[Peetwo]

AOPA is to be congratulated for its work towards GA reform. As a long time member having watched the accelerating decline it is very pleasing to see the organisation taking it up to government. As of today AOPA's CEO Ben Morgan has issued another couple of press releases about the need for immediate relief. This coincides with Dick's support of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, quote;  

" Dick Smith has also offered to help Ms Hanson with her aviation policy.

He said he would help her cement the support of tens of thousands of voters who work in the industry.

“Myself and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will come up with what needs to be done and I will give her some suggestions,” he said.

“I think she would get tens of thousands of votes from the aviation community because they have been let down by the ALP and Liberals.”

With this type of political pressure we have the best chance of causing change for the better and the naysayers should take a back seat. It will be a fight with CASA and Transport bureaucrats, they will pull every trick in the book in order to maintain their highly paid cushy jobs. We've come to realise that the interests of the country are not their concern. All power to AOPA's Board for encouraging political action.

For Sandy's benefit here are the two AOPA Media Releases issued today...

Tuesday, 6th December 2016
 
PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release
 
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) of Australia to work with Queensland Senator, Ms Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and all sides of politics to develop general aviation reform policy.
 
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) of Australia welcomes interest from all sides of politics with regard to the important issue of general aviation reform, understanding how important it is for the country’s political leaders to have a clear and concise understanding of the challenges facing our industry.
 
The AOPA Australia confirms that it will work with Queensland Senator, Ms Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party and all other sides of politics to develop a general aviation reform policy framework that can serve to arrest the serious decline of the general aviation industry.
 
The AOPA Australia has recently highlighted to government, that over the past 10 years;
 

• General aviation pilot numbers have declined by 34% (loss of 8,000+ from the industry)
  
• General aviation fuel sales have declined by 35%
  
• Number of general aviation aircraft not flying has increased by over 50% (over 3,000+ aircraft parked)
  

 
The AOPA Australia has called on the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Mr Darren Chester, to;
 

• Amend the Civil Aviation Act so as to require the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to foster and develop aviation, so as to provide growth and opportunity for all Australians
  
• End the wasteful +$300 million taxpayer funded CASA regulatory reform program
  
• Harmonise our regulations to that of the world’s most successful aviation marketplace, the United States and their Federal Aviation Regulations (US FAR).
  

 
The AOPA Australia promotes the following core regulatory values;
 

• Only regulate where necessary
  
• Deregulate everywhere we can
  
• Reduce cost to industry
  
• Create a vibrant and dynamic general aviation industry for all Australians
  

 
Yours Sincerely,
 
BENJAMIN MORGAN
Executive Director - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) 
 

&..

Tuesday, 6th December 2016

 
PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release
 
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) of Australia commences work on Minister Chester’s review into General Aviation Decline.
 
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) of Australia this week met with representatives of the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) to commence work on Minister Chester’s, review into general aviation decline – the first of a number of meetings planned.
 
Leading the BITRE review team is Director of Aviation Statistics, Mr Glenn Malam, who provided AOPA Australia with government data that confirms graphs released by AOPA Australia in August 2016, showcasing the serious decline in general aviation over the past 10 years, including;
 

• General aviation pilot numbers have declined by 34% (loss of 8,000+ from the industry)
  
• General aviation fuel sales have declined by 35%
  
• Number of general aviation aircraft not flying has increased by over 50% (over 3,000+ aircraft parked)
  

 
The AOPA Australia has put forward a range of valuable feedback during the first meeting, which included;
 

• Amend the Civil Aviation Act so that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is required to foster general aviation industry growth and development
  
• Adopt and harmonise to the world’s most successful general aviation regulatory framework, the United States Federal Aviation Regulations
  
• Extend the ADS-B install deadline to 2021 without restriction to both commercial and private operators
  
• Remove unique Australian aging-aircraft requirements (ie. Cessna SIDs)
  
• Remove the unnecessary ASIC requirement for general aviation users
  
• Immediately implement Class 2 Medical Reform to re-introduce thousands of GA pilots to flying
  
• Remove unreasonable industry charges and fees for interactions with the safety regulator
  

 
The AOPA Australia also confirmed its stance on aviation regulatory management;
 

• Only regulate where necessary
  
• Deregulate everywhere we can
  
• Reduce cost to industry
  
• Create a vibrant and dynamic general aviation industry for all Australians
  

 
The BITRE team have until 30th June of 2017 to complete their review and will shortly commence interviewing general aviation business operators seeking to understand the industry’s view with regard to general aviation decline.
 
The AOPA Australia welcomes aircraft owners, pilots and general aviation business operators who would like to provide direct input to this important review to contact the AOPA Australia office by telephone
on: (02) 9791 9099 to register your interest in participating.
 
Best regards,
 
BENJAMIN MORGAN
Executive Director – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)