CAA and GPS approaches
While at AeroExpo I approached a CAA man in order to ask about lack of GPS approaches in the UK. The reply was abrupt "what are you talking about - you've got them!". I then pointed out yes, one (Shoreham.)
He agreed, then said "but two more are coming!". (There now?) When I indicated I was underwhelmed by this, the CAA man said [paraphrasing] "tough luck, we have to make a profit and can't tell the airfields what to do". When I asked why not - after all the CAA tell the airfields what to do all the time on many different matters - we parted, not on good terms.
[We also had an exchange regarding how rubbish ADFs/NDBs are for instrument approaches - he agreed that it would never be approved if proposed now "it would be laughed at with its problems" and that GPS - although not infallible - is far more accurate, reliable, easy to interpret... i.e. safer.]
Reflecting on this, perhaps the trouble is that it seems that it costs an airfield a lot to do what has to be done to get an approach sorted, and where is the incentive? (Maybe a Catch 22? Until there are a reasonable number of approaches, little point in an owner spending the money and considerable approval process to get an approved GPS unit in an aircraft. And while there are a relatively small proportion of aircraft with approved GPS units, there's not much point in airfields spending the money to get GPS approaches as the airfield won't get the revenue to make it worthwhile...)
While the CAA may do a good job in many areas I found the CAA attitude [by said individual] pretty disappointing in this regard. From my brief discussion, it seems that GPS approaches ain't going to happen any time soon. [Not even GPS non-precision NDB/DME overlay approaches as the FAA allows by default in the US.]
Anyone have any contacts/experience of lobbying about this? [I.e. to get GPS approaches done and to get a specifically low cost/straightforward approval process for GPS units in different aircraft.]