– Steve Hitchen
"By God. That's what we should build!"
The quote above is attributed to Walter Beech, on the occasion of him first seeing Ralph Harmon's pencil sketch of a single-engined, low wing retractable with a nose wheel and funky V-tail arrangement. Beech did build it, and it came to be known as the Beechcraft Bonanza. That was in 1944 when the Second World War was not yet over, but Beech was looking to a future he was sure would come. The design became an aviation legend; a melding of speed, endurance and durability that kept it in production for nearly 80 years. But now the end has come. Textron Aviation, needing space for the Denali SETP, has deleted the G36 Bonanza and its twin sister the G58 Baron from the range. There's been an air of inevitability about this decision for some time. These two models were once the kings of the sky, but usurpers in the form of the Cirrus SR22 and Diamond twins have won the hearts and minds of the GA masses. At last quarterly count, the SR22 out-sold the G36 at a rate of 46 to 1. That's hard to come back from, so Textron's order to retire the Bonanza and Baron should really be a surprise to no-one. But the owners of legacy aeroplanes will continue their passion and enthusiasm for two of GA's greatest marques, ensuring the Bonanza and Baron are neither gone nor forgotten; they're just the last of the line.
Statements of Expectations are presented to statutory bodies like CASA to make sure they clearly understand the policies and directions of the government of the day. They are legislative instruments that must be complied with. Ministers like issuing SoEs because it makes them look like people of action who are in control. But to score the right amount of political points, you must not only do, but also be seen to do. It's surprising, then, that CASA was handed its latest SoE earlier this month without any accompanying announcements from the minister. No hoo-hah, no fanfare; not a clarion in sight, not a nodding head in the background. Questions to the minister's office have yet to be answered. In the meantime, the new SoE is nothing the minister needs to distance herself from; it's a risk-free document that will angry-up only those that hate the primacy of safety. It continues to commit CASA to being relatively transparent and puts a lot of emphasis on engagement and consultation. The minister is also expecting CASA to create a regulatory philosophy and stick to it. There's also a demand that CASA take cost impact into account when regulating GA. Whilst this all sounds like a edict from on high, no minister is going to expect more than can be delivered, so SoEs behind the scenes are co-operative instruments that document agreed paths between the minister and CASA moreso than instructions. But being legislative, CASA is legally bound to the contents, which makes the SoE a statement of what the aviation community has a right to expect.
With Monday comes Summer; with Summer comes hot weather ... perhaps. After a disappointing Spring weather pattern, the forecast for the December-February period looks decidedly Australian: dry, warm with average rainfall in the south and east, and a warm but soggy wet season in the north. Putting that in an aviation context, we can expect thermals and blustery winds interspersed with thunderstorms, except in the north where the thunderstorms will be more prevalent. Keeping safe in the air in Summer is more challenging than other times of the year because the physiological impacts of heat are greater. We sweat more under the perspex-filtered sun and fatigue is more of a danger than during most times. The answer is to drink, drink, drink. Dehydration is our key enemy; defeat that and other the other threats are mitigated to one extent or the other. Flying in Summer brings its own levels of fun, but we have to be smart about it.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch