coljones

I haven't seen the transition arrangements but the board might not survive beyond the end of June if the new constitution gets up. It is not the first time the board has cancelled an election. It appears the desire of the proponents that the new organisation takes over from the old at the end of this financial year. Where that leaves the old board is interesting. How they propose conducting an election to the new board before July is still a mystery. Perhaps, get the special meeting to appoint the new board but importantly, who will be appointed, is still a mystery. Maybe the NQ Rep will remain to take out the garbage from the old board.

AVIATION INDUSTRY RALLY - TAMWORTH AIRPORT - Tuesday 12/04/16 @ 11am An important message from AOPA Australia ... WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT We encourage pilots & aircraft owners to attend. Please find included in this email a letter which was sent to the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, with regard to the state of affairs, for small to medium sized aviation enterprise, for the electorate of New England. There will be a rally/Meeting at Hangar 6, Tamworth Regional Airport, Tamworth NSW 2350, Australia, Tuesday 12th April, 11am-1pm. This event will be attended by: Mr Benjamin Morgan – CEO of Aviation Advertiser – Australia Mr Dick Smith AC Representatives of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Representatives of the Recreational Aviation Australia Inc Representatives of the AMROBA Aviation Businesses of the New England Electorate Private Pilots and Aircraft Owners of the New England Electorate OBJECTIVE OF EVENT: To communicate to the Australian Government and the electorate of New England the dire state of the small to medium sized aviation industry and the need for immediate and broad regulatory reform (see letter to Hon Barnaby Joyce MP). This event will be an opportunity for the media within the New England electorate to engage with Aviation Industry leaders and to Q&A them with regard to the dire situation within the small to medium sized aviation industry. For further information, contact; Mr Benjamin Morgan Chief Executive – Aviation Advertiser Mobile: 0415 577 724 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 8th April 2016 The Hon Barnaby Joyce Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia. The 94,000+ Users of the Aviation Advertiser Network Dear Minister Joyce, NEW ENGLAND DEMANDS AVIATION REGULATORY REFORM. Aviation Advertiser (http://www.aviationadvertiser.com.au) is Australia’s largest online aircraft marketplace and has been operating since 2008. Our digital services are used by over 94,000+ persons across Australia and New Zealand. We provide the Australian aviation industry with aircraft sales, marketing and advertising services. Aside from our commercial activities within aviation, our organisation also works alongside Australia’s leading aviation associations and peak-bodies. Standing with industry, with regard to leading advocacy and developing regulatory reform. Aviation Advertiser has recently acquired an airside facility at Tamworth Regional Airport, that forms part of our national aircraft sales, marketing and aircraft maintenance network. We will be working alongside Tamworth Regional Airport and the aircraft owners and pilots of the New England electorate in helping develop regional aviation and employment. Through the course of normal business, Aviation Advertiser is in direct regular communication with a broad spectrum of aviation users. Students, recreational, private and commercial pilots, private and commercial aircraft owners and aviation businesses. Many of these hard working men and women reside in your electorate, New England. Constituents whom are desperately concerned for the future of small to medium sized aviation in Australia and for the future of rural communities that depend on their services. As a result of successive failures by both the Labor and Liberal Governments to implement balanced and appropriate aviation policy over the past 25 years, the aviation industry in Australia has been forced into decline and soon - total destruction. The cause of the aviation industry’s decline is clear and is virtually unanimously agreed on by Australia’s leading aviation associations, peak-bodies, businesses, pilots and aircraft owners. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulatory framework. A regulatory framework which has been forced on the Australian aviation industry, with total disregard as to the imposed costs and damage it would inflict on the aviation economy. If the situation continues without change, CASA will soon have achieved a result, no other aviation regulator in the world would have thought possible. A totally 100% safe aviation industry - whereby nobody flies unless you are a domestic or international airline. Across Australia private owners, farmers and primary producers are being forced to sell off their aircraft and exit the aviation industry - as a result of excessive compliance costs. The knock on effects now being felt by maintenance providers, fight training schools and support service companies. The economic loss and impact could run as high as $500 million, with thousands unemployed. Is the destruction of the small to medium sized aviation industry in the interests of Australian Agriculture portfolio or the constituents of New England? Across regional Australia, local airports are desperate for small to medium sized aviation to connect and service their communities. Local Governments want to see their airports become economic drivers for their shires and regions. Bringing to their communities growth, employment and opportunity. This will not be possible until the Federal Government comprehensively reforms aviation regulation. Provides an economic pathway for growth and opportunity. I have now worked as part of the aviation industry long enough to see Ministers come and go. Ministers whom hide behind white paper studies, who refuse to give direct answers to industry and who fail to provide informed policy direction or leadership on the issue of aviation regulatory reform. Ministers who perceive aviation safety to be a ‘witches brew’, far too complicated to become politically embroiled. The hard working men and women in the aviation industry in this country deserve better and demand leadership. I shall be in Tamworth from Monday 11th to 13th April 2016 for a range of newspaper and television media engagements and would like to meet with you to discuss the above. If you could please make time to meet with me, both I and the aviation industry would appreciate it. In the meantime, if you would like discuss any of the above, please feel free to contact me on 0415 577 724. Best regards, BENJAMIN MORGAN Chief Executive - Aviation Advertiser Digital Group Telephone: (02) 8215 6292 Mobile: 0415 577 724 Email: [email protected] Mailing Address: PO BOX 465 Edgecliff NSW 2027 Australia. ====================================================================== Get social... Follow @aopa Australia on Twitter Our mailing address is: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia PO Box 26 Georges Hall, NSW 2198 Australia

