I was lucky enough to attend the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame inductions in Wagga Wagga last Saturday night. This annual event is intended to honour people who pioneered flying of all types in the this country, and it does that very well indeed. Although only three years young, the AAHOF inductions have already taken on a prestige, driven perhaps by the fact that our own hall of fame is long overdue. The slight quiver in the voice of Bob Ansett as he accepted the honour on behalf of his father Reg shows how much people are valuing these inductions. And it was also a great party! Good opportunities to network before and after the inductions, which had me wondering how many of those I was sharing a drink with will one day be inducted themselves.
Mooney Airplane Company, although only resurrected for a few months, is embarking on a program to introduce smaller siblings for the Acclaim and Ovation. The M10T and M10J were announced at an air show in China, which is not surprising given the company has Chinese DNA in it nowadays. Although they are not saying it outright, I suspect these aircraft will likely be built in China and perhaps aimed at the Chinese market primarily. Interesting machines, but can they find support outside of the bamboo curtain?
Bad news out of Cessna about the JT-A. The world was expecting certification within a few months, but leaks out of the states have the aeroplane not ready until the second quarter of next year. Textron bosses must be gnashing their teeth over delays, because they can't even deliver any of the bog-stock C182s anymore. Time spent is money spent, and market share lost. Most importantly, the GA world is eager to see what this new Skylane will do for them, and the delay can only mean confidence lost as well.
Tony Abbott has touted naming Badgerys Creek airport after engineer John Bradfield. With respect to Mr Bradfield, his influence on aviation was minimal, if any. The RAeS nomination of Lawrence Hargrave Airport will go down much better with the aviation industry and is more appropriate. Sydney Airport is Kingsford Smith, Moorabbin is Harry Hawker; let's keep the tradition going.
I will be in Canberra on Monday week for a sit-down meeting with new CASA Director of Aviation Safety, Mark Skidmore. What I am battling with at the moment is that I won't have him for too long, and with so many issues for both Mark and general aviation to face, what do I ask him. What do you all think? If you could only ask one question of the new DAS right now, what would it be?
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch