Currently the 30-member club does not employ an instructor due to difficulties in employing one. Tony said that could be overcome if the Civil Aviation Safety Authority was a little less strict in demanding expensive to attain full instructor qualifications. He felt that once a potential pilot had achieved the basic flying skills with a full-blown instructor, a lesser qualified instructor could take over.
Tony said CASA were focussed just on the safety of aviation to the detriment of the industry. He said the US general aviation sector was much healthier, because as well as safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), concentrated on making the industry viable as well. The redoubtable Dick Smith tried for years as chairman of CASA, to humanise it, but just hit a brick wall. This writer knows of at least one well qualified local flying instructor, who has been grounded by CASA since surgery that made him fit again, because CASA doctors said he was not fit.
David Palmer
Our excursion to Drage Airworld Wangaratta on Tuesday 1 August has been confirmed. Louise will be our guide and is looking forward to showing us around. As most of you are aware we will meet at the old Coles carpark (next to Mitre 10) on Sydney Rd on Tuesday at 1.15 pm. The plan is for us to car pool to Wangaratta.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Claire Rudolph