Uncle Dick’s tea party.
Not sure what to make of the latest ‘Dick Smith’ gambit. Seems there is to be ‘wake’, partly for the GA industry and partly to mourn the loss of his wee jet. The motivation for the doom and gloom approach is unclear; and, the strategy is likely to produce a negative. Beats me.
It all seems counterproductive; this at a time when ‘industry’ is beset by property developers, is ruled by an out of touch administration which seems hell bent on maximising complication and costs, in the name of ‘safety’. Perhaps it’s time the relics and fossils of a bygone era took a seat in the back row, no disrespect but this is a modern war. The old guard have allowed the opposition to create such a weight of law, such a jungle of complication and expense that they have become almost unassailable.
Industry players, large and small poured their collective hearts, minds and hopes into the ASRR; the Senate Pel-Air inquiry should have been a watershed; both more in need of a wake than Dick’s aircraft.
What’s needed (IMO) is more support for folk like Marc De Stoop; he has taken up the AOPA gauntlet which is a man sized job and has poured his business acumen, money and time into building a flying operation. Building and repairing bridges between the alphabet soup groups, getting involved, telling it like it is and backing that opinion. This is one man’s pragmatic approach to the obvious problems industry faces. It may be wrong, it may be right, who knows; but, at least he is in the ring punching, not a sign of a towel being thrown in.
Dick did, for a while there make a difference; the fireside chat with the Senators, the radio interviews with Macca; all great stuff. A little more of that would have put GA on the public map and in the minds of politicians who could make a difference. So why quit? Why run about the place screaming that the sky is falling? I say if Dick wants out and wants to flog his wee jet, that is his prerogative and certainly none of my business; but, why make a negative statement when a positive can be generated? Why not use the credibility and talent in a helpful manner. Like tell the tale of the Rev Forsyth to the press, explain the what and the why of the thing; explain how it is being denigrated to an ‘opinion’; explain who is driving that attitude and why.
No doubt there will be howls and brickbats on the UP; the usual hair pulling, which is a waste of opportunity. Like it or not, Dick has a lot more juice than the ‘usual’ suspects on Up to make a difference, a real difference. Perhaps that energy could be used to persuade Dick to pick up the baton and finish the job he started; that of making the public aware of just what is happening to a once thriving industry because of mindless, destructive, unaccountable system of administration, which cannot believe they are wrong or hear anything other than their own lunacy paraded as ‘safety’ speak to half witted politicians who could care less; if they tried.
Well, that’s half a page and I still can’t work out what the hell Dick is playing at.
No matter, so long as the industry remains fragmented, disunited and afraid to speak out, Dick’s little tea party will not make a skerrick of difference. You can’t score runs sat in the pavilion.
Toot toot.
Not sure what to make of the latest ‘Dick Smith’ gambit. Seems there is to be ‘wake’, partly for the GA industry and partly to mourn the loss of his wee jet. The motivation for the doom and gloom approach is unclear; and, the strategy is likely to produce a negative. Beats me.
It all seems counterproductive; this at a time when ‘industry’ is beset by property developers, is ruled by an out of touch administration which seems hell bent on maximising complication and costs, in the name of ‘safety’. Perhaps it’s time the relics and fossils of a bygone era took a seat in the back row, no disrespect but this is a modern war. The old guard have allowed the opposition to create such a weight of law, such a jungle of complication and expense that they have become almost unassailable.
Industry players, large and small poured their collective hearts, minds and hopes into the ASRR; the Senate Pel-Air inquiry should have been a watershed; both more in need of a wake than Dick’s aircraft.
What’s needed (IMO) is more support for folk like Marc De Stoop; he has taken up the AOPA gauntlet which is a man sized job and has poured his business acumen, money and time into building a flying operation. Building and repairing bridges between the alphabet soup groups, getting involved, telling it like it is and backing that opinion. This is one man’s pragmatic approach to the obvious problems industry faces. It may be wrong, it may be right, who knows; but, at least he is in the ring punching, not a sign of a towel being thrown in.
Dick did, for a while there make a difference; the fireside chat with the Senators, the radio interviews with Macca; all great stuff. A little more of that would have put GA on the public map and in the minds of politicians who could make a difference. So why quit? Why run about the place screaming that the sky is falling? I say if Dick wants out and wants to flog his wee jet, that is his prerogative and certainly none of my business; but, why make a negative statement when a positive can be generated? Why not use the credibility and talent in a helpful manner. Like tell the tale of the Rev Forsyth to the press, explain the what and the why of the thing; explain how it is being denigrated to an ‘opinion’; explain who is driving that attitude and why.
No doubt there will be howls and brickbats on the UP; the usual hair pulling, which is a waste of opportunity. Like it or not, Dick has a lot more juice than the ‘usual’ suspects on Up to make a difference, a real difference. Perhaps that energy could be used to persuade Dick to pick up the baton and finish the job he started; that of making the public aware of just what is happening to a once thriving industry because of mindless, destructive, unaccountable system of administration, which cannot believe they are wrong or hear anything other than their own lunacy paraded as ‘safety’ speak to half witted politicians who could care less; if they tried.
Well, that’s half a page and I still can’t work out what the hell Dick is playing at.
No matter, so long as the industry remains fragmented, disunited and afraid to speak out, Dick’s little tea party will not make a skerrick of difference. You can’t score runs sat in the pavilion.
Toot toot.