What did your grounding cost you?

[Guest ozzie]

A lot of people have been affected by the audit groundings. Some of us just lost some flying time but some lost a lot of money by not being able to train or sell/deliver aircraft.

 

I'm just curious as to how much this has cost everyone.

 

I suppose in the scale of things i was lucky to get away with just time lost. Although it blew a lot of planning for flying over the holiday period right out of the sky. Stress and annoyance of being caught up in it all took it's toll not to mention the hours i spent on this forum reading all the hundreds of posts trying to work out what the hell happened to get us to the stage we are at now.

 

So for me it was over 8 weeks grounded and my plans shot to hell and losing 2 months rego while being charged for 12 months.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[facthunter]

A lot of confidence in the RAAus. Nev

 

 

[Riley]

I pulled $40K from a nest egg that was netting me ca$40/week in order to fund the purchase of my new (old) aircraft. It's been on the ground now for 13 weeks which works out to about $540 bucks actual loss plus $41 worth of pre-paid and un-useable annual registration that I'm not expecting to get credit for........AND IT CONTINUES!!!! The ineffective members of the Board probably reckon I'm on a roll because I'm not paying hangar rent and I didn't borrow the money at commercial rates so what have I got to be unhappy about? Screw me once = stupid me! Screw me twice = stupid you! Karma will catch up one day.

 

 

[reggie]

My registration was due 13 February. I received my first notice for registration Jan 15th. I made sure that all of the information that the RAA requested (incl photos and payment) were presented on Jan 25th. My wife rang the RAA on 8th Feb to ensure that the rego was going to go through on time as we have planned several outings over the next few weeks/months. Before she was even asked to identify herself or the aircraft, she was told that I would not be able to fly as of the 13th as "an audit is taking place and registrations are delayed". She then tried to find out where we were in the queue, but was told that it didn't matter because "expired registrations are still being processed so current regos are further back in the queue". After much persistence from my partner, they finally took my name and registration number and she was told that "all information had been received and looked to be in order" but we were to "cancel our plans" as the registration process would not have been completed by the 13th, and the time frame for registration completion is unknown. I guess that means I need to cancel indefinitely? Perhaps there is no financial cost involved (this time) apart from hangar rental, but the inconvenience is HUGE - because of incompetence! I would be sacked tomorrow if this s*#t happened at my place of employment - especially when all ducks are aligned!

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

I've not been following this story much but can someone please explain why RA-Aus even has an annual registration? Apart from the public liability insurance portion I can see no need for it at all.

 

The implication of annual renewals (when it should be a once-off registration) seems to be that they can subsequently pull the registration at any time - which it seems they did.

 

 

[Gentreau]

.....The implication of annual renewals (when it should be a once-off registration) seems to be that they can subsequently pull the registration at any time - which it seems they did.

Or as a revenue stream ... ?

 

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[Gnarly Gnu]

Or as a revenue stream ... ?

That would be the annual membership fee.

 

 

[flyerme]

7 weeks grounded,hell of a lot of stress,$1400 on a new prop (turns out could have left the original on ) about $30 in exspress/registed post packages so far ,and still grounded and waiting :(

 

 

[ducksrus]

My rego is similar to Reggie, expired last Wed 13th, I emailed admin for an approx time frame and reply was that it's in the pile and I will be contacted for any further info if needed. They obviously can't give me a time frame. I sent the renewal papers extra pics etc, back the day after I received them, over 1 month ago. Not happy Jan !

 

There is no guarantee that it will be back in time for Temora either !

 

 

[reggie]

Hey ducksrus - did you get a reminder in the mail that your rego is overdue like I did? Classic!!!

 

 

[Chird65]

...So for me it was over 8 weeks grounded and my plans shot to hell and losing 2 months rego while being charged for 12 months.Ozzie

Hi Ozzie,

it was my understanding that they gave the 12 months from the time of reg renewal not reg due date. Can anyone confirm that?

 

Chris

 

 

[fly_tornado]

That's correct, and its costing the RAA a packet in lost revenue.

 

 

[winsor68]

It cost me my faith in Ra-Aus to administer this sport safely... It cost them my membership. Lets hope if or when things are sorted the BS artists who seemed to think they could exclude people from membership due to not supporting their messed up stewardship are no longer there or I may not be allowed to renew in future.

 

Good luck Ra-Aus.

 

 

[ducksrus]

Hey Reggie, Yeah I recieved an overdue renewal notice late last week and immediatly got a bit concerned, thinking that maybe they didnt receive the original I sent, back about mid Jan. I emailed admin straight away, asking they confirm having received it then. Luckily they had and mine was in the consultants pile ready for sign off. She said it should be processed this week and I will get an email when it's done. I hope so, it's been two weeks today since I couldn't fly.

