08-22-2020, 12:51 AM
RIP Phearless Phelan - 
![[Image: phelan-4.jpg]](http://yaffa-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/yaffadsp/images/dmImage/StandardImage/phelan-4.jpg)
A Champion Rides Away
21 August 2020
Comments 1 Comment
– Steve Hitchen
If there was ever a writer that put his heart and soul into general aviation, it was Paul David Phelan. A true champion of the cause and a skilled pilot with an adventurous career under his belt, Paul died last Thursday 13 August, leaving the world of aviation journalism in deep mourning.
Paul was the Executive Editor of Australian Flying for many years and in total his work appeared in the magazine for over 20 years. He built a reputation as a writer of great analytical skill who could turn his hand to entertaining prose when the subject required it. Behind the scenes he was also a raconteur of note, and often it showed through in his work.
He became known for his talent in putting regulators to the sword with cutting efficiency. It was once said of another writer, Leon Trotsky, that after he cut off his enemy's head he held it up to show that there were no brains inside, and I have always thought Paul Phelan was cut from the same bolt of cloth. It was a very brave bureaucrat that tried to find an escape clause by dissecting Paul's work to find a flaw in logic and reasoning. Mostly, there just weren't any.
His trademark was the last page of Australian Flying where he presented his "Backlash" column, a place where Paul could air his principles and ideals, targeting the guilty and espousing a logic in regulation that we are still chasing today. Many readers would pick up their new copy and turn straight to the back to see who Phelan was skewering in this issue.
His style set a benchmark for many aviation writers in the next generation, including me. Even today when I have to unravel story of some regulatory misadventure I always ask myself if I have done as good a job as Paul Phelan would do. Other writers have credited him with being their inspiration to start writing in the first place. He was a pilots' writer with a world of experience that helped him relate to the people he was writing about.
He started out in aviation the way many pilots did, flying ad-hoc charter work. One of his early roles was to fly the media chase plane over Lake Eyre in 1964 as Donald Campbell set his world land speed record. He later flew DC3s for Bush Pilot Airways in QLD, crewing up on at least one occasion with the late Warren Seymour, founder of National Jet Systems.
In the end it was as an aviation writer that he found his niche, not only in Australia, but also in international publications. He could turn his hand to anything, a trait that is lacking in many writers today. In-depth analysis of regulation, testing a corporate jet, flying a trike or waxing lyrical about a fly-away destination, Paul Phelan tackled them all, switching easily between the styles most appropriate for the subject.
And he was a great character that added colour to the lives of those who knew him, just as he did to the publications that used his work.
My first encounter with Paul was at one of the early Avalon air shows. As someone who'd been reading Australian Flying since the mid-1980s, I was already familiar with the name. As the Yaffa Publishing team were all Sydney-based, they fled early on the Sunday to get flights home, deputising Paul and me to look after the stand. "Sell all the magazines," they said, "nothing goes back to Sydney." Paul and I were not up for the task ... we just stood in the middle of the aisles and gave them all away. Mission accomplished; nothing went back to Sydney!
Paul and June (traditionally he would introduce her as "my first wife") lived in many places across Australia's east coast, from Cairns to Cooma and Mount Beauty. Anyone who visited them at home was most likely to be introduced to Paul's legendary home-made scotch. A few survived to tell the tale. I met him at a pub one day for a Saturday afternoon session. I had a cold beer; he had a scotch and coke. As we discussed the possible heritage of a wooden prop above the stage, Paul reached into his jacket and produced a hip flask, spiking his own drink with the contents – his home brew. "They never put enough in here," he grumbled.
Paul was a straight-shooter whose only agenda in this world was to use his typewriter to keep the bastards honest. After he left Australian Flying he entered the world of online journalism, working briefly for Aviation Advertiser before pairing up with Stan van der Wiel to create ProAviation. He changed his platform, but the writing remained quintessentially Phelan and the regulators were given no respite.
