[Peetwo]

Dick Smith - I despair!

The following quoted post from Dick highlights a couple of important points...

1st - Watch out Farmer Truss...   

OZBUSDRIVER


Thanks for your post (#5). Unfortunately goIng to Warren Truss would be a complete waste of time. In the ten years Mr Truss has been either Minister for Aviation or in the shadow portfolio, I haven’t seen one thing he has done that is pro-general aviation. In fact, I don’t believe I have ever heard him express an opinion one way or the other about anything.

Imagine becoming the Deputy Prime Minister of this country and not having even one view on some change you would like to make to improve the situation of the people who work in the industry that is covered by your portfolio.

...And while this is happening the Minister’s Aviation Advisor, the Head of the Department, Mr Mrdak and Mr Truss all think they are doing a great job. Even Sir Angus Houston is quoted in The Australian as saying that the introduction of ADS-B years ahead of other leading aviation countries is wonderful for Australia. 

Next - Deciphering the bureaucratic weasel words...

There is no doubt that the head agreement shows that the lessee must operate the airport as an aerodrome, but I presume there is nothing in the “fine print” that says they have to give aeroplanes access to hangars. This negotiation has gone backwards-and-forwards for a month now and they have not budged on our requirement that we have access to a taxiway to get aircraft in and out of our hangar.


And yes, I did build the hangar over twenty years ago and I presume I still own the hangar as it is just a site lease for the land.

Last - Know where to pick your fights?

And CLARE PROP – you say


“this is an area where you could really help GA”.

As you have probably noticed from my posts on this site, I am spending a lot of time at the moment doing everything I can to try and assist the GA industry in Australia. Fighting Bankstown Airport Limited in Court would be a huge misallocation of my finite time and resources. Right from the Minister’s office down there seems to be a deficiency of basic ethics and this means hundreds-of-thousands, if not millions, of dollars could be spent in Court action and still get absolutely nowhere.

It’s so sad to see so many hangars locked up with chains and when you peer in through gaps you see they are being used to store junk.

I despair.

Well Dick your not on your own there but from where I'm observing you seem to be gaining traction - although I don't think the UP is doing you a hell of a lot of favours..

MTF...P2