Mark Skidmore resigns from AOPA

[DonRamsay]

I hope you are right DR, because in my experience ex-defence management (officers and SNCOs) are usually not used to listening and are very used to telling people how it's going to be, and usually with a bottomless pit of money to do it. The ones that aren't are an exception, not the rule.

Having served in the military myself I understand your comment. From my brief exposure to Mr Skidmore I believe he is exceptional. If anyone could fix CASA he could but it is the most difficult job in Australia.

 

 

[Fairoaks Flyer]

I am a member of AOPA and received the Eureka mail out. It was sent from a "no reply" address so you couldn't comment on it. This was a gross error on the part of AOPA as it effectively only represented the views of the author of the letter, Marc de Stoop. There were a lot of areas where CASA needs to change its views, but were omitted from the Eureka document by AOPA - ie the exorbitant cost of flying training and the licensing system.

 

Mark Skidmore cannot act impartially when he is a member of the organisation criticising CASA and wanting change. He would have to resign from either CASA or AOPA. As CASA pays him his bread & butter salary, and he gets no remuneration from AOPA, he would obviously give AOPA the flick.

 

 

[dutchroll]

"Mr De Stoop said its Eureka report recommended privatising Airservices Australia...."

 

Lol. Seriously. AOPA reckons that a privatised Airservices will help their members? What planet do AOPA live on? Now I think I realise why I'm not a member. A privatised Airservices will slug their members with aviation usage charges that will take their breath away, I can guarantee you. This is because Airservices is monopoly infrastructure. Privatising monopoly infrastructure is a one way ticket to hell for people who think they're going to get a better deal!

 

Go take a walk through Sydney Airport to see how it works.

 

 

[coljones]

I am a member of AOPA and received the Eureka mail out. It was sent from a "no reply" address so you couldn't comment on it. This was a gross error on the part of AOPA as it effectively only represented the views of the author of the letter, Marc de Stoop. There were a lot of areas where CASA needs to change its views, but were omitted from the Eureka document by AOPA - ie the exorbitant cost of flying training and the licensing system.Mark Skidmore cannot act impartially when he is a member of the organisation criticising CASA and wanting change. He would have to resign from either CASA or AOPA. As CASA pays him his bread & butter salary, and he gets no remuneration from AOPA, he would obviously give AOPA the flick.

You can provide comment. Aaron provided his email further down the email. I am not sure about Marc de Stoop's email address.

"noreply" addresses are provided as a primary filter against spambots and accidental replies. This saves a human mailbox getting filled with crap and accidentals. Real replies would be self addressed to Aaron or forwarded to someone else.

 

I am not sure the "Eureka" is just Marc's opinion. It is more likely to be the considered opinion of a group of people and sent with the authority of the AOPA Board, as is proper.

 

I can't find the "Eureka" on the AOPA website. Can you share?

 

Col

 

 

[djpacro]

AOPA members had ample notice and opportunity to provide input to Eureka beforehand.

 

The text of Skidmore's email suggests to me that it did not follow a considered decision regarding conflict of interest but perhaps next weekend we will hear rumours from his side.

 

 

[dutchroll]

The text of an email certainly does not convey everything which goes on behind the scenes.

 

And I'd love to know who the twit in AOPA was who leaked it to the public. That was pretty pointless as it said nothing other than "I resign" (to paraphrase it) in a blunt one line sentence, so someone in AOPA is playing silly games.

 

I've also read some of the social media and blog commentary on other websites following it, and it appears that there is more than one twit in AOPA.

 

 

[M61A1]

I spent 16 years in the ADF as an Officer. People from Defence actually end up a fairly broad cross-section of personalities, although they are taught to use authority when they have it. Some are absolute, complete tossers. Some are really genuinely trying to improve things, with mixed success. The common denominator is that the personalities don't change. The tossers stay tossers forever, and the good blokes stay good blokes forever - generally speaking in my own experience.Don't for a minute think the civil world is all enlightened. In my current 16 years of working for a very large "iconic aussie airline" which has been a private corporation for as long as I've worked for them, I have encountered a roughly equal number of complete and utter tossers in senior managerial positions who have no military background at all. Which leads me to depressingly believe that nothing ever changes, no matter where you work and what your background is.

