Originally Posted by
Old Akro
Wren
and...
Safety suffers because we fly less
Safety suffers because we have no navaids for training / practice anymore
Safety suffers because less people / aircraft are IFR because of Pt 61 & ADS-B
Safety suffers because airports are dropping being licenced and / or have IFR approaches because its too expensive.
And...
Safety suffers because people are driving when they'd be safer flying.
And...
We don't train enough home grown pilots to supply our airlines, hence they are on the 457 workers visa list. Not ideal and the training money and GA wages prior to the pilot graduating to airlines should retained within Australia.
Australia suffers from a higher government deficit. All those CASA public servants(?), say 400, being conservative, in excess of necessity, could be working in productive areas in private enterprise, quite apart from the hundreds of millions down the drain from sheer incompetence. How can circa $300 million be spent on a regulatory reform program over 28 years, still not finished, the last tranche a disaster, not be noticed?
We suffer from lack of freedom which leads to lack of innovation and the enjoyments of flying that we used enjoy in spades.
We suffer from fewer landing grounds because of less activity. Look for Google Earth popular destinations as I have and pick out the now unused private airstrips.
We suffer from being induced into the low weight category aircraft (LWCat) because of an easier medical and maintenance requirements. This a truly retrograde policy which dictates to designers to build down to a ridiculously low weight. Hats of to all those who have made the best of it, and there are perfectly designed low weight aircraft for particular use. Trouble is nothing disguises the truth that many aviators would be far better remaining with conventional GA aircraft. Where do you put the esky in a LWCat? How does a plus six footer fit into the average LWCat? Where's the range? They cannot fly IFR but a C150 can because it is strong enough. Thousands have gone to the low weight category simply because of a reasonable regulatory regime. Ironically a regime that is a near copy of what pertained during the great days of growth in VH GA of the 60s and 70s.
Many individuals have suffered at the hands of an all powerful bureaucracy in a manner that would not pass accepted legal norms.
To hide from the situation and trust the regulator to behave in a rational matter flies in the face of a disgraceful history spanning at least 30 years. A wake every week at an airport near you would be great. Awake Australia Aviation is our hope but without change 'a wake' will be very appropriate for GA as a whole.