Lead Balloon and 43 inches
Lead Balloon, and 43 inches.
You are correct, the term franchises is something that I am particularly uncomfortable with. It doesn’t accurately represent what we built, it was so much more. Franchises is a term that CASA chose to use for obvious reasons, and the Ombudsman Office adopted. If you see me use it, then it is an inadvertent slip.
The point of the “did CASA ever permit it”, is important from the perspective of CASAs integrity. CASA maintain that they had never permitted it, and that the concept was something new that CASA not dealt with before, and the Ombudsmans office has accepted that. My point is CASA had always permitted it, and allowed other operators to operate in that manner. i.e. Latrobe valley aero Club operated with full CASA approval under Bairnsdale Air Charter. When they transferred to me, it suddenly became illegal.
43 inches, we operated exactly as you suggested. Rather than an hourly rate it was a quarterly flat fee. A lower rate for flying clubs in regional areas, and a higher rate for more commercially orientated operators.
Lead Balloon, you are correct. CASA will want to know how we managed oversight. That was the process that lead to the revalidation as a Part 141/142 organisation in April 2017. The system required a Head Office of 3 fulltime admin staff, two CASA approved HOOs, two CASA approved CEOs, and two CASA approved Safety managers. Supported by an IT and learning management system that provided 24/7 access to every aspect of the operation.
CASA had accepted the system and approved it in April 2017, audited it in November 2017, and then suddenly it became “unlawful” 18 months later. If CASA were opposed to it, they should have said something back in mid 2016 when I approached them and began developing it with them. i.e. negligent misstatement?
Cheers. Glen