RAAus Fails CASA Audit Again

[JohnMcK]

Hi John McK,The EGM has been set down for 19.12.12, which I am unable to attend in person. Will you be attending this EGM, & if so would it be in order to give you my proxy to vote on any matter that you see fit for the bettrement of RAAus.

Hi John,

 

Thank you for the trust. I will definitely be at the EGM, but at this stage the actual date seems to be uncertain. The Executive should release this information shortly.

 

Regards,

 

John McK

 

 

[dodo]

Yep, the executive have told the children they will have to wait.

 

They are not sure what was meant by "the current state of affairs". Apparently, everything is rosy, so they wonder what is meant by "the current state of affairs"?

 

dodo

 

 

[Guest john]

Hi John,Thank you for the trust. I will definitely be at the EGM, but at this stage the actual date seems to be uncertain. The Executive should release this information shortly.

 

Regards,

 

John McK

Hi John McK

 

Thanks for your response. I will make the relevant arrangements with you in due course to act as my proxy at the forthcoming EGM, which I give you unquestioned.

 

Regards

 

John:thumb up:

 

 

[AlfaRomeo]

And mine too John. You have always shown to be open, honest and courteous to all members.

 

 

[Teckair]

I thought David L's question was politely worded and think it was very pertinent. I think the point we need to take from this is the disconnect between the Board Members and the Members. I am not saying there is blame to be laid here... not at all... I am thinking it shows that the mechanism we currently employ simply doesn't work as effectively as it should.

It was not just one question and I felt the suggestions were unrealistic I would give you the same opinion if you think they are good ideas then there is nothing to stop you from doing it yourself. Area Reps are volunteers and suggesting they should attend flyins manning tables handing out leaflets is an imposition in my view. John McK has made it clear and shown he is prepared to represent and communicate with the members which is what his job description is.

Richard.

 

 

[DGL Fox]

Thankyou for your response John, I am the sort of person that likes to see and feel things for myself, I prefer to meet in person, so hopefully one day John we will meet and say G'day.

 

David L

 

 

[Guest john]

To All Interetsed RAAus Members,

 

The responses provided today by the Secretary to some of the qeries raised in the "Requisition for the Extroadinary General Meeting" called by us rank & file have to be seen as POLITICIANS ANSWERS, which is how beuracrats want to communicate with us little people.

 

When it comes to serious failure issues such as what RAAus are now going through, those at the top such as the executive board members always take the heat from off themselves & try to move the failures to other personnel. When the sxit hits the fan the Big wigs at the top always think they have the power to talk down to us little people & we in return have to talk up to them. Well it can now seen how people power can make it posssible for the executive board to be accountable & answerable to the little people by the executive board to get down from their high horses & having to talk eye ball to eye ball at the same level.

 

The Board Executive now have the choice & opportuntity to get their house in order, otherwisae they have the choice to move on & allow more competent members to admininster the organistaion rather than allow it to be brought into disrepute which has been the case over recent times.

 

 

[DGL Fox]

Richard,

 

Yes it is true that the reps are volunteeers and devote a lot of their spare time, but that's what you do when you volunteer for something you give up your time, maybe it's time we talk about paying them a small salary to help them manage the day to day things that we want them to do.

 

Ok maybe someone knows this, is there a scope of duties for being a volunteer rep for RA-AUS, what is a the minimum amount of "work"someone would be expected to do if you put yourself up and then you are voted in by your members? or is just left to them to do whatever they want.

 

If there is not a list of minimum duties we would expect to do in the course of their term, should we formulate one so that the people that put themselves up for the role know what's expected and you don't have members like me asking for more than what they are prepared to give of their own time.

 

So should we consider a small monthly retainer to help with small costs that they may incur doing their duties for us and that may improve their services in general to the members of the area ?

 

David L

 

 

[billwoodmason]

For your info.

 

Rang RAA today to find out how clearing the backlog of registrations was proceeding, and was told that at this stage there were 1000 aircraft grounded (approx 1/3 of RAA fleet. How could there be that many in so short a time ?). I then asked how long they felt it would take to finish? An approximate time frame could not be given as only 2 were processed to date. Surprised - I asked how many people were working on the backlog I was told the whole office (10 people) were working on it. What The ??

 

I then asked if they were being prioritised , ie - easy /straight forward ones completed first, more complex last etc - the answer was no - they were just doing them as they came when they could fit it in between their other duties.

 

I don't understand, surely this issue should take priority above all else. Most re registrations would be simple and I would have thought many could be processed per hour. I really am lost for words !!.

 

 

[SOS]

I can't understand how an Organisation such as ours can run without communication ... and the most versatile, most efficient and most common form of communication within most "enlightened" Organisations is by email. Just because someone "pushed the boundaries" in the past should not mean the end the process. You fix the shortcomings. I would recommend that the Board/Executive decide on a monthly/bi-monthly email newsletter (on alternate months to the Magazine) and use a tool such as "Mail Chimp". During the first instalment, all recipients would have the option of "un-subscribing" if they wished. All you need is a few guidelines and rules for the Authors ... and Bob's your Uncle.

