Spike:
I am not saying that there aren’t dinosaur inspectors still out there that might try to bluff and bludgeon an operator but they are usually lazy bastards too and eventually discover the futility of pushing a false argument. ( I managed to weed out one or two during training)
The trouble is Spike that to YOU these guys are lazy dinosaurs that you imply are harmless, but to US, they are the representatives of the Australian Government with all the majesty and power associated. They have the capacity to destroy business, reputations, finances and careers as far as WE are concerned, and have to be handled accordingly at great expense with great personal stress. Just look at what is happening to that poor bastard - Glen Buckley.
Your argument is akin to my scuba diving experience with reef sharks, I know they are mostly harmless, but my American dive buddy doesn’t and just about throws up in their face mask when We encounter one or two. Most Australians are like that with authority figures. If some CASA creep threatens to prosecute us we take it very seriously. Turning around a few weeks later and saying “just kidding” doesn’t repair the situation either. For example, who is now going to buy a GA8 Airvan after CASAs shoot from the hip grounding letter? Who wants to be exposed to ANY engagement with CASA?
Where is the code of conduct for CASA officers? Where are the straight forward plain english guides to compliance that aren’t full of weasel words like “suitable”, “appropriate”, “acceptable” and the like.
...or does the pursuit of “safety” allow CASA staff to allegedly act like corrupt mafia thugs?
To get back on topic, no investor or professional person is going to go anywhere near Australian GA once they get a whiff of CASA regulatory culture. The exception seems to be LARGE flying schools exclusively training reams of foreign pilots who have apparently learned to hold their noses when dealing with CASA.
To fix GA, a rewrite of the act and the adoption of FAA regs and the reorganization of the various authorities to provide checks and balances is required. The current system is economically inefficient, inequitable, not market driven, and introduces needless business risk as well as sovereign risk into business calculations.
To put it another way, if a police officer pulls me up on the road, I know exactly where we both stand legally and how both of us are required to behave and how any alleged infractions are to be decided. With CASA ????? You have no idea. Ultimately perhaps years from now, that “safety” discretion thing is going to give rise to low level corruption.