CAA scheme of charges consultation

[jez d]

UK CAA's latest charges consultation just launched: Consultation - CAA Statutory Charges 2015/16 - Proposals | Consultations and Responses | About the CAA (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1350&pagetype=90&pageid=8114)

Edited highlights include a blanket 1.7% reduction in Safety Regulation charges; reduction of the CAA profit requirement from 6% to 3.5%, and a £16m employment cost cutting initiative (further job losses predicted).

The inexplicably expensive IR flight test has been reduced by the aforementioned 1.7% to £775, but stills seems disproportionately high.

There is also an update on RTF to ATO conversion costs.

[Whopity]

What is required is a justification of the charges and some explanation of how they were calculated. The truth of course is that they were picked out of a hat and the 1.7% is a feeble jesture that will have no significant effect.

[BillieBob]

The headline figures in the Scheme of Charges are pretty meaningless as it now seems normal for organisations to receive supplementary invoices, after the event, for 'investigations'. As if that weren't bad enough, I hear that these 'investigations' are being carried out by support staff (clerks) with no aviation experience or knowledge of the regulations but are still being charged at the £172/hr rate for an inspector.