 

Stick an AOPA executive in the CASA CEO position. You reckon everything is going to suddenly start going your way? You reckon the entire rest of the aviation community- commercial operators, military, etc, etc, out there will roll over to AOPA's way of thinking? You reckon they'll last long before the Government sacks them? You're absolutely on drugs if you do.

My response was more in regard to your comments suggesting that Mr Skidmore realises there are issues with CASA and his ability and willingness to sort it out. As I said, I hope you are right.

I know Mr Skidmore, but not personally, as he was one of our F111 pilots when I was in 1 SQN. Aside from a decade of fitter/welder work, I've been in Military aviation all my life, some as a Civvy and some in uniform, as a result I still get to work a lot with ex-defence people, and realistically, a lot of them struggle with the realities of budget and time constraints, as well as the fact that they need tact and diplomacy, not just demand that their "troops" do as they command. Unfortunately the higher up they were, the more indoctrinated they are, but, I do hope you are right about Mr Skidmore. If you are it will make him a very rare type.

 

I am aware that the civilian world is not "all enlightened", the do however, tend to be way less dictatorial.

 

 

[facthunter]

If you are subject to being elected, you are a bit more careful of how you do things, and accountability. If you are appointed you serve the master(s) who appoint you. Nev

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Skidmore's defence of SIDS/"Jabiru restrictions" at the senate hearing was telling, he is probably the only person in the country in a position to change the CASA stance on these programs but doesn't sound like he too interested in keeping GA viable. Usually a change of leader is a good opportunity to change an organisation's direction but I doubt he will be leading any great change in CASA's direction. More of the same.

 

 

[Ultralights]

it not an industry perception problem of CASA, its that CASA has appointed itself, not only safety regulator, but also the industries business and commercial regulator.. a prime example recently is the requiring of drone pilots who sell photos to be regulated by CASA! i can go to a deserted beach, with my Canon DSLR, take some great shots, and sell them with no need for licensing or anything, yet if i use my drone, which is nothing more than an airborne camera, and take the exact same shot, suddenly i need CASA's blessing to sell that image.. what righ has CASA got to dictate what i can and cannot do with my photography? the same level of commercial and business interference from CASA is rife throughout the aviation industry, CASA is a SAFETY regulator, but has grown to be aviations commercial and business micromanaging regulator as well. this is whats strangling the industry.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Seems bizarre when you can take photos from the back of a horse/ute/train/boat/ship without licensing!

 

 

[turboplanner]

Dyslexia strikes again; the deciding factor is crossing over from private into a commercial activity where you are crossing from your own demands in your own time to the demands of someone else in their time, and the risk, and so need for risk management both rise.

 

Try operating a boat for a commercial activity and see how the paperwork rises there.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

but then look how casually the various governments are turning a blind eye to Uber and the other "ride sharing" services

 

 

[M61A1]

Dyslexia strikes again; the deciding factor is crossing over from private into a commercial activity where you are crossing from your own demands in your own time to the demands of someone else in their time, and the risk, and so need for risk management both rise.Try operating a boat for a commercial activity and see how the paperwork rises there.

I can understand some sort of certification when carrying fare paying passengers, but the rest is just silly. Just imagine how stupid it would be if all tradies required an automotive equivalent of an AOC to carry their tools to and from work sites, yet in aviation for some reason, it's an accepted norm.

I was unaware that they called it "dyslexia"

 

 

[turboplanner]

There has been a steady flow of sometimes horrific (in terms of damage to face etc) injury to innocent people on the ground from RC aircraft, and PL insurance is accordingly quite high in RC clubs, and rules are a lot stricter than we complain about. Drones add an additional risk in that they are positioning near sensitive areas rather than just flying over the countryside like RC aircraft.

 

 

[Ultralights]

i think some missed my point, the point is CASA, a SAFETY regulator, is there to ensure safety and safety compliance. its not their job to dictate how businesses do business within aviation. we have fair trading, and consumer laws to regulate the business side of things.

