Bring on part 135 get rid of reg 206- in a lot of ways the only way a small aviation business in the bush will survive is to be a able to have the ability to turn back the clock and go back to the start where small aviation bussiness with less than 9 seats can operate routes from small towns stations and communities as feeders back to regional service centres or capital city's on small hops less than 2 hours.
There are so many tourist destinations and small regional communities that could be linked as a milk run that would appreciate even one regular scheduled flight a day or even a week in something like a caravan. Nearly all these airports/ strips are not RPT compliant or viable to a large regional operator but there is a need for the small operation like a mum dad operation that can keep its costs down be regionally based and hire local pilots.
Remember most small communities/ regional service centres in Australia have less than 3000 people and most of them live on wages near basic minim. For these people to charter an aircraft to travel to a regional service town or capital city it is cost prohibitive. Thanks to reg 206 and not having the ability to sell a seat on a milk run.
It is just accepted now by those living in the bush that it is cheaper to drive.
The most common thing I hear is you guys are ripping us off why are you so expensive, I can fly on Jetstar from Sydney to Darwin, cheaper than I can fly with you. The travelling public don't understand the difference between charter and RPT. When I tell them they must charter the whole aircraft as it is a CASA ruling of our licence, they immediately think it must be because we are less safe than a RPT.
In aircraft less than 9 seats I cannot understand why CASA are so hellbent in endorsing CAR 206 in the interest of safety.
In the latest CASA flight safety magazine their own published figures from ATSB from 2003 to 2011 show that fixed wing air charter aircraft have the lowest amount of accident and fatalitys per million flight hours of all sections of both fixed and rotary light aircraft operations both in private and charter ops.
We have considered moving to LRPT a few times only to be advised to wait for interception of part 135. The main reason is that to change all our aircraft from schedule 5 to class A, wouldn't be viable and to find a part 145 maintiance org in the bush is impossible and to change our small maintiance org to part 145 isn't worth it with all the extra compliance.
I just hope that when part 135 is finally released that we don't have to go to class A, or that will mean nearly every mum and dad operation that operate very good safe little charter operations to service the basic small demand that is there now will also disappear overnight.
However if Part 135 were allowed to commence with an upgrade to operation requirements and stricter F/D times more check training,route training and tighter fuel reserves in other words lift the operation skills, I can see this would allow a mini boom again in small aviation, and could once again open up the bush for regional travel for bussiness and tourism, with all the knock on effects that it would provide putting money back into regional Australia and stimulate growth Australia wide.
History can teach us a lot.
Think of what was originally responsible for early growth of regional and remote Australia and to some part Australia's wealth and growth boom early last century. It was the surpluses of small aircraft and pilots after the wars that went out and developed routes in the bush.
This can happen again we just need to remove some of the cotton wool that CASA has wrapped us up in.
It is in my main task of keeping my bushiness, my house and my livelihood, not to allow any of my aircraft go missing and kill my passengers and pilots. what is the difference in safety if we fly a 206 with 5 pax on board with one person paying as a charter or a 206 with 5 pax on boards with everyone paying for their own seat?
CAR 206 has given CASA the reason to close down more small aviation bussiness in Australia than a lot of other regs. It is also the biggest hinderence to growth and fear of all small charter and air tour operations in Australia.
However if some wealthy Chinese person wishes to give me heaps of money and a fleet of caravans and not expect a return for a few years and is happy not to have control and wait maybe 5 years without return whilst growth expands, I will be very happy to take their money. Maybe I could even draw a wage larger than my pilots
Ms