[Peetwo]

Oz Aviation: Division in the ranks - again!!??

From this week's LMH and in an article series by 'that man' it would appear the Alphabets are embarking on a campaign of self-destruction and internal political squabbling -

The Last Minute Hitch: 11 August 2017
10 August 2017

– Steve Hitchen

If my mum was here now, she would get RAAus, SAAA, APF, OzRunways, AOPA and AvPlan and bang their heads together! This week in general aviation has been one of the most dire, disappointing and disastrous imaginable. The finger-pointing, accusing and (yes) direct lying that has been going on about the OzRunways sponsorship deal for AirVenture Australia has put the event in jeopardy. Contradiction has followed contradiction, burying the truth deep beneath a pile of vested interest and political posturing. And once again, GA loses; fractured with rivalry and opinion as various different people claim to represent the best interests of the aviation community. So who is the guilty party, the great evil one? It's impossible to tell; guilt can be determined only once true facts are known, and at the moment, despite many claims to the contrary, it seems no-one actually has the true facts in hand. So here's what is known: OzRunways took out major sponsorship that did not include exclusivity. When the AirVenture organisers needed a bit more cash, OzRunways upped their investment, which triggered the exclusivity deal. Consequently, AvPlan was told they couldn't go, and several other companies had conditions placed on them attending, including stalwart Paul Bennet Airshows, which is sponsored by AvPlan. Beyond that, the trail of facts disappears into a dark and whispering fen* that is almost impossible to navigate. The path has led to accusations of smear campaigns, conspiracy theories that run right to the minister's office, power struggles and lawyers being briefed. Now OzRunways has pulled out their major investment, blaming a "membership organisation" that it says leaked the commercial agreement.

..aviation in Australia needs that complete support today, tomorrow, the rest of the year and well into the foreseeable future..

So are we going to see a unified air show and exhibition at Narromine in October? With only a couple of months to go, can the aviation community possibly heal itself in time? If we want an AirVenture, the healing has to happen. The industry has to put this behind itself and get on with putting together an air show, exhibition and fly-in that is so crucial to the ongoing viablility of general, sport and recreational aviation in Australia. But most importantly, it has to be an event for every one of us; every company, every pilot, every organisation ... because without any one, we don't have complete support, and aviation in Australia needs that complete support today, tomorrow, the rest of the year and well into the foreseeable future. We, the eclectic and enthusiastic keepers of the aviation future, have to recognise some serious mistakes and step up the make sure AirVenture Australia 2017 happens and is successful. Ask yourself this: who wins if AirVenture doesn't go ahead? Then ask: who loses if AirVenture doesn't go ahead? The answer to the first question is "no-one" and the answer to the second is "everybody in aviation". Make no mistake, we have reached a breaking point, and if we can't find a way forward together then how can we ever convince Canberra that our industry, our community, is worth saving.

CASA's discussion paper on drone regulation is now ready for industry comments. This may be just a fringe issue to many of us who are still struggling with AirVenture, Part 61, rising rents, SIDs and every other spear in the side that is depleting our lifeblood at the moment, but you can bet it's very important to the drone community, which I have no doubt will be pouring feedback into CASA. If the general aviation community takes a stand-off approach to this, then the feedback from the drone people is all they will have. It's probably a critical enough issue for general aviation to take notice and speak up, or we certainly won't be listened to on this topic in the future.

To finish on a happy note, I was stoked to see that Warbirds over Scone is back on the calendar! This was for several years a well-attended and well-run air show in a great location. It's bound to be another stonker of an event, so put it in your diary, get a plane organised and make sure you're there in the crowd when Scone goes off in March next year.

*thanks to Glenn Richards for this line. Great lyrics.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/the-l...2zRIUcR.99

&.. from the Regional airlines vs the Pilots battlefront:

Chester's regional airport security clusterduck cont/-

..plus the CAO 48.1 WOFTAM:

And if you wanted an example of just how inept and totally risk-based our big R, WOFTAM regulator is, take a look the latest on the CAO 48.1 debacle - see HERE & yet again today in the Oz : FAA vs CASA: Point of difference. 

CASA’s delays on pilot review spurs concern
New safety rules for pilots have been further delayed by specialists conducting a review.

• Annabel Hepworth
  
• The Australian
  
• 12:00AM August 11, 2017
  
  

Pilots have voiced fresh concerns at delays by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority over the introduction of new rules on pilot flight and duty time limits.

CASA this week announced the appointment of a team of specialists to conduct a review of the aviation fatigue rules for operators and pilots.

In a statement, CASA confirmed it would extend the implementation of new fatigue rules by six months to allow sufficient time for the recommendations of the review to be considered.

Australian and International Pilots Association vice-president Shane Loney said he understood why there was a delay but was “disappointed this is still going on”.

“We’re disappointed at how slow it is,” he said.

The pilots’ group says Australia is ahead of other countries by introducing the regime but the Regional Aviation Association of Australia argues the new rules impose costs without a commensurate safety gain.

M&M to aviation safety minions: "...I love it when a plan comes together...with gay abandon, let the aviation safety obfuscation games continue.." 


MTF...P2