- Airworthiness the Responsibility of All
GPCAPT Andy Woods
By GPCAPT Andy Woods, Commander Air Force Logistics Group, NZ Defence Force Technical Airworthiness Authority
Aviation is a complex and demanding business, military aviation more so. It is also unforgiving in a way shared by few other activities, short of perhaps space exploration and the nuclear power industry. As the Defence Force Technical Airworthiness Authority, our obligation to deliver safe and capable air operations is always at the forefront of my mind. It should be in the minds of all of us who collectively work to deliver RNZAF air power.
The RNZAF is in the unusual position of being its own military airworthiness authority. Within our structure we have integrated the roles and functions of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZCAA), an independent regulatory body that governs civil aviation in this country, including policing ‘operators’, such as airlines. For us, the specific demands of military aviation dictate that we be both the regulator and the operator.
Where an airline deals with a commercial passenger transport fleet operating scheduled services to established NZCAA regulations, the RNZAF airworthiness organisation covers a varied maritime patrol, training, transport and rotary wing fleet; with mission equipment, sensors and weapon systems unique to military aviation; on land and at sea, in environments from the Tropics to the Antarctic; and where a significant part of our role is not simply how we comply with someone else’s regulations, but how we establish our own regulations in order to achieve operational outcomes, within acceptable levels of risk. It is an extremely challenging proposition, and one we achieve with comparable numbers of personnel to a similarly sized airline operation.
It is not an activity we can afford to become complacent about. Whilst many of our days are filled with strategic reviews, new initiatives, and a variety of operational, financial and resource pressures, it is easy to relegate airworthiness to ‘business as usual’. But airworthiness is not something that looks after itself if left alone; it requires constant effort and constant vigilance.
The recent report from the RAF on the loss of a Nimrod aircraft and 17 crew, on operations in Afghanistan, highlights the danger of complacency. It shows how the airworthiness system broke down, not because of a single obvious failure like ‘not tightening a bolt’, but because of a string of organisational shortcomings going back many years. The report details a “… story of incompetence, complacency and cynicism …”, questions personal accountability, the relationship with supporting contractors, and a “…culture that has allowed ‘business’ to eclipse airworthiness”. It is a remarkable report in how it shows not only the complexity of military airworthiness, but how it pervades every aspect of what we do. It is also remarkable in that it describes events that insidiously ‘crept up’ on a professional and highly respected air force.
These are not just lessons for engineers and aircrew, they are lessons for personnel managers, trainers, contract managers, change leaders, and all of us who hold positions of responsibility, at all levels of the organisation.
Airworthiness is the responsibility of us all. It is key to us delivering safe and effective air operations, and each of us is personally responsible for the part we play in that delivery. Our professionalism is tested with every decision we make, opinion we give, action we take, or failing we overlook.
It is an enormous responsibility, but that is what makes us the professional and capable force that we are.