 

 

[turboplanner]

DGL, your question was very much loaded to the old ways of the past, which are not as practical today with much faster electronic communications. Face to face is great, but we used to only see a fraction of our members unless we were in an association where we conducted the activity together. So in some respects what you are suggesting would limit the contact to probably less than is possible.

 

Having said that I thought the exchange you had with the board member was quite a reasonable one.

 

However, i would like to point out to members that John McKeown's communication with them has been dignified, frank, and on the scale of thousands of members, using the electronic media as it should be used. His communication is by far the best of all the board members, and you can see from the responses that he has enormous respect from the membership - in fact on communicating skills and fairness he would make a good President.

 

 

[turboplanner]

let me do the maths...10 people are able to process 2 registrations a day...their are about 200 working days in the year,,,therefor up to 400 a[c return to the sky...there is a backlog of 1000 (being joined by many more each working day)..should be about...6 months and we grind to a halt!.......and the office staff are neglecting the óther duties'....not looking good...

 

might have to return to the days when u couldn't be registered....but u flew anyway?

On this basis you would be justified in asking whether the public statements on the RAA website were truthful.

 

I would think this will take out some flying schools based on what has appeared above.

 

 

[turboplanner]

The saddest part of this whole stinking affair is that as well as you CFI, a number of others have offered to go to Canberra and help, but there is no interest whatsoever.

 

 

[turboplanner]

I remember about the first part, but keep forgetting the rest.

 

 

[Guest Lofty1]

To make matters worse, did anyone else get voting papers for any of the previous elections that are not based in the state for which the candidate was based?

 

 

[winsor68]

To make matters worse, did anyone else get voting papers for any of the previous elections that are not based in the state for which the candidate was based?

I assumed they were in all the mags sent to members... If you vote your number would be checked against your state?

I didn't get my last Sport Pilot Magazine... I rang the publisher they took my membership number and said we will stick it in the post but no bananas...or at least no Magazine.

 

 

[JohnMcK]

Thankyou for your response John, I am the sort of person that likes to see and feel things for myself, I prefer to meet in person, so hopefully one day John we will meet and say G'day.David L

Hi again David,

 

Unless the weather is atrocious I will be out at Boonah this Sunday. If you have the time, please fly in, or drive down If you wish and we can meet in person and discuss important RAA business. I will do my best to be a good host.

 

Kind regards,

 

John McK

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

For your info.Rang RAA today to find out how clearing the backlog of registrations was proceeding, and was told that at this stage there were 1000 aircraft grounded (approx 1/3 of RAA fleet. How could there be that many in so short a time ?). I then asked how long they felt it would take to finish? An approximate time frame could not be given as only 2 were processed to date. Surprised - I asked how many people were working on the backlog I was told the whole office (10 people) were working on it. What The ??

I then asked if they were being prioritised , ie - easy /straight forward ones completed first, more complex last etc - the answer was no - they were just doing them as they came when they could fit it in between their other duties.

 

I don't understand, surely this issue should take priority above all else. Most re registrations would be simple and I would have thought many could be processed per hour. I really am lost for words !!.

I find the claim that 1000 aircraft are grounded suprisingly high, and the claim of only 2 registered suprisingly low. The group Im part of believe that teh number registered is 5 times that....which is still short of a complete working days registration requirements.

 

But who would know, your information that its 1000 might be equally true......In the absence of any factual reporting by the board (where fact would be a set of numbers rather than platitudes)

 

I feel so sorry for those who try to make an income from the Rec flying sector...spare a thought for the iomporters and local manufacturers, their business is dead in the water and in the majority of cases (but not all!) through no fault of their own. Similarly those who provide flying instruction will struggle more an more as their fleet is slowly grounded. Smallest operators will be most impacted they go from all is well to nothing, bigger opperators suffer continuing decreases over time.

 

The question that remains for me, is what will they do legally? lie down and die, or stand up and fight. As an RAAus member I dont want our organisation damaged but on the other hand I dont want an industry to fold....what ever we do at the end of this we need to set up processes to ensure that what we are going through now is not repeated and if there are more rocks with smelly stuff beneath them we go looking, find and remediate before we are forced to do so under restrictions that are unpallatable.

 

We are a national business with a significant turn over. We need a management and governance structure that realises that. Nothing comes for nothing as a $ cost, but if I personally have to contribute an extra $10 or $20 per year (which across the membership base translates to $130,000 to $260,000 pa) and I can clearly see where it is going and what it is doing then so be it. Is it better tp pay $10 more and be able to fly safe in the knowledge that things are under control and basic things like financial reports are provided and accurate, or better to pay $10 less and be unsure if you'll get a full years value out of the payment.