 

when going through thinks like gaining, or modifying an AOC, CASA has a say on every aspect of the business, and rarely is it to do with safety. its regulation for the sake of regulation.

 

 

[kaz3g]

The text of an email certainly does not convey everything which goes on behind the scenes.And I'd love to know who the twit in AOPA was who leaked it to the public. That was pretty pointless as it said nothing other than "I resign" (to paraphrase it) in a blunt one line sentence, so someone in AOPA is playing silly games.

 

I've also read some of the social media and blog commentary on other websites following it, and it appears that there is more than one twit in AOPA.

I haven't seen anything that actually demonstrates that the email leak came from AOPA. I venture to suggest that the DAS also has enemies within.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Aldo]

Mark Skidmore is no idiot, I believe he would have looked at the possible conflict of interest with his job at CASA and decided he no longer needed to be part of AOPA.

 

He may not be able to change the way CASA does things to any great extent but I believe he will approach the position logically and methodically and apply the rules within the constraints of the position.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Aldo, so will he cancel his PPL so that he won't have any aviation interests at all?

 

 

[DonRamsay]

Skidmore's defence of SIDS/"Jabiru restrictions" at the senate hearing was telling, he is probably the only person in the country in a position to change the CASA stance on these programs but doesn't sound like he too interested in keeping GA viable. Usually a change of leader is a good opportunity to change an organisation's direction but I doubt he will be leading any great change in CASA's direction. More of the same.

Both of those "programs" were introduced before he took the reins. Unscrambling the Jabiru omelet is going to take some very clever legal brains. And you can add the "wisdom" of the rollout of ADSB years before the USA to the list of imponderables.

Skidmore has been very upfront since the day he arrived and has been a breath of fresh air. His 10 point list for assessing CASA actions is unprecedented and should guarantee major CASA blunders will not happen on his watch.

 

 

[Aldo]

Aldo, so will he cancel his PPL so that he won't have any aviation interests at all?

FT

 

I wouldn't see any need for him to do that, it makes perfect sense for the DAS to have as good an overall view of aviation as he/she can and not be constrained to any one particular area. This way they are able to apply a set of guidelines/rules that can fit all areas of aviation as best as is possible.

 

Don't get me wrong though I'm not saying this will happen anytime soon but we have to start somewhere and Mark Skidmore may just be the person to do that, in my opinion the best in the last 30 years anyway.

 

Aldo

 

 

[Jim McDowall]

Both of those "programs" were introduced before he took the reins. Unscrambling the Jabiru omelet is going to take some very clever legal brains. And you can add the "wisdom" of the rollout of ADSB years before the USA to the list of imponderables.

Don, it matters not a jot who did what when. Mr Skidmore has carriage of the leadership of CASA. If he thinks that it is on the wrong path he should take steps to make the changes necessary as he sees them. Part of leadership is to take decisions that will be unpopular with your minions. If the organisational culture such that the minions refuse to embrace the changes (see Dick Smith on Pprune.org on this subject) a few well chosen "resignations" will work. I think in the recreational sector knows where he should start.

He could start unscambling the omelete by repealing the current operating restrictions.

 

 

[jakej]

First chop should be at the neck, then the minions - no DAS will survive until that is done IMO.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

I am sure when the LNP where looking around for a new head of CASA there first concern was to look after QANTAS investors (remember how willing the LNP where in 2013 to ditch the 51% Australian owned rule to cover up Joyce's mismanagement) and not to rock the boat. Looking after QANTAS investors can take many forms, all of which would be considered anti-competitive.

 

Hiring an older ex military man sends a signal to the department, keep your mouth shut and do you job.

 

 

[up-into-the-air]

The last to this should be on Skidmore comments to the Heffernan presided Aviation Committee:

 

http://vocasupport.com/d-day-arrives-for-ozaviation-at-tamworth/

 

Skidmore in fact "skids" away from the Rally at Tamworth. It would seem the industry is beneath his contempt.