What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Colour vision defective pilots - Australia

nzrv8

nzrv8

Well Known Member
Hi all,

CASA (Australia's FAA) have just this last week changed the ruling regarding medicals for CVD affected pilots. If you are interested in showing your support please visit these websites and have a read:

www.cvdpa.com, or
www.facebook.com/ColourVisionDefectivePilotsAssociation

This is a big backwards step, and it affects thousands of pilots in Australia (and New Zealand for that matter) who are currently flying for a living, or who are about to gain their CPL and look for work.

Thanks!

H
 
typical, sad, sorry bureaucrats!

ok, I may be a little sensitive as a CVD pilot ( private, Canada) but what's missing, as usual, is the 'smoking gun'.

So if I see red as a light shade of burgundy, I'm going to ignore a bright flashing light and audible alarm that denotes ' ENGINE FIRE ' ?????
or...on a moving map display, follow a dark blue squiggly highway, instead of the magenta course line that tracks straight for 600 nm?

I just don't get whose butt they are desperately trying to save here......
 
I agree although I am biased having a CVD!

Australia was leading the world with this - Look up the Denison 1989 case. It was proven in court during this case in 1989 that having a CVD was not a factor in aviation safety, and as a result Australia relaxed their rulings allowing CPL holders to hold instrument ratings and fly at night. This made CPL holders eligible to fly for an airline, although they were not able to hold an ATPL so there are quite a few airline pilots in Australia flying for major airlines who are stuck at the rank of first officer, with many thousands of flying hours.
What makes this all hard to swallow is that there has been no incidents or safety events whatsoever to make them reverse this decision! CVD pilots have been flying safely in Australia since these rules were relaxed in '89, and they are operating safely at all levels of commercial flying in this country.
I started my CPL training 5 years ago in New Zealand with the plan to convert my license to Australian (A simple process for us Kiwis) in order to take advantage of much better career prospects in Oz as I was not able to gain an instrument rating in NZ. Literally last week, 4 weeks before I convert my license, they have changed my rules!
I should have put the 70k I spent on training into my RV instead, maybe it would be finished by now :)
 
Last edited:
There has been a date set for a court hearing, a CVD affected commercial pilot vs CASA - July the 21st - Which I will be following very closely with interest! This particular pilot has been flying as a first officer on a Dash 8, has 5000 hours, and is fighting to be able to use the privileges of his ATPL.
 
There has recently been a revue of CASA by the government and the result was that CASA was considered to be too legalistic and intractable. There are other things that CASA is bitching about, such as weight and balance of experimental planes not being approved by an approved person. No known failures caused by this.
CASA is charged with keeping Australian flying safe and as far as it is concerned the best way to do that is to stop flying. It has ignored the politicians supposedly responsible for it and has become a beaurocratic monster. Its leaders say one thing while doing another and it doasn't look as if the pollies will be able to control it. At the moment it is re writing the rule book. Little change to the rules, but vast beaurocratic inputs, which are sometimes laughably inept, such as their re write of the drug and alcohol testing, which was so badly worded that it cannot work.
 
Interesting to note that small countries (population) are not immune from idiots who get elected.... and then go on a mission to save us.
I just want to drown one sometime.... Well, it is Sunday... I suppose I should re-phrase that....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top