Urgent notice to all RA-Aus members

[Guest OzChris]

To all RAAus members:

 

Have you made your comment yet? You must comment NOW...

 

As you may already know, CASA has released for comment a Discussion Paper on the increase in Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) for RA-Aus aircraft to 760 kg. This is our long-awaited opportunity to tell CASA that we want to increase our MTOW to allow us to carry more fuel, safety equipment, and in some cases a passenger in our aircraft. Recreational Aviation Australia Incorporated has pursued this weight increase for over a decade, to enable our members to carry greater safety equipment. It will also help improve aircraft safety and capability during cross country flights by being able to carry more fuel, water and emergency rations.

 

There are other organisations who are actively campaigning against the increase in weight for RA-Aus: they believe that we may intrude on their patch. We may well lose valuable safety improvements to the emotional arguments put forward by our detractors unless our members rally behind this cause.

 

This weight increase will mean extra safety and additions to the types of aircraft available for RA-Aus members to fly and purchase. In no way does this mean that our single seat and heritage aircraft will be forgotten! In fact, a stronger membership allows RA-Aus to support worthy causes such as the Holbrook Ultralight Museum, and to continue to offer the same service to members wishing to build our grass roots single seat aircraft.

 

Please take the time to read the Discussion Paper on the CASA website at www.casa.gov.au/newrules/ops/dp0802os.htm.

 

Responses close on the 11th of November 2008, so there is over one month to go. Do your bit now for the organisation that supports you and your freedoms everyday. The worst thing for all of us would be to fail by the one vote that could be yours, so take the time and vote now.

 

There are various ways to vote: you can do it online at the CASA website at: www.casa.gov.au/newrules/ors/submit.asp?nprm=DP%200802OS or in written form.

 

To make it easy to vote on this important decision, there is a copy of the CASA response form, with the RA-Aus preferred selections already marked. The response form is prepared in two formats, one being a word document that you can alter on your computer by typing your comments, ticking boxes and then emailing to Mike Cleaver at CASA at this email address: [email protected]

 

Alternatively, you can print out the pdf version, make your comments and send by FAX to: 1800 653 897.

 

This is a numbers game, Ladies and Gentlemen: without our comments to CASA we may not have the chance to vote on a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) and make this weight increase happen for the RA-Aus membership.

 

I sincerely encourage each and every RA-Aus member to support the weight increase as a personal duty to increase the safety, affordability and ultimately the strength of recreational aviation in Australia into the future.

 

Lee Ungermann

 

CEO RA-Aus

[Guest WillMikoyan]

I think it's a good thing, though my concern would be with people then registering the old clapped out 152s, that really need more attention with maintainence as they get older. Something that might not happen under an Ra-Aus registration.

 

 

[Guest OzChris]

Good point Will, however that is true of any aircraft as it ages...but a very valid point!

 

I would like to think that the majority of aircraft owners and pilots would be responsible in making sure that an aircraft in their command is airworthy before attempting to fly it...

 

 

[Guest OzChris]

RAAus members, please take the time to read the Discussion Paper on the CASA website at www.casa.gov.au/newrules/ops/dp0802os.htm.

 

Remember that responses close on the 11th of November 2008

 

 

[Guest David C]

Thanks for making this proposal availabe to be read on this forum . I am in the UK at the mo , however , I check in with the site almost daily , such is the attraction and value of this site . I concider the proposal to be of great value . The reason I see is that at the present time , there are a lot of RAAUs registered aircraft flying very close to their MTOW in order to conduct XC training and XC flying in general. With a pilot , instructor and required fuel on board there needs to be very close attention paid to the MTOW in order to stay within the limits . Safety is the key issue here , I recommend the proposal whole heartedly ..

 

Dave C

 

 

[Guest OzChris]

Great response Dave...

 

Dont forget to respond on the CASA site :]

 

There are various ways to vote: one way is to do it online at the CASA website at: www.casa.gov.au/newrules/ors/submit.asp?nprm=DP%200802OS