I had a good long chat with Michael Linke at RAAus during a visit to Canberra this week. Linke is responsible for taking what amounted to a very large club and morphing it into a professional organisation capable of adding value to general aviation. One of the most pleasing things that came out of our discussion is that rather than target existing PPLs, they actively promote recreational aviation directly to the general public in order to grow. Ultimately, this gets more money in to aviation, which through the RPL systems and beyond, also flows onto GA as a whole. So the heavy end of general aviation needs to ask itself if it is matching that effort? To me it doesn't appear so. Of course we talked about a heap of other things, which I will make clear in the May-June issue of Australian Flying.
The search for a new CASA boss is now officially underway, nearly three-and-a-half months after Shane Carmody took over as Acting CEO. Having such a long period of grace has given the opportunity for the aviation community to engage in rampant speculation and much proclaimation about what sort of person is needed at the head of the regulator. One coterie within the industry continues to demand someone with aviation experience–as the two previous CEOs have had–whilst another declares the need for a bureaucrat to run what is one of Australia's largest bureaucracies. And then there's me. I didn't hold back in February 2014 when I said what we needed was leadership, and nothing has changed in those three years to make me change my mind. Pilot or bureaucrat, the new DAS must have a healthy vision for aviation, a healthy disrespect for internal obstinance and leadership qualities that make people want to follow. Naturally, the big money is being placed on Shane Carmody to continue in the role permanently, and with applications open for only one month, he won't be rushed putting his CV together like his competition might.
With the Australian Light Aircraft Championships looming again at the end of March, now is the time to get your team together and have a crack at a few national titles. If you've never flown comps before, you'll find the ALACs is more than just a few days of trying to out-fly other people: its also about getting diverse aviators from all around the country together in one spot to share a common passion. Yes, the competitions are the main focus, but the cameraderie doesn't necessarily take a back seat. Aviation is, after all, more about people than it is about aeroplanes, and the ALACs exemplify that. There's still a few spots vacant and adding your aero club's team to the list can only make a great event even better.
Speaking of great events, the provisional flying program for Avalon 2017 has been released. By the look of it, the public days are set to present a very healthy and comprehensive flying program that should please everyone from the jet fans to the warbirders. Again, it is largely devoid of general aviation stuff, but we have to accept that the crowds don't flock through the gates to look at Cessnas. For us, the trade days hold plenty, and the beauty is we get check it all out without competing with the general public. Check both the public flying program and the trade days program on the Australian International Airshow website.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch