Fliers want safety rules cancelled

Press, 19 April 1979, Page 6

Fliers want safety rules cancelled

PA Auckland Flying instructors, aero; clubs, and flymg schools yes-1 terday called for the withdrawal of new aviation safe-' ty regulations brought in after a spate of light aircraft' crashes. They said the regu-l lations were unsafe.

The safety precautions.; drawn up in recent notice to pilots, were described as “ir-j responsible and detrimental to flight safety.” After yesterday's meeting: of representatives of aero] clubs, the New Zealand Fly-! ing Schools' Association, and the Private Owners’ Association called on the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr McLachlan) to withdraw the regulations. The pilots and clubs called for a meeting with Mr McLachlin and said they would put forward further positive ideas on pilot safety and aircraft safety. The chief flying instructor of the Auckland Aero Club (Mr R. R. Dawson) said he

thought the regulations were an emotional response to the recent spate of air crashes. Problems of flying in bad weather had received considerable publicity as a result of the crashes. But the response of the Civil Aviation Division seemed to be aimed more at appeasing any public misgivings than at actual safetv. he said.

Mr Dawson said the problem was not the regulations themselves, but that the language in which they were couched was likelv to cause rifts between pilots, air traffic controllers, and the Meteorological Service. Pilots now had to get a forecast before every flight and retain that forecast for 14 days — in itself an unreasonable request, he said. Air-traffic controllers had also been asked to police the regulations, he said. They could already close an airport when the weather reached the level set down in the regulations. But the regulations were worded in such a way

i that Mr Dawson felt the controllers would have to close lan airport when minimal I conditions prevailed. ; That meant they would not [wait, as they had in previous [years, for conditions to won t sen before they closed an air[port — perhaps giving some ] pilots a chance to land safely 'with maximum co-operation ' and assistance.

A pilot flying in weather in which he was not empowered to fly could thus arrive at an airport to find it closed. Because of stress and inexperience, his efforts to land elsewhere could be fatal, Mr Dawson said.

Some pilots, knowing that prosecution and heavy fines probably’ lay ahead, could even take the highly dangerous step of trying to land at a non-supervised aerodrome. “We are not saying that people should not be disciplined." said Mr Dawson. “But surely a pilot in trouble should receive all the assistance and co-operation he can get.”