TurboMaggot, I was listening to an experienced Chief Pilot of GA talking the other week. This man has over 30k hours and has flown in a number of countries, including in his beloved Australian Outback.
His comment on cadets vs GA:
GA pilots make a little error in a little aircraft, fix it, learn from it and move on.
Cadets make a little error in a big aircraft, sometimes manage to fix it, and hopefully move on.
And the gentleman I am referring to is neither Dick Smith nor Mick Stup.
However the pilot shortage is due to many factors, in my opinion, including (but not limited to):
Large RPT not willing to cough up big dollars for quality staff, but trying to employ pilots and base them off shore, and pay a contracted rate thus avoiding the princely wages, terms and conditions of the Australian award.
An insistence by some companies for turbine pressurised aircraft for jobs that up until 5 years ago were done by piston twins, thus reducing the amount of work available for piston twins. Piston twins being the natural stepping stone between single engine pistons and turbines.
Higher maintenance costs under Australian Regs - I would love to see a comparative maintenance costs on standard aircraft in different first world countries where GA is thriving vs Australia.
The cost of training vs the declining standard of product being put out by flight training schools, thus giving a rise in organisations providing post CPL training which includes - how to land on a dirt strip, how to refuel from drums, etc
And the unending cost of rewriting the Regs - money for consultants and experts and dedicated personnel - money which must come from somewhere......
The diversion of the taxes on Avgas from funding aviation infrastructure into the bottomless pit that is politicians perks.
And a regulator that is rarely challenged, that is governed by a minister who doesn’t know sh!t from shoe polish about the industry he is trying to monitor, and that is answerable to no one. A regulator that is both law maker and law enforcer....