i retired from aviation in 1990 & have not kept up with the industry until not long ago when i caught up with an old mate who introduced me to this forum.
must say that i am totally gobsmacked by many of the comments on this forum, & of the downward spiral of GA.
to be fair young student enthusiasts are usually so besotted with flying, that the health of an industry & where it's going doesn't even enter their minds.
how many people do actually write to a newspaper 'letters' section on any topic to complain, not many. IMO, individual letters from all over australia about GA flying nowadays & how it's not doing as well as years ago, would carry some weight, though perhaps not as much as a concentrated lobby effort.
personally i believe it's the bureaucracy that's to blame for many ills, i DOT NOT believe that they ought to have a job for life, i think their tenure ought to be linked with their contribution to help any industry go forward, and be able to be removed from their jobs when they are not up to speed.
currently if the government or councils don't want to do anything they can because NO-ONE questions their lack of lateral thinking, stubbornness, not wiliing to listen to industry concerns, general incompetency and sometimes digging their heels in if they don't like someone.
with new ways of dealing with government bureaucrats then any industry ought to be able to flourish.
well anyway that's just my opinion.
