The new Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Mr Bruce Byron, recently visited the Gippsland Aeronautics aircraft manufacturing facility at Latrobe Regional Airport in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.
Mr Byron, who took up his appointment as the CASA CEO in early December, replaces the former Board of Directors and reports directly to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services.
Mr Byron’s visit was part of his strategy of fostering strong relationships with the aviation industry. He has expressed a strong commitment to a high level of industry consultation both through formal processes and through personal discussion of issues with both individuals and organizations throughout the industry.
Mr Byron has a lifetime of aviation industry experience and has logged more than 10,000 flying hours both civil and military. No stranger to Gippsland as he has served at the RAAF Base East Sale including a period as Commanding Officer of Central Flying School.
The purpose of his visit was to have a first hand look the Airvan production line and to discuss issues affecting Gippsland Aeronautics in designing, certifying and manufacturing aircraft in Australia.
During his visit Mr Byron also took the opportunity to make a short flight with the Gippsland Aeronautics flight test and demonstration pilot in the company’s locally designed and built GA8 Airvan 8 seat utility aircraft.
In early 2003 CASA certificated the Airvan to the worlds most modern and most stringent airworthiness standard, Federal Aviation Regulation 23 (FAR 23) at Amendment 54 status, making it one of a very few aircraft to have achieved this standard.
Whilst appearing little different to other General Aviation aeroplanes on the surface, the Airvan is a very modern aircraft in its design and systems and meets the world’s highest airworthiness certification standards. These standards demand increased safety measures not required of the previous generation of light aircraft, which were certified to a much earlier standard.
The experience that CASA has gained in certificating the Airvan to this standard will benefit Australia’s re-emerging aviation manufacturing industry giving both the regulator and the industry an edge over other countries.
Mr Byron was impressed with the vision, dedication and expertise that has gone into developing the Gippsland Aeronautics aircraft and the high standards of workmanship being achieved in their manufacture.
For further information on this press release please contact
Marguerite Morgan
Sales Coordinator
Gippsland Aeronautics
PO Box 881
Morwell 3840
AUSTRALIATel: +1 3 5172 1200
Fax: +1 3 5172 1201 Email - sales@gippsaero.com |
