Listen to Dick Smith and you WILL lose everything
 

If you think you can't, you're right. If you think you can, you're right again.

Wisdom and success never flourished from a sense of fear or self doubt.

Dick Smith, you are entitled to free speech. However, be very clear the position you take, the words you write and the speech you vocalise condemns you to nothing more than the hopeless lost realm of defeatism.

Nothing's easier than the prophecy of impending and unavoidable defeat. Who was it that said...........
That was it. No conditions, no provisos. Because it is hard!

Dick, many of us choose to stand for GA in this country.

You choose carefully too, please.

You will never get it fixed with the military running civilian aviation.

They didn't even notice the $1.4 billion lost on the Super Seasprite.

And not one of them was ever held accountable. They protect incompetence.

They don't even notice the damage they are doing to GA.

The arrogance is extraordinary.

The quicker it gets to the bottom the quicker it can be fixed .

The next ADSB mandate will do even further damage and the $30 million cost is not addressing any existing safety issue

10years down to 5 years ago I made OK profit in GA. On average last 5 years is a tread water.

Please list growing aviation company's in GA in last 20 years, then list them still alive. You will find you have a net loss in both numbers and $ lost, Please find any reputable investor like a supa fund that will invest in what is left of aviation companies in Australia.


If they are part of my supa fund - I will dump them.

Psssst - Anyone want to buy a good Chippie.....

Only seems to get used now by little ole ladies on Sundays....

Troo....its 'For Sale'....

Cheers:ok:

How about from this document: 22nd Dec 2015 Airworthy Bulletin

Is anyone seeing relief on their back pocket with the undercarriage SIDS?

That issue on the SIDS was a joke on so many levels. In that doc they even extended SIDS they said previously needed to be completed 2 years before "with no further extensions" on 400 series Aircraft by an extra many years.

C'mon mate.

Junior
What part don't you believe?

They didn't even notice the $1.4 billion lost on the Super Seasprite.
OR And not one of them was ever held accountable.
OR They protect incompetence.

OR don't you believe any of them?

Just wondering.

Dick, you just can't help yourself, can you, in putting in the repetitive, unsubstantiated boot?

Half-truths and one-liners backed by nothing more than your name.

Please substantiate your claim that the military 'runs' civil aviation. I'm sure the name Skidmore will come up, but he is a civilian!

Oh, maybe there's a secret squirrel cabal of the military that have been planted - you know; they look like civilians, act like civilians, eat lunch like the rest of us, but they have been deep-sleepers waiting to be activated by the fortress at Russell when the 'code-word' comes.

'Paranoia' comes to my mind when I read some of your stuff.

The code word shall be "Uckers."

Don't tell anyone!

Do nothing and we'll lose everything. Through an unfortunate co-incidence I've done my medical, ASIC renewal, MECIR renewal under part 61 and ADS-B upgrade all at once. It really highlights how much trouble we are in and how much cost burden CASA put on GA and the reality that CASA is moving toward imposing airline level disciplines and cost structures on GA.

I reckon GA has one generation left and counting if nothing is done. And whether you agree with him or not, Dick Smith is one of the only voices provoking debate on exactly how bad CASA has become. The AOPA has deserted us. The RAAA was a brief bright light while Jeff Boyd was there. What else is there?

Nick Xenophon & Fiona Nash did a better job of putting CASA under question last year in senate estimates than any of the bodies that are supposed to represent us.

And Barry O'Sullivan's questioning of Mark Skidmore in senate estimates should be mandatory viewing for everyone. Any public company CEO that demonstrated such a poor grasp of his / her companies operations in response to a question at a shareholders meeting - or even analysts presentation - would be gone. Unceremoniously gone. In fact, I can name a couple.

The truth is, we need a dozen more Dick Smiths.

We don't need a dozen more Dick Smiths, we need people to unite aviation. Dick eats it away from the inside. In ATC's case, he continuously denigrates controllers doing their job. When someone bites back, he has been known to back off and say he is not attacking the controllers but the "system" and management but the damage is already done. It analogous to entering a restaurant, abusing the staff and then expecting good service.

