Why o why o why!

[Fuji Abound]

Do you feel the views of GA are properly represented?

With my C of A renewal coming up I was horrified to see that the renewal fees are likely to substantially increase. The increase is presumably connected with the pressure brought by the airlines for GA to pay a greater share of the cost mentioned on here before.

Chatting to a friend today we also got on to the subject of EASA. I commented that we might at long last see a PPL friendly European IR. Quite the reverse, my friend said! He thought we would see the demise of the IMC with no grandfather IR rights or any more friendly IR.

Now I know he was expressing his opinion which so far as I am aware has no factual basis. However this type of “scaremongering” in GA seems to have a very nasty habit of turning into reality!

There was a very good thread on here some little while ago about why GA already contributes more than its share in taxes and therefore indirectly to funding the CAA. I thought great there in lies a sensible argument and doubtless sensible consultation will follow. Hugh!

There have been numerous threads here and elsewhere for as long as I can remember about the lack of a sensible private IR. In fact not only have the regulators failed to do anything about the very real needs of private pilots they have sort to tackle the use of FAA IRs to make it even more difficult for private pilots to use their IR privileges. Now I can fully understand the need for ensuring pilots are properly trained to fly on instruments but I have never seen anyone seriously suggest that an FAA IR is any less worthy than our equivalent.

So to sum up we pay the people who govern us more so they can find more ways of preventing us exercising our rights as pilots.

.. .. .. And who have we got to blame. I suspect only ourselves. OK we have organisations like AOPA and the PPL IR who I am sure do good work but the fact remains the regulations and the costs are rising disproportionately to inflation or to any proven case of increased safety. How long on this forum have we been setting out the need for a PPL IR for example.

In my opinion PPRUNE (together with the other pilot forums) should do something more useful and provide a forum for dealing with these issues. The work certain PPRune members did with NATS I think it was last year with NOTAMS was brilliant.

I for one would whole heartedly support a campaign to deal with the IR issue.