The Last Minute Hitch: 4 April 2025
4 April 2025
– Steve Hitchen
There is really no surprise in the decision to implement the Ballina controlled airspace concept as it was last proposed. The second round of consultation would have had to unearth a revolutionary idea for any amendments to be considered. That said, there will be a cloud of dissatisfaction sitting over this new Class D tower, just as there is over most airspace changes that are done to suit RPT to the detriment of private aviation. If we paint this with a light coat of reality, from the moment CASA demanded a tower at Ballina the end result was never going to be good for private aviation. The suggestion of VFR lanes held some merit, but unless those lanes were excised from the CTR à la East Sale, there was really no point; you'd still need a clearance to use the lanes. And that is the sticking point: clearances. Whilst CASA is trumpeting mitigation by permitting RPC holders to use CTA, the experience of private pilots is that often they are told to remain OCTA because there is an RPT inbound. This is why PPLs and RPCs tend to see controlled airspace as roadblocks. Will that happen at Ballina? I'd like to say no, but I don't have any confidence in that answer.
"..aviation safety is not directly proportional to the number of rules.."
When I was given a heads-up about CASA's idea of a pledge for safety, I immediately began to dissect the concept to answer one question: why? After going through it in detail, I have failed to find an answer to that question. My assumption is that CASA wants people to think about the way they fly, then put their names to exercising safe aviation. However, one part of the pledge commits the pledgee to strictly adhere to flight regulations, understanding that they are designed to make aviation safe. I think CASA probably lost 50% of the pilots who may have signed right there. Despite CASA's ongoing mantra, aviation safety is not directly proportional to the number of rules. Rather, it is directly proportional to the attitudes of pilots, something that can't be regulated for nor reined in by asking them to sign a pledge. What makes aviation safe is aviatorship; a behaviour that ensures safe, efficient and intelligent use of an aircraft at all levels. Sometimes this will mean adhering to rules, but sometimes it will mean throwing the rules out the dicky window and doing whatever results in self-preservation. Rules don't permit flexibility; aviatorship does. And I have already pledged myself to good aviatorship; I did that in 1988 when I passed my restricted PPL test. Asking pilots to sign a pledge for safety makes me believe that CASA thinks people are deliberately flying unsafely, which, although there are exceptions, is not something that is endemic in general aviation. Should you sign? I can no more dictate that that I can your vote in the upcoming Federal Election.
Like episodes of Friends, every Avalon air show gets remembered for one specific thing. There was the one where the Russians came, the one that Yeager came to, the one that rained the whole time, the one that was stinking hot, the one with the Black Eagles. Unfortunately, Avalon 2025 will be remembered as the one that had the accident. That's a shame, because the show had so much to offer both the industry and the general public. Changing and expanding the layout was a bit of a risk for AMDA Foundation, but it paid off because the layout improved the flow of foot traffic and there was little detriment to the exhibition itself. Record attendances for the trade days showed the expo is still very much in demand. Adding another expo hall specifically for companies that wanted to engage with the general public was an innovative idea that paid off as well. The GA precinct was, however, a bit bland and under-utilised. Some groups had to spread their displays over more space than needed, which gave a sort of vacant feel to some parts. Likewise the expansive GA Pavilion wasn't taken full advantage of. It seemed to me the GA community didn't really understand what was on offer, and so planned for what had been given in the past. Now we understand the opportunity, we have two years to make the best of it.
A few days ago, Paul Bennet Airshows issued an update on pilot Glenn Collins. The update said he had been operated on in the Alfred Hospital and was stable. That's great news, but it's going to be a long road back for Glenn. All we can say is: hang in there, Glenn, The entire aviation community is on your side.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch
4 April 2025
– Steve Hitchen
There is really no surprise in the decision to implement the Ballina controlled airspace concept as it was last proposed. The second round of consultation would have had to unearth a revolutionary idea for any amendments to be considered. That said, there will be a cloud of dissatisfaction sitting over this new Class D tower, just as there is over most airspace changes that are done to suit RPT to the detriment of private aviation. If we paint this with a light coat of reality, from the moment CASA demanded a tower at Ballina the end result was never going to be good for private aviation. The suggestion of VFR lanes held some merit, but unless those lanes were excised from the CTR à la East Sale, there was really no point; you'd still need a clearance to use the lanes. And that is the sticking point: clearances. Whilst CASA is trumpeting mitigation by permitting RPC holders to use CTA, the experience of private pilots is that often they are told to remain OCTA because there is an RPT inbound. This is why PPLs and RPCs tend to see controlled airspace as roadblocks. Will that happen at Ballina? I'd like to say no, but I don't have any confidence in that answer.
"..aviation safety is not directly proportional to the number of rules.."
When I was given a heads-up about CASA's idea of a pledge for safety, I immediately began to dissect the concept to answer one question: why? After going through it in detail, I have failed to find an answer to that question. My assumption is that CASA wants people to think about the way they fly, then put their names to exercising safe aviation. However, one part of the pledge commits the pledgee to strictly adhere to flight regulations, understanding that they are designed to make aviation safe. I think CASA probably lost 50% of the pilots who may have signed right there. Despite CASA's ongoing mantra, aviation safety is not directly proportional to the number of rules. Rather, it is directly proportional to the attitudes of pilots, something that can't be regulated for nor reined in by asking them to sign a pledge. What makes aviation safe is aviatorship; a behaviour that ensures safe, efficient and intelligent use of an aircraft at all levels. Sometimes this will mean adhering to rules, but sometimes it will mean throwing the rules out the dicky window and doing whatever results in self-preservation. Rules don't permit flexibility; aviatorship does. And I have already pledged myself to good aviatorship; I did that in 1988 when I passed my restricted PPL test. Asking pilots to sign a pledge for safety makes me believe that CASA thinks people are deliberately flying unsafely, which, although there are exceptions, is not something that is endemic in general aviation. Should you sign? I can no more dictate that that I can your vote in the upcoming Federal Election.
Like episodes of Friends, every Avalon air show gets remembered for one specific thing. There was the one where the Russians came, the one that Yeager came to, the one that rained the whole time, the one that was stinking hot, the one with the Black Eagles. Unfortunately, Avalon 2025 will be remembered as the one that had the accident. That's a shame, because the show had so much to offer both the industry and the general public. Changing and expanding the layout was a bit of a risk for AMDA Foundation, but it paid off because the layout improved the flow of foot traffic and there was little detriment to the exhibition itself. Record attendances for the trade days showed the expo is still very much in demand. Adding another expo hall specifically for companies that wanted to engage with the general public was an innovative idea that paid off as well. The GA precinct was, however, a bit bland and under-utilised. Some groups had to spread their displays over more space than needed, which gave a sort of vacant feel to some parts. Likewise the expansive GA Pavilion wasn't taken full advantage of. It seemed to me the GA community didn't really understand what was on offer, and so planned for what had been given in the past. Now we understand the opportunity, we have two years to make the best of it.
A few days ago, Paul Bennet Airshows issued an update on pilot Glenn Collins. The update said he had been operated on in the Alfred Hospital and was stable. That's great news, but it's going to be a long road back for Glenn. All we can say is: hang in there, Glenn, The entire aviation community is on your side.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch