In GA I see instructors being paid the same hourly rate today as I was paid 20 years ago. While I would love that to be different, how? Schools are struggling to make a buck as it is and many have shut up shop.
At the top end of the food chain, how viable would Oz airlines be if they paid pilots more?
As it is I have always seen aviation in Oz as an industry that makes an average buck in the good times and is hand to mouth in the bad times and there are as many bad times as there are good times.
If you wanted to make money in Oz you wouldn't run an airline. They keep going by racing each other to the bottom in terms of prices, services and conditions.
Perhaps what we need is a change in how the aviation industry is viewed by our pollies?
We have a regulatory body whose mission is to promote safety in civil aviation. Which is fair enough.
What we don't have is a body whose mission is to promote the viability of the civil aviation industry in Australia.
Not necessarily saying we need more bureaucrats and a separate organisation but perhaps lobby the pollies to change CASAs mission statement from:
To enhance and promote aviation safety through effective safety regulation and by encouraging industry to deliver high standards of safety
to:
To enhance and promote the safety and sustainability of civil aviation in Australia, through both effective safety regulation and the provision of services that encourage industry sustainability and development
A man has to dream.