 

 

[Downunder]

My Foxbat rego was due to expire 14/02/2013.

 

Paid online and sent pics via email 21/01/2013.

 

01/02/2013 received email confirming my renewal and a PDF of cert. Also telling me card was in the mail.

 

Current expiry date 14/02/2014.

 

So all good for me....

 

Sorry to hear about the issues above.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Hi Ozzie,it was my understanding that they gave the 12 months from the time of reg renewal not reg due date. Can anyone confirm that?

Chris

When i finally received my rego card it had been redated from the day they processed now it is due 25th Jan. The old renewal date was 1st December. So looks like no one is losing out there. There was no mention of the new date when i received the email that the renewal had been processed.

I too received a reminder of lapsed rego sometime around Christmas in the mail.

 

 

[Chird65]

When i finally received my rego card it had been redated from the day they processed now it is due 25th Jan. The old renewal date was 1st December. ...

As I thought, and FT said above. it was an item of issue at the GM, Our treasurer could not see how we were missing 6-8 weeks of revenue this way. To stop any argument I do think they have done the fair thing, but it should have been voted on by the whole board and any issues that emanated

from it picked up.

 

Chris

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Of course it was the right thing to do. Why should the members continue to lose out. Vote!!! It should have been accepted without that.

 

The next big question is just how much this failed audit has cost our association overall. Lost revenue plus who is paying for the expert to go thru and tick off that everyones paperwork is up to date. CASA don't do things for free. Plus all the mailed out reminders then Middos letters to us about what we need to provide that was in addition to the Catlin's emails. Any other additional expenses to add?

 

 

[fly_tornado]

One hidden cost is the other RAA processes that where neglected whilst getting the rego sorted, labour diverted as well as systems development.

 

 

[Riley]

Despite that my new (old) aircraft was registered throughout this unbelievable stuff-up, it was grounded on the basis of verbal instruction from RAA Fyshwick (viz: because they could not answer who would be liable in the event of the 'orphan' being involved in aworst-possible-situation, -myself? -the previous owner? -the pilot?) I lost the use of it for 13 1/2 weeks thru 'non transfer of ownership'. Didn't like it one bit but I lived with it. Yippee ... the new ownership card arrived last week and guess what - no reflection or adjustment made for the grounded period! On querying this with RAA Admin staff I was advised that, "yes, annual re-registrations were all commenced from the time the particular aircraft file was vetted by the Casa approved inspector however, because your aircraft was in valid registration whilst awaiting the audit, there would be no credit allowed for the down time even tho it was at RAA's instruction!" Nothing like getting a fair go and satisfaction from an association that you are forced to be a member of, eh whot? Needless to say, I may just have to take this to a higher authority. It beggars belief (but then, coming from RAA what hasn't over the past few years?)

 

 

[ducksrus]

Great ! some good news. I just received an E- receipt for $ 130 renewal fee, so I am assuming my renewal has finally been processed. No reduction for the last two weeks that I couldn't fly though.

 

Hopefully I will be airborne again this WE.

 

 

[JabSP6]

Ducksrus

 

Check the date on your card when it arrives. It should be 12months from the day the renewal is granted.

 

I was without rego from 22nd December to the 11 January and my Rego is valid now until 11th January 2014.

 

So no reduction required as you do not pay for the time your plane is not registered, but RAAus will lose the rego money for all of the planes that are grounded for the amount of time each is grounded, if that makes sense.

 

Safe Flying

 

JabSP6

 

 

[boingk]

Big downer that people were seriously affected by this... not that you couldn't see it would happen.

 

Main thing, I suppose, is that we all get back in the air and stay there. If another grounding happens for similar reasons to last I would not think that RAA would be able to recover. Or let recover, as it were.

 

- boingk

 

 

[Robmus]

My Aircraft was grounded for 4 weeks. Didn't bother me greatly as most of the weather near me was not , apart from the odd day, compatable for flying. When my renewal came thru it was dated from the day it was done, Not the initial day 4 weeks earlier. So for that I personally didn't mind a lot. And I am still able to do my average of about 150 hrs a year. Although like others I agree it should never have happened.

 

Robert.

 

 

[Gentreau]

As I thought, and FT said above. it was an item of issue at the GM, Our treasurer could not see how we were missing 6-8 weeks of revenue this way.......

But from an accounting point of view they are only missing some cashflow for 6-8 weeks, and with the reserves that RAA has, that isn't an issue. As the financial year runs July to June then the only delays which would actually effect the results would be registrations due in June which get delayed until July and hence the revenue is not recognised until next financial year. It seems to me that the net result will be that there was a cashflow shortfall which was later made up as registrations caught up and the annual results won't look much different if the problems are sorted out before June. Also the staff should have a quiet Christmas 2013 as there will be few registration renewals due around that time.

 

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