[thorn bird]

A question for the bleating sheep K.

Are you a member of AOPA? if you are, do you make any effort to contribute your opinions or experiences to strengthen AOPA's advocacy on behalf of your industry?

Its stated there are 35,000 pilots in Australia, a debatable figure perhaps better described as "There are 35,000 licences issued in Australia". The question is how many of them are active?

AOPA has only 2000 or so members of that 35,000. 2000 voices in the cacophony of noise that assails the political class from all the other interest groups is hardly likely to be heard, especially when self serving bureaucrats actively work to suppress and undermine that voice.

2000 members also does not generate a great deal of financial resources with which to fight the good fight, as well as provide other services to their members. AOPA's weakness in the past could be attributed to the apathy of the owners and pilots in Australia who, it would seem prefer to sit on the fence and bleat, rather than mount the barricades and fight.

The bureaucrats who run CASA, know this very well, they are without doubt cunning and devious opponents, there is nothing they won't stoop to to protect their bailiwick and they have an army of lawyers and the contents of the public purse to support them.

Its a political game of thrones they play, its not a fair fight, without numbers, which brings finances, it requires involvement, without which there is very little AOPA can do except pray for one or two dragons maybe.

Yet they do have successes that largely go unsung.

I was not an AOPA member yet they went to bat for me and broke through a road block I was experiencing with CASA.

I know also of a young engineer who's career and livelihood about to be destroyed by CASA for a simple mistake, was spared because of AOPA's advocacy. He was also not an AOPA member. Bet he is now.

In the past couple of years AOPA has undergone some radical change. It is no longer prepared to tow the CASA line. Its board now has some serious expertise in its ranks and it is, despite the attempts of the bureaucrats to stifle its voice and exclude it from contributing to the debate, gaining some traction as it learns the art of politics.

Membership costs less than you'd spend on a Friday session at the pub, but of far greater importance, involvement of members, if there is to be any chance of success.

So we can sit on the fence and bleat, while CASA goes about its nefarious project of pricing us out of business or enjoyment of our hobby, or contribute. Google AOPA in the USA and see just what can be achieved.