[Peetwo]

This week's LMH off the Yaffa -

–  Steve Hitchen

I have to confess to being one of those annoying people that doesn't believe in karma or "signs" that the universe is trying to tell me something, until I get one that is so strong it can't be ignored. Then I'm not only on the bandwagon, I'm driving it! In the past week we have seen the Bristell crash at Clyde North, the tragic beach landing in Portugal and the video of the C150 attempt to land on a highway. Each of these incidents turned out badly, and there are still people in hospital. None of us are currently in a position to say with any integrity what happened, but in time we will find out. However, it did have me scrambling for my logbook to find out when I last did a practice forced landing. It was during my AFR in June last year, and unless my memory is playing tricks (again!) I turned an easy exercise into a flying disaster. Prior to that, I hadn't done PFLs since my Jabiru training in 2013. That's nowhere near often enough to stay competent. So, next week I've booked a plane and instructor to do an hour of PFLs. I mean, you can't ignore the signs, can you?

... this is what happens when things get professional ...

Airventure Australia has received a boost from its sponsorship deal with OzRunways; a significant sum I am told that has probably made the event a possibility. And with that commercial arrangement has come exclusivity, which means we won't be seeing the AvPlan stand at the event this year. That's a shame because AvPlan has been a big supporter of the Narromine weekend since its inception. However, this is what happens when things get professional, and it seems to me that's what the organising consortium (RAAus, SAAA, APF) is trying to do with Narromine. Neither the consortium nor OzRunways can be blamed for striking a deal so beneficial to both of them. But what will this do to the relationship between OzRunways and AvPlan, which has been historically amicable? I suspect the two are about to get competitive at a level we've not yet seen.
The new Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) rules are now in force. We could argue until we all fall down about whether or not the new measures are necessary, but it's pretty clear they will have a huge impact on private pilots around the country. The new regs state that we can't have our documents verified by the usual JP/police/solicitor/pharmacist anymore, but only by someone who is a trained agent of the Issuing Body. Furthermore, we can't mail the documents, but have to present them in person. The government continues to call these new rule "improvements", but the general aviation community seems to prefer the term "impediments". With so few ASIC Issuing Bodies in Australia (and one less now RAAus has thrown in the towel), it is becoming increasingly hard to get an ASIC because of where these companies are. And even if they do set up an agency in your area, you will be paying more for your ASIC because the agents are unlikely to do it free.

Our sister publication, Flightpath, has its latest issue on the shelves and in the letterboxes now! If warbirds and antique aeroplanes are your thing, you'd do well to get hold of a copy soonest you can!

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/the-l...SxX6ugX.99

Also a rehash of the Annabel Hepworth Oz article - Dick Smith: General Aviation Sector faces ruin - with comments...

...The number of general aviation aircraft that are flying has fallen further, sparking warnings by businessman and aviation veteran Dick Smith that the sector faces “destruction”.

Mr Smith issued the warning about the challenges facing the general aviation sector as recent figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics show that the number of active aviation aircraft doing GA work was 8976 in 2015.

This is a fall on the year prior, when there were 10,034 active aircraft in GA operations. In 2013, there were 10,173 aircraft, although this was up on the 9448 ­recorded in 2012. Mr Smith lamented that “less and less” people were flying.
“It’s absolutely criminal what’s happening to general aviation. It’s the basis for airline pilot training,” Mr Smith told The Australian.

“It’s very serious ... it’s basically the destruction of an industry.”

As evidence of the decline in the sector, Mr Smith pointed to the serious difficulties he had in attempting to getting his beloved Cessna Citation serviced.

Mr Smith sold the Citation last year, saying at the time that it was “simply too expensive to keep it running in Australia with the regulations we are forced to comply with”.

The warning comes after it emerged last month that a landmark review into the costs and red tape impacting the sector has been delayed. While the report, also being conducted by BITRE, was expected to be finished by June 30, it will now be finalised in “coming months”, the office of Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester indicated recently.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia executive director Benjamin Morgan said the BITRE data highlighted a decline in some of the biggest areas of aviation activity.

The Australian has confirmed that AOPA has written to Mr Chester and Civil Aviation Safety Authority boss Shane Carmody drawing attention to the figures.

In a letter last week, Mr Morgan also attached 57 pages of comments from participants in a petition on saving Australia’s general aviation industry.

The BITRE data showed that by hours flown, training was down by 5.6 per cent in 2015 over 2014, and had fallen by 14.5 per cent in 2014 over 2013. Survey and photography work was also well down.

“This isn’t surprising considering that our pilot number graphs and avgas sales numbers all show a 35 per cent decline over the past 10 years,” Mr Morgan said.

