and remote communities, who have often had to cancel plans which promised the the opportunity to see loved onces who live far away.  

While we can count our blessings that the pandemic has not reached the serious fatality levels we have seen in countries such as India and the USA, it can be very hard on the spirit, and a test of our resilience to deal with constant change and uncertainty. 

The sooner we are all immunised against COVID-19, the better. The Flying Doctor is proud to be delivering the vaccine to our rural and remote communities, and is commited to giving everyone the opportunity to be immunised. Our frontline teams have been travelling to even the smallest communities, and doing everything they can to reach everyone. I want to thank these committed and hard-working members of our team, and to all those who support them, including you. It is important to note that this COVID response, along with respiratory clinics, is work over and above the every day work of the service, including attending to emergencies in remote areas, getting GPs out to remote clinics, and ensuring quality dental care is regularly available.

This is the reason you are so important to us. You make it possible for us to deliver this life-saving care. I know that our outback communities truly value you, and the support you give to the Flying Doctor. 

No matter that happens in the months ahead, we will be at the service of regional, rural and remote Australians. Thank you for being by our side, and making our work possible. 

Warm regards, 
Alex Scamps
President, Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section)

Drone registration levy introduced

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RPAS

This article is supplied by CASA.

The Australian Government recently announced the introduction of an annual drone registration levy for some commercially operated drones.

Commercial drone registration was introduced on 30 September 2020 and became mandatory on 28 January 2021.

The new drone registration levy only applies to drones flown for business or on behalf of an employer.

For drones, weighing:

  • 500 g or less, it’s free 
  • more than 500 g, an annual registration levy of $40 per drone applies.

The registration levy applies to drones registered on or after 28 July 2021.

For drones registered prior to 28 July 2021, there will continue to be no charge for the registration term. Registration is valid for 12-months.

For more information, go to Register your drone.

RFDS COVID19 Responding to Need

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Article supplied by the Royal Flying Doctor Service

As the Delta strain of COVID-19 causing troubles for states across Australia, the RFDS continues to be respond as part of the national health service.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the RFDS has conducted 3,095 patient episodes of care for confirmed or high suspected COVID-19 — transporting people who have confirmed or highly suspect of having COVID-19.

Over the same period the RFDS has conducted 191 Respiratory Clinics in remote areas, where we have seen 393 patients.

With funding from the Commonwealth government, and in close coordination with Aboriginal Medical Services, Primary Health Networks, Local Hospital Districts and State governments, the RFDS is running a community-led vaccination program to isolated and remote communities across Australia.

To date 5,122 vaccinations have been given in remote communities such as Tibooburra, Eucla, Rawlinna, Forest Airport, Yowah, Jundah, Birdsville, Eulo, Windorah, Stonehenge, Yaraka, Pentland, Greenvale, Ravenswood, Einasleigh, Mount Surprise, Eromanga, Urandangi, Dajarra, Glendambo, Kingoonya, Commonwealth Hill, Innaminka and Timber Creek. About 45% of these vaccinations are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians.

The RFDS is also assisting state vaccination programs by facilitating the delivery of vaccines or transporting clinical staff from state health teams, such as Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

Between July and December 2021 there are more than 600 vaccination clinic days scheduled, across 152 different remote communities. We are expecting to vaccinate over 50,000 remote Australians by the end of the year, however aiming for 80,000, as communicated by the Prime Minister.

If you have questions about what the Corona Virus COVID-19 is, what the symptoms are, how it spreads, or what local state restrictions mean for you personally, you can learn more at the Department of Health website and Healthdirect Australia website.  The Healthdirect Australia Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website also includes COVID-19 information for pregnancy and parenting and their Maternal Child Health Nurses are equipped for COVID-19 questions from anxious parents, via video call or phone 1800 882 436.

If you are unsure on what COVID restrictions are in your state or territory, you can get the latest information using the COVID Restriction Checker to find out what you can or can’t do.

The RFDS has factsheets on prevention, symptoms and what to do if you feel you may have COVID-19. These can be downloaded below.

To read the full article view here