I would join to importer, distributor and seller into any action as they might also share any culpability for this situation.

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

I think the question at this moment is: who writes,enacts and changes the various charters, bylaws, rules etc that are not explicitly tied into the constitution and what role does the rank and file (aka, the masses) have in the process?

I'm not sure that RWY is all that precient. Just download it again and authenticate via the subscription panel and then download the maps and other stuff you need. I had to replace a nexus 9 and it didn't complain at all. I had a second copy on a samsung 5.

Hmm, interesting. Get in touch with Spencer Ferrier - he is a board member of AOPA, he has had some involvement with RAA over the board shenanigans a couple of years ago, he is involved in the re-write of our constitution and, from his attendance at the Special GM, probably a member of RAA.

I read that as "RAA cert holders only need fitness to drive a motor car - the same should apply to RPL and PPL"

Well, it was "The Australian" after all.

Hi Mike There is an Android app called "GPS Test" (free) that you can instal and will show if your inbuilt GPS module is working. start the app and it should give you lat/long. Another screen will give you speed. Great for working out if things are working. "The GPS Test app for Android is a utility that shows GPS information read from your phones internal GPS. Will support GLONASS phones. The app has several colour schemes, which could be used to match other instrumentation, used along side the app. It has a "night mode" colour scheme as well." If you like this app, please like GPS Test on Facebook: - http://www.facebook.com/gpstest

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Can you see any reason why the current board shouldn't publish a list of desirable board traits and then resign so that the members might populate the board in the current arrangements with people to lead RAA forward, including sorting out a new structure. I keep getting the feeling that you lot think that you, yourselves, are collectively incompetent.

At the moment the only qualification is to be a member and be elected by ones region. How many of the current board, or past boards "displays an almost incomprehensible level of ignorance of both the responsibilities of directors and the requirements of the organisation." And more importantly, who are they? What is the criteria to be adopted and put into place to ensure that no candidate "displays an almost incomprehensible level of ignorance of both the responsibilities of directors and the requirements of the organisation" or are prevented from being elected?

Given that the board can only sample small isolated parts of the membership 13 does give it the ability to get a broader, considered view. Michael's suggestion that we have outpost commentators to gather member opinion and give feedback has got hairs on it. There are innumerable examples of membership reference panels, all of them are dogs and they were established to keep the members away from the levers of power. I note that the RAA machine has been around the world gathering opinions but has yet to turn up in Sydney.

That might be the intention but you will find that a board will identify to itself the sort of role that it wants to have. To a strong CEO a board is just another embuggerance, to a capable CEO it is Strategy, policy, governance and a sounding board, to a weak CEO, the board will either run the organisation or the organisation will go under (does that sound familiar?). Just because the text books and AICD says it is so doesn't make it so. RAA, and its ilk, should look to the union movement for guidance on member based advocacy organisations or the AMA (the medicos union) or The Pharmacy Guild (the Chemist Shop Owners).

