From the President

Welcome to the new look Australian Pilot. The changes we have in store for you will combine to bring you the best aviation magazine in Australia, bar none. I will add my thanks to John Spiers for his stewardship of the magazine over the years, and it is just that for all of us on the Board and in the office – stewardship, as the magazine and the organisation belong to no-one but you, the members.

We have a good opportunity to be heard by the new government which has asked for submissions to a National Aviation Policy Statement – AOPA and others have been pushing this concept since the days when we actually had a Minister for Aviation – note I said “for”, as that implied support from the top. We are still beset by the same old issues – airports and airfields, bureaucracy, and the regulator, so these will be at the core of our submission. I would encourage all owners and pilots to get something in to this statement.

I know I also keep on about this, but it is of vital importance to all pilots and aircraft owners, and someone has to keep it in the public arena – CASA continues to disappoint the aviation community by failing to provide service delivery. It appears to be unable to change from being a reactive policeman, or respond to a changing environment.

We will continue to bring the deficiencies of this organisation out into the open for all to see. Maybe then they will get their act together and take heed of what they wrote back in 2001.

Col Rodgers – AOPA President