I disagree. My interpretation of his posts is that he continually denigrates the system AsA has created for controllers and applauds controllers for doing a good job in a system that handicaps them.

If you want to see exactly how dysfunctional AsA is, you only need to look at the ratio of middle managers to line controllers.

Fujji. I don't blame individual controllers for the lack of leadership.

When flying into Ballina in IMC why don't I get a proper separation service like I would in other modern aviation countries? Why do I only get a 1930s traffic information service and then have to become my own controller to separate from other aircraft?

Can't Australian low level en route controllers also provide a terminal separation service. ? Of course they can if given proper training. No. It doesn't need more staff. Some of the sectors already have a workload that would allow the safer and more professional service at no cost increase.

Why would you want to be a trained. " Controllor" if you were not allowed or trained to provide a control service where it was really needed - that is in the terminal area where aircraft are closer together and more likely to collide.

Why would we have a $ 12 million fire station at Ballina but no controlled airspace to help prevent an accident in the first place.?

How come every IFR airport in the USA has a minimum of class E airspace in the terminal area when Australia does not even have one.

I know. Pathetic leadership which will only make a change when people are killed.

Controllers. Be proud and tell the boss that you can provide a proper control service at places like Ballina- not just the existing amateurish 1930s Flight Service " do it yourself system"

As I said, he says it is the system but it feels like attacking controllers.

Seriously? A dozen more 'highish' profile, former high-achievers who:

• advocate people should get out of GA

• advocate "the quicker it gets to the bottom the quicker it can be fixed" - what does that mean?
• won't take steps to build back up the GA pilot group

We all know things are dire. That's established. What are you going to do to help fix it?



Little wonder Dick gets blown off by CASA. There is no solid, substantial base of GA people to represent. And why is that? Because he and many others in positions of leadership or profile aren't attracting people back into GA.



People can't buy from you when you have nothing to sell. CASA and government won't (can't) take you seriously when you're not a serious, substantial group to begin with.


Dick knows this. But he does nothing to make team GA relevant or to arrest the decline in GA membership/ participation let alone grow the head count.


No, with respect, you don't need a dozen more Dick Smiths

I have been reading these forums for some time now and one obvious reason why GA's plight gains so little attention is that we spend all our time preaching to the converted.

For any change to take place will require the support of a greater public. The threat of negative political campaigns has been suggested but runs the risk of the industry appearing to be confrontational without a clear positive industry message alongside it.

This year is an election year, the best chance we have to make the necessary waves. My suggestion is simple, run a positive campaign highlighting the contribution of GA to this country and asking for a few simple political commitments.

Taking a leaf from the "Australia stops without trucks" sticker campaign every box carried on a GA aircraft could be plastered with a sticker, every passenger on GA aircraft handed a pamphlet and every private owner could hand out pamphlets (business card size?) whenever they buy something in a town they visit.

It is only When doctors see stickers on their pathology samples, businesses receive pamphlets from their customers and regional towns begin to see the money that arrives via GA will anyone take notice.

Once a unified message was established this could be done with minimum cost to each operator (a box of stickers each plus a contribution toward a marketing campaign - public TV/radio NOT aviation Mags and websites) but would have far reaching influence and exposure.

If we cannot unify enough to have a single message this election then as dick says "get out" because we will simply down in our own dysfunction and bickering.

Won't happen, Progressive.

Many here on this forum find it much easier and satisfying to just whine, complain and cry in their beers than actually do something or be positive.

Such attitudes and talk is no encouragement for anyone to invest in anything associated with aviation, particularly GA.

One hour later....
 

One "it wont happen" post and no constructive comments. Captain Midnight is proving his own point........

Ok, why not?

Anyone out there who has contacts in the printing industry who could organise a few thousand stickers with a suitable slogan/message re the plight GA is in?

Distribute them at a reasonable price to every Flying School, Charter operation etc.

Well....??