 

I'm not immediately arguing that members need to pay more, but that we should be prepared to do so if a credible plan emerges from the mess we are in at present!!

 

Andy

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I have really had enough of the RAAus and CASA. I never wanted to be a part of it and i would really prefer my ANO95:10 back or a FAR103 version of it. Both outfits are an insult to grass roots!

 

 

[winsor68]

I have really had enough of the RAAus and CASA. I never wanted to be a part of it and i would really prefer my ANO95:10 back or a FAR103 version of it. Both outfits are an insult to grass roots!

I reckon they should bring it back regardless...

 

 

[facthunter]

You are probably right about that. Imagine the riotous laughter at CASA when someone skites about his promotion to the U/L, GA field. It 's the same in any organisation, to do with aviation. Status is only with the top thing. Biggest, fastest newest. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

Don't get off the track guys, you either live with CASA and RAA or read a newspaper from front to back for sport.

 

 

[Teckair]

Richard,Yes it is true that the reps are volunteeers and devote a lot of their spare time, but that's what you do when you volunteer for something you give up your time, maybe it's time we talk about paying them a small salary to help them manage the day to day things that we want them to do.

Ok maybe someone knows this, is there a scope of duties for being a volunteer rep for RA-AUS, what is a the minimum amount of "work"someone would be expected to do if you put yourself up and then you are voted in by your members? or is just left to them to do whatever they want.

 

If there is not a list of minimum duties we would expect to do in the course of their term, should we formulate one so that the people that put themselves up for the role know what's expected and you don't have members like me asking for more than what they are prepared to give of their own time.

 

So should we consider a small monthly retainer to help with small costs that they may incur doing their duties for us and that may improve their services in general to the members of the area ?

 

David L

David,

I could not find the expected duties for Area Reps in the Ops manual but my understanding is they are expected to represent the members, to do this they must be able to communicate with them.

 

The problem, as I understand it, has been some Reps think they are above talking to the members and the members have been apathetic and not bothered to vote or take an interest in what is going on.

 

The members have the power, what has happened is the fault of the members, they have done it to themselves.

 

Area Reps are most likely going to have lives of there own, work commitments, family activities and so on and probably don't have time to double as PR people even if we paid them.

 

I agree the duties expected of Reps should be listed somewhere probably in the Ops manual.

 

Richard.

 

 

[Guest nunans]

what has happened is the fault of the members, they have done it to themselves.

Richard.

I don't buy the "members fault" idea, I know the members can vote as we 'pay for our say' so to speak but we are voting for a board member after reading a puff piece in the mag on the great intentions of the member who is nominated to be on the board. They all sound good and probably all have good intentions and do thier bit but the real guts of RA aus licencing, registrations, rules and regs seems to be on the desk of people who aren't on the member voted board.

 

As for "just ring your rep", yeah that's fine they may well have no problems in answering your queries as best they can but the trouble is for a member without the basic info, how do you know what to ask? It's not like six months ago we could ring up and say "g'day, look is there any chance that there's a big storm brewing and by the end of the year there will be a whole lot of RA planes unregistered?" Even if we did have a crystal ball and could ask that question, I hope that no reps could have answered it six months ago.

 

To jump from the deficiencies of the ongoing RA rego procedures all the way to the members board vote is a fair stretch as I see it.

 

There would still be ALOT of RA aus members who would have absolutely NO IDEA any of this rego problem exists. Plenty don't bother checking the RA aus website unless they specifically wanted to know something and plenty more aren't members of this internet forum so if thier rego hasn't come up for renewal then they would have no idea and won't be ringing thier rep just to ask how the kids are.......

 

 

[Tiger]

turboplanner,

 

based on what I have caught up with (scantily) I would put BIG question marks on any info that is on the RAA website, as they have a history of getting staff to tell members untruthful events, (for the groundings, staff were told to tell members it was an accounting problem / eft problem, will be fixed in 48 hours, etc, then 48 hours, still not fixed, will be by next Monday).

 

For the Board / executive to get staff ( who are VERY, VERY GOOD AT THEIR JOB) to do this is abdicating their responsibility because they cannot face the members and tell them the truth. This is further evidenced in that the Executive has not called the general meeting that was proposed by some members down south, until a long time in the future.

 

Is this so thay can go on a holiday and be further away so they don't have to face us ??

 

As CFICARE says, they are fiddling and cannot see that they have a bushfire all around them and are using baby fire extinguishes to try to put it out.

 

We need big water bombers in NOW NOW, not when everything is burnt down as the fire is advancing at breakneck speed up the hill.

 

Come on board, wake up, don't be proud, be proactive and call in someone who can help you. There has been offers on this site to help but what have you done. NOTHING. !! You are totally out of your debth and cannot breathe and you are not man enough to realise you are personally drowning each other. Hand over the reigns now while maybe some caring members still have a chance to rescue something. Don't forget you don't have a legal leader at this time.