Recreational Aviation Australia CEO Michael Linke has resigned and will leave the organisation by the end of the year, moving on to what has been described as "a new opportunity to further challenge himself."
Linke took over as CEO of RAAus six years ago and was instrumental in transforming the organisation into a professional company with the aim of becoming a Part 149 Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisation (ASAO).
RAAus president Michael Monck expressed his thanks to Linke in a message directed to all of his organisation's membership.
"In some ways this is a sad day for RAAus as we will miss the steady approach that Michael has shown through the years, but at the same time we also understand that this desire to grow both personally and professionally means that he has to explore his options," Monck said
"The staff and board at RAAus would like to pass on their thanks to Michael for the effort and energy he has put in during his time with us and are very appreciative of the turnaround that he has led and the stable organisation he will be leaving behind. Thank you Michael.
"Whilst we are sad to see Michael leave we are also presented with new opportunities moving forward and will be starting the search for a new person to lead our management team through the next five-plus years and help guide us through the next set of challenges we face in that period."
During Linke's tenure, he oversaw a complete reorganisation of the company, drove the project to gain an MTOW increase from CASA and lobbied for access to controlled airspace.
His largest legacy will be considered positioning the company to take on Part 149 ASAO status, including using a professional approach to deal with the regulator.