Re: 206 Crash into Dam West of Ipswich
Recent goss i've heard from people who sit on the APF Board of Directors indicates that the direction most OZ pruners believe the industry should take is where it's ultimately headed. Though before we get into any of that, it's important for contextual reasons to try and bare in mind how and where this all started.....
In it's modern form, the tandem industry really hasn't been around that long. Let's take a historical look and consider that the first recorded tandem jump was made in 1977. US Patent number 4,746,084 - issued to Strong Enterprises on three major tandem concepts - wasn't even issued until 1987. Let's say it took another 10 years for the tandem jump to make it's way over from the US of A and become established in Australia - making it 1997 (give or take a little) before the industry started to resemble a 'Commercial Operation'. Prior to '97, jumping fell well inside the definition of 'sports aviation' and was accordingly delegated responsibility for self-regulation. (In just the same way that gliding and hang gliding were).
Now think about it - that's around 10 years that PJE has been a Commercial Operation masquerading as a private one. And then ask yourself - does it really surprise me that the current legislation framework is about 10 years behind the industry it's supposed to be regulating?
Hint: Forget the sinister belief that APF are a bunch of cowboys running a dodgy industry in order to feather their own pockets. Stop hating CASA because they do such a bad job at regulating aviation - for there's nothing particularly unusual about CASA's performance here. All regulatory bodies have an equally crappy preformance, if not more so. It's one of the realities of regulating.
Now - back to my first paragraph. Recent goss from the APF BOD indicates that there is growing support for a split in the industry.
Group A - Tandem Operations - to be regulated as a commercial operation
Group B - Sport and Student Operations - to remain as a private operation
Interesting to note that Gliding clubs operate powered aircraft in the private category and use these powered aircraft to take joyriding members of the public to altitude before releasing them and their instructor to make their own independant descent with their own aircraft. If you ask me, it makes perfect sense for the gliding industry to self regulate - though technically, there's very little difference between the gliding and skydiving industries.....
One gets a few more fatalities and a few more headlines because it's infinately more popular and has so many more participants. Which highlights the bottom line here. There's only one real reason that the skydiving industry is the way that it currently is -because it's just so much goddamn fun!