SW3, you and Bob are grasping at straws now.
How can standards be argued between RAAus and GA? I recently spoke to a GA pilot who, "Calls the tower ahead to let them know he is coming."
So how does one explain this? I've been told here a PPL is far more superior to an RAAus Certificate according to some.
Perhaps this pilot doesn't have a trasnsponder fitted in his aircraft and under the CASA regulations he is calling in advance to give the mandatory one hours notice. Or maybe he's letting the guy in the tower know that he's coming so he knows when to have his break so they can have a beer together. Seriously, a little petty don't you think? Does calling the tower mean that the pilot is sub-standard? I don't think so.
I used to call a specific tower in advance once upon a time to find out if they were open as I didn't have a radio; that didn't make me less of a pilot.
Funnily enough the only items not contained in the RAAus Pilot Certificate syllabus that are in the PPL is 2 hours instrument flying and the optional CTA component. SHOCK HORROR! Day VFR syllabus people. RAA aircraft fly under the same rules as the general PPL holder, DAY VFR.
What about Weight and Balance and performance calcs, first and last light calculations, CST to EST etc, density altitude, ERC, VOR, ADF?