He said AOPA’s economic modelling conservatively suggested the decline in the sector over the past five years “translates to a half-billion-dollar loss to the broader Australian economy”.

“AOPA Australia firmly believes the declines have continued through 2016 and are forecast to accelerate through 2017, unless genuine reforms are initiated,” Mr Morgan said. It was alarming that the report showed that one in five aircraft were now unused, because this meant a share of the fleet was “no longer providing an economic contribution to the industry”.

The report showed there were 1367 aircraft zero flying hours where the owners blamed repair, maintenance or restoration work.

The data also showed hours flown for non-scheduled commercial air transport — charter flights — was down 10.9 per cent in 2015 from 2014, and had fallen 17.9 per cent in 2014 over 2013....

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Tim1 DAY AGO


I operated a specialist aviation repair company since 1995 . In 2016 I had enough of struggling to keep it afloat after roughly five years of decline in my client base largely caused by the dramatic increase in regulatory burden during that time created by the onerous and protracted regulation overhaul which had numerous direction changes and ended up so burdensome it made small companies like mine unviable and so I closed it down before it destroyed me financially .
There are many stories like mine over that period .

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Bing1 DAY AGO



Make it easier and cheaper for folks to fly. Pick from my list or add to the list:
1. For PPL, a checkup by a GP should suffice. Compare it to the expensive bureaucratic CASA system now?!
2. Make military airspace ICAO sized. For example folks can't fly in the beautiful Hawkesbury and Shoalhaven easily because the military has too much airspace, crowding out GA.Most Mil training is on simulators anyway.
3. Don't treat GA pilots and their friends like criminals and terrorists - especially at Albury Airport. They are taxpayers and usually just need the toilets or a drink after re-fuel.
4. Airport landing fees for GA is way too high. Aboriginal run airports charge up to $500 for one landing and nearly $3 per litre for fuel.
5. Why introduce full security screenings at small airports like Dubbo? What a waste of money when you can hop the fence at airports even closer to Sydney?
6. Stop building $5m to $10m fences at places like Thargomindah, Numbulwar, etc. Really, there are cheaper ways to keep out camels and feral animals. Spend the money instead on fostering aviation.
7. Change CASA's charter to include, ".... the fostering of GA in Australia". Otherwise, they'll legislate till there are no GA aircraft in Australia left and they are so stupid they don't realise they'll eventually lose their jobs too.
8. Stop flying 40-50 inspectors around especially to Avalon so they can ramp check and bully GA pilots camping next to their aeroplanes. Grounding a 2 seater plane because there isn't an EXIT sign on the door ... really??

Don't overthink this. Sack lazy and harmful bureaucrats, bring in more performance based salaries and set a mission for CASA to encourage general aviation - not just kill it...

Now give me that $500,000 CEO salary and I'll fix it. On the other hand I'd rather be the Postmaster and earn $5.6m. Carry on....

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philip1 DAY AGO



CASA's role is aviation safety and so they write rules, change rules, hold meetings about rules and police their many rules, seemingly without regard for their impact on smaller aviation businesses and pilots. Many private pilots have a view that CASA might be happier if private pilots and general aviation withered away so CASA only had to manage airlines. CASA is too often seen as an officious dead hand on general aviation.

General aviation provides a massive economic benefit for Australia but it is not as abvious as many other industries because it involves many smaller operators located away from city centres. Unfortunately the Federal government has not seen fit to have any program to support or promote this vital industry, just to regulate it.

The FAA, which regulates safety in the USA, actually has as one of its responsibilities, to encourage and develop civil aeronautics.
Why can't CASA, or Air Services, also have a similar responsibility so their rules and decisions have to support all civil aviation, including general aviation?

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Phillip23 HOURS AGO


@philip Yes it always has been one of those"are we here for them or are they here for us" scenarios. 





Phil17 HOURS AGO



Yes Philip, that is the first and more important cause in the destruction of GA in Australia.
Only reforming of CASA back to the dual role of Safety and Development of aviation (a CAA) will begin this process, everything else is just words.

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Phil18 HOURS AGO

CASA's offical motto should be :
We're not happy till your not happy.

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Phil18 HOURS AGO



CASAs moto is "safe skys for all".
An empty sky is a safe sky so I guess they have their wish.

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Anthony15 HOURS AGO


I flew as a private glider and private pilot for many years but the endless grind of casa nonsense wore me down now i race Porsche's at a fraction of the expense and without my partner stressing.

The cost of LAME's is a major problem as is the cost of fuel, the greening of australia isnt free.

 
 
MTF...P2