I thoroughly enjoyed that article.
He says, "It is ironic, but this organization is successful because it is largely devoid of CASA purview.
Well whatta ya know!
Smith says, "One of the biggest contributing factors in declining GA here is an almost complete lack of understanding by the government that safety regulations must be affordable. On top of this, they sold off the airports and commercialized air traffic control to give a return to the government. This may be OK if these organizations were run efficiently; however, traditionally [as they are government owned] they are highly unionized and highly inefficient."
Couldn't have said it better myself...
Slowly it's turning around. It will be interesting to see the state of the industry by the end of next year.