Glen, as a fellow operator, you have my full support. I, like you, have decided to place CASA on notice that it is no longer acceptable to be simply dictated to by an organisation that should work for us as members of a democratic society.
Unfortunately, CASA now has an entrenched ethos of self justification in most of its decision and rule making.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that there is no demonstrable safety case whatsoever for imposing Part 142 requirements on existing flying schools. Leave Part 142 to the Airlines.
I intend to keep the pressure up on CASA by use of logical, meaningful and cogent argument. Included in this approach will be constant request for probative evidence which supports any safety case propounded by CASA as a justification for its decisions.
It is a sad indictment on CASA that it now takes a law degree or the employment of lawyers to have our case heard and acted upon by those individuals in CASA who treat the organisation as their personal fiefdom and us as their serfs.
CASA has brought the industry to the brink or revolution. I encourage all members of the industry to speak out, voice your concerns and ask of CASA; why? Do not necessarily believe CASA if, in attempting to justify their actions, they say it is in the interests of safety; this is merely the employment of obfuscating sophistry designed to divert us from questioning their excessive salaries and lack of actual work in supporting the very industry they purport to dictate to.
Whilst not wishing to incite civil disobedience or unlawfulness (far from it), I would urge all members of the civil aviation community to start a campaign of resistance to dictatorial imposts on us from CASA. Question, question and then question again until such time as even the thickest brain in CASA gets the message that we are not taking things lying down any more and that CASA must treat us as equals and not enemies.
We want respect from our public service.
Lexair