As with Ben Sandilands and John Spiers before him, the loss of Paul Phelan has weakened the art of aviation journalism in Australia, particularly in the general aviation sector. He was a true champion of the aviation cause and often the first journo to get a phone call when CASA threatened. He added power to the voice of David when Goliath began loading his sling.
The thoughts of all of us here at Australian Flying and Yaffa Media are with June and the Phelan family.
&..via FB:
& this week's LMH:
The Last Minute Hitch: 21 August 2020
21 August 2020
Comments 0 Comments
– Steve Hitchen
News is reaching us only now that the doyen of general aviation journalism, Paul Phelan, died on 13 August. This was shattering news to me. Paul was the heart and soul of Australian Flying across two decades and helped build the reputation of the title as a magazine dedicated to the GA cause. Beyond that, Paul was my benchmark when it comes to writing about regulatory issues; a benchmark that I will never stop trying to reach. Anyone who ever had a problem with CASA had a champion in Paul Phelan. The entire aviation industry will feel his loss and the plethora of bloggers, vloggers and podcasters rising in general aviation today would do well to study his work and learn how the best did the job.
Some time in the next month, another iconic Australian invention will be shut down: the GA8 Airvan. GippsAero's owner, Mahindra Aerospace, has confirmed production will cease and the Latrobe Regional plant reduced to a service and spares organisation only. The official line is that COVID has killed it, but the truth is not as simple as that. Conversations with former GippsAero employees have had one consistent thread: the order books were deliberately closed and orders for up to 15 airframes were refused, a sure sign that Mahindra is looking for the exit unburdened by the pesky obligation to deliver new aeroplanes. The service and spares operation will keep the type certificate active, but I can't believe that Mahindra will want to be involved for very long in a company with such limited earnings potential. However, there is a slight hesitation in the cry "the end is nigh!" There is a very strong indication that Mahindra is still mulling over one offer to buy the company outright, no doubt at a figure well below what Mahindra wanted for it. Even Mahindra has told me that Airvan production will cease "for the time being", leaving the door open for a potential great escape for what is a great aeroplane that has earned its second chance. Yes, the straws I am grasping at are thin ones, but they're the only straws within reach.
Risk-based regulation in GA, as exhorted by the RAAA in their submission to the senate inquiry, may just be a pursuit without end. The basis of the concept is that the intensity of the regulation will be appropriate for the level of risk in a particular operation. That leaves the word "risk" open for evaluation, usually by a regulator that believes any operation involving an aeroplane is risky. Right now–despite several documents that contradict–regulation is applied to GA that is well above any sensible risk assessment, loading a lot of unnecessary cost on operators. The best example is the most well-known one: the rules for operating an A380 and a Cessna 402 are the same, despite the risks being substantially different. That's because CASA believes that the paying public should be guaranteed the same level of protection regardless of which aircraft they travel on. The flaw in that theory is obvious: what is risk for one is not risk for another, and applying the same rules to the C402 introduces a level of safety that proportionally exceeds that of the A380. It's unlikely this will change simply because it's easier for CASA to make it so and there is no existing mechanism that can bring about any change.
Fathers' Day is coming around again, as is the annual problem of what to buy him as a gift. This year it's easy: an annual subscription to Australian Flying is perfect, made even better by the great deal on offer. Six print issues of the magazine has been set at only $32. That's $5.33 per issue, a saving of 40% on the usual price. And whilst you're in there, check out the other magazines in the stable that might also appeal to Dad. Yachting, fishing, woodworking, bicycling, walking ... there's heap of great magazines ready to be read. Go to the Great Magazine website (where else?) and grab a bargain for Dad this Father's Day.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch
A Champion Rides Away
21 August 2020
Comments 1 Comment
– Steve Hitchen
If there was ever a writer that put his heart and soul into general aviation, it was Paul David Phelan. A true champion of the cause and a skilled pilot with an adventurous career under his belt, Paul died last Thursday 13 August, leaving the world of aviation journalism in deep mourning.
