In fact, if it weren't for CASA and these ridiculous expenses, perhaps aircraft owners could afford a new aircraft and their 40 year old c172 could be sent to the scrap heap where it belongs.
My 1961 crap 172 is in better condition than when it left the factory thank you. And it still does the job better and more cost effectively than a lot of the "modern" junk sold as aircraft today. Aerodynamics hasn't changed and materials science has crawled forward somewhat. What has made huge advances is electronics. My ipad combined with two GPS, (Dynon EFIS, not for use just ornamental, the most accurate and reliable instrument in the aircraft) and backed up by an iphone makes my 172 a highly effective tool.
Dick stop whinging about it costing you $1000 to do a compass swing and making out that you care about everyone else getting stung for it. First world problems. Put the chopper on one of those specially constructed trailers that litter airstrips around the country and push it around on that.
As for CAO 100.5 blah blah put in a foxtel screen with new plumbing and tell the designers to make sure it can cross calibrate itself given they just sodomised you for tens of thousands of dollars for a product that dynon can make for one tenth of the price. For most fixed wing owners the compass swing is a small part of of the avionics calibration, which in my opinion is a valid maintenance requirement. If the technology had kept up it would be self calibrating as opposed to having to pay a human to do it.
Aviation is an extortion racket from head to toe and its time to pay the piper.