March 01, 2010

From the President

In my last Presidents column I announced the formation of a Helicopter committee within AOPA and the appointment of Rosemarie McCrae to the Board. Rosemarie was unable to take up that appointment due to work commitments that involved a move to Qatar.

Peter Holstein of Aerowasp has been appointed to that Board position. We are fortunate to have Peter head up our Helicopter committee. Peter brings not only helicopter expertise but also considerable fixed wing experience to the Board. Peter is both a Helicopter and fixed wing Instructor and operates three Helicopter flying schools. A well respected member of the aviation community with considerable negotiating skills, and is also respected by the regulators with whom he has a good rapport.

Peter represented AOPA at the February 11 NSW RAPAC committee meeting. AOPA had raised an agenda item concerning the problems experienced by the Westpac Surf Life Saver Rescue helicopter gaining rapid access to victor 1 from Cape Banks (see full story in this issue). From Air Services point of view there are problems associated with either a dedicated lane or a cart blanche clearance to access Victor 1 from Cape Banks. Under certain circumstances such as an aircraft on a Maroubra Three departure clearance out of Mascot, separation standards cannot be maintained.

The problem for the Rescue Helicopter service is that communication cannot be established from Cape Banks until the helicopter is airborne, which means delayed rescue response. This has been an ongoing issue, raised with Airservices and CASA over a number of years, without a satisfactory solution. Peter has come up with a solution that will solve this problem enabling clearance being obtained on the ground at start up and available immediately the helicopter is airborne.

We at AOPA are working on this solution and hope to be able to announce resolution of the problem. We have had a good response to our new AOPA helicopter committee from our Helicopter colleagues; this issue of Australian Pilot has extensive coverage of Helicopters, which will continue in future issues.

Andrew Andersen has been working hard on the ASTRA Council representing the interests of our members. The decommissioning of ground-based aids is a concern, however the move to satellite based navigation is inevitable. The cost to aviation industry of maintaining a ground based enroute system would impact on every user. The airlines do not require the enroute aids and have taken the stance that they are unwilling to continue paying for their replacement and upkeep.

AOPA is pursuing a sound transition plan to allow time guidelines that will enable equipment upgrade with the cost to our members spread over a reasonable period of time. Andrew will be providing a full analysis in the next issue of Pilot Extra.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our members who continue to support AOPA. We welcome your input and are working to build a stronger organisation, but we do need your support. We also need to grow our membership base, to encourage student pilots and new owners to join. AOPA is an independent non-profit organisation; your directors are all volunteers who give willingly of their time to ensure your right to fly without unnecessary regulations or restrictions.

Pilot skills do deteriorate with time, and although the BFR is our only legal requirement, to maintain proficiency and safety, I urge all our members to take the time to participate in Pilot Proficiency programs. Apart from the safety benefits, these programs are conducted in an enjoyable social atmosphere with like-minded aviators, and will often rekindle the enthusiasm that first drew us into aviation.

The year 2010 has challenges, the changes to GAAP airports and implementation of those changes, moving to Class D in April 2010. This is just one of the many issues in which AOPA will be taking an active part, rest assured we will be representing our members interests to the best of our abilities.

I am optimistic that we can work with the regulators in a proactive manner and that this year will see some real progress in working with all segments of the aviation industry to achieve the best outcome for General Aviation.

Phillip Reiss
AOPA President