Paul was the Executive Editor of Australian Flying for many years and in total his work appeared in the magazine for over 20 years. He built a reputation as a writer of great analytical skill who could turn his hand to entertaining prose when the subject required it. Behind the scenes he was also a raconteur of note, and often it showed through in his work.
He became known for his talent in putting regulators to the sword with cutting efficiency. It was once said of another writer, Leon Trotsky, that after he cut off his enemy's head he held it up to show that there were no brains inside, and I have always thought Paul Phelan was cut from the same bolt of cloth. It was a very brave bureaucrat that tried to find an escape clause by dissecting Paul's work to find a flaw in logic and reasoning. Mostly, there just weren't any.
His trademark was the last page of Australian Flying where he presented his "Backlash" column, a place where Paul could air his principles and ideals, targeting the guilty and espousing a logic in regulation that we are still chasing today. Many readers would pick up their new copy and turn straight to the back to see who Phelan was skewering in this issue.
His style set a benchmark for many aviation writers in the next generation, including me. Even today when I have to unravel story of some regulatory misadventure I always ask myself if I have done as good a job as Paul Phelan would do. Other writers have credited him with being their inspiration to start writing in the first place. He was a pilots' writer with a world of experience that helped him relate to the people he was writing about.
He started out in aviation the way many pilots did, flying ad-hoc charter work. One of his early roles was to fly the media chase plane over Lake Eyre in 1964 as Donald Campbell set his world land speed record. He later flew DC3s for Bush Pilot Airways in QLD, crewing up on at least one occasion with the late Warren Seymour, founder of National Jet Systems.
In the end it was as an aviation writer that he found his niche, not only in Australia, but also in international publications. He could turn his hand to anything, a trait that is lacking in many writers today. In-depth analysis of regulation, testing a corporate jet, flying a trike or waxing lyrical about a fly-away destination, Paul Phelan tackled them all, switching easily between the styles most appropriate for the subject.
And he was a great character that added colour to the lives of those who knew him, just as he did to the publications that used his work.
My first encounter with Paul was at one of the early Avalon air shows. As someone who'd been reading Australian Flying since the mid-1980s, I was already familiar with the name. As the Yaffa Publishing team were all Sydney-based, they fled early on the Sunday to get flights home, deputising Paul and me to look after the stand. "Sell all the magazines," they said, "nothing goes back to Sydney." Paul and I were not up for the task ... we just stood in the middle of the aisles and gave them all away. Mission accomplished; nothing went back to Sydney!
Paul and June (traditionally he would introduce her as "my first wife") lived in many places across Australia's east coast, from Cairns to Cooma and Mount Beauty. Anyone who visited them at home was most likely to be introduced to Paul's legendary home-made scotch. A few survived to tell the tale. I met him at a pub one day for a Saturday afternoon session. I had a cold beer; he had a scotch and coke. As we discussed the possible heritage of a wooden prop above the stage, Paul reached into his jacket and produced a hip flask, spiking his own drink with the contents – his home brew. "They never put enough in here," he grumbled.
Paul was a straight-shooter whose only agenda in this world was to use his typewriter to keep the bastards honest. After he left Australian Flying he entered the world of online journalism, working briefly for Aviation Advertiser before pairing up with Stan van der Wiel to create ProAviation. He changed his platform, but the writing remained quintessentially Phelan and the regulators were given no respite.
As with Ben Sandilands and John Spiers before him, the loss of Paul Phelan has weakened the art of aviation journalism in Australia, particularly in the general aviation sector. He was a true champion of the aviation cause and often the first journo to get a phone call when CASA threatened. He added power to the voice of David when Goliath began loading his sling.
The thoughts of all of us here at Australian Flying and Yaffa Media are with June and the Phelan family.
