[Peetwo]

Uncle Dick’s tea party.

Following on from Dick's 'wake' thread of the UP, today there was this addition to the thread:

wren 460 , 19th Jul 2016 11:59

Dick's earned the right to make it as he sees it.

Originally Posted by Stanwell

Quite so, Styx.
So, what are you chaps going to do then? .. What's your plan?
Stand there like a rabbit in the headlights, having hopeful and positive thoughts?

Or ... use every means possible to draw attention to what's happening?

Sniping at Dick is a null response. When Dick was in charge at CASA it was like dawn breaking, when he left the darkness descended again and it's been growing darker ever since.

If Dick gets worldwide publicity then so much the better, Australia needs the embarrassment in order for the message to be rammed home to the body politic. Dick still supports GA, he and I and one other GA personality have commissioned a report into the failure of the regulatory regime and the consequent decline of GA. The aim is to persuade politicians to cause reform for growth.

It's far from the first time that Dick has stumped up his cash for a cause, usually anonymously and he probably won't thank me for exposing his financial input.

As a GA airport and aircraft owner operator, flying school CFI, twin training and licence testing approvals, CP for IFR charter and RPT operations I have watched for 30 years, with dismay, the death by a thousand cuts of what should be a growing industry. On top of this safety is suffering.

Excessive and prescriptive regulation, heavy handed bureaucratic administration and a new rule set, inappropriately made part of the criminal law, is applied after a 26 year gestation period. This extraordinary and unworkable rule set now requires a suite of exemptions which are being hurriedly promulgated to prevent a complete collapse of General Aviation, especially flight training.

Safety suffers because of confusion, what is exactly lawful and what is not?

Safety suffers because we do not utilise experienced personnel. There's too much time consuming and wasteful paperwork coupled with insufficient incentives to remain in a shrinking industry.

Safety suffers because lack of activity has pushed up avgas fuel prices and caused closure of refueling facilities all over Australia thus reducing options for safe fuel endurance, and increasing costs.

Safety suffers because more just drop out of legal flying. When you live way out in the bush, faced with SIDS, biennial flight reviews and expensive medicals no imagination is needed to see what will happen.

Safety suffers because costs and impossible regulation reduces flying hours, recency drops off, pilots simply get out of practice.

I believe we should systematically list and repeatedly get out the message that there must be incentives, attractive remuneration is a prerequisite, and part of a healthy industry. There are too many road blocks, like the instructor who is still trying since November to achieve a flying school permit. She had to part with an $8000 fee to CASA, for what? She is already qualified. In the States she would have been working since November with no fee gouging. The flying school she is trying to reestablish was operative for at least 40 years to my certain knowledge.

The previous incumbent now works for guess who. Last I spoke to the applicant the permission was on hold because the CASA official dealing with it went on holiday. Preventing someone from working is against human rights. CASA has effectively taken the money under false pretenses and keeping her dangling is completely unacceptable. 

The model of an independent Commonwealth body with minimal Ministerial oversight is a failure. The Board of CASA have been removed from policy formation and the CEO, the oddly styled 'Director of Air Safety' (sitting on cloud 9 with a baton?) has virtually unfettered power, thus making the Board impotent and redundant. 

It is more clear than ever that the only way forward is political action and publicity from Dick is greatly welcomed.

Cheers Sandy TY 4 sharing...



MTF..P2