Australian Flying — November-December 2017

(C. Jardin) #1
Longreach Airport. Sandy Reith asks a question.

...no doubt that is
easily rectified

australianflying.com.au 13


November – December 2017 AUSTRALIAN FLYING

MPs because healthy GA
businesses create jobs with
ripple effect benefits. Even
better would be a Council
committee taking positive
steps to promote GA
reforms to governments.
Kind regards,
Sandy Reith

Editor’s Note:
Longreach Council has
been in contact with Sandy
to discuss his issues. He
said some of the issues have
already been corrected, with
council intending to address
others. Other airport
operators may wish to take
note : some of the things that
annoy visiting pilots most
can sometimes be corrected
with little effort.

unshaded narrow steel
bench against a wall
outside. An empty room
which could be a pilot
and visitors lounge is
locked. This completes
the facilities for General
Aviation visitors.
Contrast Broken Hill
(population 18,000) where
the code is given on the
airside as the “CTAF”
which happens to be a
number well known to any
visiting pilot. Therefore no
hassles and one is unlikely
to be asked for any ID
in any case. In addition
the other facilities are
acceptable along with a
friendly aero club.
Obviously we are
saddled with many over the
top security regulations all
born out of 911. In the US
no such useless cards are
required for their aviators.
To make the best of the
security requirements


in LRE requires some
common sense.
As regard to the toilet
and lack of a lounge or
shade area, no doubt that
is easily rectified.
More broadly your
council should be aware
that GA has been
shrinking for many years
due to an independent
Commonwealth
corporation (CASA)

whose only political
control is an occasional
Statement of Expectations
from the various
Ministers this last 30
years. This broken
model of governance
is why your skies are
relatively quiet these
days. CASA fee gouging

is rife for unnecessary
permissions against a
never to be finished rule
set that’s promulgated
some thousands of
pages of strict liability
criminal offences for the

most trivial or formerly
unknown misdemeanours.
Fee gouging for example
such as an upfront fee
of $8000 to apply for a
f lying school licence, one
known to me 15 months
and still no permit. In the
States where most pilots
are taught by independent

instructors no such licence
required.
Your Longreach aircraft
maintenance facilities
have shrunk along with
the lack of training and all
the benefits that accrue
to your wider community
from healthy GA activities
and businesses. No more
important than to outback
communities, enabling
them to overcome the
great distances between
people and services, many
such services as found in
Longreach.
May I suggest that
your Council and district
leaders keep this in
mind when dealing with
government at all levels,
but especially your Federal
Free download pdf