Ultralights, I do happen to agree with you there.
Dick, I have an immense amount of respect for you but unfortunately I do believe you're part of the majority where people will piss and moan and say things should be one way or another but offer no real input as to how we can change it. This is something that doesn't really reconcile with my impression of you given that in the past you were usually the person to show the naysayers that you indeed can do something if you put your mind, determination and passion behind it. I wonder where CB radios would have ended up with that sort of attitude? "Nah, they're illegal, governments $#@%'ed, regulator is $#%&'ed, they're never going to change! Gonna sell the business and get out of this before I go broke!"
There are many things wrong with how the regulator handles aviation and GA is suffering from being treated as the poor cousin given that GA really doesn't have a united voice.
There are a very small number of people on here that are willing to step up to the plate, but unfortunately it's not really enough... To effect change one must come into an argument prepared, unemotional (yet passionate) and have an intelligent retorte for any argument that you have to counter, but most of all they have to come in strong. Strength comes in numbers and people will listen if they're made to listen to a reasonable and intelligent argument. While "cause it's ****" might be valid, it's not an effective argument.
Can you imagine if someone actually came up with real numbers, real comparisons and showed the media the real consequences? I'm sorry but having to sell your private jet because it's too expensive will not strike a chord with the majority of people reading an article or viewing the 30 seconds of TV coverage you might get. Likewise if you got a mining company saying that the charter rates are going up, because those things won't really get anyone's attention. Now if you went out bush and showed the people that would be affected by a reduction of medical services or how much extra the health department is said to pay for providing medical care to those living in rural and remote communities, increases in costs to those wanting to school their kids etc then maybe both the media and the general populous would start paying attention.
We do however need a united voice and one that has stamina, one that will not back down until there is change!
I've volunteered my services to create some infographics if someone really wanted to come up with the figures to back up their statements. Yet the offer has gone unanswered.
There are two options really;
1. Piss and moan about how things will never get better and how things will never change, throw in the towel and watch the sun set on this industry.
2. Get off our collective arses and do something!
So, what's it to be ladies and gentlemen?