&..via FB:
Quote:Sandy Reith
12h ·
Sad to say that my friend Paul Phelan died last Thursday week, the thirteenth of August.
I’m sure that many will mourn his passing being a well known personality especially in General Aviation (GA) circles. Paul first came to my notice when he was writing his perceptive articles for the Australian Flying magazine. His back page ‘Short Final’ editorials were often insightful critiques of CASA’s inappropriate regulatory schemes. He foresaw the disastrous consequences for GA that have followed and are now so obvious.
A hard time for June and the family made worse because normal commemorations are not allowed.
We have lost a quintessential Australian.
& this week's LMH:
The Last Minute Hitch: 21 August 2020
21 August 2020
Comments 0 Comments
– Steve Hitchen
News is reaching us only now that the doyen of general aviation journalism, Paul Phelan, died on 13 August. This was shattering news to me. Paul was the heart and soul of Australian Flying across two decades and helped build the reputation of the title as a magazine dedicated to the GA cause. Beyond that, Paul was my benchmark when it comes to writing about regulatory issues; a benchmark that I will never stop trying to reach. Anyone who ever had a problem with CASA had a champion in Paul Phelan. The entire aviation industry will feel his loss and the plethora of bloggers, vloggers and podcasters rising in general aviation today would do well to study his work and learn how the best did the job.
Quote:the straws I am grasping at are thin ones
Some time in the next month, another iconic Australian invention will be shut down: the GA8 Airvan. GippsAero's owner, Mahindra Aerospace, has confirmed production will cease and the Latrobe Regional plant reduced to a service and spares organisation only. The official line is that COVID has killed it, but the truth is not as simple as that. Conversations with former GippsAero employees have had one consistent thread: the order books were deliberately closed and orders for up to 15 airframes were refused, a sure sign that Mahindra is looking for the exit unburdened by the pesky obligation to deliver new aeroplanes. The service and spares operation will keep the type certificate active, but I can't believe that Mahindra will want to be involved for very long in a company with such limited earnings potential. However, there is a slight hesitation in the cry "the end is nigh!" There is a very strong indication that Mahindra is still mulling over one offer to buy the company outright, no doubt at a figure well below what Mahindra wanted for it. Even Mahindra has told me that Airvan production will cease "for the time being", leaving the door open for a potential great escape for what is a great aeroplane that has earned its second chance. Yes, the straws I am grasping at are thin ones, but they're the only straws within reach.
Risk-based regulation in GA, as exhorted by the RAAA in their submission to the senate inquiry, may just be a pursuit without end. The basis of the concept is that the intensity of the regulation will be appropriate for the level of risk in a particular operation. That leaves the word "risk" open for evaluation, usually by a regulator that believes any operation involving an aeroplane is risky. Right now–despite several documents that contradict–regulation is applied to GA that is well above any sensible risk assessment, loading a lot of unnecessary cost on operators. The best example is the most well-known one: the rules for operating an A380 and a Cessna 402 are the same, despite the risks being substantially different. That's because CASA believes that the paying public should be guaranteed the same level of protection regardless of which aircraft they travel on. The flaw in that theory is obvious: what is risk for one is not risk for another, and applying the same rules to the C402 introduces a level of safety that proportionally exceeds that of the A380. It's unlikely this will change simply because it's easier for CASA to make it so and there is no existing mechanism that can bring about any change.
Fathers' Day is coming around again, as is the annual problem of what to buy him as a gift. This year it's easy: an annual subscription to Australian Flying is perfect, made even better by the great deal on offer. Six print issues of the magazine has been set at only $32. That's $5.33 per issue, a saving of 40% on the usual price. And whilst you're in there, check out the other magazines in the stable that might also appeal to Dad. Yachting, fishing, woodworking, bicycling, walking ... there's heap of great magazines ready to be read. Go to the Great Magazine website (where else?) and grab a bargain for Dad this Father's Day.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch