Binghi
I am never certain if your replies to me are country humour or country member
I shall take your last as the former.
Dick Smith
James, the problem I have is that all of my successful decisions in life have come after asking advice and debating the issues with real people. I am just no good at making decisions after debating anonymous people on a website.
Let me suggest that either of your options is not the sum of the parts, but both together is more valuable. As earlier stated - examine what is said, not he who speaks. And, if you are not going to build in the facts from such debates, you are spending a lot of your valuable time here at a loss when you should be making money - why?
If I can wax a little futuristic, at the risk of perhaps offending my colleague Bing, and first declaring (again) no pecuniary interest in the outcome.
Dick, the visionary does not head for the cellar to view the heirlooms of the past - he is found more at the attic window staring into space and the future. Lately you seem to be more bound by the past.
Australia may as well start learning Chinese for when the holes in the ground run out - unless we leverage our knowledge base - because that's about all else we have left to sell. Therefore it is desirable we be a world leader in technology development and sale - if the Government does not further stuff the CSIRO, TRL, DSTO, and a few other alphabet groups.
If we could marry a little of Binghi, Bob Murphie, and T28D - what is emerging is the UAV, perhaps even one day for ag work. We should be at the forefront of development. Even if we are not, the UAV will emerge with exponential growth as a platform for existing tasks performed by aircraft and new tasks not yet considered. Twenty five years ago the mobile telephone handset did not exist - yesterday the apple iphone launched in Australia with capability unheard of - nay, unthought of - back then.
There is already a group using small 'UAV' to provide aerial farm photos for estate agents - buyers nowadays expect to research purchase from home via internet and the aerial shots are marketing tools at a fraction of the cost of using GA aircraft. The possibilities are endless - the morning traffic rush reports on radio as another (Bing, we don't have a rush in the seat of power - no-one rushes early to work
)
For UAV to operate safely with other aircraft - we need ADS-B. If Binghi can have a TCAS for $10,000 today, one believes he will have an ADS-B TCAS for the same figure within three years of Australia going ADS-B. There have already been several serious aircraft/UAV incidents in the war zone. Not enemy Binger UAV - rather, the UAV equivalent of 'friendly fire' in busy military airport environments.
Fanciful? Perhaps. Have a look at the Microair site (I think there is some limitation on us putting links up on this forum?) and you will find - "The T2000UAV-S is a special version of the T2000 Transponder, designed for operation in unmanned aircraft." One Australian manufacturer already believes in the market, and the same manufacturer is ready to roll re ADS-B.
Dick, an old saying - "ride the change wave or be dumped" - you have an opportunity to turn your undoubted talents to taking Australia forward. The ADS-B debate on this thread may not have realised your desires, but the wise general knows when to revise the plan. A weekend of quiet reflection on your part could revitalise your enthusiasm and energies.
(Steps down off long-winded bureaucratic soapbox).