George W Bush has an MBA - look at where that qualification got the world. I'm not sure how being an aviation lawyer or corporate lawyer helps with a member based servicing and advocacy organisation. Red Cross, RSPCA etc are charities, may have members but they don't provide services to the members or advocate on members behalf.

Yes, I know what you are saying - f#%%#%!!ing anti pushbike laws. Duncan Gay - you are a tool!!!

The article was in a NewsLtd publication. While the paper's management would cover up a developer "having a go" on a 747 because he was a developer and developers are the salt of the earth, wonderful people, god is on their side and they can do no harm maybe the journo felt the need to tell a bit of the story, something about ethics. Some people are incapable of chewing gum and walking - some are just incapable of even chewing gum, some people give a gun to a child and some people hand over controls of an aeroplane to whoever.

Shags' new thread is here http://recreationalflying.com/threads/why-i-will-be-voting-against-the-new-constitution.147715/ Shags' problem clause is - "14.3 If the Directors reject an application, the Company must write to the applicant as soon as possible to tell them that their application has been rejected, but does not have to give reasons." He also alludes to the provision that membership can be terminated if money is owed to RAA - No timeframe is provided. Most member based organisation prescribe some type of latitude to receiving benefits and usually don't start member termination procedures unless a member has been unfinancial for more than 3 months. If I owned shares and the director of the company upset me I could flog the shares. In the case of Not for profits members have no proprietary interests in the company and no shares to flog. At the moment the non-proprietorial interest that members have in RAA is around $200/member. Being chucked out on one's ear at the behest of the board without being able to enjoy this non-proprietorial interest is a bit rough. I am underwhelmed by registering Not for Profits under the Corporations Act which is designed for profit making corporations. It is mainly used by Not for profits who want to keep the membership highly limited or keep them away from the levers of control. If this is the quality of output from the subcommittee after a couple of years one has to wonder what they were doing.

How we get over the results bit. if you look at motor vehicles, particularly trucks, they have become much safer for the occupants but they continue to run over kids, crash into the middle of houses, clean up lines of pushbikes and when they fall over, pour litres of fuel over innocent bystanders. Death lurks around every corner and it is not always the perp who collects the reward. My big problem with the stats is that I don't believe that RAA has a clue about hours and movements. It is my understanding that the records in the office were a dog's breakfast and despite many offers from members in Canberra to help out checking the records during THE CRISIS none, or very little was accepted. It proved a herculean task just to get the paperwork assembled let alone analysed. I am not sure how fictitious the numbers were but to use them as the basis of the RATE/hour of failure would appear to be fanciful. I am far from being a Jab hater. I actually like them, they do what I want them to do. It is probably because the maintenance men in charge do a very good job on them. There are some maintainers out there that you wouldn't let loose on a house brick and they are usually the ones who scream the loudest when they break something or do (or not do) something which causes an engine to "grenade". I will be back in the Jab next week - I might even fly the C152 and PA28 as well (now where can I find a C140 near Sydney?)

For any ASIC you need a legitimate purpose to get one. In the case of CASA, in order to exercise the privileges of your licence, you need to have a valid medical. No medical, no independant flying so you can't demonstrate the need for an ASIC (a need discount coffee from M at KSA won't cut it). In the case of RAA you won't get an ASIC unless you state a valid need (I have had my forms returned because I forgot to give the need) If you are an RAA member you can live on an RAA ASIC and use it for CASA. The downside of an RAA ASIC are the restricted group of people (CFIs, JPs, Board Members) who can witness an application. The CASA witness group is much wider.

And there probably should be a review/audit of the reported and recorded hours and movements of each engine across the fleet. It is one thing to count dodgy faults but if the fleet total hours and movements are also suspect then the resultant stats are rubbish.

Don't forget to pick up CAGIT on the way through.

There are many organisations with constrained membership rules such as "Primary Ethics", "HCF" etc. There are also a number of organisations that require the serving out of a probationary period of a number of years, there are others such as political parties that won't even enroll you unless have the right handshake and others that place almost insurmountable hurdles unless you are part of the "Chairman's Team". In some cases you couldn't care less but in other cases you need to be a member or subscriber, in which case the full democratic rights should prevail. Any organisation that constrains democracy isn't democratic IMHO. I never liked the fact that "The Readers Digest Association" could call itself an Association when clearly it wasn't.

More than 20kg of baggage? Bottles of plonk from the trip to Coonawarra?