Originally Posted by
fujii
I fly my private, single engine lighty and keep out of the way of others. I am happy with the current airways system and don’t see any need to change. I am flexible and not stuck in the 50s, 60s or any other decade Dick may choose nor am I obsessed or stuck in concrete but I just don’t see any need to change at this time for what I see as little gain.
Am I alone?
May be worth asking what we actually would like to see changed - what would make a marked change for general aviation in Australia?
I want to see a long term, viable, thriving and diverse aviation industry in Australia (by industry I mean covering everything from recreational operations to GA to RPT - it is all an industry - and GA is the essential nursery of the whole aviation industry).
I just don't see big changes to airspace as being much of a panacea for the ills in the industry.
I can think of lots of more pressing matters than airspace - but there is one change that I think would have huge flow on effects - that is a move to change the role of CASA.
We blame CASA for its actions but really - they are doing exactly what they have been tasked to do. It is the task that is wrong.
CASA's current mission is:
"To enhance and promote aviation safety through effective safety regulation and by encouraging industry to deliver high standards of safety"
Imagine if it were something along the lines of:
"To foster and promote the long term safety, economic sustainability and community benefit of aviation in Australia through the provision of appropriate regulation, industry collaboration, technical assistance and education".
(or something similar that doesn't remove the safety/regulation role but adds industry viability as an essential core responsibility)
Without a change in the mission of CASA (both the symbolic words but also an associated cultural shift) the GA industry will continue to decline and fiddling at issues (like airspace) will not make much of a long term impact.
If their mission is, (as it is now), overwhelmingly to "continually make aviation safer" with no mention about maintaining the viability of the industry, they will pursue activities that will try to continually increase safety even at the cost of industry sustainability.
Don't blame the bureaucrats - that is the exact job we (through our representatives) have given them! The job needs to be changed!
Change this and there is a change to the ecosystem that GA (and aviation altogether) exists in and the other issues can be properly addressed.
Without this change nothing will really change.
my 2c